I have since worked my way through the recording and attempted to assemble a cohesive summary of their lives. Although I wanted to run it by Vicki one last time before posting it here, I've not had the opportunity to get her feedback yet and, well, I don't want to wait and risk it never being published. I'm posting it, I'll correct and add photos as soon as I can.
Alan’s father was Webster Mitchell. Webster’s mother was Tilly McCarty. His father was William Franklin Stockstill, the son of Thomas Stockstill and Martha Mitchell. Webster’s family name would typically be Webster Stockstill. but for some unknown reason, William Stockstill either adopted his wife’s name of Mitchell or gave it to Webster instead of Stockstill.
Webster apparently had a sister, “Dolly Mae”, who died in her infancy in 1899. When Webster was younger and had hair, it was curly. He had a masters degree, was an educator and was principal of Westminster grammar or middle school. Then he went to work at a military academy in Long Beach.
Webster had a brief marriage in his younger years. Vivian was his second wife. Webster did not remarry after Vivian, but he did date. Vicki recalls that Webster was a handsome man and remembers a particular girlfriend of his having a very nice large diamond ring, and that she was a very nice looking woman with a nice figure. Apparently Webster would occasionally show up with a very nice looking girlfriend.
Webster retired early and passed away at 62, possibly that same year, from a heart attack. He hadn’t been feeling well, his landlady had come to bring him some home made soup, and found that he had passed away. He had been living up in Almira, Washington, and that’s where he is buried, along with Tilley McCarty and his father. (There's a conflict here wherein familytree.com says he died 23 January 1963 and is buried in Riverside, California, United States)
Alan’s mother was Vivian Amelia Lau or Law. Both spellings exist on familysearch.com. Vivian’s mother was Mary Girard. Vivian had one brother, Warren, and two sisters. Vivian went to an all woman’s law school in Pennsylvania, where she became chancellor of their class.
Émile Zola was an author who wrote a book about the case of Captain Dreyfus, a Jewish officer who was a victim of antisemitism. There is some family connection here to Vivian but it's not clear what that connection is yet.
Alan was born with a twin sister was named Amelia Louise, but Amelia did not survive. She passed away within a few days of their birth. Alan was“O” negative blood type. With a mother/father combination of negative/positive, which was apparently the case, you can experience more infant deaths.
His mother knew that he would be successful and scholarly, because when he was little, when someone wanted to find the answer to something, he would say “look in the book”. Alan was also really into photography. He even made a darkroom in the bathroom in the projects where he and Vicki first lived. Alan was a strong swimmer and a baseball player, but he was not into any organized athletics. Alan was also a little socially inept. He was very enthusiastic, perhaps a little too outgoing, like an adorable puppy that jumps on your company. He had good character. He had a reputation of being honest, smart and kind. He liked Dave Brubeck, George Shearing, and most jazz. He was a ‘Class-A dial-fidigiter’ when it came to the radio. And he had a tendency of making puns, too.
Alan’s mother, Vivian, contracted syphilis and ended up being institutionalized during Alan’s childhood. Vicki never met Vivian. She does recall that when Vivian was being forcibly removed from the house, they pulled her skirt over her head to silence her cries about ‘who’s going to take care of Alan’? Alan was 6 years old. Vicki indicated that she thinks Alan did go visit her, at least once.
Vicki knew Alan since they were 14 years old. They were neighbors in Long Beach at 14, in what used to be Navy housing, and become the projects. They went to the same high school, Polytech High. He was taking calculus and physics and advanced studies in high school, and he was one grade level above Vicki. Her little sister, Linda, who was 7 years younger, was like a little sister to Alan. Everybody assumed they were related because of their blonde hair. He was really good with her. He would swing her around (airplane rides) and take her places.
Alan always treated Vicki like a lady. He doted on her. He would routinely kiss her shoulder, for example. They would go to the beach frequently. They would swim across the bay. They were married at 18. She was 18 when she had Sean, 2 weeks shy of 19 when she had Cathy, and 20 when she had Lisa. Also, Vicki didn’t particularly care for Alan’s father Webster. He mainly ignored them, which was the same behavior that his second wife, Ruby, experienced.
Alan went into the navy for four years after high school. He graduated at the top of his class and he could choose where he wanted to be stationed. He became a radio communications officer. His military ID was K6REP and his HAM radio operators license was "W3FRL", which was also used as a custom plate on the minivan he and Ruby owned in the late 70s.
At first Alan went to a sea plane tender called the USS Kenneth Whiting (AV-14), then he was on the The USS Norton Sound, AKA “the snort’n Norton”, a guided missile ship, on which they tested the terrier missile amongst other things. A photo archive exists here.
Alan used to be gone for six months at a time. He was in San Francisco. He was in Hawaii. He was in Osaka. Alan used to hitch-hike from San Fransisco to LA every weekend. In Osaka, he said they called him “Asiatic”, because he knew so much about Asia… by “asiatic” really meant the were calling him ‘crazy’ and was the term was used in the Pacific regarding military men who begin to act similar to local natives as a result of spending too much time on the islands.
They lived just south of Oxnard in Port Hueneme, on a navy base called “Norton Town”, in the tiniest little place, with two tiny bedrooms. Alan and Vicki then moved to 52 Ozone Avenue in Venice, Ca., right by the beach. It was half a block from the walkway, the beach, the shops, and there was an alley that ran behind the shops that they called “the Speedway”. The neighborhood was populated with mostly older Jewish people. Vicki and Alan were “the belle of the ball” in the neighborhood, because they had two darling little blonde kids. Cathy and Sean learned to say “Mach Schnell” (hurry up). Vicki was pregnant with LIsa, about ready to give birth, when they moved to Mayfield Avenue in Santa Monica.
Alan was really good with the kids and was a good dad. Always wanting to take them on the merry go round, or whatever was available. Alan was always willing to take them out and about, all the time.
