Subject: The last of seventh squadron
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2000 19:10:39 -0800
From: "Doris S. Young" Doris S.
Dowell (Young)
The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated -- Mark Twain.
You found me. I always wondered why I had never been contacted in
this age of reunions. Emily Deines and I corresponded for about ten
years, and I am listed in the retired WAF Officers' roster, just below
Frances DeLee's name. Phyllis Brady and I kept in touch for several
years. She was in a terrible car crash in the late 60's at McChord AFB
and left the service. I haven't seen her since we were roommates at
Personnel School at Lackland in the summer of '58. Helen Trammel
married Art Boyer, so she was traceable through him. I never did know
what happened to Pola Noah. I've been in Sacramento for 32 years, so I
haven't exactly been hiding. Seventh Squadron is together again!
After OCS and Personnel School, I was assigned to Otis AFB, Mass. on
Cape Cod, a paradise in the summer but a hell hole in the winter in
those pre-Kennedy days. In 1960, I married Capt. Jim Dowell in the
base chapel at Otis and remained in the Air Force until July of 1961.
Our first son was born at Otis in 1962. In 1963, Jim received orders
for Okinawa, where we were stationed at Naha AB for the next four
years. It was a great assignment for me because I had a full-time maid,
a gardener, and a sew girl in the years I needed them but not for Jim
because he was flying in and out of SE Asia all of those years.. We had
two more sons in Okinawa before we returned to McClellan AFB in
Sacramento in 1967.
In 1972, Jim was sent back to SE Asia on a remote tour, so I decided
to back to college and get my BA. I also earned a teaching credential
and a Master's degree in English. I started teaching high school
English and commercial subjects in 1975, the same year Jim retired as a LT COL and started work on a double Master's and later to teach at
American River College. Teaching high school was always a bit like
boot camp, and many times I have relied on my OCS training when
confronted by unruly (heinous) students twice my size. In 1996, I
decided to retire, but I still keep my hand in by substituting at the
same district where I worked, and I am also a scorer on the language
arts portion of the state teachers' qualifying exam -- two part-time
jobs which don't equal full time. Jim also teaches part-time now, so
our activities revolve around the school year.
Our lives now consist of our family, golf, and traveling. Two of
our sons live in the Sacramento area; fortunately, the one who has the
little grandsons lives nearby; the third son lives in Oregon. We have
two 50th year high school reunions this year as well as our 40th wedding
anniversary. Three highlights of my life: OCS, my marriage and family,
and my teaching career -- all things I only dreamed about while walking
the ramp in the hot Texas sun so long ago.
Regards to all,
Dorie Dowell
"Miss Young" |
