02/17/07
Where do you live now? Inykern,CA
How many years were you in the desert? 45 years
Are you willing to help with pictures? yes, I have people, horses, parades,backgrouds of these may be useful
Are you willing to help with stories? maybe
Comments:
I was looking for articles about Seldom Seen Slim, when I found your web page. I saw a man in the Ridgecrest Dollar Tree Store who looked like him. This is the reason why I wanted to learn more. In about 1965, I think I saw him walking on Bowman Rd. near the Ridgecrest Animal Hospital. I found one picture of him on the Internet which showed him with three other men. The other men were not identified, but I thougnt one was Henry Ford. After looking and searching, I think I have identified all three of the men in that photo with Slim. I put together an explaination of my conclusions. I will scan it and mail it to you if you are interested. I found a lot of names in your guest registry including my son in law, Larry Hubbard. Wonderful idea of yours to create this site.
02/10/07
Where do you live now? San Diego
How many years were you in the desert? 19
Are you willing to help with pictures? They are waaay into storage
Are you willing to help with stories? certainly
Comments:
Lived in the base "trailer park" '59-'61. Did the USAF for 8 years and returned in 1969. Worked in base supply a short time before Milo Pooley gave me a chance in the PW electric shop. Nights at Bakersfield Junior College which became Cerro Coso. Having working scientists as teachers was great. Claude Wood & "Dickie" Hughes hired me into the Electronic Warfare Dept. at Thompson Lab where I remained "except for a couple of banishments to Echo Range", until I transfered to NOSC in San Diego with a portion of the REWS project in 1986. Boy...are there stories about working at Thompson Lab in the '70's.
02/07/07
Where do you live now? Northridge, CA
How many years were you in the desert? 3
Are you willing to help with pictures? None
Are you willing to help with stories? No
Comments:
I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your site. China Lake was my last duty station while I was in the navy. It's crazy but I miss the place. Anyways, keep up the good work.
| Donna Moravek (Scheller) | Email |
02/02/07
Where do you live now? Evergreen, Colorado
How many years were you in the desert? 5 Years (1954-1959)
Are you willing to help with pictures? If I can find them
Are you willing to help with stories? Would love to
Comments:
Whenever I have been asked the favorite place I have ever lived as an Air Force brat, my answer has always been China Lake. They were the 5 happiest years of my life. We left Wright Patterson in Aug of '54, with six of us piled in our old Ford wagon, taking in many beautiful sights along the way. We arrived in late Aug to 120 degrees and 5 of the 6 of us were sobbing! How could the AF send us to such a desolate Navy base with nothing but sand & tumbleweed! Little did we know!! We settled into our Capehart duplex at the base of B Mountain (with a nest of black widows in the corner of the garage) and as kids will, began to explore the wonders of the desert. We spent the next five years doing the same as the wonders were endless. We later moved to the corner of Wasp Rd & ?, just at the top of the hill from Richmond Elemenary. Mrs Whistler and Mr Zahn and LaVerne McClean, you were the best teachers and I hope you are still with us.
I've never lived anywhere since that offered so many things to see and places to go. Trona to swim, Walkers Pass for snow, Convict Lake, where we kept a trailer and fished and swam nearly every weekend, exploring the Petroglyphs, forever chasing and catching snakes, lizards and horned toads, digging up some kind of shrimp out the dry bed of China Lake, swimming at the club, sneaking out one night to get a peek of Jayne Mansfied entertaining at the club pool, seeing Connie Stevens live at the Sat. matinee, my sister elected Little League Queen and getting kissed by Hugh O'Brien, Armed Forces Day, putting a dime in the turnstile to see a movie, the Fourth of July parade in Ridgecrest, square dancing at Burroughs Jr Hi, chorus, church and all the church activities, camping, Death Valley & Scotty's Castle, dad starting an astronomy club and hand grinding his own telescope lens to star gaze & take pictures of the moon (where else could the sky be so clear?) but most of all the lasting friendships made there. Not to forget all the important & exciting events of Dr McClean & the development of the Sidewinder, the test pilots taking off & coming in (Cmdr Tierney, Col. McElmurry & dad), SNORT track tests and things I never knew about. What more could kids need?
One sad time was the loss of our neighbor Cmdr. Gus Hopfinger in a crash. There were many lives lost in crashes but Cmdr Hopfinger's was the only one I knew of at the time. I sat for his 5 or 6 children. God be with them all.
There was not much of a Ridgecrest back then. I only remember the main street, the Lutheran Church (Pastor Knipe), The Porthole Cafe, owned by a classmate, Billy Quinn's family and a dress shop, Mary Janes (?). My sisters & I got to model clothes from there and better yet bought our Debbie & Muffie dolls from the shop.
I could go on & on because my memories are endless. We went on to Vandenberg, Kennedy Space Center & Denver for retirement. My husband & I chose to settle in the very different mountain community of Evergreen CO, equally as beautiful as China Lake, but my best memories remain with the desert. I plan to visit one day and know that the development of Ridgecrest will amaze me. If you've never been, go. Try to see it through the eyes of a child.
God Bless and happy memories!
02/01/07
Where do you live now? Mojave, Ca
How many years were you in the desert? 15
Are you willing to help with pictures? yeah
Are you willing to help with stories? yeah
Comments:
i love This Web.. its very nice an well done.. an i love all the old pics..
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