Stella & Mike

June 27: This Day in History

1898. Joshua Slocum becomes the first person to circumnavigate the earth alone. After his 46,0000-mile adventure, he lands his sloop in Newport, R.I.

1922. The very first Newbery Medal for children’s literature is awarded to The Story of Mankind by Hendrick Van Loon.

1934. There are no events scheduled for this day by the city of Chico, CA.

1954. Mike and Stella are married in Rabbi Katz’s backyard in Los Angeles. “I made my own wedding dress and veil,” says Stella. “Mike said he polished his shoes for the occasion. His mother came out for the wedding and said I wasn’t right for him. I told Mike that if he chose to get out of it he could get out of it. He said, ‘Never.’ I don’t think he was standing over a trash can then.”

2003. The national Do Not Call registry begins operation to limit telemarketing. Nearly 750,000 people enroll on the first day. Stella does not register. As she explained it, “When my children don’t call, at least I’ll have someone to talk to.”

Stella:

We met in 1953 at a musicale that was sponsored by the Templers, a young professional Jewish group. They were all lying on the floor, and I stepped over him. Mike was VP of the Templers. My friend asked me to attend.

I was not part of the organization. I was a new face. They were all on the ground listening to Mozart. There was no place to walk, so I just walked over him.

He came into the kitchen and started talking to me. When we left, he called my friend and asked for my number. I think he was too shy, really, to ask for it directly.

We dated about nine months. Oh…he had two roommates, and I was dating one of the roommates prior to dating Mike. Les Tint.

Mike:

I first laid my eyes on her when she walked in the door, this young lady who look bewildered but finally got to the kitchen. When I saw her walk past, I got a crazy—kind of a “boing”—feeling. At the break, I began chitchatting with her. The more I talked with her, the more I had this swinging going on in my head. Then we began to date.

At that time I moved in with two other friends on First Street. Occasionally we had girlfriends over to sip wine and chitchat and play music. I think that’s when she met Les Tint and dated him. I was just trying to date her in my own way.

Once I took her to Knott’s Berry Farm. She made sandwiches. It was herring and pickles, and something else, on rye bread. I had a feeling she was very imaginative and creative. I ate it and licked my lips to show appreciation.

Stella:

He proposed to me over a garbage can. He had a grand opening party. He said, “You know, I’m willing to give this all up for you,” and he said this over a garbage can.

He had to propose to me a hundred times since then. It was not an indecent proposal. I just wasn’t quite sure yet. I think we just started going together continuously. And then I got a ring. I think he thought it was a proposal, but I just kinda laughed it off a bit. I said, “Ha ha, that’s cute.” It just evolved from there.

Since then, he’s still asking me. I keep him on his knees.

Mike:

We had a little thing at the house. I went to take out the garbage, and she came with me.

She said we had a very nice living arrangement here.

I said, “I would give it all up for you.”

I think she got the hint.