AUTOBIOGRAPHY - 1976 - 26 Years Old

Happy Birthday! 

Originating Circle:

Family:
Wes Parish-Pixler

School of Theology at Claremont
Sue and Randy Hansen
Eve and Tevita Puloka
Dr. John Campbell
Mark and Bonnie Bollwinkle
Rebekah and _____Gotom (from Nigeria)
David F
Genevieve

est
Brook and Tom Henderson


Other
Holly Prado and women's writing group

Work
Ed

What Happened:


Logisitics Olympics

Wes and I assisted in the Los Angeles est Center in Santa Monica.  When the Newport Beach Center opened we were asked to assist there and help get things going.  We trained the Newport Beach assistants, including inventing a Logistics Olympics, to train assistants to do things fast, completely and accurately, like setting chairs and writing perfectly on the chalkboards.  We did seminars both in Los Angeles and Newport Beach and participated in the Guest Seminar Leaders Program.  The long drives gave us opportunities to talk over what we were learning, and we often carpooled with friends from STC.  We both led Guest Seminars and I was a production supervisor.  I also frequently did demonstrations in the est training for the "whatever you see, sense or feel" exercise. 



Halloween in Hollywood

Wes did a lot of weddings for est graduates in the LA area, and we were invited to a Hollywood Halloween party.  We got lots of compliments on our costumes.

Ann Riley (Ambicarboreous Lawrence Riley), my friend from Cornell and Iowa City, visited and we went to the beach. 

Wes finished his internship at the Colorado women's Prison.  He thought that it would be easier to be a prison chaplain than intern as a hospital chaplain.  Boy, was he fooled!  He took me out to the prison with him sometimes for the worship services.  When he finished, his supervisor took all the interns and spouses out on his yacht.  I was seasick, it felt deathly seasick, but finally sitting on the bow with Wes and the wind and waves blowing our hair was like a fairy tale.


At the Beach



Wes was hired as student pastor at the United Methodist Church in Whittier, and we moved there.  Together we created some fun classes for the children in Journey through the Old Testament.  Palm Sunday was festive in Whittier, as the city always trimmed their palm trees the week before, and the churches gathered them up to use in processions.  I remember buying used Christmas ornaments, glass peaches and pears, and a second-hand yellow Dior sweater dress. Looked good.

I quit school and got a job. I worked in Whittier for Derek,an est graduate from Britain who was a job shopper for electricians.  While I could do follow up calls at est, I found cold-calling for positions I knew nothing about to be very difficult.

We made a deal:  I typed Wes's senior thesis, and he bought me a Selectric 2 typewriter.   It had a correction tape feature that was cutting edge.  Wes's dissertation was on the est contribution to ministry. 

Since I was no longer in seminary, I took writing classes at the Women's Building in LA, taught by Holly Prado.  I remember an art gallery in the building, and a small house made of pop bottles.  I wrote quite a bit of poetry. I went to a women's retreat called Hilltop, which published the paricipants' work.  [Note: An original may be in the Marriott Library Special Collection.]

Nationwide:  US Bicentennial.  Lots of flags and fireworks and solemn editorials.

Add Photos:  Photo of Riley, Guest Seminar Leader Photos