Day 3
12/07/23 22:23
June 30, 2023—
Post Three:
The Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and the rest of the East Bay to San Francisco was completed in 1936. Until the late 1950s, its upper deck carried automobiles, and its lower deck trains. The Golden Gate Bridge was opened in 1937 to connect the North Bay to the City.
The role of San Francisco as the center of the hub of the Bay Area was enhanced by the building of those two bridges, and young people seeking work were drawn to it from all over. There were opportunities for them to live cheaply in communal boarding houses, and our mother Rhoda was one of those. She lived first in a boarding house on upper Broadway, in a Pacific Heights mansion previously owned and occupied by a wealthy San Francisco family. She made lots of friends there with many who were sharing the same experience, branching out from their home towns to their young adult lives in the City. The friends from the “boarding house days” were from all walks of life and were seared in my mother’s memory throughout her years after WWII. We Porter kids heard those stories repeatedly. One of those friends from the boarding house days, against whom she often played ping-pong (and regularly beat him!) was Howard Brodie. At the time that Mr. Brodie was living in the boarding house, he was a sketch artist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He later became famous first as a cartoonist, stationed in Europe for Yank during the War, and then as the court artist for CBS News.
Between 1938 and the outbreak of World War Two, Rhoda continued living in the City. She had various jobs as a secretary and moved to two other locations with a smaller group of her friends whom she had met at the Pacific Heights boarding house, one at Macondray Lane on Russian Hill, and the other on Napier Lane at the top of the Filbert Steps.
In early 1942, shortly after the onset of World War II, Rhoda joined the Red Cross. She often said later, “All of the young men went off to the war after 1941, maybe I thought I should do my part”. She traveled by rail to Washington D.C. for her training and was then assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska. In those days, one had to get a passport to travel to Alaska which was not yet then a state. Having been born in a rural part of South Africa, Rhoda had no birth certificate. She had to find her father whom she hadn't seen for thirteen years (since she was eleven). She needed him to sign the affidavit of her birth, and, through contacts with her aunt, she was able to find him and get him to sign the necessary paperwork to get her passport. So she was all set to go on a great adventure in the North.
In keeping with Rhoda's propensity to meet people who later became famous, she encountered General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. on the Fort Richardson base in Alaska. At the time, General Buckner was the Commander of all Alaska forces. He got wind of the fact that one of the many secretaries in his office (Rhoda) had been born in South Africa. Apparently, General Buckner had traveled to South Africa when he was younger and he was very interested in her story. He invited her to dinner so that he could hear it first hand. He sent his jeep with flags and his commanding general's insignia on the front of it to pick her up at her base dormitory. They went to a party together. Several years later, in 1945, General Buckner was transferred to Hawaii to lead the invasion of Okinawa. Unfortunately, he became the highest ranking military officer to be killed in the line of duty. To commemorate him and the siege at Okinawa, his image appeared on the cover of Time Magazine after his death.
It was at Camp Richardson in Alaska that Rhoda met her future husband, Bernie Porter. Bernie had been drafted and was serving in the Army there. During their courtship, they often went with friends to the Lucky Shot Mine (above Craigie Creek in the Talkeetna Mountains, about 75 miles north of Anchorage), or went skiing at a nearby ski area in Girdwood. The war was still ongoing in Alaska against the Japanese who had invaded the Aleutians. However, the "Chain" (as they called it) was pretty far away. Life in Anchorage probably allowed for some down time.
Rhoda and Bernie were married at the Fort Richardson Post Chapel on December 1, 1945. After the war, they came back to Rhoda's home town of Los Gatos, started their family, and built an adobe house in the hills above the orchards of the West Santa Clara Valley.
Cover of the April 13, 1945 edition of "Yank" magazine, with Howard Brodie illustration
Rhoda was a secretary at various places in the financial district of the City between 1938 and 1941. She was also briefly a nurse's aide. Here she is wearing her new uniform during that short time period in her life
Time Magazine cover (April 16, 1945 edition) commemorating the Battle of Okinawa and General Buckner. Over 265,000 were killed between April 1 and June 22, 1945 (including about 95,000 Japanese soldiers, about 20, 000 American soldiers, and about 150,000 Japanese civilians). General Buckner was one of the 265,000 people who died. What happened at Okinawa was a deciding factor for American planners and military commanders to order the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Rhoda skiing in Alaska, 1943
Rhoda and Bernie skiing in Alaska, 1943
Wedding of Rhoda and Bernie Porter, December 1, 1945, Post Chapel at Fort Richardson, Alaska—Rhoda was 28, and Bernie 27
Rhoda standing near their partially-completed adobe home in Los Gatos, holding her oldest child Karen (b. 1946). Photo was taken in early 1947
Post Three:
The Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and the rest of the East Bay to San Francisco was completed in 1936. Until the late 1950s, its upper deck carried automobiles, and its lower deck trains. The Golden Gate Bridge was opened in 1937 to connect the North Bay to the City.
The role of San Francisco as the center of the hub of the Bay Area was enhanced by the building of those two bridges, and young people seeking work were drawn to it from all over. There were opportunities for them to live cheaply in communal boarding houses, and our mother Rhoda was one of those. She lived first in a boarding house on upper Broadway, in a Pacific Heights mansion previously owned and occupied by a wealthy San Francisco family. She made lots of friends there with many who were sharing the same experience, branching out from their home towns to their young adult lives in the City. The friends from the “boarding house days” were from all walks of life and were seared in my mother’s memory throughout her years after WWII. We Porter kids heard those stories repeatedly. One of those friends from the boarding house days, against whom she often played ping-pong (and regularly beat him!) was Howard Brodie. At the time that Mr. Brodie was living in the boarding house, he was a sketch artist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He later became famous first as a cartoonist, stationed in Europe for Yank during the War, and then as the court artist for CBS News.
Between 1938 and the outbreak of World War Two, Rhoda continued living in the City. She had various jobs as a secretary and moved to two other locations with a smaller group of her friends whom she had met at the Pacific Heights boarding house, one at Macondray Lane on Russian Hill, and the other on Napier Lane at the top of the Filbert Steps.
In early 1942, shortly after the onset of World War II, Rhoda joined the Red Cross. She often said later, “All of the young men went off to the war after 1941, maybe I thought I should do my part”. She traveled by rail to Washington D.C. for her training and was then assigned to Fort Richardson, Alaska. In those days, one had to get a passport to travel to Alaska which was not yet then a state. Having been born in a rural part of South Africa, Rhoda had no birth certificate. She had to find her father whom she hadn't seen for thirteen years (since she was eleven). She needed him to sign the affidavit of her birth, and, through contacts with her aunt, she was able to find him and get him to sign the necessary paperwork to get her passport. So she was all set to go on a great adventure in the North.
In keeping with Rhoda's propensity to meet people who later became famous, she encountered General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. on the Fort Richardson base in Alaska. At the time, General Buckner was the Commander of all Alaska forces. He got wind of the fact that one of the many secretaries in his office (Rhoda) had been born in South Africa. Apparently, General Buckner had traveled to South Africa when he was younger and he was very interested in her story. He invited her to dinner so that he could hear it first hand. He sent his jeep with flags and his commanding general's insignia on the front of it to pick her up at her base dormitory. They went to a party together. Several years later, in 1945, General Buckner was transferred to Hawaii to lead the invasion of Okinawa. Unfortunately, he became the highest ranking military officer to be killed in the line of duty. To commemorate him and the siege at Okinawa, his image appeared on the cover of Time Magazine after his death.
It was at Camp Richardson in Alaska that Rhoda met her future husband, Bernie Porter. Bernie had been drafted and was serving in the Army there. During their courtship, they often went with friends to the Lucky Shot Mine (above Craigie Creek in the Talkeetna Mountains, about 75 miles north of Anchorage), or went skiing at a nearby ski area in Girdwood. The war was still ongoing in Alaska against the Japanese who had invaded the Aleutians. However, the "Chain" (as they called it) was pretty far away. Life in Anchorage probably allowed for some down time.
Rhoda and Bernie were married at the Fort Richardson Post Chapel on December 1, 1945. After the war, they came back to Rhoda's home town of Los Gatos, started their family, and built an adobe house in the hills above the orchards of the West Santa Clara Valley.
Cover of the April 13, 1945 edition of "Yank" magazine, with Howard Brodie illustration
Rhoda was a secretary at various places in the financial district of the City between 1938 and 1941. She was also briefly a nurse's aide. Here she is wearing her new uniform during that short time period in her life
Time Magazine cover (April 16, 1945 edition) commemorating the Battle of Okinawa and General Buckner. Over 265,000 were killed between April 1 and June 22, 1945 (including about 95,000 Japanese soldiers, about 20, 000 American soldiers, and about 150,000 Japanese civilians). General Buckner was one of the 265,000 people who died. What happened at Okinawa was a deciding factor for American planners and military commanders to order the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Rhoda skiing in Alaska, 1943
Rhoda and Bernie skiing in Alaska, 1943
Wedding of Rhoda and Bernie Porter, December 1, 1945, Post Chapel at Fort Richardson, Alaska—Rhoda was 28, and Bernie 27
Rhoda standing near their partially-completed adobe home in Los Gatos, holding her oldest child Karen (b. 1946). Photo was taken in early 1947
