By kiki
In the late '50s, I had a young and very close cousin (now deceased) who should remain anonymous here. My young cousin was a rebellious kinda kid. He would rebel against parental rules, school, law authority, or anyone who would tell him that he couldn't march to his own drummer at a young age. He didn't believe that parental rules or the laws of the land applied to him. So with that attitude, it was no surprise that he would wind up as a ward of the juvenile court. After a short time of being locked up in juvie, the juvenile court placed him at Rancho San Antonio as a wayward ward.
Rancho San Antonio (From Wiki)
"Rancho San Antonio was founded in 1933 by the Catholic Big Brothers. Rancho started as a rented home in Redondo Beach to care for 18 boys. In June 1938, Rancho San Antonio found its permanent home in Chatsworth, CA. In the 75 years since then, thousands of young men have turned to Rancho San Antonio for help and guidance. Since the 1950s, the Knights of Columbus have provided most fundraising for Rancho San Antonio. Within the first three years, they raised enough money to build the chapel, indoor swimming pool, and the first four dormitories on the grounds.
The Rancho campus sits on 19 acres, and with the continued support of the Knights of Columbus, today there are eleven-living units, a dining hall, a gymnasium, an infirmary, a recreation complex, a football, and baseball field, a group home, career resource center, an administration building which currently provides service to 106 boys and their families."
Once he was settled on the ranch Connie and I paid him a few visits. On one of our visits, he asked if he could live with us if the court okayed it. With two babies of our own and just kids ourselves and living in a small apartment on Williamson St. in E.L.A., Connie and I said yes. After a short court appearance, where questions about Connie and me were asked and answered, my cousin, who was about nine years younger than me, was made a ward of the young Baltazar couple. I am sorry my cousin's stay with us didn't work out well for him. He was doing okay during the summer that he was with us, but he just wouldn't go to school when the fall school session started. And the school was one of the conditions the court had put on him. A truant officer picked up my cousin on a morning when he had supposedly left for school. He was then placed back in juvie. After that, he was in and out of trouble, which continued throughout his adolescent years. As an adult, he kinda settled down. He married, worked, and had some kids. My cousin, who died relatively young (about 45 years old), was a good person despite his rebellious attitude. He was a funny guy that just needed to march to his own drummer.
Rancho San Antonio (From Wiki)
"Rancho San Antonio was founded in 1933 by the Catholic Big Brothers. Rancho started as a rented home in Redondo Beach to care for 18 boys. In June 1938, Rancho San Antonio found its permanent home in Chatsworth, CA. In the 75 years since then, thousands of young men have turned to Rancho San Antonio for help and guidance. Since the 1950s, the Knights of Columbus have provided most fundraising for Rancho San Antonio. Within the first three years, they raised enough money to build the chapel, indoor swimming pool, and the first four dormitories on the grounds.
The Rancho campus sits on 19 acres, and with the continued support of the Knights of Columbus, today there are eleven-living units, a dining hall, a gymnasium, an infirmary, a recreation complex, a football, and baseball field, a group home, career resource center, an administration building which currently provides service to 106 boys and their families."
Once he was settled on the ranch Connie and I paid him a few visits. On one of our visits, he asked if he could live with us if the court okayed it. With two babies of our own and just kids ourselves and living in a small apartment on Williamson St. in E.L.A., Connie and I said yes. After a short court appearance, where questions about Connie and me were asked and answered, my cousin, who was about nine years younger than me, was made a ward of the young Baltazar couple. I am sorry my cousin's stay with us didn't work out well for him. He was doing okay during the summer that he was with us, but he just wouldn't go to school when the fall school session started. And the school was one of the conditions the court had put on him. A truant officer picked up my cousin on a morning when he had supposedly left for school. He was then placed back in juvie. After that, he was in and out of trouble, which continued throughout his adolescent years. As an adult, he kinda settled down. He married, worked, and had some kids. My cousin, who died relatively young (about 45 years old), was a good person despite his rebellious attitude. He was a funny guy that just needed to march to his own drummer.
