My adolescence in Los Angeles was not a happy period in my life.

Except for puberty awakening, participating in Junior Highschool and Highschool dramas; learning Carpentering, and Playgrounds Sports, I was a very unhappy person. I was prudish, and very shy. I made model airplanes and dreamed of becoming a pilot. My whole social life centered in the church. Except for the game “Spin the bottle” at Church parties I don’t remembering kissing any girls until I was nearly eighteen years of age.

In Junior Highschool and Highschool I was active in the West Adams Baptist Church and only participated in group dates. We sang a lot, mostly Church songs. We went to the Beaches, making our own surf boards and going every New Year’s Day to Mount Baldy, not too far from Los Angeles where we skied and had snowball fights.

My Mother and I lived in apartments1923-1936 She was a secretary in the downtown Y.M.C.A. We played checkers and Rook. Life was pretty drab as compared to my life today at 89!

I mowed lawns, delivered papers and magazines and made balsa wood model airplanes. One Saturday at Mines Airfield, which is now the Los Angeles airport, I won 3rd place with a model airplane which flew for over two minutes. Howard Evans my closest friend. Another boy and I had our picture taken with Charles A, Lindbergh which was a high point in my drab life.

The day after graduation from Los Angeles Highschool I went to work for my Uncle Charley’s business partner Herbert Carpenter at the first Drive-in Stand in Los Angeles at the corner of Wilshire and Western, across the street from what is still the Wiltern Theater. Through 5 summers and on weekends I worked as a car-hop earning tips from 4 to 12 dollars a day. We dressed in green pants and dresses trimmed in yellow stripes; ten of us young men and women all under 25 years of age.

My first $200 dollars went for a 27’ Model T Ford so I could work from 10 to two each day and 10 to 2 each night. That car gave me a great freedom. It had to be cranked holding my thumb on the crank after setting the spark. The car had three pedals; forward, reverse and brake. I learned how, with my buddy Howard, to put on new brake bands. I took my friends to highschool activities and football games.

Though my first trip to the University of Redlands was on a train, I drove back and forth to Redlands for my first year and worked every weekend at the Barbecue Stand. It was there I received my moral education watching the profligacy of my fellow car-hops.

In my second year at Redlands I began dating Carol, a new Freshman. Her values and devotion to the Church deeply impressed me. Dale Weber, Brougher Maddox, Eileen Getty, and I all came from the same Church.

We became active in the Roger Williams Fellowship. Because of Dale’s bad eyes, I often drove his brand new Auburn. One Sunday at dusk we left the University for the down town First Baptist church. I was driving with Carol by my side, and Dale in the front seat. Lillian, Dale’s date, and two other classmates were in the back seat. As I came over a hill I hit a woman in the middle of the street in the middle of the block on Division street. Tree branches were over the street. I’ll always remember with a tightening feeling in my throat as I vividly saw her flying trough the air. I rushed to the woman, Dale with a bruised ankle ran to a house phone. An ambulance came but it was too late. She never regained consciousness. As I knelt over her I heard only a couple of moans and no pulse. It was terrible and traumatic; one of the darkest moments of my life.

After the ambulance and police left we went on to Chuch and students joined us in prayer. The car bumper showed no sign of impact. Dale took us back to college and we went to the Gym and played handball until I was worn out. It’s a terrible thing to kill a person; to rush them into death. My soul is yet scarred by this experience. Though the investigation showed that the woman had amnesia, was 75 years old and was walking in a black dress in the middle of the block; still it’s horrible to kill another person. I think killing is the worst of all sins. The Hearing found no wrong on my part. I was not speeding. Neighbors testified to the sound of my brakes. The police measured my skid marks. At this hearing two days later, we students testified and the Judge called it “An Act of God” and the court expressed no blame toward me.

We sent flowers to her Funeral. Her only son, who was in San Quentin Prison, sued Dale and (five John Does) . The suit was dropped as Dale’s parent’s Lawyers for the Weber Baking Co. settled it.

The only good that has come out of this tragic experience is the numerous times I have counseled with others in a 60 year ministry who have had similar experiences. I have written letters and counseled with many people in similar sad crises of killing people in car accidents.

Family, I just wanted to share with you. Maybe we’ve had “angels on our Shoulders” as no tragedies like this has touched members of our Family. But in Thankfulness and all Honesty, I wanted to share with you.

Caleb Elroy, Father,Grandfather 12/18/01