564

"Ricks College, Rexburg. Where all the tournament B.B. games played. Taken in 1926 spring. It was my first year at the tournament."

563

Not sure why we had this tiny tree, but I know for sure it was not our family tree. That was always much larger. But, I should relate here the story of our first Christmas in Fairbanks. The temperature outside was 50-60 degrees below zero, but my father had always cut his own Christmas tree and was determined to do so despite the cold. Lynne and I were bundled up and we went out to find the right tree. When it was located, Dad brushed away the snow from the base of the tree, reared back and swung his axe and --- every single needle on the tree dropped off. I don't remember how we got our tree that year, but it wasn't cut by my father.

562

In the fall of 1947, I had the role of the king in our school play. As you can see, my parents went to a lot of work to make a very believeable costume for me.

561

Yet another memory from the Teet's house garden.

560

Another one of the boy and his home made pole.

559

I guess there is a little bit of Tom Sawyer in every boy. I caught a LOT of grayling with that willow pole.

558

I don't know who the lady is on the right, but you by now recognize the rest of the people in this shot.

557

See! It wasn't always cold in Alaska. In fact, the summers were often uncomfortably hot. A land of extremes.

556

The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska.

555

Another show of the old airplane frame. The boy is Brooks Smith. Lynne is on the right. Don't know the other girl.

554

Robert Lauritzen.

553

Another salmon picture with Lynne, Dad, and Lyndon Funk.

552

Big brother Barry with Little brother Robert. How times have changed.

551

Lyndon Funk, Neva Funk, and their two children. Members of the LDS branch. They were homesteading outside of Fairbanks. Neva always bore her testimony on Fast Sunday and always broke into racking sobs going on and on. That made a strong negative impression on me that has affected me over the years with respect to Testimony Meeting.

550

Mom wrote the names on the back of the photo. I believe she started at the bottom left and worked her way across then started on the left again:

Esther Woodcox, Mrs. Carol, Thelma Walker, Eleanor Berrett, [Mom], Arva Carol, Rebecca Arend, Mae Oldroyd and Mike Agababa.

The three I have italicized were members of our LDS branch.

549

I believe this is Lynne's birthday, June 1, in 1948. Don't know any of the children other than Lynne, top right end.

548

This was a postcard that my father sent to his parents in Victor on Dec. 18, 1947. He wrote, "Dear Father and Mother. The Christmas package you sent arrived three or four days ago. We haven't opened it but we're awfully curious as to what is inside. This picture of the Northern Lights is a common one. Once in a while we get a show with colors that fairly takes your breath away. They are always moving, always changing into new shapes. The one in the picture is the most usual form you see. I'd give a lot to have you see them at close range. We send our love with a multitude of wishes for happiness and a perfect new year. Kenneth & Family. "

547

Cushman St. was the main street of Fairbanks. The large building in the center is the Federal Building where Dad worked. I sold the Fairbanks Daily New Miner (local newspaper) on the streets when I was eight. I could tell you stories......

546

"Near Ketchikan, Alaska, on the route of Pan American World Airways Clippers, is this Indian Community House. It ranks as one of the finest examples of primitive art by Alaska's native Indians."

545

This depicts just one of the many strange things about Alaska. As the caption says, "An Old Sourdough gathering Ice Worms."

544

This is a fairly recent picture of my grandparents house in Victor, ID. It was sad to see that the front fence, the towering trees that lined the front, and the irrigation ditch were all gone. But, the house still stands with the aluminum roof that my father helped to install. This was my first home. I love it.

543

One more view of the flood in Fairbanks. Lynne is standing on the side steps of our duplex.

542

A postcard view of Sitka, Alaska. This was the port from which we departed in the SS Denali, when we left Alaska for the last time in December, 1949. Looks a lot different from the Sitka that is portrayed in the Sandra Bullock film, "The Proposal", made in 2009.

541

I don't know when this was taken, but it is a very nice tinted picture of my beautiful grandmother, Mary Elva Hatch Lauritzen. Grandma was born in Springville, UT, and married my grandfather, John Lauritzen, in the LDS temple in Manti, UT. They eventually moved to Victor, ID, where all but their oldest son, Delos, were born.

540

The legend at the bottom of this picture is very hard to read. But, it says, "Midwinter sun on Dec. 21. Exposure taken every 20 minutes from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Fairbanks, Alaska."

In the winter, this is all the daylight that we got.