My Mother and Model Rocketry

My Mother passed away Friday morning, November 17.
Why bring her up on a rocketry blog? She played a very important part in my hobby.

In 1969, at the peak of the Space Race, I started building rockets. Not flying rockets, just building them.
Back then, California fireworks regulations were very strict. You could order and buy kits, but no engines could be mailed or purchased without a special state issued permit.

My Mother could see my interest and started making phone calls. A dozen calls were made to the state Fire Marshall in Sacramento.
She succeeded in contacting the right office and arranged a meeting to get approval of the family artichoke ranch property, 150 acres near Moss Landing, California.
A representative drove down from Sacramento, a 3 1/2 our drive. He was quick to approve our property and issued a permit. This wasn't just a permit to buy engines but turned out to be a wholesale engine buyers permit as well. I still remember his name, Robert "Moon" Mullins, he turned out to be the assistant state fire marshal of the state.

I still couldn't get engines by mail order. Mom took the time to drive me to a small hobby store in Modesto California, a 90 minute drive one way. I bought engines in the blue tubes and enough kits to keep me busy for a while.

Every Saturday we drove to the ranch, she'd connect the controller to her car battery. "Put a BIG engine in it. If you lose it, I'll buy you another kit". I hated to lose rockets but did take her up on the offer a few times.

In the early 1970s we took two vacations through the Southwest. On one trip she took my Sister and I to Estes Industries for a tour. I had some mail contact with Dane Boles, he was the Estes P.R. man at the time, handling some correspondence for the company.
At the end of the tour, Mom asked if Mr. Boles was in. He was and came down to meet us.
She spoke right up: "We drove all the way from California just to visit Estes!" (This wasn't true, she was doing a high end gallery tour, selling her pen and ink drawings.)
Dane Boles was impressed, saying: "Really? I'll be right back."
He came back with kits and a book of plans. He gave me a Citation Bomarc and a Mini-Brute Combo kit. I certainly thanked him adding: "I just bought the Mini-Brute kits are the company store." (I was trying to say that this wasn't really necessary.) His response: "Well now you have two!"

The following year Mom took us to Phoenix to visit the Centuri facility. Earlier that year I had won the Centuri Photo (Design) Contest. Mom let them know I was the winner, which probably got us a rare tour. Larry Brown was our guide.

A master horseperson, she helped my Sister raise and train championship Shetland ponies.
Also crack shot, she could take down a deer at 350 yards and was one of the few women at the roundups who'd castrate the bulls. "Don't mess with Pat!"
She is well known for her pen and ink drawings. (See above) Her work is on display and studied in technique classes at state colleges. "Fine art takes time." Her artistic example taught me patience.

She loved gambling, and was good at poker. Depending on how well she played, that dictated the caliber of the many shows we'd see in Reno, Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. These influences helped develop my own solo performances as a professional entertainer over the next 40 years.

Am I proud? You bet! Without her determination and support I may have never launched a black powder model rocket. That, and you probably wouldn't be reading this blog!