Bonnie Allen
This is a copy of an email that I sent to Therona: My earliest recollections of Mitzi are when my Mom, my brother Bruce and I would visit Mitzi and Joe in Monterrey Park. Being a child, I remember Drifter as a very happy and sweet dog. He was so loved and pampered that he was probably the luckiest dog that ever lived. He was well groomed and enjoyed steak dinners. And Mitzi and Joe's car had the license plate on their car (Driftr or Drifter) in memory of him. Mitzi and Joe also came to our house on numerous occasions. They used to drive around the southwest and visit family and friends, and they always did their best to swing by our house for a visit. Also, I recall Mitzi and Joe coming up to the mountains to visit. I remember you coming along on one visit. We went around the lake and took lots of photos. Mitzi always had her home spotless and everything was in its place. One time when they were up in the mountains, they stayed on the bottom floor. One time, my Mom and I heard the vacuum cleaner. I looked at my Mom, who thought, "is the bottom floor dirty?" When Mitzi came upstairs, she explained that she was combing her hair and she was worried that some hair might have fallen onto the rug, so she vacuumed. Mitzi was a world class housecleaner. My Mom and I decided that we should invite Mitzi and Joe up more often!!! My favorite photo of my family was taken by Uncle Joe when I was about 8 or 10 years old. And you mentioned that you had taken the photo of me (when I was about 1 year), my Mom, my Dad and Bruce. I love that photo. We always enjoyed when the Alviars visited. Well, I called Mitzi and Joe, "Aunt" Mitzi and "Uncle" Joe, respectively. That is because my Mom and Mitzi were best friends in high school. They were like sisters (which would make Mitzi my aunt and Therona my cousin). In fact, my Mom and Mitzi called each other "big sis" and "little sis." Mitzi was class president and my Mom was class secretary. My Mom and Mitzi tried to stay in touch after graduation, but it was harder to do so when Mitzi moved away (to Chicago?). They lost contact for awhile, but reunited when Mitzi moved back to California. That's when they really reconnected and kept in touch. My best memories are those of my Mom and Mitzi when they got together and reminisced about their time together in high school. I (and you, when you where there) would just sit back and enjoy their fascinating conversations. They would talk about the social cliques, old friends, and famous Lincoln High graduates (like Robert Young, who was several years ahead of them, and Robert Preston, who was in the class ahead of them). Before Robert Preston was Robert Preston (his stage name), they knew him as Preston Maservy (I'm not sure of the spelling). They saw Preston starring in numerous high school plays (mostly musicals) long before he became famous. They knew he would become a successful actor long before he hit it big, and they especially marveled at his wonderful voice. They spoke about the true friendships (like theirs), and the "phonies" in high school. Even back then, they had the "mean girls," but everyone in high school liked Mitzi. They would also talk about their principal, Ethel Percy Andrus. She was an amazing woman who founded AARP and was the first female principal in California. So she was an early female trailblazer and great role model. Both Mitzi and my Mom respected her and were in awe of her accomplishments. Aunt Mitzi and my Mom would share newspaper clippings and articles about Lincoln High, its graduates, and their principal. They would call each other to chat and mail these clippings back and forth. They had long, happy conversations. I guess that my favorite memories really were the ones where they shared their high school memories. It was like they were kids again. It was really fun to share in their enjoyment.