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BF: Well let's, let's talk about, more about your parents and... what was your mother like? Your, she came over as a picture bride, and was a farmer's wife, which was a hard life. What was she like? What do you remember of her values and lessons?

[Interruption]

GH: My mother never liked the farm. I can say this 'cause she said it many times, bluntly and, and her values indicated it. She felt imprisoned by it. And we all felt, the bro -- see, we have, I have three brothers and a nurse -- and a sister. And my sister became head charge nurse. She, she could've gotten a master's in nursing. She just did it in her own work and didn't work towards a degree status. Given a different situation, she might've gone on to become one of the instructors or something, 'cause nursing now has Ph.D's. But, I had three brothers, all of whom are professionals, different fields. One of 'em is in education, my youngest brother is in education. And it's like sociology of education, 'cause it, it's overlapped with teaching, teaching but in certain areas. And he's interested -- he's always was good in communication with different ages. There was an old grandfather type who did our, he owned the horses. And he used to come in and did the plowing for the whole co-op, cultivating and so on. And, he would've, he wouldn't have survived without the work that he did for us. And we, we needed him. So it was a mutual... he took care of the horses, so we didn't need to worry about that. And his wife had a chicken coop that... so we got eggs and chickens when we could afford it. So that was a function she served.

BF: And your brother communicated well with them?

GH: Yeah, my youngest brother had a way of chatting with that old grandfather, and get along. And he, he showed that by having an interest in early childhood education. But he, but the oldest, I mean, but the youngest group he could get to when he first asked, was seventh grade. It was women's territory before that. And then he got to fifth grade, and then third grade, and then finally the whole range. And he wanted that experience 'cause he wanted to teach in that area. And he became an early childhood specialist.

BF: He's a, so he's a, he has a Ph.D now?

GH: Yeah.

BF: He teaches teachers.

GH: Yeah.

BF: Uh-huh. And your other brothers...?

GH: And he's up in Canada. He, and through opportunity he came up to Canada. University of Washington was closing down its education program. The way they kept certain program was, depended on who's there, you know. And his early childhood education that had the most number of students, was sacrificed for maintaining the secondary training or something, which is available in every college, and the early childhood was not. So he was looking around when University of Calgary advertised, nationally, and... and that, in 1980, my brother showed me this. I was on sabbatical, so we were playing racquetball together at certain periods. And so we, I looked at it and I said, "Gee, this, this ad looks like something you prepared for yourself." Says, "Well, this is in your magazine. How come?" He says, "Well, the only trouble is, yeah, there's a regulation now to encourage Canadian employment." "So even if you're available and they wanted you, they, this is something that a Canadian would be given first shot at." "Well, why are they advertising in an American magazine?" I said, "Well, maybe they did that, and they got permission to advertise 'cause they couldn't fill it. Write in and ask." So he sent his vita and asked this question saying my brother teaches at Edmonton, University of Alberta, sociology, and he said, "Canadians have regulations, and they have to hire Canadians if they are there." And they said, "Yes, we couldn't find anybody, so we're given permission to teach" -- I mean "advertise internationally." So we're glad to have your vita and you're under consideration," and so on. Eventually he got it.

BF: And your two other brothers, both also are professors?

GH: Yeah.

BF: Wow.

TI: Excuse me, just a second. I want to keep straight. The one who went to University of Calgary, that's Richard?

GH: Yeah.

TI: Okay, I wanna get these names...

GH: He's still there.

TI: So I can keep, keep track of all...

GH: Richard, Richard is, if he were at my school, he would've been retired two years ago, 'cause we have the old regulation, sixty-five and out. Even if you're good or not.

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.