Nancy Ellen Beach Johnson

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Retired from 22 years of selling real estate in 2002. Before that I was in the travel business and had numerous jobs as Executive Secretary and legal secretary. I also planned tours for ski groups coming from Germany to the USA for 35 years as a hobby.

Going backwards:

Colorado Springs, CO
Fairfield, CT
Stratton, VT
Rockport, MA
Mountain View, CA
Palo Alto, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Long Beach, CA

My family moved to San Marino in 1940 and I entered Huntington Grade School as a 2nd half mid-term 8th grader. Hence in Feb. 1941 entered SPSMJHS for one year before entering high school. I skipped a half year of my senior year so graduated in June 1944. These were all the War years so travel was limited. However, we did spend all of our summers on Alamitos Bay in Long Beach where I learned to sail a Snipe and raced with sister Sally. Dad worked for Citizens Bank in downtown Los Angeles, but in 1947 was asked by US National Bank to move back to his native Portland, OR. Upon graduation I went to Occidental, graduating from there in 1949. Moved with my husband to Palo Alto.

Both of my sisters graduated from SPSMHS--Virginia in 1943 and Sally in 1947. Virginia went to Wellesley for 4 years and Sally went to the University of Oregon for 2 years before transferring and graduating from Stanford in 1952.

Phillida "Pete" Bond (Mirk) 1944
Barbara Beuhler (Sayres) 1944
Don Hibbard 1945
Sally Cobett (Crow) 1944
Janet Fadley (Culbertson) 1944
Sue Smiley (Hamlin) 1944
Joyce Alkalay (Woods) 1944

Pete Bond, Sally Corbett, Betty Good, Joey LaBarr and I paled around. We worked up at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church canteen making sandwiches and met several V-12 sailors going to Cal Tech who joined us on bike trips, etc.

The one teacher who stands out in my mind is my Geometry teacher whon we called "LITTLE BUDDA" because he used to sit on top of his desk with his feet crossed in front of him.

Married twice, both husbands now deceased.
In 1968 I was attending in Aspen, CO a meeting of ski instructors from around the world. Met Bert who was on the German demonstration team. 3 years later and now living in Colorado Springs, I was in Garmisch with the American delegation for ther next meeting of instructors. Bert was in charge and said he would like to come back to the USA and bring ski instructors. I told him I would be glad to help him. So what started as a one time tour event, turned into 35 years of bringing Germans to America. In 1972 we were the first tour operators to bring Europeans to America for skiing--before then it was too soon after WWII and Europe was still recovering.

In school I raced sailboats and after WWII took up skiing which I continue to do even now--63 years. I also road bike in the summer with the Bike Bunch--a Wednesday group of about 250. Over the 20 years I've been riding I've slowed down so now go on the short ride (we have 3 each Wed.) of about 25-35 miles. I also do all the computing for the Bike Bunch as well as for the Mt. Hood Gang's ski trip to Sun Valley for the past 20 years. I've traveled extensively on 6 of the 7 continents (still want to go to Antarctica) and do most of my book reading on trips. Spare time? What's that?

The Big Band era music. My favorite song is still "I'll get By". I love to hear Strauss and Austrian waltz music.

Many favorite books--usually the one I'm reading. Like to learn when I read so stick mostly to books such as "John Adams" which I just finished.