I grew up mainly in Northern California, the oldest of seven children. My father was a dentist and my mother was a full time homemaker (with seven kids, maybe it was even more than full time). I have good memories from my early years. Our family life was hectic but fun.
1945-52 I was born in the University of California Hospital in San Francisco on November 19, 1945. My father was in the army and was going to dental school. My mother had left the WAVES and was working as a stenographer for a railroad company. After graduation from dental school, my father left the army and started a practice, but soon thereafter, he was called back into the army as a Captain in the Dental Corps. My first few years were spent in San Francisco and Oakland, California and in Logan, Utah, where my mother and I stayed with my grandmother while Dad was stationed in Texas. 1952-57 Dad was transferred to Fort Worden on Puget Sound in the State of Washington. We lived at Port Townsend in an officer's house that had been converted from a World War II lookout post overlooking the entrance to Puget Sound. I remember the foghorns putting us to sleep every night. We had chickens and rabbits and would dig for clams on the beach. I started tap and ballet lessons while here. 1957-64 Dad left the army and set up a practice with a group of dentists in Concord, California. Our family moved to Pleasant Hill and shortly thereafter to Walnut Creek where we lived until I left for college. I attended Los Lomas High School in Walnut Creek and kept pretty busy with extra curricular activities including being a flag girl, editor of the school newspaper, member of the House, and senior class treasurer. I hung out with the "egghead" group with academics taking a pretty high priority. I became a life member of the California Scholarship Federation. Our family did a lot of water skiing and other activities together. Summer work included dental assisting for my dad, sales clerking in a department store and secretarial work for a freight company. 1964-67 After graduation, I received a journalism scholarship to Brigham Young University and headed off to Provo, Utah. Started with a major in English but then decided to go into Nursing. I was active in the Ballet Club (even danced in a couple of operas) and was on the diving team. During the summers, I returned to California and worked as a nurse's aide at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland.
I really enjoyed the spiritual community at BYU and had decided to serve an L.D.S. mission after my junior year. But then .... Kent showed up. .....J
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