My Parents' Beginnings (February 24, 2006)

Eva and Michael (?)

     In 1930 my dad, Don Bradley, moved from his childhood home in Superior, Wisconsin to Klamath Falls, Oregon and started his sophomore year in high school. Tall, dark, handsome and athletic described him perfectly. The football, basketball and track teams all welcomed him, and he won many athletic awards. Academically, he brought home mostly A’s and B’s. All the girls were drawn to him, but his eye was set on Eva Kesterson, a freshman.  Her dad was a lumberman in town, well off, and considered influential in the community.  Dad’s father worked 16 hours a day as a conductor for the Southern Pacific Railroad. They were considered poor, but dad was an only child, felt loved and knew his mom pampered him. 

     Eva, my future mother, was also very popular in school.  She excelled academically and was involved in many school societies and activities.  The two fell madly in love and were an item for the rest of their high school years. 

     After graduation dad joined the Navy, spent four years sailing the ocean blue, sewing his wild oats, and growing up.  But he didn’t forget Eva.

 

     After graduation mother started college at Dominican College in San Rafael, California. Her parents had divorced and her dad had moved with his new wife to San Francisco. He insisted mother go to Dominican. She hated being so far away from her own mother and angry at grandpa for leaving grandma; so she left school and returned to Oregon.

     In an attempt to escape from her dad’s control, she married Wayne, her childhood newspaper carrier. But mom had not forgotten the handsome football star from Klamath High. Despite the fact she was married, she continued to write Don while he was in the navy. By the time Don was discharged, mom and Wayne knew their marriage was over.

     In fact, Wayne went to see my Dad and told him he should come see mom and get back together with her. That is exactly what they did.  On July 4, 1939, they headed to Reno and married.  Dad went to work for Southern Pacific like his father and they had my brother Michael in 1941.  In 1943 I joined the family.  We lived close to dad’s folks and mom’s mother for the next three years.

     In 1946 my Dad decided to go to college.  He was accepted at UC Berkeley and Davis that year.  We headed to Davis.  Dad attended classes at both Berkeley and Davis.  He also got a job at UC Davis in the irrigation department to support the family.

      On top of school and work, dad also had another activity: drinking.  The next several years were very tough on my mom and my dad too.  In 1948, while we were visiting my mom’s mother in Santa Rosa, dad got into a loud argument with grandma, who was also drunk. He took off in the car and went to a bar, where he got in a fight.

     The next thing he remembered was waking up in bed in Davis.  He had no idea how he got there. That day he went to the family doctor to seek help and was sent to AA.  He never had another drink. Obviously, this didn’t solve all life’s problems for my folks, but it sure made life at home much more peaceful. My mom always pampered my dad, just as his mother had done. He was happy, she was happy, and we were all happy together.