A look back

Jerry Person

“Among the things for which our boys are fighting is the right to

celebrate Christmas in the traditional American way,” said Robert P.

Mandic of Mandic Motors in 1943.

The above wish could also be said for today’s boys who are fighting

overseas.

This week we we’ll go back to the Huntington Beach wartime Christmas

of 1943 and see how they celebrated my first Chriastmas.

Do any of you remember Christmas Seals that were sold to help fight

tuberculosis?

In 1943 Huntington Beach was allotted $600 worth of seals and in the

first two weeks our residents bought more than half that amount. J.

Sherman Denny was chairman of that local stamp drive.

The Tri-Y girls were having their annual Christmas celebration for the

needy children of the area in the grammar school’s gymnasium and of

course Santa was there to present new dresses to the little girls and

shirts to the little boys.

A production of Handel’s Messiah with guest soloist Reginald Taylor

was held inside Memorial Hall.

This Christmas Musical included Long Beach harpist Harriet Woods and

members of the Huntington Beach Girls’ Chorus.

Included in the chorus were Katharine Case, Shirley Clemens, Pat Coe,

Velva Christ, Mildred, Marjorie and Dorothy Hawes, Nadine Peebles, Maxine

Murdy, Phyllis Pederson and Barbara Whitfield.

The musical was sponsored by our Chamber of Commerce.

The Huntington Beach Garden Club decorated the hall with flowers,

wreaths and lighted candles.

The Oddfellows Lodge held a penny dinner where, for Christmas, you

could get a home cooked turkey dinner for only one cent.

Bud Higgins, Del Burry and George Garbarino were there to help serve

the dinners.

Inside Lake Park Clubhouse, our local Lions Club held its annual

Christmas fete themed a “Ye Olde Time Christmas.”

Sam Clapp, Harry “Cap” Sheue, Bill Clegg, Joe Elliott, Frank Bray and

Owen Mosier all helped cook the dinner and provided the entertainment for

the evening.

Huntington Beach Consolidated Vultee, a company on 3rd street that

made airplane parts during the war, contributed a Convairs Christmas

Cabaret to the holiday festivities.

During this Christmas season, inside a home at 807 Frankfort St.,

Edvish Smith and Armand Zefferi were married by Rev. C.M. Underwood.

In 1943 our residents were celebrating Christmas close to home mainly

because of the gasoline rationing. Do you remember the “A” sticker on

your car’s window?

The Chamber of Commerce was asking locals to invite a lonely service

man or woman into their homes for a home cooked Christmas meal.

The Native Sons held a turkey dinner for its members. Of the 70

members, a quarter of were in the military.

Bob Richardson’s seven-piece band was playing over at the Pav-a-lon by

the pier on Friday and Saturday nights and on that Christmas Eve Santa

was there to pass out gifts to the children while their parents were

dancing to Richardson’s music.

The Loyal Women’s and Men’s group held its party at the home of Ellen

Lock at 609 7th St. In attendance were Ida Brewer, Gertrude Catching,

Estelle Reed and Minnie Lewis.

The Foursquare Gospel Church presented the Christmas drama, “A Star in

God’s Window,” with a cast that included Thelma Huey, Roberta Young,

Leila Craig and Betty Piper.

The First Baptist Church contribution was an old-time gospel program

and a sermon by the Rev. Luther Arthur entitled “Glorification, the

Consummation of Our Salvation.”

Not to be outdone, the Church of Christ (First Christian Church)

presented a Christmas pageant entitled “The Starflower,” which included

Janice and Deana Murdy.

The Huntington Beach High School Oilers varsity basketball team beat

the Garden Grove Argonauts 32 to 15.

And now for the sad part of our column, get out your crying towels --

you could buy, in 1943, a six-room house Downtown with three bedrooms for

$4,500. You could get an 11-room house with three apartments at 121 8th

St. including furniture for $4,000 from United Realty at 108 Main St.

Realtor Chris King was offering a two-bedroom house for $3,500.

We will never see prices like that again, but with faith we may see

our service boys and girls home for Christmas 2001.

* JERRY PERSON is a local historian and longtime Huntington Beach

resident. If you have ideas for future columns, write him at P.O. Box

7182, Huntington Beach, CA 92615.