Maurice Parkinson Monson

    

Maurice in Brooklyn NY and adult Maury

Maurice P. Monson

My brother, Maurice

By Weldon P. Monson

Oct. 9, 1973

[Kris' Note:  Maurice is my Dad.]

In writing this account of Maurice and what I know of his life and aspirations I do so reluctantly because I know that Maurice would prefer to write his own account.  Without attempting to intrude upon this privilege I write this with the sincere feeling that Maurice would not cover the things that I would want to say as the eldest remaining member of the family still alive, and still in possession of all of his faculties.  Furthermore, these things need to be said in any account of our family and the background of its individual members.

Maurice was born in Ogden, Utah, in 1912, in the green shingled home we owned on Madison Avenue.  I well remember that day and I remember being told as I came in the house that mother had just given birth to a baby boy.  It was in the front living room to the right as one entered the house.  All of the children in our family were born at home, none in an hospital.  We had returned from England and were in the process of building a new home at 2521 Van Buren Avenue, the home we later sold to the Pugmires (who still live there) when Dad was called to preside over the Eastern States Mission upon the sudden death of Ben E. Rich. 

Maurice was a youngster who always carried himself well, and with a certain proud bearing that would bespeak a gentility that would carry with him throughout his life.  He had fine features, along with his noble bearing, and a head of beautiful white, curly hair.  He was not large like some of the others in the family, but loved to engage in sports like any of the rest of us.

I remember, very vividly, one day in Brooklyn as I came home from school (P.S. #3).  I saw Maurice being picked on by an older boy and was so proud to see him stand up manfully and defend himself.  Here was a cute curly-haired little boy fighting off a larger bully and holding his ground like a little man.

He wanted to play football and would have been the first out on the field had he had a chance to go to college.  He also loved basketball and liked particularly well to play on the Sugarhouse Ward team, with Doug Ansley and others, which I coached.  While he was not tall or large, as basketball players go, he would not give those who were any quarter; he played his best with what he had, which was actually pretty good.  He played softball and touch football in the lots around where we lived, and was quite good in both tennis and golf. 

As a youngster he caddied on the Nibley Park golf course and was in demand because of his head of white, curly hair.  Golfers did not need to look far for their caddy; they could spot him quickly. 

He had considerable charm as a boy, even on the golf course, had a fine sense of humor and always carried himself well, with good bearing, and no vulgarity or mediocrity.  He easily carried himself above those things and generally thought in more lofty terms.  He had, in my opinion, the best mind in the family.

Had he been able to go to college he would have outshone us all, and in either law or medicine he would have distinguished himself as none of the rest of us have.  He was the biblical Joseph of our family, and went through the same financial bondage, not of his own making but of an environmental nature from which he extricated himself on his own just as the Joseph of old.  Or David, in many ways, except that David had his lost weekend.  Maurice didn’t.

When Maurice graduated from high school and had a year at the LDS Business College he was called on a mission to the South Eastern States and was assigned to Virginia.  He became Conference President in Richmond after laboring in Roanoke and Petersburg.  Dad could only send him $20 a month but Maurice, as did Lysle, made this do.  He applied himself to his missionary work fully and allowed no distractions.  He received wonderful letters from Dad, all in a gospel view. 

Maurice developed rapidly and became a really great speaker – always on gospel.  He had an original way of thinking and would not allow himself to parrot others in either substance or form, and always said his own prayers, guided fully by the Holy Spirit.  He made many converts – of the real kind, not just a record of baptisms for the purpose of the record as I have seen over recent years.  He wasn’t interested in statistics.  He was interested in transforming people’s lives. 

Maurice was the mainstay of the family in the early ‘30s when Dad’s health failed rapidly at the beginning of the Depression and after mother’s death – and Lysle’s.  Maurice made $150 a month and felt this was his obligation and accepted it willingly, and I might add, happily, rejoicing in the thought that he could do this much both for his love for his father, but in a small way, as repayment for the sacrifice he knew that Dad made for his mission.

While he has been eminently successful in business, I have written him urging that he give his remaining years to the church, on a full time basis where his wonderful talents and gifts might be used in a way where he could reach the most people.  I regard him as the finest speaker in the church, excepting none.  His original thoughts on doctrine are invaluable.  There is so little of that kind of thinking around today, and our meetings need this kind of rejuvenation and the kind of inspiration he always gives when he speaks on gospel.

When Maurice returned from his mission he started as an accountant at the Gold Glow Milk Company through the interest of Clyde Edmunds, who was Chairman of the Board and a good friend of Venna and Dad.  He steadily rose to general manager, where he initiated many innovations, such as new trucks, new management alignments, and a new type of thinking.  This made the company profitable after a few years of barely breaking even.  In his capacity of general manager he had dealings with the Creamery Package Co. of San Francisco, makers of large dairy equipment and designer of dairy systems.  He became associated with the company as a sales engineer, although he had never studied engineering of any kind.  He rose to Sales Manager, then head of the entire Western operations.  The President then wanted him as an understudy to him in the corporate headquarters in Chicago.  The Company now had become a division of St. Regis Paper Co. and was one of its most profitable divisions.  Maurice and his family (wife, Elizabeth and two children, Eric and Krissie (sp) moved to Chicago and lived in Wilmette and Glenview, Illinois where they bought a beautiful home and their children attended the famous New Trier High School, probably the best in the U.S.  They both made outstanding records and Eric made the school debating team.  This school helped fill in certain gaps in their education acquired in the California educational system.

Maurice was active in the ward much as he had been in Burlingame, Cal. where he was on the Stake High Council, and was always in great demand as a speaker in the various wards.  He wanted, however, to be near Lafe and Keyne and his friends in California and when the Company insisted he remain in Chicago he told them if he could not live in San Francisco and continue with the company, he would have to live in San Francisco without them.  Maurice was now corporate sales manager and V.P. over sales purchasing and engineering.  Maurice had known the heads of Foremost-McKesson in San Francisco and when the President asked him to join the company as V.P. over sales, purchasing and engineering at its corporate headquarters in San Francisco Maurice accepted and thus forfeited what well may have been one of the finest positions in industry, the presidency of a very solid and well entrenched leader in its field of U. S. industry.

After Venna’s death Maurice and Elizabeth took Venna’s twins Jon and Jacqueline Taylor in with them and gave them the great love that they needed.  They had not been able to have children but, like so many other cases, they now had Eric, a son.  They were overjoyed – and then came Krissie, their daughter.  Two beautiful children.  As Jon Taylor teaches seminary in Salt Lake, you might like to talk with him about Maurice and Elizabeth.

As this is written Maurice is a corporate vice president of Foremost-McKesson and in charge, world-wide of transportation and procurement.  He lives at 2327 Royal Oaks Drive, Alamo, California 94507.  With the above as a start, I suggest that Maurice now finish his own account.  He is very capable of doing so, if you can get him to write anything about any of his accomplishments in life. 

I think he has done better than any of us, without a college education.  He has never lost sight of the real values of life and he and Elizabeth have raised a fine couple of youngsters.  Eric just returned from a mission to Guatemala and now reaches out to establish his own values in life, and my guess is that they will be patterned, in large part, after those set by his father.  Elizabeth is a wonderful wife and mother and a great influence also in Maurice’s life.  She is an accomplished organist and always plays the organ for the wards in which they live.

I look upon her husband, Maurice, as the pride of the Monson family in all of the best aspects of life.

Weldon P. Monson

Oct. 9, 1973

[Kris' Note:  2019.  While Eric did attend New Trier High School, he actually graduated from Mills High School in Burlingame, CA.  I only attended Monte Vista High School in Danville, CA.  In sorting through Maurice and Bo's family history documents, I found the following personal history hand-written by my father Maurice.  I will add it below.]

Maurice Parkinson Monson

Personal History

I was born in Ogden, Weber County, Utah on March 6, 1912, the eighth of ten children in the family of Leona Smart Parkinson, my mother, and Walter Peter Monson, my father.  My brother and sisters were Walter Jr., Elna Rose (died in infancy), Venna, LaFayette (Lafe), Lysle, Weldon, Blanche, Keyne and Richard.

I have no memories of our life in Ogden as my father was called to serve his third mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when I was an infant.  He was called by President Joseph F. Smith to preside over the Eastern States Mission and the entire family moved to New York City.  We lived in a brownstone house at 33 W. 133^rd St. [Kris’ note:  It actually was 33 W. 126^th St.] then later in a new mission home which the church built next to a new chapel at 275 Gates Ave. in Brooklyn, N.Y.

My earliest memories are of our life in New York and Brooklyn.  I was very young and my memories are sketchy, however I remember quite clearly the atmosphere of World War I with such things as military parades, recruiting drives, drives to sell Liberty Bonds, parades of wounded soldiers returning from France.  There was severe anti-German feeling and propaganda with billboard posters showing “Stop the Huns,” “Kill the Kaiser,” etc. etc. – also the suppression of everything German such as sauerkraut (renamed “liberty cabbage”).

Much of the hauling was done with wagons and dray horses (which attracted flies and did their best to fertilize the cobble stone streets).  There were also dray trucks with solid tires (we were in the transition from horse drawn to motorized trucks); street sweepers with uniforms, pushcarts ad brooms, mostly to clean up after the horses; open street cars; a few automobiles – truly the ending of one kind of life and the beginning of another.

We had a touring car (Studebaker, I believe) which ran pretty well, had lots of flat tires which were hard to fix (most cars did not carry spares yet), leather upholstery and ising glass curtains if it rained.  I can remember our family drives into the country on occasional weekends or holidays, driving with the top down to Coney Island, Rockaway Beach, or out in the countryside to visit the Tout family – these wonderful people were close friends of our family.  Two of the beautiful and talented Tout girls were famous on the N.Y. stage.  Hazel, whose stage name was Hazel Dawn, was the featured Ziegfeld girl, and Margaret, whose stage name was Margaret Romaine, was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Co.  The Tout family had a large country estate (at Oceanside, I believe) and our visits there were special occasions to remember.

When we went to the beach we would take a large picnic lunch, swim in the ocean, play in the sane, find sea shells, etc.

I remember the building of the chapel and mission home in Brooklyn and would play in the framework of the building with Jimmy Knecht – the Knechts were Dad’s converts and very special friends.  I seem to remember that Bro. Knecht was quite successful in the pickle and vinegar business and after we returned to Utah he would send us kegs of pickles and kegs of cider.

I started school in Brooklyn and attended Public School #3, from kindergarten through 3^rd grade, having skipped 2^nd grade.  A talented and wonderful teacher who remains in my memory was a Miss Palmer who gave me individual attention and helped me make the transition when I skipped a grade.

During the time my father was in the Eastern States Mission, he and mother took me (and perhaps others) to Salt Lake at General Conference time and we went to Preston, Idaho to attend the funeral of Grandfather Parkinson – as far as I can remember this was the only time I ever saw this distinguished pioneer gentleman, in his casket.  [Kris’ note:  There is a photo of Samuel and Charlotte’s family at a reunion gathering with little pre-schooler Maurice in the photo.]  During this same trip, I have my first memory of meeting Grandmother Parkinson, many aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mother’s side.  We also visited my Grandmother Monson (in Franklin, I believe) – she was severely crippled with arthritis and showed the ravages of a difficult, work-worn life.

An incident I remember in New York occurred when we were visiting the Joseph Smith farm in Vermont during a visit to the mission by Apostle George Albert Smith, a great man and a special friend of our family.  I was very small, toddled into the lily pond, and Pres. smith waded in to pull me to safety as it was deep enough for a child to drown.

Many of my most vivid memories of New York are associated with General Authorities, not only those who were visiting the Eastern States Mission, but also those who were en route to the European missions and stopped in New York, stayed at our home prior to embarking.  Some that I remember were James E.  Talmage, B.H. Roberts, Chas. W. Nibley, Melvin J. Ballard, Jos. Fielding Smith, Chas. A. Callis (visiting from the Southern States Mission) and many others.  I also remember the constant and ever-changing group of elders and lady missionaries from our mission; elders on their way to or from European missions and service men on their way to or from the war in France.  One of theses was a handsome and glamorous (in those days) flier named Bayard Taylor whom Venna later married.  Venna was a talented, lovely girl (much like her Sally and our Kris) who was much sought after and probably could have married any one of a host of missionaries, given her natural endowments placed in the setting of the mission home, the daughter of a popular and dynamic mission president, etc.

Shortly after the death of Joseph F. Smith, Dad was released by Pres. Heber J. Grant and we returned home to Utah.  The change came as a difficult adjustment to my father who had liquidated his business interests upon the advice of Pres. Smith to pursue a life of church service.  His resources were nearly wiped out by the financial panic which followed World War I and he returned to Utah with no prospects of employment, a large family, and waning health which was deteriorated by worry and frustration.  He tried door to door selling, first china, then Bibles, and after a series of hardships and heartbreaks, was given an appointment to the State Industrial Commission by Governor Ernest Bamberger which terminated when Governor Bamberger finished his term of governor.  Again a long period of hardship and unemployment until he was finally given a job by a Catholic friend who was head of Morrison-Merrill Lumber Co. where he worked as a salesman for a number of years.  When his health further declined and he could no longer take the rigors of the traveling salesman, also because of mother’s declining health and Dad’s choice to be with her, he left Morrison-Merrill and was given an appointment as City Building Inspecytor by Mayor Pat Goggin, another Catholic friend.  He held this position until he died on Feb. 11, 1935.

My brother, Richard, had died of leukemia at age 6 in March of 1924 and mother died in March of 1930, also of leukemia – at her funeral was the last time our family was all together.  Lysle returned from his mission to England a few weeks early for mother’s illness and funeral, then he died later that fall from peritonitis following intestinal perforations as a result of typhoid fever.

I mention these things only because of the profound influence they had upon me and upon all the member of our family.  These experiences had their effect on our outlook toward security expressed in a deep-seated desire to succeed, and, to some extent, the later attitude of some of the children toward the church.

Upon our return from New York, we lived in a number of places in Salt Lake, during which I attended several grade schools, one of the longest being a period of three or four years at 3123 S. 7^th East in Wandamere Ward where I attended Roosevelt Elementary School.  We had a lot of friends in the Wandamere Ward; Weldon, Lysle, and Blanche attended Granite High School where Weldon and Lysle were outstanding athletes, Lafe was studying to be a doctor, Dad was on the State Industrial Commission, and a measure of the family pride was restored – we were always happy as a family.

I remember the time that the new Wandamere Ward chapel was being built and Dad and all his older boys worked evenings and Saturdays on the chapel – mother made lemonade in a wash tub with a block of ice in it and Keyne and I pulled it to the chapel site on our coaster wagon with two tin dippers from which we served the workmen.  We had our own cow, raised vegetables and fruit (canned by mother, Venna and Blanche), had chickens, butchered a pig and calf or two each year which meat was salted for winter.

Our family life was an unusually happy one with much love and loyalty for each other.  Obviously, in a family as large as ours there were disagreements, occasionally to the point of a full blown quarrel.  However, these were infrequent and ill-feelings were not harbored.

During my memory, I believe our years on 7^th East in Wandamere Ward were among our happiest.  Dad was working and he and mother were in reasonably good health, most of the children were at home excepting Walter, Jr. who was in the real estate business in Washington, D.C. – also Venna may have been married and Weldon away to school part of this time.

I remember many boyhood activities; fishing and swimming in Mill creek; Keyne and I riding our bikes about 5 miles to fish for chubs and carp in Jordan River; caddying at Nibley Park golf course; doing my chores (milking our cow, hoeing weeds, picking fruit, etc – we had 5 acres); playing sandlot baseball, basketball, and football; chasing the ice wagon in the summer times and playing neighborhood games in the summer evenings; winter time difficulties with chores, shoveling snow, ice skating (I was never very good), bobsleigh parties with the church with horse drawn team wagons.

All in all, I remember these days as particularly happy ones, perhaps because I was at that age when many things made you happy – things we didn’t have really did not make me very unhappy.

When Dad’s tenure with the Industrial Commission ended we were not able to keep our place and moved to Sugarhouse Ward at 1888 So. 11^th East.  Here I attended Irving Jr. High, graduating in the spring of 1926.  I then attended L.D.S. high school during 1927, 1928, and part of 1929 – I graduated from East high school in 1929.  In 1930 I attended L.D.S. Junior College where I studied pre-business administration courses.

These were difficult years for us as Dad’s work on the road selling lumber and building materials was hard on him and both he and mother were in failing health.  Lysle was on a mission in England doing a fine job and adding to our pride and happiness but also adding financial pressure.  My high school years were generally good, however, in spite of our financial struggles.  I was fairly good in school when I kept up with my homework.  My athletic outlets were playing M Men basketball for a very good team (Sugarhouse Ward), also basketball and baseball for a couple of industrial teams.  I dated quite a lot – Phyllis Evans, Carol Chapman, Maureen Snow, Peggy Palmer, then went steady with Norma Goddard.  My boy friends were Doug Ansley, Arch Thurman, Ray Curtis, Paul Hixson and others.

I found whatever work I could, caddying at Salt lake Country Club etc then found a job through DeMolay (Masonic Lodge) Employment Service with Franklin R. Smith Co which was a newly formed produce brokerage firm.  In addition to Frank Smith, we had a field man and I was the only office employee.  I soon found out how little I knew about an office, so I enrolled at L.D.S. Business College and worked afternoons and evenings.

During 1930 my mother and Lysle died and Keyne and I were home alone with Dad.  Frank Smith, Smith, despondent of family problems, took his own life on a trip to San Francisco.  Safeway took over the brokerage firm, installed their own people and system in the office and gave me a job in their warehouse at Safeway Fruit Co.  This was really quite a compliment to me as I was only 18 years of age, the Depression was upon us, and jobs were extremely scarce.

At Safeway Fruit Co. I was paid about $35 per week which was a very good wage.  I went to work at midnight to put up orders and load trucks.  After a few months I was given a truck to run to the Safeway Stores in Ogden – I still put up orders from midnight to 6:00 AM, went to Ogden with a load and if things went well I could get back by noon.  I also took some afternoon classes at the Univ. of Utah school of business.

My mother and father had always hoped that I would fill a mission – they wanted this for all the boys and Walter and Lysle had had the opportunity.  My mother particularly expressed this desire for me shortly before she died in 1930.  In 1931 Bishop Wheeler of Sugarhouse Ward recommended me for a mission and I was called to the East Central States, leaving for mission headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky during July 1931.  I was assigned to the Virginia District as my field of labor – Miles L. Jones of Ogden was my mission president.  Prior to leaving a received my endowments in the Salt lake temple and was given my patriarchal blessing by Homer M. Brown, the father of Hugh B. Brown, our stake president.

At first my mission was hard for me because I had never been away from home for any length of time – this, of course, was true of most new missionaries.  My first companion was Elder Millward from Granstville – a dedicated fine elder, living on a shoestring and loved by all the members.  He later married Glenna Christlie from the Roanoke branch and returned to Grantsville to live.

In the Virginia District we had five organized branches – Richmond, Roanoke, Petersburg, Danville, and Norfolk – plus a few small Sunday Schools and homes of active members where we could hold cottage meetings whenever the missionaries were available.  Since the country was in the Great Depression while I was on my mission (1931-1933) we had a scarcity of missionaries, varying from a high of ten elder and four lady missionaries to a low of five elders and two lady missionaries.  As president of the district (22 months) whenever we had an odd number of  elders, I would labor without a companion – as I recall, this was the case for an aggregate of about ten months of my mission.

Some of the members who stand out in my memory were the Hurt, Buster, Goodman, Robinson, Smoot, Kaufield and Donahue families in Richmond; the Green, Furguson, Wade and Christlie families in Roanoke; the Stricklands in Norfolk; the Jacksons in Petersburg; and many others.  In these homes I slept many night and ate many meals.

My companions were George Millward from Grantsville, Ut.; LaMar Nixon from Holden, Ut.; George Whitley from Salt Lake; Wm. Thomas Jr. from Swan Lake, Idaho – the lady missionaries I remember were Florence Eldredge from Bountiful; Verna Adamson from Tooele; and Leta Hanson from Payson (I believe).

I kept a journal (not very faithfully, I’m afraid) which contained accounts of many of the experiences, however over the years with moving, etc., it became lost and I haven’t seen it for many years.  I do remember some of these experiences but will not attempt to detail them here.

Upon my return home in 1933, my father, Aunt Rose (my stepmother) and Keyne were living at home at 1888 So. 11^th East in Salt Lake.  Things were very hard economically, not only for us but for nearly everyone.  I found a job working for Clyde Edmonds at Salt lake Milk Producers Ass’n. – a cooperative dairy processor.  Clyde was general manager of Utah Poultry Producers Ass’n. (also a farm cooperative) and he was pressed into service by the Farm Bureau to also manage Salt Lake Milk because they were in serious financial trouble.

I was one of several hired and I became office manager then secretary-treasurer, and finally assistant general manager under Clyde Edmonds.  We were able to build it into the second largest milk business in Salt Lake – we had about 75 employees and handled milk from about 300 producers.  During my five years of employment there I learned basic business principles, procedures, and values which were very important to me during my working life.  Also, I attended the Univ. of Utah school of business part time and helped to add further useful skills in this way.

In February of 1935 my father died of coronary disease and the following month my stepmother, Aunt Rose, died of pneumonia.

About three years after the death of my mother, Dad married Rose Grover from Morgan, Utah.  [Kris’ note:  According to records on Family Search, which are not infallible, Leona died in March 1930 and Walter married Rosetta Grover in June 1931.]  Aunt Rose had never been married before and when she came to live with us she brought a niece whom she had raised, Helen Thackery.  She was a fine girl, about college age, who later became a dietitian (degree from Utah State University) and headed this function for the Lion House.

Aunt Rose was a wonderful woman who did a great deal for Dad in his final years and in addition to pneumonia probably died of a broken heart after Dad’s death.  Although no one could ever take mother’s place (or father’s) we were happy during the two or three years we lived together.

After Dad and Rose died in 1935, Keyne and I lived together in the old house – our meals consisted pretty much of milk, bread, and a salad bowl which the first one home would replenish.  I went to the U. of U. from about 8:00 AM until noon then worked at the dairy until about 8:00 or 9:00 PM with studying afterward.

Keyne had a job doing warehouse work at Strevell-Patterson Wholesale Hardware Co.  He would come home about 5:00 PM to an empty house which was pretty cold and lonely – this was a very difficult time for Keyne.  Not too long thereafter, he realized he was not getting anywhere, so he left Salt Lake to go east.  With a variety of jobs and hardships, he fought his way through college and medical school where he earned an M.D. degree from New York University and Ear-Nose-Throat specialty from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

While Keyne and I were living together he began to have further trouble with a chronic ear infection which had plagued him for several years as a “running ear.”  His doctor said he needed specialized and rather dangerous surgery for his mastoiditis.  Since we could not afford to go to a specialist in Salt Lake and Lafe was a better ear-nose-throat specialist than anyone around, we drove down to San Francisco to see what could be done.  Lafe did not like the idea of doing surgery with this much risk upon his brother, but since no time could be lost, he operated successfully on Keyne.

While Keyne was recuperating, I went down to Los Angeles to visit Venna, whom I had not seen since before my mission. [Kris’ note:  Was she unable to travel to her father’s funeral?  Or perhaps she was unable to stay for a real visit?]  She arranged for me to be the speaker in Sacrament Meeting in Alhambra Ward.  Here I met the beautiful young organist whose name was Bo McFate and arranged an after meeting date.  We went to a movie in Hollywood and got lost trying to find our way back to Alhambra – they had no phone so she could not even call her folks – and we finally found our way home about 4:00 AM.

I had been dating a number of girls since Norma Goddard and I had decided to call things off, however this California girl was something special.  From that moment, there was none other for me!

We had a few dates before I had to leave, then corresponded until New Years at which time I gave her an engagement ring on New Years Eve in Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.  She came up to Salt Lake in February with Venna and we eloped to Farmington on February 29, 1936 – this was the first of our three marriages.  Since she did not tell her folks about our Farmington marriage, we held another ceremony in April in the Hollywood stake house, then the following year we were sealed in the Salt lake temple on June 29, 1937 by Apostle Charles A. Callis.

Keyne had left for Washington D.C. in the late summer of 1935 to try to find a way through school and I lived alone in a boarding house on 1^st North and 2^nd Avenue and continued to live there after we were secretly married in February of 1936 until after our California wedding in April of 1936.

When we were first married we lived in a small furnished apartment on about 3^rd South and 3^rd or 4^th East for a little while, then later on moved to an apartment in the basement of a home at 1333 Parkway Ave. in Highland Park.  The stove and refrigerator were furnished and we bought our first furniture – living room, bedroom, and kitchen table and chairs.  As I recall, our rent was $32.50 per month and my salary at the dairy was $125.00 per month.  Bo helped our financial situation by working at Auerbach’s and Keith O’Brien’s.

We had the adjustment problems of most newly wed young couples – I am sure it was harder for Bo than for me because I had my work, etc, and we were living in an area which was home to me with largely friends and family of mine and all was strange to her.  She handled it so gently and gracefully that I am sure she did most to assure the success of our marriage as over the years our love for each other grew.  Aside from her beauty (both inside and outside), her gentility, the artistic ability and appreciation which she inherited from her mother (a great lady), I am sure her spirituality was a more natural, unquestioning concept than mine, which over our lifetime together has added another dimension to our marriage.

We had a good circle of friends in those early years and we were active in Highland Park Ward.  We were close friends with Rulon and Zola (Brown) Jeffs, and belonged to a study group with them (and others) which we enjoyed.  We also knew the Edmonds, Browns, Richards, Burtons, Longdens, etc. in Highland Park Ward which was an interesting and stimulating ward.  After five or six years of marriage and two little children, Rulon and Zola were separated then divorced because Rulon joined a polygamy group – this was a terrible shock to Zola and her family (Hugh B. Brown) and to all their friends.

I continued to work at Salt Lake Milk Producers Ass’n. where Rulon Jeffs was office manager and I was treasurer.  Later, when Rulon left, I became secretary-treasurer, then assistant manager to Clyde Edmonds who was the general manager.  Clyde’s principal occupation was general manager of Utah Poultry Producer’s Ass’n, a large egg and poultry processor, and we saw him at the dairy only infrequently.  (He served without salary pretty much as a consultant.)  This was extremely good experience and training for me, both to have the responsibility of running the business and also to work closely with Clyde Edmonds – a very able, visionary, and successful businessman.  I am sure this period was of great value to me throughout my business life, even though the work was difficult and discouraging and our income was low.

As an aside, when I first went to work for Salt Lake Milk I also had an opportunity to take a job with Ford Motor Co. in their division office – Salt Lake Milk would start at $65.00 per month, Ford was $125.00 per month.  I appeared to be an easy decision as to which way to go (Ford) until I talked with my Dad.  He said, “You may never have another opportunity to work closely with a man like Clyde Edmonds.  You will learn more from him in a year than you would in a career with a large company like Ford.  Also, you are still single and can tolerate the financial sacrifice at this time of your life.”  This pretty much set the employment direction of my life as I have been associated with some facet of the milk and ice cream business ever since.

I have enclosed copies of some letter I have received during important events in my business life – the letter from Clyde Edmonds enclosed a $100.00 bill, the only one I had ever seen up to then.

At Salt Lake Milk we had about 75 employees, grew to become the second largest dairy in Salt Lake.  I had the responsibility to motivate and maintain an organization, look after such functions as sales, purchasing, producers relations, office, plant, delivery, industry problems, etc.  This, together with my mission experience and the amount of college training I was able to get, gave me confidence and leadership experience which served as a foundation for my future career.

When Clyde took over the company in 1933, it was at the request of the Utah State Farm Bureau because this was a farmer’s cooperative in serious financial trouble and he was sought to try to save it.  Shortly after he took the company over, he negotiated a loan with the Berkeley Bank for Cooperatives to provide funds for working capital – the loan was to mature in 1939.

As time went on, I became convinced that my future was not to run a local farmer’s co-op.  When I discussed it with Clyde he tried to show me more future than I could see, but ultimately I believe he agreed with me.  He did ask me to stay on until we had paid our loan, which of course, I agreed to do.

I had a few opportunities – one from Brooklawn Creamery which I considered to be less attractive than my present job – one from the State Tax Commission in the auditing department  -- one from Creamery Package Mfg. Co. as a sales trainee.  The C.P. offer was the lowest starting salary ($175.00 per month) in an engineering oriented business I was least qualified to handle, however Bo and I were ready for a change and a challenge.  In March of 1939 Salt Lake Milk Producers held their annual meeting at which both Clyde and I submitted our resignations.  The Board understood Clyde’s situation because of his heavy responsibilities at Utah Poultry – also then now felt that I could handle the general manager duties and offered a substantial salary increase for me to do so.  We still felt we should make a change and reported to work for Creamery Package on April 29, 1939 in their San Francisco branch office.

We stayed with Lafe in Berkeley for a few weeks until we could get an apartment.  We found a small apartment on Glen Ave. in Piedmont where we lived for about a year.

This was a very difficult year for us – I was not well prepared for my work and the C.P.  San Francisco Branch situation was particularly tough.  A very domineering manager with limited ability had run the business into a serious loss situation – since I was hired by the Chicago office my situation with the manager, Earl Shaw, was particularly untenable.

As difficult as this year was for me, it was probably worse for Bo.  I was away a great deal of the time, and she was home alone while I traveled.  We had not yet made friends in the new area and I am sure this must have been one of the most difficult periods of her life.  After while she got a job at I. Magnin which was hard work but at least provided an outlet of sorts for her.  I was so absorbed in trying to make my own situation with CP work out that I am sure I was insensitive to her needs which must have made her trial all the harder to bear.

During this year, Venna was killed in an automobile accident near Lincoln, Nebraska and left a young family of six children.  After a while it became apparent that they were not getting along and that Venna’s husband, Bayard Taylor, had been depending upon her to make the living as well as to run the home and to be the mother to six children.  Lafe and Helen took young Bayard and Sally (two of the older children) to live with them and Bo and I took Joyce and the 4 year old twins to live with us.  It appeared unlikely then that we would have children of our own – Bo went from a lonely situation to a completely overwhelming one almost overnight.  What a wonderful person she was to take on this load and what a superb job she did with the kids!  I am sure Venna knows that no one in the world could or would have done for her children what Bo did.

Having the children made it necessary for us to find another place to live.  We found a flat in Oakland where we lived a few months until we were evicted because the children were noisy.  This was a blessing to us because we went on the Peninsula to Burlingame and fought a new five room house for $6500.00.  With the war and all, housing was extremely expensive and difficult to find – however, by buying this home we were able to establish our monthly payment and avoid any future rent increases or evictions.

It was a tight squeeze for us to make the deal as we needed $900.00 down payment and had only $600.00 after our expenses, etc.  However, we borrowed $300.00 from the builder and moved into our new home in December of 1941 and lived there until 1950.  We loved our little home – our family did well; we were in a fine ward; the schools were good; and we felt the Lord had blessed us.

The war years were filled with problems for everyone – shortages, gas and tire rationing, wages frozen, etc.  In 1944 I received a 1A draft classification and reported for my physical examination for the Marine Corps, but because of the children and my job responsibilities (I was Branch Manager) in an essential industry I was deferred from military service throughout the remainder of the war. [Kris’ note:  Because of his work, his file was sent to the Army Corps of Engineers, but they never called him up due to his deferment.]

After I had been with CP about a year and a half, Earl Shaw resigned – I did too, but they asked me to stay on since he was leaving.  We decided to give it another go under the circumstances, and I was offered the position of branch manager.  I felt that I was not ready for the technical side of the job, also the sales engineer, John Moffitt, an engineering graduate from Santa Clara University was really pushing for the appointment.  Don Lightner, CP general sales manager from Chicago came out to handle the situation and talked with each of us privately.  I told Don I thought the choice was an obvious one – John would not support me and I would support him – also we needed his engineering ability as much as we needed my administrative experience.

Accordingly, John Moffitt was appointed branch manager and I was made assistant branch manager with administrative responsibilities.  Also, I had personal sales responsibility for the five largest customers who accounted for about half the branch business.  This arrangement lasted about a year until John, who was a captain in the U.S. Army reserve, was called to active duty.  He later died in Italy the day that Gen. Mark Clark pinned his eagles on him and made him a full colonel.

When John went into the service, I was made branch manager in 1942 and San Francisco Branch went on to become one of the largest and most profitable branches in the company.

About this time, Jim Brazee joined CP having been a successful competitor for a number of years.  Jim was a singularly brilliant engineer and a superb salesman.  We worked closely together and he not only gave me a great deal of help in securing new business but also taught me more engineering than many learn in college.  We became close associates and friends until his death in 1968.  Every time Jim received a promotion in the company, I was moved up to fill the position he was leaving.

We received one of the greatest blessings of our life in 1950 when Bo learned she was pregnant.  The baby was due in November and I went to a national Dairy Show in Atlantic City, N.J. in October.  While I was there the baby came during the night of October 17.  Bo took a cab to the hospital by herself at about 2:00 AM and I learned by telephone the next morning that David Eric had joined our family and would be a constant blessing to our lives.

While I was in the east I saw signs of a rising real estate market, and since we would now need more room we decided to look for a larger home.  We found a new one being built in Ray Park, just two or three blocks away which seemed to fill our needs very well.  It was 1800 sq. ft. – three bedrooms and two baths and we moved into the new house in April of 1951.  We were in the same ward with the same friends, etc., and this turned out to be an excellent move for us.  We sold our little house on Clovely Lane in Burlingame Village for $16,500.00 (cost $6500.00 ten years earlier) – since the new house cost $21,000.00 the deal for the new house was easy for us to handle.

About this time I was called to serve on the high council of the Palo Alto Stake and continued for a time on the high council of San Mateo Stake after Palo Alto Stake was divided.  This calling lasted about nine or ten years – I was called by Wendell Christensen who was replaced by David Haight, a wonderful person who later became a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles.  When the Palo Alto Stake was divided, Mel Pickering became president of San Mateo Stake and was followed by Bill Stoker under whose administration I was released.  This calling was an interesting and inspirational experience, particularly under Dave Haight when my assignment was vice chairman of the Melchizedek Priesthood Committee (Dave being Chairman), supervision of the Seventies and Stake Mission.  I had speaking assignments all over the stake and we were able to enlarge our circle of friends in the church during that time.

Bo was a talented and accomplished musician and was both stake and ward organist, accompanied many soloists such as Carole Larson and others and always made a singular contribution to the church music.  She also filled many other callings, including Relief Society President.  I have held positions of leadership in most of my priesthood quorums, presided over Virginia District in the mission field, high priest group leader in three wards, gospel doctrine teacher in four wards spanning about ten years, etc.  We have always enjoyed our church associations and calling; we both know the gospel is true and divinely restored with its accompanying keys of leadership and priesthood.  It has always been a source of great joy to me that we were sealed in the temple; both our children have temple marriages with faithful, wonderful partners whom we love; and each of our children has a deep understanding of the gospel with a firm, unshakeable testimony.

Not too long after we moved into Ray Park, circumstances made it desirable for the twins to rejoin their father and other members of their family in Salt Lake.  They had been with us for over 12 years and we had always encouraged them to retain their own family identity and to preserve as much as possible, their ties with each other as a family unit.

In 1951, Jim Brazee was moved to Chicago for additional sales management responsibilities and was subsequently made Vice President – Sales.  A couple of years after Jim moved to Chicago, I was made Western Regional Manager – the company was not organized along regional lines and this was a set up 1) because the western branches were so far from Chicago and needed more supervision than they were getting and 2) because it was a concept the management wanted to try and we were to be the prototype.

My jurisdiction included the branch operation in Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle – this represented about 30-35% of the company’s U.S. volume.  It took a little while to earn the respect and support of a couple of the branch managers who had been with the company longer than I had and would probably like to have had the appointment for themselves.  However, we pulled it all  together into a very successful operating unit after I got Chicago to reassign the Seattle manager, a pretty good politician and not much of a manager.

The decade of the 50s was very good for us.  We had good health and steady employment – Eric was a delightful, loving son – and in 1958 we were blessed again with a child, Kristine Elizabeth, a most special daughter.  Eric was old enough to fully appreciate and love his new sister and there was an immediate bond of love and affection between the two children that deepened throughout their lives.

My work required occasional trips to the branches under my supervision as well as two or three trips a year to Chicago, however most of my time was spent in San Francisco as I was still managing the branch with my other duties.  All of our Western Division branches did well, except Portland which I later combined with Seattle.  In my regional work, I particularly enjoyed my associations and friendships with the other branch managers as well as the associations I was able to develop with the principal customers throughout the west.

In the fall of 1962 after I returned from a Dairy Show in Chicago I had trouble with my left leg and a lump developed on my thigh.  I went to Dr. Al Skankey who treated it with cortisone injections.  When the lump persisted, he sent me to Peninsula Hospital for xrays and an arteriogram.  The arteriogram was not successful but subsequent xrays showed a deterioration of the thigh bone with a diagnosis indicating sarcoma, a usually fatal bone cancer.

Lafe and Keyne realized the seriousness of the situation – our family was shattered, but drawn closely together.  Lafe arranged for emergency surgery by Dr. Don King, chief of orthopedics at Stanford Medical School.  On New Years Eve Dr. King operated expecting amputation, but found a massive staph infection which had formed an abscess on the thigh bone.  Our family was overjoyed and relieved and Bo, Lafe and Helen, and Keyne and Gerry had a New Year’s Eve celebration while I slept it off in the hospital. 

Many of our problems within the company came from trying to work with E.B. Lehrack [Kris’ note:  pronounced “LEE-rack”], president of Creamery Package.  While most of my associations with E.B. were reasonably pleasant (perhaps because I was 2500 miles away from him) I saw a great deal of arbitrariness, unfairness, favoritism, and pettiness in him.  It was hard for me to work for someone about whom I felt that way, however I suppose having distance between us and Jim Brazee taking the brunt of the problems in Chicago made the situation tolerable.

It developed, however, that E.B. was having more problems than I realized, not only with his employees but also with the Board.  Other companies began to be interested in C.P. as an acquisition, probably as a result of Lehrack’s maneuvering to get our board off his back, and we were acquired by St. Regis Paper Co.  I soon had offers from Foremost and Carnation and seriously considered joining Foremost to be associated with Grover Turnbow, a close friend and then president of Foremost.

Bo and I went in to Chicago where I discussed the move with Jim and E.B. –was stunned and shocked and I suppose questioned my loyalty (after about twenty-five years) because he felt that if I left it would show lack of confidence in the St Regis deal and others might leave also.

This did not bother me too much, but when Jim said, “Maury, if I ever needed you, I need you now.”  Jim had done so much for us I felt I needed to stay on.

In 1963 St. Regis had a national consulting firm make an analytical study of our C.P. division, and among other things, recommended that we strengthen our sales management and the unification and organization of our 24 sales and service branch offices.  They also recommended that if I was not appointed to handle this sales department reorganization that the company should go outside the company to find a man to do so.  Late in 1964 I was appointed to General Sales Manager with responsibility for 24 branches and the Canadian company.

In January of 1965 we moved to Illinois, sold our home in Burlingame.  We lived in a rented furnished home on Thornwood Ave. in Wilmette until we could find a home to buy.  One Sunday we were riding with a lady realtor looking at homes when Bo spotted a small development of new homes being built in Glenview, the neighboring township to Wilmette.  The next day we went back, found the builder and bought a partially completed two story colonial house on 1114 Juniper Terrace which Bo later had changed to 1114 Indian Rd. [Kris’ note:  The street was a loop, with part of it called Juniper Terrace and part called Indian Road.  Our home was right where the name changed.  After years of spelling Albemarle Way aloud for people, she didn’t want to spell Juniper Terrace for people and thought most people would know how to spell Indian.  So she initiated a change.]

We stayed in Chicago for 2½ years and had a marvelous experience there.  The ward was divided shortly before we moved there and I believe we might have enjoyed the other ward more than ours – more of our friends were in the other ward, Sam and Marian Monson [Kris’ note:  Sam and Dad were half-double first cousins and full second cousins.], Donna and Morris Smith [Kris’ note:  This is Donna Turner Smith, the concert pianist.  Mother found dear friends and music colleagues and teachers in both Donna and Marian.], etc. – however we still had a fine ward.  We had lots of wonderful friends in the ward, the neighborhood, the company, etc.

My work required me to travel a lot which became a real problem to us, however I was able to take the family on a number of trips which we shall always remember.  We visited eastern Canada, eastern U.S., Virginia and other parts of the south, as well as two or three trips to the West Coast.

We found the Midwestern people to be warm and friendly and who valued continued friendships – these were enjoyable and valuable years for us.

While we were in Chicago, I had spinal surgery to remove a herniated disc, otherwise our family’s health was very good.

The experience of living in Chicago was not only good for Bo and me but for the children as well.  Eric attended New Trier high school which is one of the finest high schools in the U.S.  Eric was too small physically to make the school athletic teams which was a real disappointment to him.  However, in addition to being very competitive, he was extremely intelligent and quick mentally – this enabled him to earn good grades and make the school debate team which at new Trier was a real accomplishment and carried with it considerable campus stature.

Kris attended Avoca elementary school whose campus adjoined our property – she could walk to school except after a heavy snowstorm. [Kris’ note:  The school’s back property was a large field that came up to a gate and a pathway next to our back yard.  When the snow fell, it was an ocean of deep snow between our home and the school building, so I would need a ride on the roads to get to school.]  Kris also did extremely well in school and was exceptionally gifted in music, dancing, dramatics, etc.

Both our children were a joy to raise with love and respect for their parents and for each other.  They were spiritually gifted and close to the church with a personal relationship to the Lord.  They were completely honest and reliable, and had the ability to excel in most things that they made up their minds to do.  This was at a time when promiscuity, drugs, lack of parental respect, etc. were rapidly gaining strength among young people – Bo and I have always been humbly grateful for the wonderful, strong children that we have in Eric and Kris.

When we left Burlingame for Chicago, we gave our piano to Jim and Carmen Smith, a couple who lived in our ward who had a daughter, Cheryl, who was a friend of Kris’.  They could not afford a piano and this gave Cheryl a chance to take lessons and heard she became a pretty good pianist.  Through the local want ads, we located a Steinway grand piano in beautiful condition and bought it for $1800.00 – we still have it and it is Bo’s pride and joy. [Kris' Note: I still have the piano and always will. I don't play it as well as Mom did, but I play it often and want my kids and grandkids of any age to enjoy the keys, harp, strings, hammers, felts, dampers, pedals, etc. It's been rebuilt inside and out and currently needs tuning. I'm a turtle with a heavy shell -- everywhere I go, I take a grand piano.]

My work at C.P. had both compensations and drawbacks, as most employment situations do.  My work among the branch managers and sales people (who were my responsibility) was pleasant and a rewarding experience.  I had in my charge 24 sales branches and our Canadian company with about 600 employees.  Since they were located so as to serve the entire U.S. and Canada, my travel schedule was heavy and onerous.  I could take Bo and sometimes the children which made it more tolerable.

With my office in the Chicago headquarters I soon learned our Chicago management group was extremely political which is usually the result of a top man whose experience and ability are limited – this was the case in C.P. and I did not realize it until we lived in Chicago and I was involved in the situation on a daily basis.  Lee Mommsen, our president after Lehrack, was a fine person and a long time personal friend, however he had had no branch or field experience and was easily and frequently manipulated by the staff group of which he had been a part for many years.  Jim Brazee should have been the one to head the company, but Lehrack had undercut him with St. Regis and his associates in the company to the point that he was permanently shelved.

While I headed the sales end of the business, I changed an archaic branch structure; regionalized our sales and engineering functions; greatly improved communication and inter-branch cooperation through frequent regional managers conferences.  We improved the motivation and accomplishments of our sales and branch supervisory people by completely restructuring the field compensation plan to reward the successful people to do the things most beneficial to the company – as a result our sales and profits increased dramatically.

Even though our sales department successes were dramatic and both our C.P. and St. Regis managements were aware of them, I realized my own future was limited because of the internal political situation in C.P.  Also, I felt very little security in our St. Regis association because they were a paper company to whom we made no contribution except whatever profit we could generate.  This assessment proved to be correct as St. Regis sold C.P. to APV of London in about 1972.

For some time, Orrie Anwyl, Vice President of Foremost Foods Co. and a close personal friend, had tried to interest me in joining this company.  In 1966, Bo and I were in San Francisco and had dinner with a group which included the Anwyls, and Bill and Jinny Morison, President of Foremost Foods.  I found out later that at that time Bill made up his mind to hire me and in 1967 made me an offer to become a staff officer of Foremost Foods Co. having charge of purchasing, transportation, and engineering.  I joined the company on July 1, 1967 and this proved to be the best career move we ever made.

Within a month, I was made a vice president of the company.  In 1970 we completed a merger with McKesson & Robbins Co. to form Foremost-McKesson Corp.  Bill Morison was made president of the new corporation under Rudy Drews, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  I was made a corporate vice president (Bill Morison’s first executive appointment) and moved into a beautiful new office on the 37^th floor of our new building at Crocker Plaza in San Francisco.  My duties and income were steadily expanded and we had a most happy and rewarding experience until I retired on March 31, 1978 at age 66.

[Kris’ note:  I am certain that Dad intended to return to writing this and if I ever find more written I will add it.  He did not write about how much he loved returning to the Bay Area, how much he loved living in Alamo, how much he loved living near Keyne and Gerry.  He did not mention Delbert Wright, Thatcher Jones, Bill Parmley, Bill Blair, Wes Bailey and others he was close to.  He did not write about Lafe’s death and remaining close to Helen.  He did not write about being a temple worker in Oakland.  He did not write about Eric’s mission and marriage, my teen years and marriage.  He did not write about their retirement move to Salt Lake and their many friends and activities there.  He did not write about their later travels.  He did not write about all the golf he enjoyed with friends and family. He did not write about Lizzy’s life and death followed the next year by the premature birth of my son Brian.  He didn’t write about nearly dying of heart problems in Salem when I was expecting Sean.  He had a lot of life ahead and did it all with the same focused intelligent zeal, mildly imperfect humanity and good nature and hilarious humor that he approached his earlier life.  Dad lived his last 20 years fighting prostate cancer, but did it with strength and courage and remained active into his 80s. 

His cancer finally caught-up to him and he died of prostate cancer on Feb. 15, 1996 just three weeks before his 84^th birthday.  As he suffered at the end, he said humorously that he wished he had eaten more ice cream instead of working so hard to keep his heart healthy.  His viewing and funeral in Salt Lake City were interesting.  Not one of his business associates was there.  Many, like Jim Brazee, had already died.  I’m sure Mom received flowers and cards from others who were elderly in the Bay Area.  However, the viewing and funeral were filled to capacity with family and friends from his entire life.  There was an ancient man who had been a neighbor boy in Salt Lake whom Uncle Keyne was so happy to see.  There was the widower of Venna’s daughter Peggy who wanted to come and pay respects for all Dad and Mom had done for Venna’s family all those years ago (along with Jon, Sally and Bayard who were there).  Friends they had ever since Burlingame came.  Alamo friends came.  Chicago friends came.  Local Salt Lake friends came.  David and Ruby Haight came and told each of our boys to please serve a mission.  Eric’s son Jeff called him “one of the most holy men on the planet!”  Dear relatives came from all over the nation.  This personal history shows how hard he worked to make his career a success, but his life was so much more than his career.  We never felt that his career was more important than home life, but was a way to work hard in order to provide for home life.

To close, I will include a paragraph from a letter written to Dad from his cousin Albert Parkinson Smoot, aka Park Smoot (whom Dad called “Smark Poot”) dated June 14, 1979.  Park was an attorney and helped Mom and Dad with the paperwork for the purchase of their Salt Lake home after Dad retired.  The letter deals with those details.  The last paragraph:

“All you have to do now is to come and get the key from the McKays at the time appointed and move in, for which event we are very happy.  We hope you can soon wind up your affairs there so that you can get on with the job of returning home.  Sincerely, Park” 

Dad’s entire life left a happy wake of people who always welcomed him, and wherever he went, it felt like home.  I’m sure it was that way when he died and enjoyed his reunions in heaven.  Mom was very much the same way, and had 12 more years on this earth after Dad’s death to make friends and serve and enjoy, which she did up until the minute she died on Feb. 25, 2008.]