I was still working construction and the three of us took off the Spring of 52 to visit Sue's mother Jane and her husband in Minnesota. When we got back, we bought our first trailer (from Bill and Frances). It was an 18'trailer. Later we moved up to a 23 foot trailer which allowed us to move to our jobs in central California and in Nevada. 
Summer of /52 Hazel and Fred Helm married. Hazel had worked with Fred in the meat market for over five years. Fred's wife had plasma type A anemia and had died a couple of years earlier. So when Hazel married Fred, he came with an instant family with Mel and Brad.
Louise married Orbie Carver September of '56 and she also started her family life with two step children, Debbie and Ken.
Katrina started school in 1956, so we stopped following the job and Sue remained in Fresno. We got a new 35' 2-bedroom trailer and paid $6,900 for it. I was doing well at this time, working steadily and making $3.00 an hour, but my eyes were looking at other things. I learned of the C.H.P. exam coming up and I registered for the written test in Feb. '56. Later that month took the physical and the oral test. 12,000 people took the written test, 2,000 passed, but there were only 758 left after the physical and oral. Of those 275 were hired. Considering that all veterans received an extra 10 points added to their score, I was happy to just be one of the 275.
I received my appointment and entered 'boot camp' (CHP Academy in Sacramento) on January 2, 1957 and graduated March 1. I was assigned to Bakersfield and served there until I resigned in the spring of 1961. This was a good experience for me - but some sad times too with the passing of my father on Labor Day 1957. I left the force thinking I would go into business but that didn't work out and I became a sanitation engineer! That is a salesman selling soap, cleaners, wax, paperproducts and equipment to commercial accounts. I left this to become an assistant manager of a motel in Paso Robles, Calif. Shortly after this I hooked up with Motel 6 at a time when they were building their first two motels in Santa Barbara. One just off the beach (54 units) and one downtown on State Street (62 units). State Street location was next to the main office and Sue and I managed this motel. In early 63 I was made Operations Director and wrote the operations manual, and set up all the operating systems of the motel. Up until we had five motels I was doing this on top of managing the one unit, but after that I was full time supervising the operation of the existing motels. Checking the motels under construction and furnishing them was also my responsibility and by the spring of 1965 I needed help and hired a secretary to assist me in the office. By this time we were operating 14 motels and had 4 under construction. My new secretary was Margaret Marsh.
Katrina started school in 1956, so we stopped following the job and Sue remained in Fresno. We got a new 35' 2-bedroom trailer and paid $6,900 for it. I was doing well at this time, working steadily and making $3.00 an hour, but my eyes were looking at other things. I learned of the C.H.P. exam coming up and I registered for the written test in Feb. '56. Later that month took the physical and the oral test. 12,000 people took the written test, 2,000 passed, but there were only 758 left after the physical and oral. Of those 275 were hired. Considering that all veterans received an extra 10 points added to their score, I was happy to just be one of the 275.
I received my appointment and entered 'boot camp' (CHP Academy in Sacramento) on January 2, 1957 and graduated March 1. I was assigned to Bakersfield and served there until I resigned in the spring of 1961. This was a good experience for me - but some sad times too with the passing of my father on Labor Day 1957. I left the force thinking I would go into business but that didn't work out and I became a sanitation engineer! That is a salesman selling soap, cleaners, wax, paperproducts and equipment to commercial accounts. I left this to become an assistant manager of a motel in Paso Robles, Calif. Shortly after this I hooked up with Motel 6 at a time when they were building their first two motels in Santa Barbara. One just off the beach (54 units) and one downtown on State Street (62 units). State Street location was next to the main office and Sue and I managed this motel. In early 63 I was made Operations Director and wrote the operations manual, and set up all the operating systems of the motel. Up until we had five motels I was doing this on top of managing the one unit, but after that I was full time supervising the operation of the existing motels. Checking the motels under construction and furnishing them was also my responsibility and by the spring of 1965 I needed help and hired a secretary to assist me in the office. By this time we were operating 14 motels and had 4 under construction. My new secretary was Margaret Marsh.
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