Desert Messenger

16 www.DesertMessenger.com May 7, 2014 Quartzsite Transit Services SUMMER SCHEDULE Available to our elderly, elderly disabled and disabled populations. Summer schedule is thru October 31st. Our hours of operation are 8:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Pickups will begin at 8:20am; scheduling may be done two weeks in advance. An adult must accompany rid- ers under 10 years of age. There is limited occupancy of 8 passengers depend- ing on the size of the van available. To schedule a pickup call Quartzsite Town Hall at 928-927-4333. VAN SCHEDULE & SUGGESTED DONATIONS FOR SERVICE (round trip) Monday Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Tuesday (1st) BLYTHE $10 Tuesday (2nd & 4th ) PARKER $10 Wednesday (1st, 3rd) YUMA/ALGODONES $15 Wednesday (2nd) LAKE HAVASU CITY $15 Wednesday Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Thursday PARKER $10 Friday Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Space donated by Desert Messenger - www.DesertMessenger.com - www.MyQuartzsite.com 1941 Frances "Little Frankie" Scott's Birthday Party Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler "In the Shadow of Saguaros" Vol. I & II are now available exclusively at the Tyson's Well Museum and Reader's Oasis Book Store Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ In 1941, the news from around the world was very worrisome. Every- where we went there was talk that the international neutrality of the United States was being challenged. The Ari- zona Republic newspaper and KOY ra- dio in Phoenix kept the people of Ari- zona informed about battles raging in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. My father-in-law, Edward H. Oldham said it was only a matter of time before the United States would be pulled into a war waged by one man who wanted to be the supreme ruler of Europe. In January, we read that the German Luftwaffe was making bomb- ing runs on the British Isles almost ev- ery night with the British RAF retaliat- ing likewise on German targets. In February, we learned that Rom- mel's "Afrika Tank Korps" were push- ing across North Africa. In March, there was news that Austrian Jews were being deported to Poland and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in conjunction with the U.S. Congress passed a bill that allowed Britain and other Allied nations to purchase mili- tary equipment. In April, we learned that the British were retreating from Rommel's tank offensive in Libya and a pro-Axis government was installed in Iraq. In May, President Roosevelt an- nounced an "unlimited national emer- gency" when the SS Robin Moor is sunk by the German submarine U-69. By June, the news worsened as Ger- many invaded the Soviet Union and all German and Italian consulates in the United States were ordered to close. In June, all German and Italian assets in the United States are frozen. In July, all American men over the age of 21 are required to register for the draft. It was rumored that Major General George S. Patton, a native of southern California had selected a site in the Mohave Des- ert between Indio and Desert Center to lay out a theater of operation for what could become a large military training center. Later known as the Desert Train- ing Center at Camp Young, training would be conducted from Pomona, Cali- fornia on the west, to as far east as Litch- fi eld Park, Arizona, south to Yuma, and north to the south- ern tip of Nevada. Back on the Home- front, we all kept our radios tuned in to KOY for the latest news. At one of our monthly get togeth- ers at the schoolhouse, lead by Mary Keiser (wife of William G. Keiser), the ladies of Quartzsite announced that we were going to take a break from all the glum news and throw a birthday party for Frances "Little Frankie" Scott (the youngest child and daughter of Angela "Grandma" Scott.) Mary formed her committee and went to work planning a party for all the la- dies in town to enjoy and celebrate "Little Frankie's" 21st birthday on Au- gust 22nd. Like her Mother, "Little Frankie" was tiny, not even fi ve-feet tall, cute as a button, and always had a big smile on her face. As usual, the August weather in Quartzsite was darned hot. Not to be put off, Mary Keiser proposed that we have the party in the morning under the many shady cottonwood trees at the home of William G. "Bill" and Edna Frances Scott, which was situated on the west side of the school playground. Mary thought it would be scads of fun if we all came dressed in 1920's Flap- per attire and wear a crazy hat. We laughed our heads off as we dem- onstrated our versions of the Charles- ton, Lindy Hop, Shimmy, and even the Black Bottom. Dorothy Anderson made two big pans of her delicious cin- namon rolls, Grace Dodge (the school- teacher) brought fi nger sandwiches, Mrs. Williams a crock of lemonade, and our hostess, Edna Frances made a chocolate birthday cake with choco- late icing topped with real English wal- nuts. It was fun to let our hair down, so to speak, and forget about a war that was clear around the other side of the world. For a while, at least, we could push back our worry that our husbands and sons might soon be called up to serve in the United States military. At the close of 1941, I think we were all coming to grips with the fact that the United States was no longer neutral in what would become known as World War II. On Sunday, December 7, at 7:55 in the morning, Japanese fi ghter planes attacked the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor, in one of the deadliest attacks in American history (until September 11, 2001.) The assault, which lasted less than two hours, claimed the lives of more than 2,500 people, wounded 1,000 more, and dam- aged or destroyed 18 American ships and nearly 300 airplanes. Almost half of the casualties at Pearl Harbor occurred on the naval battleship USS Arizona, which was hit four times by Japanese bomb- ers. We all tuned into KOY radio and listened as President Roosevelt told the world that December 7, 1941, "will live in infamy." Tears came to my eyes when I realized that my husband, two brothers, two brother-in-laws, and several cousins would soon be reporting for duty. The men folk in our family heard the same message I did, but reacted in a much dif- ferent way, willingly and proudly accept- ing their call to patriotic duty. Four long years later, another but very different party was held as our ex- tended family gathered in Quartzsite for a family picnic. More fortunate than many, all of our men folk and their families were there rejoicing that the war was over. Up at Grandma Scott's place, "Little Frankie" Scott Jennings had celebrat- ed four more birthdays, married her sweetheart Al Jennings, and moved to San Diego. She and Al came often to visit her mother and brothers (Joe, Phil, Bill, Dave, Ben, Jesse, and Tom- my) in Quartzsite. 1941 - Six of the Quartzsite ladies celebrating "Little Frankie" Scott's 21st birthday: L to R - Rosalee Oldham, Mary Keiser, "Young Frances" Scott, "Little Frankie" Scott, Osa Hagley (wife of George Hagley), and Edna Frances Scott.

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