230 w. ridgecrest blvd. • p. o. box 2001, ridgecrest, ca

230 W. Ridgecrest Blvd. • P. O. Box 2001, Ridgecrest, CA 93556 • 760-375-8456

December 2018Vol. 33, No. 10

Upper Mojave DesertTo see our schedule of events, visit us at hsumd.org or on Facebook at hsumd

Our December meeting will be our annual holiday dinner party at the Historic USO Building, 230 W. Ridgecrest Blvd., on Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Doors open at 6 p.m., with dinner at 6:30.Tickets go on sale at our gift shop on Monday, Dec. 3, at a modest cost of only $10 each. Please do stop by to get tickets or make reservations by Friday, Dec.14, so we can get a

good head count for the dinner. After a delicious dinner prepared by our own Chuck Cordell and delicious desserts

prepared by you, we’ll play an easy, fun game I encountered at an event I went to last year. The bigger event we want to bring back is our Christmas Sweater and/or Christmas Hat Contest. With enough entrants we might have two divisions — one for hats

and one for sweaters. ( I’m resisting saying ugly or gaudy as a description title for these contests.)

Don’t forget to bring your yummy dessert to share. — Carol Porter

HOLIDAY CHEER FROM HEAD TO TOE — Some of the contestants in a previousChristmas sweater and hat competition get into the spirit of the season in fine style. Photo by Liz Babcock

Come to Our HolidayDinner Party !

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President’s Message —

Tex Hoppus

HSUMD Holiday Thoughts

Our Historical Society volunteers are busy little elves this special season, decorating our Historic USO Building for its visitors, sprucing up our Gift Shop with some new gifts and fresh See’s Candies, and getting ready for our own December Dinner.

It’s a wonderful time of year and our hearts go out to all of you and your families.

A b i t abou t ou r December Dinne r : On Tuesday, Dec. 18, we will offer our annual dinner to all who

buy tickets (only $10 per person). The intrepid crew led by Chuck Cordell will prepare a scrumptious meal that starts with his patented salad and follows that with pulled pork, potato salad, beans, and a roll. Libations will be available to all.

We will all sit and enjoy one another’s company at well-dressed tables, while entertaining sounds waft in the background. And we’ll admire each other in our holiday finery!

A b i t abou t ou r Gi f t Shop : Gifts are not the principal focus of this special season for most of us,

but they are often a traditional way for us to share the joy of the sea-son. And Joe DePina and his cadre of volunteers are making sure that our shop has gifts and candies that you will be interested in giving to others – and to yourself! Joe is extending his own special gift to you by promising to keep our shop open until 6 p.m. from Dec. 10 to Dec. 22 (except Sunday). So come see what he’s offering.

Here’s a good idea for a special item you can give yourself or a friend who’s a former China Laker. As a community service, the HSUMD Gift Shop is offering the China Lake 75th Anniversary 2018 Retiree/ Alumnus Directory. HSUMD is pleased to make available this handy phone and email directory produced by the labor of Eva Bien and other volunteers at the Retired Acti- vities Office. It’s only $10 per copy!

A b i t abou t Se e’s Cand i e s : I’ll let Carol Porter tell you more elsewhere

in this newsletter, but remember that we will offer everything that we normally carry, PLUS seasonal candies that are special for December, PLUS the opportunity to make special prepaid orders by Dec. 10.

There are many faiths that celebrate dur-ing this special season, and we respect and welcome all of them.

Our hearts are big enough and warm enough to reach out to all.

But let me, with my own faith, wish you all a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

— Tex Hoppus


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Looking Ahead to the HolidayDinner and on to Our 2019 Tea

Santa Loves See’s!

Photo by Michelle Andreoli

Wow, December already! This month we’ll have our traditional Holiday Dinner with the delicious potluck desserts you will bring. See the front page for details.

I also want to let the ladies know that we are going to have our popular Crazy Hats Tea again this coming Feb. 2. Save the date and start thinking about your hat. We’ll have more details in our January newsletter.

We have had several requests to return to the Crazy Hats or ’40s vintage style hat and attire. So that will be the theme for our parade as well as the luncheon menu. Actually, our male wait staff members were the first to request the return to the original theme — interesting.

HSUMD provided the history displays at the 75th celebration for China Lake. Many people remarked on how much they enjoyed seeing the pictures and comments from the past. I even had one or two people spot their parents in photos they were seeing for the first time.The boards are up in the Joe Fox Auditorium, so come take a look.

I want to continue to focus on my volunteer staff and we have a picture of Don Snyder that is perfect for this particular month. Don is the primary manager of our History Files. Among the tasks Don ac-complishes are adding new categories, combining areas, and bringing questions to me for final decisions on what we really want to preserve. He is kind of our human backup drive.

See you at the Holiday Dinner and don’t forget to bring a yummy dessert to share.

— Carol Porter

We heard you, See’s Candy lovers — and we’re responding by offering an additional service. We now have a list of certain items we will do as a special order for you.

You can stop by the gift shop and pick up a copy of the list of items. Licorice will be one item I know will be popular as well as many of the bagged items See’s carries in the stores — Pecan Buds, Brittles, Chews and a broader selection of holiday treats to name a few.

The plan is to put the order in to See’s on the 11th of each month. This will give you from that date until the next month to come in and place an order or restock your supply. All of these orders will be on a prepaid basis. You will also be able to order our regularly carried item in the same manner.

— Carol Porter

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W e HSUMD members trea-sure Carol Porter as our go-to person for historical

information, archives management, tablecloth washing, contest running, and a whole lot more.

But how many know of her long creative life in the world of dance and other physical arts?

She began taking ballet lessons when she was only 4, with her early teachers including instructors at the Virginia Rose Dance Academy, Paul Petroff, and Anna Yeoskavitch. Be-cause she was little, pretty, and preco-ciously talented in the dance, she soon began appearing in television variety shows and movies.

She doubled for the child star Jean-nine Perreau in the movie “Happy Ending.” Later, when Perreau appeared in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” Carol doubled for her again. She ap-peared in other productions as well, and I remember her telling me that she and her dad also did acrobatic stunts on the beach in Venice, Calif., near the famed Muscle Beach Gym.

In 1953-61 Carol was a featured entertainer with the Los Angeles Bu-reau of Music. Then she moved with her first husband to our valley, where she became a teacher with the China Lake Ballet Society in 1964. Hun-dreds of youngsters experienced her tap, acrobatics, and ballet classes in a cramped hut on Rowe Street.

Her creativity in dance blossomed here, with many a youngster (my own daughter included) starting a lifelong romance with ballet, mainly because Carol always made the experience enjoyable as well as challenging.

In 1976 the city established a Ballet Society of its own, and Carol and her

Carol Porter — Our Versatile Accessions and Exhibits Person

See p. 5

Here’s Carol in 1967 as Eliza in the demanding “Small House of Uncle Thomas” dance, a showcased feature of CLOTA’s “The King and I.” She’s flanked by two of her stu-dents, Chris Metrou-las (left) as Topsy and Kathryn Plauson as Little Eva. Note the el-egant Siamese hands and feet!

Unattributed photo,Valley Independent,

July 13, 1967

As the chore-ographer for

Stephen Sond-heim’s “Compa-ny,” directed for

the Commu-nity Light Opera

and Theatre Association by Florence Green

in 1974, Carol teaches a dance step to the pro-

duction’s star, Stacy Mac-

Gregor as Bobby. In the background

you can see the former Davis

Hangar on South China

Lake Boulevard where CLOTA rehearsed for

years.

Photo by Ron Allen for CLOTA


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At our October meeting, Presi-dent Tex (at right) gives a well-deserved shout-out to extraordi-nary volunteers Bob and Carol Dezellem. After Bob retired from China Lake, he decided to fill some of his newfound leisure hours with volunteer activities at the Historic USO. Little did Bob know what he was getting into! Now we depend on him for such services as creating the beautiful HSUMD “ads” running onscreen before programs and movies, refinishing furniture, setting up audio equipment ... you name it. And that service includes a “two-fer,” with Carol filling a wonderful niche all her own.

Photo by Liz

master the techniques,” she said.Carol has had a lot of recent community accomplishments,

including being named by Beta Sigma Phi in 1917 as Woman of the Year “for outstanding and continued service to our community.” Her dancing days are probably over, but it’s fas-cinating to know that she had them! — Liz Babcock

From p. 4

staff taught in what is now HSUMD’s Veteran’s Memo-rial Building as well as in Joshua Hall at the fairgrounds. “It’s great to be able to let our taller dancers make leaps without worrying about overhead beams!” she said.

Working for Bill Bersie in the Ridgecrest Rec Depart-ment, she was charge of programs in acrobatics, tap, ballet, jazz, and rock dancing, as well as gymnastics.

So when she manages something for HSUMD, you can well understand why Carol can grasp the scope of the task. And a person who could tots to teens to do her bidding can certainly manage our middle-aged to elderly volunteers!

In another aspect of this talented HSUMD leader’s life, she joined the Community Light Opera and The-atre Association early on, becoming the choreographer for numerous musicals, as well as appearing as a featured dancer in such productions as the 1967 “The King and I,” in which she starred as Eliza in the famed “Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet.

Keeping the steps in that dance as authentic as possible was challenging. As she explained to a Valley Independent reporter, traditional Siamese dancing calls for toes pointed upward and knees bent, whereas the European tradition stresses toes pointed downward and straight legs. “The dancers have had to work hard to

Versatile Carol PorterJust as with the Dezellems (see

below) Carol’s participation amounts to a “two-fer,” since

her husband Craig also spends countless hours as an HSUMD

volunteer.Photo by Liz


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Musical Movie Merriment Continues at Historic USO “Merry Musicals,” Classic Movie Night’s continuing film series, really gets into the

holiday spirit on Wednesday, Dec. 12, with a truly beloved perennial Christmas classic.

Director Michael Curtiz’ 1954 box office smash features the Academy Award® winning song from the 1942 holiday classic “Holiday Inn.” Could that beloved song be the title of this film?? Former Army buddies and success-

ful song-and-dance team (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) become romantically involved with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and team up to save the failing Vermont

inn of their former commanding general (Dean Jagger) with an elaborate Christmas show.

Historically, this was the first film photographed in Para-mount’s widescreen VistaVision process, which did not extend the width of the screen as much as it raised the height, pro-ducing a significantly clearer image. It was a forerunner of today’s high-definition presentations. You will definitely note the defined crispness on our big screen at the Historic USO Building.

Celebrate the New Year holiday in Baltimore! Well…sort of! On Wednesday, Dec. 26, at 7 p.m., raise a glass of cham- pagne (…er, uh…let’s make that sparkling apple cider) to the coming year and enjoy a 2007 musical-comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical of the

same name, which in turn was based on John Waters’ 1988 comedy film of the same name.

The film features a brilliant ensemble singing and dancing cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, Allison Janney, and Nikki Blonsky in her feature film debut. And … are you ready for this? John Travolta in hilarious singing and dancing drag!

This box office champion, set in 1962 Baltimore, follows the teenager Tracy Turnblad (newcomer Nikki Blonski) as she pursues stardom as a dancer on the local Corny Collins Show and, with her friends, rallies against racial segregation by deciding it’s just not fair that black kids can dance on the show only once a month. With its superb cast, candy-colored costumes and sets, toe-tapping tunes, and breathtaking chore-ography, this will be the ultimate feel-good movie to close out the old year and ring in the new.

For film titles, call 760-375-8456 or stop in for a film schedule. Films screen on flex Wednesdays at 7 p.m., with our thrifty Snack

Bar opening up at 6:30 to serve up all kinds of taste-tempting movie snacks! Admission is, as always, FREE, but a much-appreciated $2 donation will definitely put us all in the holiday spirit! See

you at the movies … during the holidays!— Nick Rogers

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye enjoy the inn’s amenities.Wikimedia Commons

Get ready for New Year’s with this charming cast!Theatrical poster


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Business & Nonprofit MembersAle’s Steakhouse and BarAllen County Public Library, Genealogy DepartmentAnna Marie Bergens, RealtorBest Western China Lake InnBob & Ardyce’s Bicycle ShopChina Lake Photographic SocietyClarion InnComfort InnComm. Light Opera & Theatre Assoc.Cordell Construction Co.Desert Empire FairDiana Said, Vaughn RealtyEarth LandscapingEastern California MuseumEcono-LodgeEdward Jones Investments – Brook H. Andreoli

The Flower ShoppeHeritage Inn High Desert Genealogical SocietyPhyllis M. Hix, AttorneyInyokern Chamber of CommerceIWV Premier LandscapingJack & Dana Lyons, RealtorsKern Antelope Historical SocietyKern County Historical SocietyKern River Historical SocietyMaturango MuseumMOAHMohahave Historical SocietyMojave River Valley MuseumMotion Tire & WheelNeedles Regional MuseumThe News Review

Pleistocene FoundationRand Desert MuseumRed Rock BooksRidgecrest Area Convention & Visitors BureauRidgecrest Automotive, LLCRidgecrest Chamber of CommerceRidgecrest Moving & StorageRidgecrest Regional HospitalRoaming Dog KitchenS&M Coins & CollectiblesSearles Valley Historical SocietyShoshone Museum Assoc.StarbucksGary P. Staab & Assoc., Inc.Tehachapi Historical LeagueVaughn RealtyWarren’s AutomotiveWrightwood Historical Society

New MembersMember CategoriesHSUMD has three membership categories — all very important to us. Our

regular memberships are $35 per individual or family. Our business mem-berships are $45 each.We also have a special category: life member, which is something the board bestows only on members who have supported HSUMD in sustained and special ways. Our life members’ names are displayed on our website.

No new members this month — please recruit some!

Dave Ashworth recently sent me this historic photo of his mom and dad in front of the NOTS Admin Building with an unknown couple.

Dave, his brother Rick, and I would all like to know who the two people in the center are. I’m guess-ing (and hoping) they’re Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce President Bob Smith and his wife (whose name I don’t know). Capt. Ashworth and Smith (owner of the Chevrolet-Buick dealership) worked closely together on behalf of a base-community partnership when Ashworth was in command here in 1955-57.

Please do let either me or Carol Porter know any further information you can provide. Thanks!

— Liz Babcock

Can You Provide Info on This Photo?

NOTS Commander Capt. Frederick L. “Dick” Ashworth and his wife Nan flank an unidentified couple at an event in front of the NOTS Admin Building.

Photo courtesy of Dave Ashworth

Historical Society of the Upper Mojave DesertP. O. Box 2001Ridgecrest, CA 93556

HOLIDAY DINNER PARTY for DECEMBER 2018Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m., Historic USO Building

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 9RIDGECREST, CA

Important Reminders Annual dues are $35 (family) and $45 (business). Please remember the Historical Society in your wills, trusts and

other gift giving. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

DIRECTORSTex Hoppus, President 760-382-1852, [email protected] Lueck, Vice President 760-375-8202, [email protected] Hendricks, Secretary-Treasurer [email protected] Sound, Programs 760-608-7296, [email protected]

John Abbott, Building Mgr., Bldg. Rental 619-808-2223, [email protected] Chuck Cordell, Building [email protected] Carol Porter, Accessions & Exhibits 760-446-3400, [email protected] Rogers, Movie Nite, Publicity [email protected] or call 760-375-8456 for info Matthew Zubia, Fundraising 760-793-8152, [email protected]

COMMITTEE LEADERS

Liz Babcock, Newsletter Editor 760-382-9224, [email protected] DePina, Gift Shop Manager [email protected] Hoppus, Bookkeeper 760-382-1852, [email protected] Kenney, Field Trips Coordinator 760-371-2458, [email protected] Porter, SEEP Coordinator 760-446-3400, [email protected] McCrohan Rosenthal, PR Coordinator 760-375-4308, [email protected]

Here’s an easy way to see this

newsletter in color! Just email Liz at lizbab@

fastmail.fm and ask to be put on the list to get a PDF copy emailed to you each month.

We don’t plan to stop sending paper copies, but online is the way to go if you prefer living color. Unless you stipulate email only, we’ll also continue to mail you a copy.

230 w. ridgecrest blvd. • p. o. box 2001, ridgecrest, ca

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