In Kenneth’s own words, Part 3

(1938) Pocatello ID (L-R Clayton DaBell, Kenneth, Grant Grover)

My folks couldn’t afford to send me to college, but I made up my mind I wanted to go. So they drove me to Pocatello and I entered the University of Idaho southern branch. I couldn’t afford the tuition which was $35.00 per semester, so I went on the line that, you paid by the month. (You had one line that you paid full tuition and the other where you paid it by the month) I got in that because I figured I could work. I got a job as stage manager, which I stayed at all the way through college. It paid me $17.00 a month. I was able to pay my rent. I batched, of course, with three other fellows in a basement and we bought our food and cooked it and brought a little from home, if we happened to go home. I couldn’t go home very often because I had to work every Saturday, because that is when the activities happened at the Frazier Hall which was like Kingsbury Hall here in Salt Lake. It was where they had all the shows. I remember Yost Ballet came from Russia. I was so intrigued with the ballet. We also had Fats Waller who was a musician at that time. He brought his band. And then we put on several productions. I was able to take a part in “Valley Forge” which we put on and another one, I can’t remember what is was now, but I had a part in it also.

(1940) Grant ID (L-R Kenneth, Gwen Chesley, Verl Andrew)

I graduated with an associate degree in Music Education, in May of 1940 and tried to get a job teaching school. I sent out several letters and resumes. It was just hard to get a job. There were too many teachers and not enough positions. But finally, I was accepted at Clark Elementary school just east of Rigby. I taught 5^th and 6^th grades and I was 19 at the time. I had students that were 14 and 15 because I taught the music in the 8^th grade. I taught my first year there. I wanted to go on a mission and I knew I’d be twenty one in November of 1941, so I didn’t take the teaching job that year, I thought I’d be leaving in the middle of the year, so I took a job at Sears and Roebuck. I got $40.00 a month, which I thought was pretty good money. And I waited and I waited all through September and the bishop never came to see if I was interested in going on a mission. All through October and nothing happened, so I bought a car and took it out (It was the first part of November) to show my folks and the bishop was there and he called me on a mission so I had to take the car back. I had an older car that I had bought earlier, much earlier and so I went back to it. It was a 1934 Ford V8 coupe with a rumble seat and wire wheels. Oh, it was a beautiful car but you always wanted something better. And I was glad that I could fall back on it, because it was paid for. I sold my car to get enough money to go on my mission. My folks couldn’t afford to help me much and I had money saved up from teaching school so, I had enough to put me through my first year of my mission. Anyway, I worked at Sears until my mission call came in the latter part of November.