What sticks with me the most is Yankee Stadium, in about 300 degress of heat, sticking to those horrible plastic flip chairs; and the bathroom smell used to make me want to puke.
Anybody around then -- 70s and 80s at Yankee Stadium???
From the first assembly we attended, probably in 1940, my father and us older kids worked in the kitchen at the local assemblies. We would arrive early and start preparations. I don't remember a kitchen in St. Louis in 1941, but my parents worked in a "refreshment stand" and us kids were on our own. We attended all the big conventions from that time on.
I was married for the three big New York Yankee Stadium assemblies. We did not work there. I do remember the long bathroom lines though. In 1953 we had a son and my husband took him to the men's bathrooms which were easy, no lines, but in 1958 we had a daughter too and it got to the point that my husband took her to the men's too because she could not wait in the long lines at her age (4).
My husband was in food service at the CA in California for most of our married life, including being cafeteria servant. He was CS for the big Rose Bowl Assembly for the Spanish. Although the DO tried to discourage us from catering to the Mexican taste, Joe made beans and rice and converted the breakfast scrambled eggs to huevos rancheros. The DO found out about it and told him to feed them the same things that the English-speaking assembly was serving. Joe was a little incensed that he was so insensitive. Our kids, a son and 3 daughters, were raised working in the kitchen from the time they were able. I understand that just before we left they made a rule about you had to be 14 before you could work. Joe was not a professional cook, but the food he made was outstanding. We always had fried chicken, mashed potatoes (sometimes from scratch) salad and canned veggies which he seasoned with butter. On sundays we had roast beef. All our breakfasts were with the eggs to order and our kids learned how to flip eggs for over easy. At the Long Beach Assembly back in the 60s we rolled thousands of enchiladas, until Joe got the ideas to chop up the tortillas and "invented" enchilada pie. We all had a great time and I think that working together was the best bonding time we had. When else does an elder have time to be with his family? It was the best time of our JW life.
Velta