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WINTER COUPS: A MEMOIR. . .
by Virginia C. Parker

Hard Cover 388 pages. 8.5 x 11.

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 Acknowledgments   Introduction  Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

I dedicate this collection of stories and essays to my parents for their Nurturing care and example.
I am indebted to my Father for his encouragement and support, and
To my Mother, who was my best friend.
To my teachers, mentors and friends.
"Aunt" Phoebe Litster, "Aunt Bill" Mildred Miles Dillman, Johnny Victor, Aunt Vera Carlson,
Aunt Olga Carlson Brown, Virginia Daniels, Gwen Redford, Laura R. Merrill, Hattie Merrill, Peter A. C. Peterson, Ira Hayward, Marjorie Bailey, Friedrich Spiegelberg, Mary Isabel Fry, Edith Coulter, Edna Martin Parratt,
And to my children: Ben Scott, Jeffrey Carl, Lee Ford,  & Julie Ann.

Introduction

Remembering is something you do when you are old enough to have something worth remembering. It is remembrance of a landscape you have already crossed—familiar, yet remaining to be explored. The Plains Indians had a good word for remembering. They called it "Winter Coup." Which meant an accounting of deeds done, of accomplishments and adventures, of people and places. Winter was the time for adventure of a different kind. As they hunkered down and circled round the hearth fire, it was the time for stories. They recounted their summer experiences which became legends. Sometimes they painted their adventures on the hide of their teepee and they retold their lives, over and over again. This was their Winter Coup.

This collection of my own stories and essays, written throughout my lifetime, are my Winter Coup. I give them to you for what they are, a random biography of my developing self. They are the product of my ambition and my achievements rather than an orderly account of events. My father had a saying, which he repeated often and which I give to you. He said, "Your roots are where your cradle stood!" As I reach my eightieth year, the road back is longer than the road ahead. I am still on a journey. I find I have circled back to where my cradle stood, so I am exploring my roots and my experiences. My journey has been long and filled with adventures I never dreamed of. I fulfilled my ambition for an education that provided me an opportunity to explore my talents and interests, to experience freedom and challenge on my own terms. I found a good man for a friend, a companion, a husband and lover. We were blessed with a fine family, four children, of whom I am very proud and whom I love and respect. Together Lewis and I fulfilled our ambitions, we found pleasure in our happy home, in our work. We enjoyed many blessings. I am content and wealthy beyond measure. Accept this gesture then, My Winter Coups.

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Table of Contents

Prologue: The Little Logan River

I. Logan Remembered
Grandpa’s House – 17 Grandpa Carlson Cache Valley Blacksmith – 20 Var sa Gud:
Kringlor et Platter – 21 Fort Duchesne vs Logan – 23 Grandma Sorensen – 26 My
Parents Courtship – 29 Growing Up 1925-1938 – 30 Wilson School – 30 The
Book Table: Essay – 38 Logan Senior High School 1939-1941 – 39 Utah State
Agricultural1941-1943 – 42

II. On My Own
Leaving Home – 51 Stanford University 1943-1944 – 52 Letter Home – 54
Sororities – 58 Dancing at the Biltmore – 60 Train Ride – 64 Winter Quarter
1945 – 65 Commencement 1945 – 69

III. The Henry E. Huntington Library
The Huntington Library – 73 War Hero – 75 Courtship By Mail – 79 Dad’s Letter
to Lew – 81 My Wedding Day – 82

IV. Medical School
University of California, Berkeley – 86 Ben Boy – 90 Medical School UC San
Francisco & The Historical Society 1948-1952 – 93 California Wine & Wineries – 95
Lewis L. Parker, M.D – 97

V. Panama
Panama: An Introduction –101 Living in Balboa – 103 San Blas – 106 Pella – 106
Lew’s Story – 108 Homeward Bound – 109

VI. Santa Rosa
The City of Roses – 115 Trip to Montgomery Alabama – 118 Korean War Widow
– 121 Christmas 1953: Wee Lee – 123 Letters From Korea – 124 San Bernardino
Sojourn – 132 Santa Rosa II – 134

VII. San Diego
Practice At Last – 137 Balboa Park – 139 Our Camping Trailer Vacation – 141
Frustration –142 Oroville I – 143 Beau Geste 144

VIII. Salt Lake City
Residency Orthopaedics – 149 University of Utah Library – 151 Julie Ann – 152
Family Crisis – 154 Christmas Meadow: Essay –155 Christmas Meadow Adventures–
157 Return to California –159

IX. Oroville II
The Baited Hook – 163 Oroville II – 166 The Swimming Pool – 169 The Oroville
House– 171 My Garden – 172 A Week at Mauna Kea – 174 Lake Oroville – 177
Mother’s "Hysterical Tours" – 179 Mrs. Dr. Parker – 180 The United States
Capitol – 182 Diggin’s 1964-1978 – 186 Chinese in Oroville: Essay – 192 The
Oroville Chinese Temple: Essay – 194 About the Tapestries – 197 About the
Embroidery – 198 Ishi: Essay – 199

X. The Grand Tours
The Grand Tour 1971 – 207 Itinerary 1971 and 1973 – 208 La Belle France: Paris
1971 – 210 Notre Dame de Paris – 212 Chartres – 213 Le Tour Eiffel – 215
Le Bibliotecque National – 215 L’Opera – 216 Versailles – 217 Pilgrimage to
Greece 1971 – 217 Legends, Gods and Pilgrams – 220 Rome, Florence, Venice – 223
London 1971 – 229 Westminster Abbey – 231 St. Paul’s Cathedral – 231
Greenwich – 232 Hampton Court – 234 Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew – 234
Stratford Upon Avon – 236 South Hampton & Gatwick –238 Stonehenge – 238
The Grand Tour 1973: Scotland –239 England Again –242 Lindesfarne – 243
Durham Cathedral – 243 York Minster – 244 Lincoln Cathedral – 245 Coventry:
Essay – 246 Scandinavia: Land of the Vikings: Norway – 248 Sweden – 250
Finland – 252 CCCP (Soviet Union) Leningrad – 253 L’Hermitage – 254
Leningrad Memorial Park – 256 Moscow – 256 Denmark – 258 Adventure at
Tivoli: A Story – 259 Europa Bus Tour of Austria – 262

XI. Home Again
Golden Wedding Anniversary 1972 – 267 Home Again – 268 The Haircut: a True
Story – 269 The Dawn Treader – 273 Sailboats – 274 Opening Day: A True Story
– 275 Lew’s Story – 280 Sunshine Terrace 1977 – 281 Bicentennial Summer 1976
– 284 Little Duck Christmas – 284 Winter of Discontent 1978-1979 – 285 Ayala
Cove New Year – 288 Last Journey – 288 Hana Kai – 289 Return to England,
Greece, the Orion – 290

XII. Empty Nest
Summer 1979: Julie Leaves Home – 293 The Empty Nest – 295

XIII. Return to Logan
Sveriges Child – 303 Minne Sol Hus – 303 Settling in Logan – 308 Capitol
Memories: Essay – 309 My Return to Utah State University 1982-1983 – 313
Making Logan Home – 315 Logan Business College – 316 Japan, Hong Kong,
Taiwan 1984 – 318 Jeff at Children’s Hospital Hong Kong – 320 Julie’s
Commencement: University of Utah – 321 Julie’s Wedding 1985 – 322 Christmas
in Hawaii 1985 – 324 Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum – 325 Happy Amateur:
Essay – 330 When Is a Girl a Woman: Essay – 331 Merrill Library Special Collections
USU – 334 My Californiana: Fine Press Printing – 335

XIV. Journey’s End
Winter of Distress 1993 – 343 Lewis Leonard Parker 1918-1993 – 345 Lew’s L’Envoi
– 346 Lew’s Books: The History of Sailing Ships – 347 Our Children: An
Appreciation – 349

XV. Left Over Mother
Left over Mother – 361 Gina’s L’ Envoi – 367

APPENDIX I
Fragments, Epiphany Moments, Pats & Pans

APPENDIX II
Vita: Virginia C. Parker, A.B., M.L.S., M.A. Honors: VCP Vita: Lewis L. Parker,
M.D., F.A.C.S. Brief Family History and Genealogy

APPENDIX III
Bibliography of my Essays, Stories, Lectures, Published Works, Collected Miscellany, Fine
Press Books Bibliography, Lectures and Essays

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