Siena Garrison and Wellington Love

00:00 Hello, my name is Sienna Garrison. I am 16 years old, and today is September 8, 2024. And I'm speaking with Wellington Love, who is my grandfather. I'm recording this interview at my grandpa's house in South Pasadena, California. So the first question is sort of just like, just where did you grow up?

00:20 I'm Navy born, California, third generation, born in Hollywood, Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital on December 4, 1926.

00:30 And what was it like growing up?

00:32 What was it like then? It was great. Well, I don't know what it was like. I was just being born, born. I can't remember anything unique at all, although I remember my mother. My parents en route to the hospital with me before I was born and decided, thought they decided on a name, and my father's name was Wellington, but my grandfather's name was William. And so it was rumored that I would be named after my grandfather, my paternal grandfather. And because of the indecision, the nurses had to pin little beaded braces around the babies. And I had no name. So the nurses used to tease my mother about bearing a no name child. Poor little child with no name. So eventually they decided, I'm Wellington. And I'm Wellington.

01:18 What was your childhood like?

01:21 You think of today's day? Idyllic. I was raised, well, born in Los Angeles. We moved to my residence where I grew up in Hollywood when I was four years old. And, you know, grammar school, junior high, high school. My childhood was just playing marbles in the backyard, building castles, going up the corner, digging a cave in the empty, vacant lot, putting a roof on it, and having meetings down underneath the ground and the canalette. Meetings in the little cave. Going to Saturday if we could get things with depression. So things were tough. We didn't know it was bad, but you didn't get $0.10 very often. So we collect bottles. Coca Cola. Coca. Seven up. We got $0.10. We could then go to the movie on Saturday. And that was always something we looked forward to. It was two cent. Two pennies. Yes.

02:22 And so what's your best memory from your childhood?

02:26 My best memory or your favorite memory? Good or bad? I have one terrible memory. I almost lost my life. Is that important?

02:38 Sure. That is very important.

02:40 Nine years old again, same residence in Hollywood. And there was an empty bank building up not far from home. We were playing illegally. We found a way to get into the empty bank. We were playing tag, evading, being caught by your friends. And as I was about to go through the door that went a little off. The empty office. Building. Office. You go in there and then jump out the window, being tight, being tagged. And one of my friends that's in quotes, slammed the glass door in my face, and I went through it and in process severed the largest artery in my left arm, my right arm. And I was looking at an arm with blood coming out like a faucet, and I started to run home. I would never have made it. I would have bled to death. Unfortunately, right next door to the bank was a used car salesman, and he stopped me and pulled me in his office, put a tourniquet on my arm, a pencil, and a white cloth handkerchief, and put me in a tournament called the emergency people. And he saved my life.

03:46 Wow.

03:47 Later, my parents gave me a one pound box of seeds candy, which I took back to him while I recovered to thank him for saving my life. A one pound box of candy. I would never have made it. I'd have died but for his fortuitous appearance of my life. Just a normal. But again, you just appreciate everything you had because the depression didn't give you any room to. So it was neighborhood games, and I just, you know, we were happy as clams, even though things were tough. Well, of course, that was an unpleasant memory, but that's, that's certainly one of them. Otherwise, my memories are a very, very happy childhood, depression notwithstanding. And we got along with solo entertainment, entertaining ourselves, playing with toys and the dirt, playing marbles and getting the marbles. You got, by the way, you draw a circle, put your marbles in there, and you have a boulder and a lagger, and you always look for a bulletin, a special marble with an. I can't remember we called it, but it was a lion, but you could snap from outside, and every barber you were able to knock out outside the ring, you got to keep. And anyway, so that was, how did you win the number of marbles you collected? Sure. That was. Well, see any other memories? I don't. I don't think of any.

05:41 What are you proudest of in your life? What are you proudest of in your life?

05:49 I suppose my military service would have to be a part of that. I'm very proud of that. I was only 17 when I enlisted in the United States Navy. Of course, I had to have frontal consent to permission to do that, but I served being trained to be a combat air crewman, so I would actually be on an aircraft carrier flying combat missions. And I finished my training in Norman, Oklahoma, to be a combat air crewman and was sent out to, the Germans surrendered, so I knew I wouldn't be going to Europe, but I was sent to south, to Los Alamitos Naval Naval Air Station Los Alan in California, waiting for my first aircraft carrier assignment. And then the Japanese surrendered. So my aircraft carrier was not to be in combat. But when it came, it took me and permitted me to participate in what we call Operation Magic carpet, which was going to the South Pacific primarily. I made two crossings and two aircraft carriers, bringing all of our military personnel home. So that was something of which I was very proud. Yeah, that's awesome.

07:08 Yeah, that's incredible. What are some of the most important lessons you've learned in your life?

07:13 Important classes.

07:15 Lessons like life lessons.

07:17 I'm sorry, I still have trouble understanding it.

07:20 What are some of the most important life lessons you've learned in your life?

07:23 Life lessons. See, honesty is one. Certainly. I was never, never caught stealing anything. Used to think little kids would Saturday matinees with $0.10. We'd steal a couple of jawbreakers. I never did that, but I'm not being very forthcoming, but I'm having struggle. Go ahead. Anything else?

08:05 You went to USC, right?

08:06 Yes, USC.

08:07 What was that like?

08:09 Life experience? I would never have been able to go there but for the GI bill. Having served the military, they helped me because a tuition would have been something my parents couldn't have afforded. They probably would have found a way to send me and I really had to go there, but it ended up that she didn't have to. So I enrolled in 1947, graduated in 1951, and major in business, and ended up spending the last 30 years of my life in politics, the transition from business to politics. So the longest survey job I had was as an employee and Senate rules committee, which I was employed for 30 years. That set a record. Nobody had ever Senate rules committee because. Well, the uniqueness was because people like me, you have a. It's not a civil service job. You have a job as long as your senator, for whom I worked. I worked for the state senate gets reelected, you got a job. Well, that usually means at the end of that term, you're out. Unfortunately, I knew the assemblyman who was going to be taking over the Senate seat that I had been chief of staff to, and so I went to work for him. That rarely happens. That's why I happened to be a 30 year employee of the state rules committee.

09:41 What was that like?

09:43 That was wonderful, wonderful experience. Legislative process is very demanding, very deliberative, as it should be. I heard today that there was a movement from the assembly to limit the bank to 30 seconds. That is hardly my idea of a deliberative body. But things in those days, 30 years ago, 40, 50 years ago, were a lot different. Small business and legitimate business. Anything else I could think of, where.

10:22 Was it like, where did you work?

10:25 Where did I work? When I got out of college, I was majoring in what we called industrial relations. It's called human resources now. And I got a job with the Norris Thermal Corporation in southeast Los Angeles. Very job that I was trained in college to do. I went to work in their personnel office and eventually I was the personnel manager for seven, eight years before I left. What briefed the end of the real estate business with my father in law, which I didn't enjoy at all. It was not the kind of real estate that anyway, I wasn't built to be a salesman. So that was a difficult part of my life during the sixties because I was at loose ends, not knowing where to do what we could do. But then I had a young man who was referred to me because I was a good Republican and he was running for the state senate. And at that time, the US Supreme Court decision, Baker v. Carr, required that all bilateral, all legislative bodies, which meant 49 of the 50 with two houses, and the upper house, which had to be based on one man, one woman, because they wouldn't use that expression today. One man would vote, but one person would vote. They ruled that California, as you know, in our constitution, we have two United States senators per state. Even small states have two senators. But despite that ruling, the state legislatures were dealt with differently. Any bicameral house got bicameral state, which was all of them except Nebraska, which only has one house, they had to reapportion their upper house. At that time, Los Angeles county had one senator with the millions of people. So you can see this disproportionate representation. As a result of that federal US Supreme Court decision and the state's reapportionment, La county now had 14 and a half senators. And one of those senate districts was the 21st, and it incorporated the area where my home was, this district, South Pass area. And so the young man, I think the district had been carved out. It was a republican district, which is rare, but the incumbent assemblymen in the 43rd assembly district was the flood of the assembly. Each Senate district has two assembly districts and it was built for him. He had ten years in the assembly as a republican and the Democrats had created this republican district for him. For some reason, he delayed filing for the seat. So this young attorney, whom I accepted what to work for, was running for that seat. And then surprised everybody by getting elected. And I. Because I played the new part of the district that I was responsible for. I worked hard in that district, volunteer, and brought in 75% of the vote. These people didn't know the incumbent in Glendale. It was a brand new district. So as a result of that, helped, the senator offered me a state central appointment. Oh, state central Committee appointment, fi. I said, what's it pay? He said, well, nothing. It's just to say thank you for why you asked. I said, because it was. It was a pleasure working for someone. I crusted it and worked hard to get elected and thought maybe there might be a place for me. So he looked. He says, why not? So I went with him to Sacramento and became his chief staff. Wow. Well, I was a bit of stranger since it, but I was in charge of the office, the district office, which was in Glendale, and five employees our district covered from the Fresno county line to Temple City. I can't believe a district that large. But it had been carved out by the Democrat leader, Speaker Jesse Unre, for his friend, Howard Thielen, the Republican who dawdled his feet and didn't wait too long to file for the new seat. And as a result, he lost. We even took Glendale was the heart of the 43rd assembly district, the Saturday night warfare. He walked every precinct. We even took Glendale, his hometown, had 50 votes. So that was. That was the. That was a big accomplishment. And the rest of Sienna because of that unique situation, I was able to work those 30 years, but I worked for a language.

15:16 How has your life been different from what you imagined?

15:19 How did I, like what.

15:21 How is your life different than what you would have imagined be like in the past or as a kid, I.

15:26 Never envisioned myself going to work for the state senate senate rules committee that was. You know, this is a job. No future there. Well, there really isn't. But it turned out, as I've explained, it ended up. Anyway. It's. No, I hadn't thought about that, you know, about growing up. I want to be a fireman or policeman or something. No, no, I just. I do remember that the industrial nations were something that I encountered with my father. The market for whom he worked rouse was not union. But it turned out that. No, I'm making things up. I'm not making much sense anyhow.

16:19 What was life like with.

16:21 Well, both your wives, what was life like?

16:23 Yeah. Just experience.

16:26 When I think about the doldrums and the depression, unless you've been there, you not know what a depression that was? The nut 29 crash and the hardship that prevailed and those who were unemployed and those who were fortunate enough to have a job, and that stuck with me all my life. So I was very pleased to be a part of, you know, that's just the beginning. Well, otherwise, I had a very, very happy childhood doing all the things little kids do, because, anyway.

17:03 How old were you when? 29 during the class.

17:05 Three years old. I was born in 26. But of course I would know the difference. It was just knowing that my father, who worked for the rouse grocery company, he was unfortunately forced to take care of his father, who was suffering a life threatening disease. I can't remember. He was bedridden.

17:34 What was I was saying, what was life like with both your wives? Like, your first wife and then also silver and like.

17:41 Well, I married one of those typical high school sweethearts. She was a year ahead of me in cool, but high school, yes. We both worked at the farmers market, which is still there today. Very popular venue. And the company we were with is still there. And I was the jack of all. Drove that truck, got supplies for the restaurant. They had a place in Los Angeles. So I was in charge of the warehouse and supplying the delicatessens in the kitchens with their products that they needed to. And my wife, first wife, worked as a sales lady. Girl. Yeah, girl at the counter. And we serve meals. And that McGays kitchen is still there. At the farmers market. I have. I made a point to. It's changed so dramatically, but at least that store is still there. But my job was to, as I said, the warehouse was my responsibility. And we dealt with 40 gallon barrels of sauerkraut, dill, pickles and olives and stuff. And I had to drive a truck downtown Los Angeles, the Grand Central market, which is still there, and deliver products to that outlet. So anyway, it was a very, very interesting period in my life, but my wife began to. Well, when I got out of the service, I had to. I was going to USC, and you don't talk about getting married. So we dated for about five or six years, and I'm sure she was beginning to. So it's true. It's true. I was now a student, and I joined a fraternity, very busy in fraternity life. Finally, she put a foot down. And so we were married in my senior year, so that. I never dated any sorority girls in college. She was my girl, so. But she still said, this is gonna stop. We're getting married. So we got married, and we're happily. So for almost 32 years.

19:59 Wow.

20:00 When she developed a very terrible disease, melanoma metastatic malignant melanoma, the most evil skin cancer which proved itself to be life threatening, which it was, and what experience she went through. The doctors later told me your wife went through hell when they were going through all her medical records. But I remember that she was well when they diagnosed this melanoma. Normally it's on the skin, the shoulder, the hip, leg, thigh, but this was on the inside of her nose, on the septum. Very, very rare. And at UCLA Medical center, where we went after the diagnosis, interestingly, the pathologist who did the work up on the melanoma was our next door neighbor doctor, his name, anyway, and he felt just sick. He was hoping that his diagnosis would be overrun, but unfortunately it was confirmed. So she had such a unique. Whenever she was involved, there were always a theater full of doctors. And I remember the USC technical center, where we were, spent a lot of time, and she had more doctors coming and looking with a stent, their exam. She was up her nose, because melanoma just never happened to the nose. But the diagnosis was such that the chief head and neck surgeon at UCLA, Doctor Ward, said the way they gave her the maximum chance of recovery, and even then it's hippy with melanoma, even though you do all the right things, 50 50 chance that you can't get it all because melanoma, they have to take large samples. And what's the large sample in the nose? Well, he said, take the nose off. Well, that doesn't get any young woman, beautiful woman. The other school of thought at the keck Medicine USC Medical center said, no, it's early enough and small enough to get a good lab on it. So they did something, a subtotal rhinotomy, lifted up the nose, took out the bad tissue, got a good lab and buttoned it up. So she had a bad nose. The few years she remained her life for, and they old, the old basic five years played, paid off because. Because we kept going to UCLA per checkups. And I remember it was Christmas of that last year when the doctors all said, if this, the other school that went along with is small enough, don't take the right actor, do a rhinotomy. Doctor Calcuttiera. It was subsequently decided when it recurred, they said it would be in the kidneys of the lungs. And unfortunately, it was a surprise, surprise, surprise. It recurred in the stenoid fibroid sinus right behind the nose. So I said, be sure to tell Doctor Calcutta, UCLA, it didn't recur. It didn't, it didn't appear in the lungs, the kidney senois white sinus. So they all get the benefit in the future they probably would have done if they'd done a rightctomy and taken her nose off. And they had the fact they did that the day of the surgery, and she objected because we were down having a plaster cast made of her nose in case the surgery revealed a problem. We had to take the nose off. We'd have a facsimile and she would have had a fake nose. That's pretty startling for a young woman, a beautiful young woman. But anyway, the rest of history was here. It recurred. But anyway, she died just a little bit short of our 19, I think. I think she was. I don't think she celebrated her 32nd birthday. 62, not, didn't quite make her 62nd birthday. So the world ended for me until I met a lovely lady named Silver Garrison. I helped her get a job. One of our office employees explained that she had a friend, and I knew the family, the garrison family, and she said, well, she lost her husband. She's having trouble. She needs a job. So. But she hadn't had no experience except working as a secretary in a chamber of commerce office, no secretary of skills. So I had to work with her, get her typing skills back, and finally I got her where she passed 40 words a minute. I told the senator, we've been working with this lovely lady, and she's. So we hired her. She ended up doing better than that. She ended up being at the business, took over my job because she was going with people, and so she came to work for us. And that helped her, of course. She was a very beautiful woman. I never thought about her in any covetous way. And one day, the senator secret, say, my dad, silver garrison, is a handsome woman. And I said to myself, you know, she is. I wonder if she considered a date. She did. The rest is history. Got married and a wonderful. She was an absolutely wonderful woman. So I had two beautiful wives, and of course, I was very, very thankful. Not many men had that opportunity and probably went to the movies. I don't remember anything significant other than that, but it was obviously a fellow affair meant to happen, and it did. We had how many years? She died 2012. We were married 91. So 30, 31 years. So we actually about the same length of time I had with my first wife. Two wonderful marriages, two beautiful women. It left that because of a very, very portion, the Lord smiled on me. I was entitled to a few smiles. I thought I'd been through some pretty tough tough, tough times.

26:11 But what's a story that makes you laugh?

26:15 Do you want to break or. What's the story that makes me laugh?

26:19 Yeah.

26:20 Oh, lord. I can't think of any. I'm coming up blank. I'm coming up blank.

26:33 What's it like being a father to so many and a grandfather?

26:36 What?

26:36 What's it like having so many kids and grandkids?

26:40 Well, that's a remarkable thing. It's another thing you think about was the very two happy families. I had four by one and six from the other. So I had ten children, 18 grandchildren, 18 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren. So I lost track of county. John, the DA, deputy DA, and his wife Erin are the producers of the family they have. So I. That's the wonderful part of life, having that many. Imagine that. I mentioned six, but one of her sons, her eldest son, I barely had a chance to meet him. He was in the drugs and ended up, unfortunately, he was on the. His name was Neil. In 1994, I had the pleasure of seeing him reunited with his brother from separated for drugs use and so forth. And he thanked me for making my, making his mother happy and then died shortly thereafter. Overdose. But other than that, you ask for happy things. Great to be alive. Better than the opposite, you know.

28:11 What's your favorite story to tell overall?

28:14 My favorite story to tell the world.

28:16 Overall, like, from your whole life?

28:19 Oh, it happens. I think I've given it all to you. Always be honest yourself and your family. Playing games and the half truths and lies that get you in trouble. So you be honest with yourself and your family. And I have. I am an inspiration. Oh, my. Never thought about that. But thank you. That's quite a compliment. I could never have hoped for anything more.

28:56 Have you come up with anything funny yet?

28:59 Well, did I finish the story about the. We were interrupted by something. The fact that I had no name and they used to put little beaded. My mother's had no name on it. No name love. The no name love. So they teased her about an illegitimate child. We finally decided on Wellington in the neighborhood. Somehow the kids in the neighborhood got one of that story. So when they come down to call for me to come out play, can baby boy love come out to play? Baby boy love. Cause that's what it says. Baby boy love. Anyhow, that's the end of this story. My mother kept those beans for a long time. Cherries and. Well, it's a mouthful, Wellington. I never, never gave it much thought, but it is a mouthful. But when I got to sc, I should have had the nickname. I've tried to develop since. It's too late in life to come up with nicknames, but I'd have been a perfect duke, the Duke of Wellington. I have more claim to it than John Wayne Wellington. It was a famous english general named Arthur Wellesley, 1770 something. He defeated a guy named Bonaparte at the valley of. It was in Belgium, the first defeat that Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte, had ever sustained. He'd never been beaten. French, the French and the German French and the English remained the main powers in our history back in the 17 hundreds, England and France. And they were the naval powers anyway. But Arthur Wellesley defeated the bonaparte as a result of that victory. They knighted him and gave him the title of Duke of Wellington. So that an obvious thing. Good name for me as a kid. Yeah. Duke. Duke. And yet it was always, well, the first four letters were by name. Well, Wellington. Well. And then I got to sc, and, uh, there was a famous sprinter, one of our top sprinters named Wells Delos. So, babe, my well became Wells pretty soon. That was Wells. Wells love. Come on, Duke. So I really. College should have been Duke, and it's too late. I'm actually trying to promote that now.

31:28 So what do you want to be remembered for?

31:31 All of the above.

31:32 All of the above?

31:33 Yeah. I hope. I can't think of anything that I should be remembered by.

31:40 If this was to be our last conversation, what would you want to tell me?

31:43 If this was to be our last.

31:45 Conversation, what would you want to tell me? What's something really important that you would want to tell me?

31:51 Geez. Yeah. Very different, giving it all to me. I don't think anything else. I guess I should, because, unfortunately, I think it's something that's not being given too much attention these days. You see all these young people getting in trouble, shooting and killing people. To me, this is beyond belief, what's happened to our society. I don't get into the politics, but it's just amazing we've deteriorated to this point where we're having young people killing each other. Integrity. It's gotta be.

32:32 Thank you.

32:34 Fraternity life, people. We get a fraternity council. Some people play down those important things, but those are one of the reasons I enjoyed my college so much was my fraternity activity. It wasn't because of all the good looking young ladies in sororities, because I wasn't looking for anybody. We had inter fraternity council, suggested getting together Monday nights for big night on campus and to visit the other houses, and that's something I've had to talk about. My voice was uncovered at the junior high school, misses Clark. And as a result, I was called upon on more than one occasion to sing a solo auditorium. So that's the part my last few people realize. I had a very good voice, probably should have had. My mother was encouraged at that point. I'm thinking about going out playing football, but in high school there was no macro program that I. So I stopped at junior high school. But Misses Clark said that I had a very first as a little boy, boy tenor, and when the voice changes, you become a baritone. But I had the good fortune in my fraternity. Young man named Frank Salazar, and he was a music major. He was in the band, played the clarinet, but as a music major, one of the other attorney brothers played the piano very well. Between the two of them they produced, wrote a guy named Franklin, did the script, and we called it small boat, based on the story the showboat. Showboat on the Mississippi. Small boat. They wrote all the music, the dialogue. We put that on campus for three nights, two nights for our family or family campuses. So that was very usual. As a result of that we get, well, Frank. And because my voice was. You have a tenor, you got baritones and you got a bass. I was what they called it the barbershop quartet, which we ended up having. The barbershop quartet they call it's the lead and this is the voice between tenor and baritone, which is what I was. So I could hit some tenor notes, but I was more comfortable with the. And sometimes could get the lower ranges of the baritone. But with that, that lead quality, I was able to. So we go out and serenday the row. That was also appreciated, again, not for any pretty girl favors, just because we enjoyed doing it. So we had gained a reputation and whenever we had a sweetheart party was one of our fraternity brothers gave his pen to a girl. Despite getting engaged, a pinning ceremony always involved the quartet singing the sweetheart of Sigma Chi, which was a very famous, unusual fraternity and SSC. The Sigma Chi fraternity was the first fraternity formed on the campus. Campus was founded in 1981. I think we came out in 80. 318 80, 318 93 anyhow, so I forgot that part. That was a great part of our life. We get offers, go downtown Los Angeles at Desmond's Broadway make company and sing Christmas carols. Young college guys. If we could beat $20, that was a big deal. That was sidekick stuff. But otherwise, Frank said Saladar was a treasure and we just tried to keep together after graduation. But Frank went on to be because of his band expertise. He was in charge of the elevator at community college, that's where he spent his life. And while we kept trying to keep in touch. Life takes strange turns. It lasts that long.

36:58 That's awesome. I never knew that. I never knew that you sang.

37:02 Oh, well, no, I guess. Oh, probably family knows all that.

37:06 Wow, that's awesome.

37:08 I went to a. It was like, it was a happy occasion. I have a granddaughter, my youngest son's daughter lives in an old valley. And their little girl, I think was her first year ceremony, birthday party or something. And I was certainly went up to participate in that. And we were singing and some woman next we said, you have a very nice voice. I don't think about those things. Should have done more with it. The sad probably would have happened if there did any kind of a choral program in Sienna Fairfax high school. I would have gone directly to it, but there wasn't. So no music in high school.

37:59 Just. Thank you.

38:01 You're welcome, young lady.

38:02 You're absolutely amazing.

38:04 My daughter, with whom I just spoke a little while ago, maybe by thinking about it, this recent experience, which was frightening and fact that my accident, my heart stopped, I think, for five or 6 seconds. But this doctor Solto and his comments, Melissa, my daughter, he did the work, the implant, his observations about me personally were things that made my ears pick up because Melissa said he was very, very impressed with you. Kind of like this about what I been through was going through.

38:48 So it's a pleasure and a blessing to know you.

38:53 I'm honored. Thank you.

38:56 Very grateful to have you as my grandpa.

38:58 Thank you, dear. It means a lot to me. Sorry I have to get this late life and realize how much, you know, how important you've been in. But that's really very nice. Well, I think I'll make my 98th. I'm glad I got it. That's in December, December 4, I'll be 98. And while I can say this about that age, my father also passed at age 97. But I've done a bit, a whole lot better than he did because he spent the last 14 years of his life living with my brother, with my brother's family and downing. So that was good. But again, he's in his eighties, almost 98, still at home. So I feel very fortunate that I've been able, I've been blessed to have that kind of independence. I'll continue trying to live up to it. Thank you.

39:58 Yeah, of course. Thank you.