Salt Lake City- a generous raise in salary made it possible for me to move to the Delta, Delta, Delta ("Tri-Delta") sorority house (my college sorority while at the University of Utah). The board and room cost more and there was bus fare to and from work.
Now I could come and go as I pleased. At the Beehive House there was an 11:00 pm. "curfew" (even if one had a date on the weekend evening). At the sorority house there was no "curfew" and boy friends were allowed in the living room, dining room, sun-room, and the kitchen- the whole main floor- as they would be in a private home. men did not go into any of the bedroom areas. There was also a "house mother" but her role was as a "mother", not a strict chaperon.
Because of the "Great Depression" (in 1929) and it's after-effects through the 1930's, sorority members who had to leave school for financial reasons, and were now working, were allowed to live in the sorority house because there weren't enough out-of-town members to fill it. It had to be filled to get the money for mortgage payments, taxes, a house-mothers salary, food for meals, utilities and other expenses. The Salt Lake girls lived at home to save expenses. We working girls who were inactive members were most welcome.
The House was on "Fraternity Row" so there were always boys in, around, or near the house. Boys came to see girls and brought boy friends with them to see if other girls were available. There was always someone to play the piano and singers. There was frequently a table of bridge in progress and often guests at the dinner table. The opportunities for casual spur-of-the moment activities and dating were constant- it could become a problem to tactfully decline some of it. One often wished for more privacy to wash and hang out (no dryers, then) laundry; wash, dry and curl one's hair; and to relax in peace and quiet- especially Saturday morning and afternoon- when one tried to "catch-up" on chores and rest. My roommate was about 25 yrs old, a school teacher, and engaged to a student at an eastern law-school (so our room was "calmer" than most). She was from Pennsylvania (near Erie) and was still conscious of Utah accents. She kidded me about Utah "culture" but also "mothered" me in many nice and generous ways.
At the beginning of my sophomore year (Sept 1932) at the University, a sorority sister told me her younger brother wanted to meet me. I was 1 yr. ahead in school (18 yrs old), she was a junior and 20 yrs. old, and her brother was 18 yrs. old (1 month older than I was). He was just beginning his freshman year. Their family were sheep-ranchers in western Wyoming. It was during the Great Depression and all sheep ranchers were hard pressed to pay enough hired help and families made many sacrifices and worked very hard to hold onto the sheep and care for them. Some sheep-ranchers lost everything. Because of this, the younger brother stayed out of school during the spring quarters when there was the extra work of "lambing" and shearing. He also spent summers in Wyoming. He and I dated when we met but we both worked at part-time jobs in Salt Lake to help with school expenses so we only dated on the weekends. When he was in Wyoming we both dated other people (for sorority parties, dancing- holidays and general socializing). However, we did plan to get married, have a "house" in Salt Lake, 3 children, etc. after we finished college. He owned a rather elegant big car (2nd hand, which he had "re-made"). He left it in Sale Lake all the time at their Salt Lake home. In July, 1934, his older sister drove it and wrecked it while he was in Wyoming. Also, in July, a boy who had been in my freshman English class heard I was living at the sorority house. His boy friend dated one of the girls living there. One day when I got home from work, the 3 of them were sitting in the living room. Before the 2 boys left H.R. had asked me to go on a picnic with him and another couple on July 24th, a holiday in Utah. In summer, a favorite "outing" was to drive up one of the canyons surrounding Salt Lake. They were cooler, pretty, had running water, and were pleasant in the way the teach is other places (except wading or "tubing" with large inter tubes of tires instead of swimming). I agreed, having no other plans. In mid-morning of July 24th I was picked up. H.R and I rode in the "rumble seat" and another boy (owner of the yellow Chevy roadster) and his date sat in the front. I was introduced. The boy was Don Wilkes. I don't remember the girls' name. We drove up the canyon, spread a blanket and ate our picnic lunch while we played phonograph records on a portable phonograph. Of course, the boys had to show off a little by seeing who could throw records at the trees with enough force for them to penetrate and stick into the trunks of the trees. After hiking a little we left and returned home. The next day I was walking from the bus stop to home (after work) when a yellow roadster passed me, made a U-turn and stopped alongside. It was H.R. and Don, also after work. H.R. asked if I'd like to go with them to H.R.'s fraternity house to see if there was any beer left from the picnic. I didn't want the beer but the ride would be relaxing so I went. While H.R. was in the house seeing about the beer (to take to the other girl's house for a pre-dinner get-together), Don Wilkes turned to me and asked if I'd like to go to the Coconut Grove on Saturday night. The Coconut Grove was a huge downtown ball-room where the famous "Big Bands" played engagements. One of the nation's top bands was playing there on Sat. night. It was the Vincent Lopez band,
a rather expensive event and I loved dancing so, of course, I said "Yes". H.R. came out and said someone had snitched the beer so I asked them to take me home. When H.R. walked me to the door he asked me for a date Sat. eve. to go to the Coconut Grove. I told him I already had a date. At the dance Sat. eve. I saw him with another girl. When he saw us he glared and disappeared into the crowd. H.R. asked me twice for dates but both times Don had beat him to it. After 3 weeks of seeing each other 3-4 times a week, Don said (one evening when he brought me home), "I plan to go to South America to work. Will you marry me and go with me?" After only 3 weeks! I thought he was just kidding so I kidded and said, "Of course!"
In Sept. my Wyoming boy friend returned to Salt Lake to the University. He was still working part time and sometimes in the evenings, so I dated both boys, after he got his car fixed (which took about 3 weeks). The end of Sept. my Wyoming boyfriend, C., asked me to go to Fish Lake (in southern Utah) for the weekend. His sister, her girlfriend and C.'s boyfriend would drive down on Friday evening (about a 7 hr drive) and rent 2 cabins- one for the boys and 1 for the girls. C. couldn't leave until midnite Saturday when he got off work. He was to pick me up then and we'd leave for Fish Lake, spend Sunday there and leave at midnight Sun. eve. to get back to Salt Lake in time to go to work on Monday. After these plans were made, Don asked me for a date for Sat. eve.. I said, "Yes, if you'll have me home before midnight." He wanted to know why, I told him, and he got upset- "I wouldn't let my sister do that!" I assured him that I'd known the other people for along time- better than I knew him and therefor would trust them more than him. That was the end of the discussion. On the trip to Fish Lake I heard all the reasons I shouldn't be dating Don- from all 4 of them- and the reasons I should stay with C.
About the 1st of Oct. Don told me he had applied for jobs with mining companies (he had a Master's degree in Metalurgical Engineering) in the Phillipines and several South American countries and wanted to be sure I'd marry him and go with him. The jobs were for work contracts of 2-3 yrs. By that time I had decided I'd marry him but I told him I still owed money I had borrowed from The Business and Professional Women's Club to finish my sophomore year. It would be paid by April and I'd marry him then. I had planned to return to school to get my degree but I agreed with Don when he assured me that I'd learn more from living in a foreign country for 2-3 yrs. than in 2 more years of school. The house-mother told me I could have the wedding at the sorority house and several friends said they'd give me showers. I figured by then I could also save enough money for a bridal dress and flowers to decorate the sorority house. Several of my friends could (and would) be bridesmaids. I presumed Don would give me an engagement ring soon.
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