On page 33 in the yearbook for 1957, I found this photo of my mom. I put a red rectangle around her and her name. This is the page for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) at Pomona High School.
Here's a cropped portion of the photo so we can get a closer view of my mom.
It's so fun to see this photo of her. I love her outfit. Look at her smart blouse with the standing collar. So cute! And look at those adorable flats she's wearing!
It's really neat to know that my mom was a member of the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) in High School. It looks like the FBLA went on some interesting field trips including visits to Lockheed Aircraft Company in Ontario, the Metropolitan Junior College at Los Angeles, The Southern California Edison Light Company in Los Angeles, and the Carnation Milk Company in Los Angeles. I wonder if my mom was able to go on all of the field trips listed on this yearbook page.
My mom was born on 24 July 1938, so depending on when this photo was taken, she would have been around 18 years old. She immigrated to the United States from Brazil in July 1952, so she graduated from high school only about five years after arriving here. From what I understand, she didn't speak English when she arrived. Her father, Debs Warren Webster, did speak English. He also spoke Portuguese and Spanish.
Those who follow my blog will probably remember that Debs was the son of Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog. Debs' mom, Esther Matus Villatoro, was from Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico, and his father was from Athens, Ohio, USA. So, it's not surprising that my Grandpa Debs spoke Spanish, English, and Portuguese. He traveled with his father while he was young. And "The Traveling Dentist" did travel quite a bit.
I have more yearbook discoveries from the pages of my mom's yearbooks that I'll share in future posts.
Have you found photos of your parents or other relatives in yearbooks?
Thanks for stopping by!
Jana
© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved
Wonderful discovery. How much fun are all the yearbooks we have access to?
ReplyDeleteThank you Diane! They really are fun. :)
DeleteI have all my mom's yearbooks from high school and one from college; I have my dad's college yearbooks. And I have my grandaunts' yearbooks from the college that I went to. I use them all the time for lots of posts. Your mom was beautiful and so stylish. If she didn't speak English when she arrived, I wonder how long it took her to learn and how she managed in school.
ReplyDeleteWow Wendy! You have a treasure trove of yearbooks. How fun! How my mom learned to speak English when she arrived is a good question. Thankfully her dad knew the language, so maybe he helped her.
DeleteYearbooks are treasures. Some schools keep copies in their libraries and can be accessed if we ask.
ReplyDeleteThanks Colleen! That's a great idea about accessing yearbooks from school libraries. Thank you!
DeleteWonderful blog post. What a blessing to have those yearbooks.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is a blessing. Thank you Valerie!
DeleteGreat yearbook photo of your mom -- and impressive that she graduated just five years after arriving, and having to learn English in the process! I also have yearbook photos of my mom from high school and college, which I hope to use on my blog at some point.
ReplyDeleteThanks! What my mom accomplished really is impressive. How fun that you have yearbook photos of your mom! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a fun find, Jana. It's always exciting when things like these turn up. They add so much to an ancestor's personal history. I think you and your mom resemble each other.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy!
DeleteHow fun to see this! I have yearbooks from my Dad and Grandfather. It's always fascinating to see the little things about their school lives -- especially the things they may have forgotten in the mists of time. And yes, her outfit is lovely! I'd wear it today... :-)
ReplyDeleteOh wow! You have yearbooks from your Grandfather? That's amazing!
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