"When I finished grad school there were no jobs to be had for social workers anywhere in CA (thanks to Ronald Reagan as governor). Ultimately, the feds offered me a job with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Ronan, MT. Where??? Well, Dan knew there was a difference between western Montana and eastern Montana, Ronan was in the western part, and that was the better part. The rules were that the feds would move me, my spouse and kids for nothing in exchange for a two year commitment. So we got married. The moving van took most everything, then Dan took off with his 1960-something old white pickup (the Gray Ghost) piled high with more stuff, my youngest son Jeremy (his ninth birthday was on the road, Nov. 19th) and two dogs in the cab. I remember that you could see the road go by beneath your feet in that truck, and the heater didn't keep up very well. My sons were scared to death -- they thought we were going to Little House on the Prairie and the Indians were going to get them. Dan went first to find us a place to rent, and I closed up business in Sacramento. Then my oldest son Pat (11 years old), two cats and I set out in my '68 VW bug. We all had Thanksgiving that year (1978) at the Cherry Hill Motel in Polson where we lived in two rooms for about six weeks while waiting for our rental house to be vacated. And we learned quickly to deal with snow and seriously cold weather.
Moving to Montana was a grand adventure, and we all fell in love with this beautiful place. The times we had were a mixture of great fun and joy and tough learning experiences. And I wouldn't trade a minute of it for the world."
Shortly after that move I had to find a place to live in Sacramento. Our mother had just died and I was a total mess. Dan contacted some friends who had a vacant unit in the building where they rented. They put in a good word for me and I got the place. A two bedroom apartment that took both children (Melodie was @ 10) and animals (I had a calico cat named Tatterhood). Dan also got me a part time job just by talking to his friends in Sacramento.
My career as a lawyer would never have begun without Dan. It didn't matter where he was, he always tried to help.
Diana is still in Montana and still a social worker. She sounds happy. I am privileged to be in contact with her again.
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