Wheeler

Interview with Ramona Wheeler in her home in Corvallis, Oregon 7/20/07. Interviewer: Kathleen Ryan. Her two daughters Pam and Karen are also present.

KRNow, I'd like to start out with something -- I start these out with probably my easiest question, and that's if you could please say you name, and also if you could please spell it. And if you could also please include your maiden name.

RWOK. Ramona R-A-M-O-N-A R. Wheeler. Oh. Ransom R-A-N-S-O-M Wheeler W-H-E-E-L-E-R. And Ransom is R-A-N-S-O-M.

KRAnd that's your maiden name.

RWThat's my maiden name.

KRAnd that the name you served in the Navy under, correct?

RWYes, when I went in.

KROK. You were in the Navy and you were in the WAVES.

RWI was a WAVE, yes.

KRI'd like to start out a little bit before in your oral history and go into a big of your background. Can you tell me where you grew up?

RWWell, I was born in Fairfield, Nebraska, and my birthday is 2/19/21. And my 00:01:00folks brought me out here from Nebraska when I was a year and three months old. And I've lived in Oregon ever since. In and out of Oregon, because I've been a lot a places. But I was raised her.

KRWhy did your folks move from Nebraska to Oregon?

RWWell, there were a lot of reasons. Some of the relatives were out here I think, so we just came out here to join them I think. The grandparents were out here, so we came out to join them I think, and other relatives came and eventually quite a few of them got out here. My mother's family was still in Nebraska.

KRYour dad's family was the one who moved out here?

RWMmm-hmm.

KRWhere did you settle? Where did they settle?

RWHere in Corvallis (laughs). Right here.

dtrRight down the street.

RWThey built the house on 19th Street and we lived there 'til we, well --

dtrUntil they tore the house down.

RWWell, built the house there and then my dad, you know, built the house and my grandparents built the house next door, or vice versa. Anyways, we lived next door to my grandparents and I, so I, I went to school here in Corvallis and went to Washington School, grade school here and I --

KRWhat did your dad -- your family, were they farmers?

RWNo, no. My dad worked for the water department when he came here. He read all the water meters in Corvallis.

KRAll of them?

RWAll of them. So you know how big Corvallis was at that time, so that's what he did. And walked. He walked. So then, after that, let's see, after the water department he worked for -- well, I guess he worked for the water department most of the time. Anyway, well he was a volunteer fireman so he had a lot to do with the fire department.

KRSo he helped out with the fire department when he wasn't --

RWRight, uh-huh. That was his hobby, sort of. My brothers were all volunteer firemen too. They were fire people.

KRHow big was your family? How many brothers and sisters?

RWTwo brothers.

KRYou're the only girl.

RWI'm the only girl. And so, like I say I went all through Corvallis schools. Went to grade school. Walked a mile to school from, you know, at that time, walked. It was just a mile from our place to Washington School where I went. My grandfather was the janitor at two of the different schools that I was in. So, 00:05:00then --

KRWhat was Corvallis like at time? It's got to have changed a lot.

RWOh, very much. Small town. Small town, you know. It was nice. Small town. Most of the places are gone now, but it was good. Quite a few, you know - the other thing is, just yesterday I went to the Old Timers Picnic. This is the ones who have gone, who went to school here in Corvallis. Corvallis High School. So it was the ones who went to high school. From -- what did I say?

dtr'52.

RWUp to '52. And I graduated in, I graduated in '39. Because we call ourselves the '39ers. Anyhow, we get together and each year they have a picnic. We just had it yesterday. It was a good -- it was the best day this week, you know, so we're very thankful.

KRYes, you lucked out with the weather. It's not so rainy or anything like it was earlier.

RWSo, anyway, I've been, I've been in Corvallis. Then I was in -- three times I worked for the -- four time, I worked for the 4H Department. I worked for the 4H Department. First I worked there. Then I went to --

dtrYou went to the Navy?

dtrShe went to business college, to business college?

KRI want to interject here I want to identify the two other voices we're hearing in case people start saying, "Who are these two voices coming in from the distance off microphone?" And these are your daughters.

RWThese are my daughters. This is Pam and this is Karen.

KRSo Pam and Karen are in the background and these are the additional voices we may be hearing. And what are your last names?

PWI'm Wheeler.

KTAnd I'm Taylor.

KROk. Wheeler and Taylor. Ok. So you, we were talking about the 4H. Did you start working for the 4H after you graduated from high school, or were you still in high school?

RWAfter I graduated from high school I started working in the 4H Department. It 00:08:00was on campus, you know, here on Oregon State. So I worked there, I don't remember how many years, a couple of years, I guess, and -- I don't remember. You're going to have to help me remember.

dtrYou went to school.

dtrBusiness college.

RWThen I went to business college in Portland. I went to Binky Walker Business College in Portland. That was about nine months. Some place I have how long it was I went. From there I came back to Corvallis and went to work, they hired me again at the 4H office. So I worked there, I don't remember how long there, but I worked for the 4H office again and then --

dtrThen you went into the Navy.

RWThen I went into the Navy. And someplace it said, "Why did -- how come I went into the Navy?" And I said, well, I just thought about it a lot and I liked the Navy uniform (laughs).

KRWhat was it you liked about the uniform?

RWWell, blue! It was blue and that was my color, so that's why I did that.

KRDid you know anything about the uniform aside from the color. Did you know -- you just saw it and thought it was a pretty color.

RWI like it -- I liked the Navy and who was it -- my cousin, my cousins was in the Navy. He was in the Navy. I thought about it a long time and I thought I 00:10:00must go. I tried to get my cousin to go in with me, but no, she wasn't going to do it. So I thought, I'm going to do it anyway. So I did. I went and volunteered.

KRWhat did your parents think about it when they heard that you had volunteered?

RWWell, it was alright. And at the time, when I was going, I was in Portland, my dad, it was at the time when the war, at the starting of the war, because he was -- my dad -- he was, what did he do? He'd go an cover -- well, anyway, he was, he was helping out, he was volunteering for the war effort too.

KRYou said he was covering. Was he making sure people's windows were dark? The blackouts?

RWWell, and to be sure they were doing what they were supposed to and so forth. 00:11:00He'd check and see. So he was in Portland, too, getting more information too, that they wanted to tell him. So he was there. He was there at the time when I went to sign in and so he was there and went with me in Portland.

KRAnd he thought it was a good idea.

RWOh, yes. They thought it was OK. They didn't say no, so, anyway, I joined the Navy then and then, of course it was a while -- it wasn't too long before I went.

KRThey brought you into boot camp right away? Pretty quickly?

RWYes, I think so. I don't remember that. Well, for one thing, I think I had to have my tonsils out before I went. I think something happened and I had to have a tonsilectomy before I left. But, anyway, I did that and so, so then -- of course we went to New York to boot camp.

KRDid you take a train across country?

RWUh-huh. Five days. Five days and four nights and something like that. I think that was what it was. Quite a trip.

KRTell me -- do you remember anything about the trip?

RWWell, just that we went. We just -- just a little bit. It just on so it's ok.

dtrIt just went on. It's a little bit noisy.

RWYou best just leave it on, so I'll be cool (laughs). So, just leave it. Don't change it. I made a trip to the hospital already this week.

KRDon't want that to happen.

RWNo.

KRIt won't be back that bad. We'll hear a little bit of it, but it's pretty good at picking up the voice.

RWSo then -- so where were we?

KRWe were talking about the train trip. I asked you about what you remembered.

RWOh, a long train trip. And it was -- it was OK because there were others on, you know? Others going too. I guess several of us went, because I remember my friend was with me. Betty Ann Fox. And so we were on at the same time and I knew -- she was in, she was in school a year ahead of me in school, so I knew her.

KRShe was from Corvallis?

RWShe was. So then when we got there, of course, I can't remember when we got there. I don't remember what we did. Then we went in to Hunter College. It was just like a college dorm and so forth. We were assigned to rooms. There were four of us in a room. There were, I think there were several of us from Oregon too that went at the same time. And so, as I say, we were in the boot camp for -- uh --

KRDo you want to take a look at your - and don't worry if you can't remember exact dates, because we can always write stuff in later when I get the transcript and get a copy to you.

RWYes. I can't remember the exact time, how long we were in boot camp. But we were in the Bronx in New York. In Hunter College.

KRWhat was that like? Being in New York after being in a small town in Oregon?

RWThat was OK, because we were there and we, there was a field where we'd march. We'd practice and so. But the one thing that I do remember, well, this is beside the point, but we had a weekend in New York after we had been there a certain 00:16:00length, several weeks. We had a weekend in New York. So, but the weekend that we had in New York was, it was just a weekend and we went into New York to do things. So that weekend we had to stand regimental review for Presidential Roosevelt. (laughs)

KRSo did you not get to go into New York?

RWOh, we did that first. Then we went into New York -- it was just a little shorter time in New York. We went to the Roosevelt Hotel. I don't remember all what we did, but we went in there. I thought that was pretty neat. Even though we shortened our weekend in New York, it was good.

KRAnd what was it, so President Roosevelt came to Hunter College and looked everything over?

RWNo, he was -- I guess he was just, he just came in his vehicle and they brought him. That's why he came, I think, to see the facility, I guess. I don't know that except that was the weekend we stood regimental review. And the weather was pretty good. You know, once in awhile if its hot and they faint and everything. But I don't remember anybody much fainting at that time. So the weather was pretty good, because it was in September, September. But anyway, that was what we did. So, anyway, from there we went to, after I, well I was 00:18:00assigned. Then I went to yeoman's school.

KRWere you hoping to do that, or did you have something else you would like -- were you hoping do to that, do you remember?

RWNo, I don't remember, but as I said, I could type. I could type. Some of them went to air something school, but that's why I guess I was assigned to that. I went to yeoman school in Stillwater, Oklahoma. That again was a college, so it was like, kind of like, here. And we great food. Oh, so I didn't tell you. I weighed less than 100 pound when I was, went in for my. They said, "Do you think 00:19:00you could gain up to -- do you think you could be 100 pounds before you leave?" And I said, "No way!" I said, "No way!"

KRHow tall are you, just so we have that.

RWFive foot three. So anyway, I went to -- so we went to, we had good meals. It's like we have here. We had three meals a day at the college, then there were desserts. You could have extra. By the time I had went to boot camp and yeoman's school, but the time I came home in uniform, I had -- I weighed -- I had gained 30 pounds (laughs).

KROh my goodness.

RWI gained 30 pounds. And I never took all that off. (laughs) So, it was, it agreed with me.

KRClearly, clearly.

RWSo anyway, that's the thing I remember. And Stillwater, Oklahoma was nice. When we were there, as I say, the weather was good and everything. We were out and exercised. The morning we left Oklahoma -- we took the train from Oklahoma to California. It was a lovely day, or no, I went home before I went to -- so the weather was really nice and we remember that.

KRDid you make any -- do you remember any of the women? Did you make friends with any of the women there?

RWOh, yes. I had friends. I had friends. I met two girls from Duluth Minnesota. 00:21:00We stayed together the whole time. We were sent -- we were together the whole time, then when we went to California, one of them had, one of these girls, there were two of them. One of them had a sister. Oh -- I went to, I was assigned -- I went to California after -- we got to go home then I was assigned to San Diego. I went to San Diego. So we -- there, we went to in San Diego, I 00:22:00worked at the Naval repair base. There the ships came in to San Diego for repair. Our office made the -- what I did was make up the repair reports for the ships. My job, one of my jobs in the office was to do this, and so we were there. As I say, these two girls were with me two. One of them had a sister on Mission Beach. And so, so we could go to Mission Beach for, on the weekends or whatever. So that was -- we stayed friends after too, in fact. When I got out of the service, I was discharged -- they were discharged two weeks before I was, so 00:23:00on my way home from San Diego to Oregon, I went by way of Duluth, Minnesota (laughs).

KRThat's a little round-about (laughs).

RWOh, the other thing I wanted to say was, when I was discharged, on my discharge I think it says somewhere, we went from New York to California by way of Canada. On the train. So when I was discharged I got 100 dollars for that. Because I was out of the country (laughs)

KRInternational service.

RWRight. I thought, "I'll take that." So I said, "I'll take that!" So that was 00:24:00interesting too. When we worked in that, on the repairs, it was interesting too. Of course, it was office work and everything. And the people were really nice. Where we lived was it was a nice facility.

KRDid you live on the base, or did you have an apartment?

RWWe didn't live on base, let's see. Close to the base. Because we had to -- I don't remember how we got from the office. Maybe we -- I don't remember how we got from the office, but anyway, that was --

KRBut you were in an apartment? Not barracks?

RWThat too, was the place where we had -- I think we had -- one place we were 00:25:00there were four of us in the room and we had bunks. There were two above and two below. And we had -- I can't remember, it was one of the places -- I don't think it was in boot camp. And so -- the thing I remember, it was like an apartment. We had to stand watch there too. It must have been an apartment. We had to -- I 00:26:00can't think. Anyway.

KRThat's ok. So what sort of work -- you said you were in San Diego with the ships and everything. What other sort of work did you do? Was it all basic office work?

RWWell, mostly it was. Then after, after awhile I worked for a captain. Captain Dockweiler. I was his secretary, because I remember I would go to take -- he would call me in to take a letter or something. They always knew when I would go to take -- when I had taken dictation from him because I had to look up words in the dictionary. They knew when I went to the dictionary that I had -- that he'd 00:27:00dictated to me because he had some big words (laughs).

KRThat you weren't quite familiar with?

RWThat's right. But he was really nice too. All the people were nice.

KRI know some of the women I've talked to, the men weren't necessarily happy to have women in the office. Or in the Navy. Did you find that?

RWNo, I didn't find that. I never found that at all. I didn't run into anybody that wasn't --

KRWhat was it like -- you said you came home after yeoman school and you started your job. What was the reaction like -- what did your parents think when they saw you in uniform?

RW(laughs). Well, I don't know. Of course, they were surprised at the size I was (laughs). So I guess they were just happy to see me, because I got home on Christmas Day. I got home on Christmas Day. We left Oklahoma on the 22nd of 00:28:00December, and I got home on Christmas Day. So, anyway, that was Christmas that year.

KRThat's a nice Christmas present.

RWIt was. So anyway, then I was home for probably two weeks, I don't remember. Then I went to San Diego and reported there. I don't remember.

KRWere either of your brothers old enough to serve in the military at that point?

RWMmm-hmm. Well, not at this point. My younger brother, then he went into the Navy later and he served on the Blue. He was on a destroyer, I think it was.

KRDuring World War II or during Korea? During Korea. OK. And what about your other brother?

RWMy other brother was, no, he just worked all the time. He was three years 00:29:00older than I.

KRSo he never got drafted/

RWNo. No, I don't know whether he was --

dtrHe was rejected for some physical reason.

KROh. Most everyone I've talked to their brothers ended up serving

RWBut he didn't. He was -- he did a lot of thing. He worked -- no, Stan worked for Pitney Bowes. Dave -- so I don't know whether, but he didn't serve.

KRWere you in San Diego the entire time?

RWMmm-hmm.

KRWas that where you wanted -- did you have a place you wanted to go?

RWNo, it was fine. Because they said, you know, you could either be the east coast or the west coast or whatever. I was lucky I was able to come to the west coast, because I could have ended up in New York, you know?

KRWhy do you think you were lucky to come to the west coast?

RWBecause that's where I came from, I guess.

KRYou could be a little bit closer to home?

RWI guess, I guess.

KRWhat about living away from home? This was the first time you had been out of Oregon, really. Was it difficult?

RWIt didn't seem to be. I don't remember that it bothered me?

KRIs there anything else you remember special about your job? Any instances happening at work? Any memorable things?

RWWell, not especially that I remember. In San Diego, of course, we were close 00:31:00to the Mexican border and we could get down. I guess we went to Tiajuana one time and made a trip down there. I don't remember traveling. Mostly we went to Mission Beach. So it was nice to be able to go to the sister's place. And there were, there were other sailors and people there that we could just do things with. We could go to the zoo. You know, San Diego is a good place to be.

KRWell, San Diego now, but even then, San Diego is a big Navy town. There's a -- 00:32:00a big big big Navy community.

RWMy cousin came -- he was in the Marines and he came one time there to see me. I can't remember -- he was, I don't remember where he was stationed at the time, but he came by. As I say, he was a Marine and that was, well.

KRYou said you went out with people and you did things with people. Was there anyone special that you dated there or just in general?

RWWell, different ones. I dated different ones there. And we could go to the dances. Of course, they had different bands that would come in. We could go and see those bands and dance at the different places the bands were. We would see them.

KRDo you remember anyone specific?

RW(laughs). I don't. I can't think of anyone, any specific person.

KRThe sister who lived, the sister of your friend who lived in Mission Beach, she wasn't in the Navy?

RWNo.

KROK. She was just a civilian living in San Diego.

RWShe was a civilian working in San Diego. Lislis and Claris. Those were the girls. Lislis and Claris. And both of them, they were from Duluth, Minnesota.

KRSo these were your two friends in the Navy?

RWMmm-hmm.

KRLislis and Claris.

RWSo, anyway, that's -- as I say, I had a good experience in the Navy. I did have. I am glad I was there.

KRWhat -- do you remember anything about when the war was ending?

RWWhen the war ended I was, the night they were all celebrating downtown, I had duty in the barracks (laughs). I didn't get to go out that night. I had duty in the barracks. That I remember. I had duty in the barracks.

KROh dear! Was there anyone in the barracks?

RWWell, me! (laughs) I guess maybe some of the girls were around, but I know I had to be there.

KRI would think you would have been a little peeved.

RWWell, I was disgusted, let's say. So anyway, they went out and had a good time and I was there. And one thing the Navy did for me, they said I needed to have this tooth puled. Well, they pulled this tooth for me and it bled. I bled. So I 00:35:00spent the night in teh infirmary for that until they got the bleeding stopped.

KRWhen was that?

RWWell, at that time I was working. So I don't remember why they thought I needed that done. So before I knew it, I was on my way to get my tooth pulled. Then I was in overnight. Because I guess I got paler and paler, and they said, "Oh my." So, but it was OK.

KROh dear. Do - how long did you stay in -- do you remember how long you stayed in after the war ended?

RWUm, No I didn't -- when I was discharged from San Diego then I, then I came 00:36:00home. I was discharged and then I came home after that. I didn't stay in. No, when I was discharged, I came home from -- and, as I said, these two girls were discharged two weeks before I was. So I went there, then I came to --

KRYou went to see them --

RWthen I went -- then I went to on the way home, I went through Minnesota.

KRDid you want to stay in the military?

RWNo.

KRWhy not?

RWI had just done my thing, I guess. I had done that and I was just ready to come home.

KRDid you have anyone special at this point that you were coming home to?

RWMmm-mmm.

KROr were you just going to come home and go back to work?

RWGo back to the 4H. (laughs) Went right back and got a job again with the 4H office. They were glad to see me back.

KRBAck to the same time. Did you take advantage of the GI Bill or anything like that?

RWMmm-mmm.

KROK. So, -- hmm?

dtrOh, you had a house loan -- I don't know if that's what you meant, it's not education.

RWAfter we were married and we wanted, my husband was working for the power company. We moved around quite a bit. So when we moved, we needed to get a loan 00:38:00to get this place. Because we maybe lived someplace for two or three years and they'd have you move. When we'd get a loan for a house, I could get the loan because I was Oregon, and he was from Minnesota, I mean Montana. He was from Montana. I could get the loan from Oregon. So I could buy several houses that way.

KRFrom Oregon. So how did you two meet? If he was from Montana?

RWHow we met was, was after, after, we came back -- I was back in Corvallis. He came, he had been in college and he came back to Oregon State.

KRHe had been in Oregon State?

RWHe had been in Oregon State and he came back to Oregon State. And so, that's how -- so that's how I met him through a friend who would have, people would meet through the --

dtrShe used to have get togethers.

RWMmm?

dtrShe used to have get togethers. She would invite people to her house.

RWOh, yes. She would invite people to her house, and so we'd got and she was really nice. So, we'd got to her house. That's where he was invited one time. That's where we got together.

KRWhat was your husband's name?

RWDel. John Delbert Wheeler.

KRJohn Delbert Wheeler. And he went by Del.

RWMmm-hmm. Some people called him John, some people called him Del and some people called him (laughs) J.D.

KRMy dad had all these different names.

dtrIt depended upon which group --

RWYes. He worked for the power company, you know, so those guys.

KRYou said you ended up moving around a lot. Just in Oregon, or all over?

RWAll over.

KRWhere did you move?

RWWell, we were in Montana, we were in California, we were in Washington. Because he had moved to the different places. Sometimes it would be, not always for the power company, but he might work for somebody else. He was always into 00:41:00electricity. He knew that and so that's where we went. Wherever the work was.

KRWas it had moving a lot? Or was that just something --

RWI guess it's just something that we did. Because that was the thing to do, so she was born in -

KRShe being?

RWPam was born in -- Karen was born, Karen was born in Salem. And at the time, at the time she was born he was working in Detroit Oregon and it was fire season. He was back and forth, so they didn't know, because those pharmacies, 00:42:00you know. She was in the Salem we were in Salem at that time. She was in the Salem Hospital. When Pam was born, we were back in Corvalis. So she was born in the hospital in Corvallis.

dtrBut they were actually living in Weming, which is up on the way to Mount Hood, behind a tavern in a trailer cart.

RW(laughs) Yes, he worked for, he worked for Timberline Lodge at one time. He was the maintenance person there and so we lived, we had a trailer and we moved it to Weming so we could be there. Then while we were there the owner of 00:43:00Timberline Lodge had a house. So we moved into that house on Rododendron. So we lived in that house for a year. Moved out of the trailer.

KRI'm sure it was nice to be in a house.

RWRight. So that's where we lived when -- at that time. When we were at Timberline. When we were at the lodge -- so anyway.

KRDo you think, was, how do you think the military service, do you think it impacted -- did it impact your life? You said it was a great experience, but did it cause anything to, later on in your life, did it impact you in any way? Did 00:44:00it maybe change your outlook on anything?

RWWell, well, I think I was, of course, I was always -- I don't know that it did. I guess that's just the way I am. I guess that's just the way I am.

KRWhat do you mean?

RWI kind of accept whatever, whatever, you know, whatever my life is, that's what I, that's alright. Most of the time I've had good experiences and I've been happy.

KRI know that you -- you went to business college, but you didn't go to a four year university or anything like that?

RWMmm-mmm.

KRWas that because -- why not. Why did you decided only to do, to do business college rather than another choice?

RWWell, I just thought I guess I thought 'cause I liked to work and I didn't feel I was college material, I guess.

KRWas it a priority for your parents that you go to college?

RWNo, no.

KRHow did that, did that change at all for your daughters? What did you encourage them to do?

RWWhatever they wanted to do (laughs). Isn't that right? Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. So that's what they did.

KRWhat did they end up doing?

RWWell, they've done a little bit of everything, too. Karen, she just loves to teach. And she went, she teaches everything. Pam works and she can to anything, too. She went to, she went to cooking school. That's what she did, what she had done.

PamAnd Karen is going to college for all of us (laughs).

RWThat's right. She goes, she takes classes whenever she has a chance. And she teaches others. She teaches children and everything. She's done a lot and she just helps anybody out. And Pam is really good, she can do anything too. She can do, you know, you, oh, these girls can do computer, so.

KR(laughs) Oh, trust me that's not that impressive. Just pushing buttons.

RW(laughs) So I volunteered in the dial-a-bus office for 15 years.

KRWhich office is that?

RWWell, they have dial-a-bus here. And so I was in there for that long. It was a volunteer thing, you know. So I could answer the phone and I could tell people where to go and so forth, but when they brought in the computers, I said, "I'm out of here." (laughs) I don't know computer and this is long enough, so I retired. I was a good volunteer. I did meals on wheels and I delivered lots of that sort of thing.

KRI've noticed that, that seems to be a common thread. A lot of women did seem to do a lot of volunteering in their life. Do you think that maybe, do you think maybe the military service laid the groundwork for that? Or maybe not so much?

RWMmm, I don't know.

KRIf you were going to go back and do it again, would you join the WAVES again?

RWI think so. If that was need be, I guess, I would. It would be the WAVES, I'm sure.

KRAnd why the WAVES and not the others?

RWI just like it. I like the WAVES.

KROK. Is there anything else you'd like to add? Is there anything you would like to talk about that we haven't talked about?

RWHmm. I can't think of anything right now.

KROK. Well, if you think of anything, I can always -

RWAsk them. I always call them back after I've talked to them and they always get a second call --

KRThat's OK. If we need to do second round, we can do a second round.

RWAfter she brings the things from we'll have a second round. We'll have the pictures.

KRAbsolutely,. That would be a good thing because we can talk about some of the pictures. I'd like to do that and look through some of the things. I think that would be nice. OK. So, I'm going to go ahead (track ends).