From the archives: from confirmation to citizenship

Mom in her Confirmation dress at age 14, Münster, Germany. This would have been about 1947.

One of many safety drills on the old rust bucket on which my parents sailed to North America.

My dad swears this was an impromptu shot of mom. "Click." Just like that.

This would have been about 1952.

We visited the States twice before finally moving to Southern California in 1959. On one visit in 1958, an artist—not a very good one—at the old Pacific Ocean Park (POP.) did these drawings of Annie and me. I barely remember the occasion.

POP ("pee-oh-pee") sought to compete with Disneyland, and it did well, until the city of Santa Monica pursued redevelopment, which made POP parking difficult. The final episode of "The Fugitive" was filmed at the park just before it was shut down in 1967. It was finally demolished in the mid-seventies. There's nothing left.

Annie would have been 4. I would've been 3.

My parents being sworn in (or "pledged," or "flagged," or whatever it's called) as new U.S. citizens in front of the old Santa Ana Courthouse, c. 1965.

A closeup of mom and pop becoming citizens.

My parents chose to include Annie and me in this citizenship thing.

I think I've got the paperwork somewhere.

The old "Ocean Park Pier" became P.O.P. in 1957.

Childhood memory: Palisades Park