by: Jacklyn Gay PRICE McLaughlin

Betty Lou Price-                                                             

was born in Buchanan Co, St. Joseph, MO.

Betty Lou Price was the last child born to Clyde Delmar Price

 and Daisy Jane McGrew Price. Betty was born in St. Joseph,

Missouri as were her four brothers and seven sisters. Needless to say, Betty was never

 neglected as a child. She had many brothers and sisters to entertain and care for her.

Betty was a blonde with natural curly hair and brown eyes.

In St. Joseph, Missouri, milk was delivered every day to the door. One morning when Betty

Lou was age five; she hurried to the door and beat her mother. She wanted to help mother,

Daisy, to bring in a bottle of milk. The milk bottles were very wet on the outside and

slippery. Betty picked up a glass milk bottle and the bottle slipped out of her hand. Glass

flew into her right eye, the cornea was punctured, and Betty lost the sight of that eye

Instantly. An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the hospital. The muscles of

The eye was still in tact. The family doctor convinced Clyde and Daisy that it was better to

retain the eye, then to remove it. A bad cut was also over the other eye. Fortunate for this

little five years old, that she did not lose both of her eyes. Her face was severely cut and

required twenty seven stitches.

Daisy Jane and Clyde were devastated. The entire event was so traumatic for Betty, that

she carried emotional scars throughout her life. Betty made up for her loss of eye sight in

one eye, by working harder then most students in school. In grammar school in California

and also at Bell High School, the teachers were not aware she could not see out of the one

eye. Betty never told anyone.

Around the age of nine, Betty Lou Price migrated to Southern California with her mother,

Daisy, along with six other Price children. Daisy had been alone since February of 1935

caring for her children while her husband, Clyde, established a job and a home in Southern

California. Nina Price Bettis, Frank Bettis, John Price, Robert Price, Kenneth Price and

Joe Dum, had been in California for ten months already. In the month of December, 1935,

Betty boarded a train headed for California.

Betty recalls that she, as well as her mother and father, lived at her sister, Nina Letha

Bettis' home in Los Angeles, near the Griffith Park Zoo. But shortly thereafter, Clyde and

Daisy found a home on Live Oak Street, in Cudahy. Betty's brother, John Price, lived only

two blocks away on Olive Street. Betty baby sat six children on Olive Street. Her sister,

Freida Price, her husband, True Hemry and their son Price Hemry would come visiting.

Lorene Swinney Price, John Price, Freida and True Hemry would all go dancing. The little

girls, Gay, Delpha, and Lynne were no trouble. Delmar Price was in a crib yet. Warren

and Price Hemry would hide from their Aunt Betty. She had a terrible time coping with

them and four other youngsters.

From Cudahy, Betty Lou Price has memories of Vinevale Street, Bell, California. Also

living at home were Kenneth Price, Doris Price and Vincene Price. Betty attended Corona

Grammar School on Bell Avenue. This was actually quite a walk for a young girl. At this

time, Warren Price was living with his grandparents too. John Price and Lorene, had

separated. Warren attended Woodlawn grammar school, a short walk from home.

Betty attended Bell High School on Bell Avenue. When she was a senior, Warren was a

freshman. She and Warren were very close. Betty took Warren to all the dances with her.

All her girl friends thought he was so cute. She was an active teenager. She caught the

bus to Huntington Park where she worked for Curry Ice Cream Shop. She worked part time

and went to high school part time in her junior and senior year.

During Betty's high school days she had rather a short temper, at times taking her temper

out on her mother and brothers and sisters. However, some temperament may have been

justified. Betty has memories of always giving her room up to others. At various times her

sisters and brothers would return home with their families to live at Vinevale Street. Betty

found herself cleaning up after large meals, with dishes stacked high. She was a teenager,

she wanted to be out having fun. The baby sitting became a full time job too.

When Betty was a freshman in high school, she dated a nice looking fellow named Richard

Lee Iseminger. Everyone called him Dick. Betty and Dick went steady from their freshman

year through their senior year. Warren Lee, nephew to Betty, loved to spy on Betty and

Dick after their dates. There was a large tree in the front yard at Vinevale Street. Warren

would climb this tree and watch his Aunt Betty and Dick kiss good night. Of course he

then teased Betty and Dick the next day.

As a result of World War II, Dick enlisted in the Navy at the age of seventeen. He was

stationed on the USS Baltimore. Dick was sent to Japan and performed his tour of duty

between Sasebo and Shishima(?).

In the year XXXX, on April 20th, Betty Lou Price and Richard Lee Iseminger were married in

Los Angeles, California. When Dick returned from World War II, he and Betty lived in a

government housing project called Banning Homes in San Pedro. This was a one room

place. Betty was six months pregnant with their first child. She gave birth to Douglas

Iseminger on January 14, XXXX, in Long Beach, California at the navy hospital, Seaside

Hospital.

Dick now age nineteen and home from military service, went to work for Chet Martin Auto

Parts in Wilmington. Dick worked in over the counter sales. Later he worked as an

outside salesman. During this time he and Betty rented a home in Wilmington, California.

A second son, Roger Iseminger, was born to this couple on September 14, XXXX. He too

was born at Sea Side Hospital in Long Beach, California. This happy bliss was interrupted

by the Korean War. Dick was in the Naval Reserves, so was called back to service. He

was on an ammunition ship anchored off the shores of Korea. At times the deck of this

ship became quite icy.

During Dick's absence, Betty rented a duplex adjacent to another duplex that her sister

Naomi Price Pinzino, husband Victor Pinzino and their children Vickie and Maria lived. A

small house in the very rear was the residence of Betty's parents. This was in Maywood,

California.

Shortly before Dick was called back into military service, he and Betty had decided to try

for a daughter. She found out that she was pregnant when he left for Korea. Betty spent

her entire nine months of pregnancy by herself with her two little boys. The Red Cross

located Dick and was able to send him home on an emergency leave, as Betty was due to

deliver her daughter. Their daughter, Gail Iseminger, was a week late. Only for that reason

was Dick Iseminger able to be home for the birth. As Betty states, "Gail was waiting for

her daddy to get home." She was born on March 28, XXXX at Maywood, California.

This was an active family. Dick who was himself a Boy Scout, reached an Eagle Scout

eventually. Dick became active as a Scout master with his two sons. Betty participated

as a den mother for the Cub Scouts. Betty was a den mother for six years. She was

talented with arts and crafts, plus the many attributes of a conscientious leader. Naturally

Betty and Dick both went on camp-outs with their troops.

Betty Lou Price also became a Brownie Leader and then a Girl Scout leader, becoming

involved with her daughter, Gail. Contented with a well rounded family, a decision was

made to have no more children.

However some nine years after Gail Iseminger was born, Betty became pregnant. Betty

and Dick were shocked. This just couldn't be happening to them. James "Jim" Iseminger

was born on August 25, XXXX at Long Beach, California. There is fifteen years difference

between the youngest child and the eldest child, Douglas.

A scouting friend to Dick asked him if he would like to go professionally into Scouting.

Dick was making good money and had a nice job. He made the decision to work

professionally for the Boy Scouts of America. He has worked for the Boy Scouts of

America for twenty-five years.

All the moves by the Isemingers were initiated by and for the benefit of the Boy Scouts of

America. From Wilmington they went to Tucson, Arizona for six years. The son, Jim, was

five years of age now. Here Betty took training in first aid and CPR. She received her

license for day care. In Tucson she helped a seventy-five year old woman teach babies to

swim. From Tucson the family migrated to El Centro, California. Dick was a scout

executive while in El Centro. The Isemingers were there three years. Betty drove to a

private home to care for a asthmatic child. Next Dick was sent by the Scouts to San

Diego, California, for five years.

Betty Price Iseminger felt the need to enjoy a more fulfilled life during this time. The older

children were all married and had families. Jim had graduated from high school. Betty set

up two rooms with cribs and cared for two babies. She took in babies that were not yet

walking. Betty loved and cared for these babies as if they were her own.

Changes in management were occurring within the Boy Scouts organization in San Diego.

Many men were being laid off . Dick Iseminger decided to take up the offer to move to

Reno, Nevada, on a fund raising job which lasted two years. Jim, the only child at home,

was about nineteen years of age. Betty again cared for three babies while their mothers

worked. Betty, Dick and Jim left Reno for Los Angeles right before Jim's twenty first

birthday. They purchased a home at Walnut, California. Here Betty cared for two babies.

They sold the home in late 1986 and rented in West Covina.

In 1987, Dick Iseminger is preparing to retire from scouting and will do so on his birthday,

May 17, 1987. Betty and Dick purchased land at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. They plan to

build their retirement home. The couple has joined the yacht club and plan to enjoy

boating, fishing, golfing etc. The yacht club and the Homeowners Association invited Dick

and Betty to participate as officers. Son, Jim, plans to live at Lake Havasu City too.

Betty married Richard Lee Iseminger-, son of Wendall Daryl Iseminger-

 and Pauline Johnston-, on 20 Apr XXXX in Los Angeles Co, Los Angeles, CA.

M i. Douglas L. Iseminger- was born on 15 Jan XXXX in Los Angeles Co,

Long Beach, CA.

 M ii. Roger Dale Iseminger- was born on 14 Sep XXXX in Los Angeles Co,

Long Beach, CA.

 F iii. Gail Ellen Iseminger-was born on 28 Mar XXXX in Los Angeles Co,

Maywood, CA.

M iv. James Darrel Iseminger-was born on 25 Aug XXXX in Los Angeles Co,

Long Beach, CA.