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BILL AND BUD (PAULINE) LEARNED |
| In 1937 Bill and Bud (Pauline)
Learned were living in Port Washington, Long Island. Bill was working
for the WPA but knew there was a better life out there somewhere. He saw
an ad for employment in some place called “Aruba” with Standard Oil. He
followed up on it and, shortly thereafter, he went to Aruba with the
family following in a few months, traveling the 13 days on a tanker.
After a few temporary houses, we settled into our first real home in
Aruba, bungalow 346. We all took to the Aruban lifestyle and enjoyed
many trips around the island on weekends. Picnics on Palm Beach, driving
every back road we could find, BA beach, the little lagoon, going to the
top of Colorado Point to get a better look at Venezuela and so much
more. Both Bill & Bud enjoyed working with Don Schlageter on the Pan
Aruban (Bud pounding away on a very old Underwood) and finding friends
to play bridge with. These were the friends that became like an extended
family to us. Shortly before the attack, we moved to 635, up on the hill
where Bud was hoping for a glimpse of the Caribbean Sea from her living
room. Following the attack, Bill stayed in Aruba while his family went
to Florida, via the most amazing trip to Maracaibo along with other
families that chose to leave. After a year, with the families not
allowed to return, Bill transferred to the Tulsa, Oklahoma office.
Another year passed and Bill decided to by an ice plant in Longmont,
Colorado and quit his job with Standard Oil. While we loved it there, we
all wanted to return to Aruba and in January, 1945 Bill was rehired to
work in the Technical Service Department. The ice plant was sold, the
house and belonging were sold and we headed back to Aruba. It was
wonderful being “home” and back with our friends. We moved into bungalow
527. Bill bought a boat - the numbers on it were NA21. However, since
the 2 looked more like a Z, everyone called it the NAZI. No matter, we
had great times fishing on it. Bud, a fabulous cook, was usually found
on some committee organizing functions at the Golf Club or playing
bridge. Son Bob graduated in 1948 and went to Colorado School of Mines.
Daughter Dotty graduated in 1952. Bill and Bud retired in 1960 and went
to Santa Barbara, CA. They both decided it was too cold and moved to
Florida after 1 year. Bill died in 1977 and Bud died in 1988. They both
thought that the smartest decision they ever made was to take the offer
from Standard Oil in 1937 and move to Paradise. Dotty (Learned) Dill |