Keith Eugene Sayre, Jr., age 56 was born in Trona, California on July 29, 1956. Keith died on Sunday, April 28, 2013. He was a lifetime resident of Trona and graduate of Trona High School in 1974.
I just received word that Alice Tansley Class of 1960 passed away this morning (May 10, 2013) as a result of a heart condition. She has been living in Winston, OR along with her husband Bill Tansley, who graduated from Trona High School in 1958. Thanks to Durwood Sigrest for calling me right away to let me know. He said that she had had a heart attack a few days ago, but had seemed to doing fine when she came home from the hospital. But Bill was unable to wake her up this morning and the doctors were unable to save her.
George Sherman
Linda (Cunningham) Monroe wrote the following about arriving at their new home in Argus about 1945:
I remember when we arrived at that ‘”little house” – my Mom cried. I was four. It was the first time I had seen my mother cry. Now I understand why. It was a shack. Literally! I’ve a picture of the my sisters and I standing in front of the shack with the outhouse in the background.
The inside of the house was covered with cardboard and the roof was a tin roof. My Dad eventually bought the property – with 3 houses (?) on the lot for $500. I have that deed somewhere. He took down two of the houses, expanded our home, adding a bathroom (yea!), kitchen and living room. It was probably very hard on my Mom. But they provided a good home for us.
I’m quite sure that Linda’s mother wasn’t the first or the last woman to cry on their first day in Trona. My guess is that more than half of them did. Here is a quote from a book called The Seven States of California: A Natural and Human History
The 250-square-mile valley took getting used to. In 1946 an English war bride traveled to Los Angeles, where her husband met her and drove her home to Trona. She wrote:
“California was sunny and green, and beautiful along the coast. After two days spent in sight-seeing, we set out across the desert for Trona. The scenery became gradually bleaker until finally we reached Poison Canyon and the view of Searles Lake. My husband then asked me if I had ever seen anything like this before, and I answered, “only in pictures of the moon”
I know there were many time my mother felt homesick for her red dirt farm in Habersham County Georgia.
When I was stationed at Amarillo AFB in Amarillo Texas in 1962 the boys from the East Coast could do nothing but complain about how harsh Amarillo was. I had to tell them that compared to where I was born and raised the Texas panhandle town of Amarillo was a Garden of Eden.
The description of Linda’s house reminds me of houses I visited on the Seneca Indian reservation in upstate New York in 1963. There we natural gas wells on the reservation but the royalties were not distributed equally among the tribe.
To learn more about Trona women crying visit : To Trona, California residents, that awful smell spells $$$
I am interested in obtaining old yearbooks or copies of old yearbooks. If you have any you are willing sell me or willing to scan for me please contact me.
I’d also be interested in old photos of Trona. I would particularly like to get pictures of the executive quarters and the other houses that were on the street where the north gate was.
According to the social security death index the following alumni were all residents of Trona:
I almost never know someone has died until I hear it from George Sherman. Ever since I saw George pull a rabbit out of a hat I had thought that he knew everything, but now I am finding out that, like me, he only remembers the classmates that were in School when he was. Thank you Cynthia Rains Moreno for bringing the younger alumni to my attention. Please take a moment to remember those that you knew and pass the news along to classmates who might not know that an old friend has died.
Rex Henry Duffel Class of 1959
I remember Rex Duffel, although not very well. He was the football team manager along with Elliot Cook.
Ben Nelson Class of 1961
I remember Ben Nelson for blowing up a cork gun by trying to use a real shotgun shell in it and for the trap door under his bed where he stored dynamite that he found at old mine sites. It is a wonder that he lived as long as he did. I say this in the spirit of the friendship we once shared as children.
I remember Sharon Hodges’ name but I cannot remember why.
Taking the time to remember old friends makes my task a little easier. We are deeply sorry to hear about our classmates deaths and in sorrow, we mourn those lost. In gratitude, we embrace those around us who remain. In sympathy, we reach out to those who grieve.
Marian Walsh wrote to share news of the loss of her son, Jeff, on Feb 11, 2011. Marian, we are all sorry for your loss.
My brother, Joel wrote and told me that that Don Brooks, class of 1954 had died about a year ago. His death was October 26, 2011. He was buried in the Searles Valley Cemetery. Don Worked in Trona for 40 years.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79673144/donald-milton-brooks
Warren “Gene Bradburn” Greenstreet Eagle, passed away on February 20, 2013. Gene was in the class of 1951 but the family left Trona after his junior year. Gene was the son of Kenneth Greenstreet and Doris Hicks. Gene’s father died of pneumonia in 1935 when he was three. Sortly after that his mother Doris married Fred Bradburn. Gene’s brother, Kenneth “Leroy” Greenstreet- Bradburn was in the class of 1952. They had two younger sisters; Linda and Joyce who were born after their father died.
Obituary:
“Warren Eugene Eagle, a resident of McCloud, California, passed away on February 20, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Mount Shasta, California. He was 80 years old.
Gene was born in Elwood, Indiana on November 29, 1932. He moved to Siskiyou County from Pomona, California in 1980.
Gene was a veteran of the US Army. He was a tradesman and enjoyed the outdoors.
Survivors include his wife, Leslie Eagle of McCloud; sons, Randolph Greenstreet of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Warren Eugene Greenstreet Jr. of McCloud; daughters, Tamara Greenstreet of Sierra Vista, Arizona, and Stacy Otte of Yuba City; brother, LeRoy (and Shirley) Bradburn of Elwood, Indiana; sister, Joyce Call of Sierra Vista, Arizona; and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Arrangements are in the care of Mt. Shasta Memorial Chapel.”
While looking for an obituary for Elton Fox, class of 1945 I found the obituary of his brother, Larry Fox. Larry graduated with the class of 1951. He died May 30, 2012. Larry lived most of his life in Ridgecrest but lived in Trona for a while.
I think I vaguely remember Larry. I think he and his family lived on the west end of Clover Street for a while. My parent knew him and were friends with his father, Joe Fox. When they were first married they lived at what was called the Bowman Hog Ranch which was owned by Joe. Joe also several businesses in Ridgecrest.
According to Larry’s obituary he served in the military during World War II and was responsible for the first teeth being painted on Fish Rock during the 1930s
This is the way Fish Rock looked like in Larry Fox’s artistic days
There is another version of the Fish Rocks story that has Larry Fox’s father Joe as the one that painted the teeth on Fish Rocks see Angling the Fish Rocks Story and High Desert Memories
Lit Brush emailed the names of two of her 1945 classmates that died in 2012. They are: Samuel Downs Jr. and Barbara (Ford) Westbrook. Another 1945 graduate died in 2009, William Elton Fox. They all died all of natural causes.
Barbara Westbrook is listed as Barbara Ford in the 1944 yearbook and and Barbara Ford Merritt in the 1945 yearbook. Lit Brush told me that “Merritt” is the last name of her stepfather. I have used the same name as her obituary.
Barbara (Ford) Westbrook, Class of 1945
Elton Fox Class of 1945
Samuel Downs Jr. Class of 1945
WILLIAM ELTON FOX (Age 82) A resident of Springfield, VA died on December 26, 2009. He was a retired Scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency. He is survived by his loving wife Ruth McCrary Fox; two sons, Thomas and James Fox; one daughter, Peggy Fox; one brother, Lawrence Fox; Five grandchildren, William, Robert and Rachel Fox, Logan Horan and Leah Horan. Memorial Service will be on Wednesday, January 6, 2009, 1 p.m. at Greenspring Chapel, 7420 Spring Village Dr., Springfield, VA 22150.
Arrangements entrusted to Demaine Funeral Home, 5308 Backlick Rd. Springfield, VA, 703-549-0074.
Published in The Washington Post from December 30 to December 31, 2009