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Nancy and Phil Davis What do I remember most about the year I turned 20? I was serv-
ing in the U.S. Navy and stationed in San Diego, California.
I was barely 20 years old when I married my best In early October, fires were burning all over Southern California. I
friend and the love of my life, Phil Davis, on June remember the sky being a greyish orange for days and ashes, carried
19, 1959. Phil and I were very young, and parents by the Santa Ana winds, falling from the sky even though we were
wondered if we should wait until I finished college. miles and miles away from any flames. My fiancé and I were in the San
I was not a dedicated student at the time, so I quit Diego Airport waiting for a flight to take us home to Pennsylvania for
college and got full-time clerical employment at the our wedding. As we sat in the airport the TV news focused on “Love
Wichita Public Library. Phil continued on with his among the Ruins.” The fire had destroyed the location where a young
education and a part-time job. Needless to say, we couple was to have been married. The building may have crumbled
lived on a very tight budget. We didn’t even have a to the ground but their desire to get married was strong and sturdy.
telephone for several months until our parents of- There they were on TV, the bride in her gown, the groom in his Sun-
fered to pay the bill so they could call us. That first day best, standing in the middle of the devastation and exchanging
year was fun, tough and a real learning experience. their wedding vows for all the world to see. It was a heartwarming
Phil graduated the next June, received a fellowship moment of love and hope for those impacted by the fires.
to work on his master’s degree in physics and we
were on our way! Forty-six years later, some might consider our marriage to be “Love
NANCY DAVIS among the Ruins,” but it is still as strong and sturdy as what we
witnessed in that young couple after the fires back in 1970.
TRUDY GLACKIN
In January of 1951, the day before I turned 20, my buddy and I were
on a bus going from Abilene to San Antonio to start basic training at
Lackland Air Force Base. We were told to take only the shirt, pants,
and shoes we wore, as we would be issued uniforms when we got there.
However when we arrived, they had run out of all uniforms. We were
issued a cot with one blanket and were then sent to spend the night in
a tent on the parade ground. A freezing cold front arrived early that
night and with only one blanket for cover, I wrapped in it and rubbed
sores on my elbows and knees from shivering all night long. Before
sunup the next morning, we were awakened by our flight leader and
told to “fall in.” We then proceeded to march in the freezing cold to
the mess hall for breakfast. About halfway there, my buddy, who was
marching directly behind me, remembered what day it was. And then
I heard him say it: “Happy birthday!”
M. L. DANIELS
At 20 years old I was busy with studies and college life In addition to my valuable experience at the school, I had
as a junior at Michigan State University. I was par- a great time. My friends and I climbed Mayan ruins at
ticipating in a special teaching intern program and had Tikal in the jungles of northern Guatemala. Now it sounds
begun to do some supervised instructing. Can you imagine not-so-intelligent, but we were assured it was safe to camp
my excitement when I and about 20 of my fellow interns near a local volcano that sputtered through the night and
were selected to do our formal term of student teaching entertained us by spitting up small glowing rocks. We
in The American School in Guatemala City? swam on the beaches of black volcanic sand on the Pacific
Coast and drove up to the Guatemalan Highlands to see
The American School was and still is an independent, beautiful Lake Atitlan surrounded by volcanoes and small
non-profit, culturally diverse, bi-lingual school serving Mayan villages.
the Guatemalan community. Although I wanted to learn
the language, speaking Spanish was not a requirement The experience of teaching there, learning about the cul-
as we would be members of the English teaching team. I ture and enjoying the food and music was invaluable. Would
particularly enjoyed the “little ones,” so I focused on early I give up what I know now at this age to be 20 again? No.
elementary instruction. I learned as much as I taught, But I do appreciate how that wonderful time helped me
discovering that children everywhere are eager to learn become who I am today.
and that a smile is translated the same in all languages. PEGGY HOWARD
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