Jay W. Winkelman Oral History Interview

Oral history interview with Jay W. Winkelman by Ron Staker. Topics include: Biographical information such as parents, siblings, date of birth, and growing up on a ranch near Mt. Pleasant; The death of his only brother and two sisters; A younger sister being hit by a car as a child but surviving; The death of his father in a car accident; Selling his father's farm; Attending the University of Utah after high school and serving as junior class president; Being accepted to and attending the University of Chicago: Working in the residents hall; Filling a low area with water to create a pond for ice-skating; Falling in the ice-skating pond, getting pneumonia, and being in the hospital for nineteen days; Following a friend to Duke University to get away from Chicago; Convincing his fiancé to move from Utah to North Carolina, get married and work at a beauty salon in Durham; His wife managing two salon and eventually owning four salons; Buying a 1937 Ford; Driving to Utah to visit family Getting in a car accident on the return trip: The car being destroyed, but Jay and his wife, Eathel, not being harmed; Staying with an Aunt in California and trying to figure out what to do; The great depression; Having their belongings sent to them from North Carolina to California; Jay dropping out of Law School and Eathel getting a job at a salon in Hollywood; Jay's work at a service station and designing an automatic gas pump, but not patenting the idea; The birth of the couple's three children; Buying a house in Van Nuys; Jay's work building aircraft and not being drafted for WWII; Jay getting his real estate license and working as a broker for close to fifty years; Investing in real estate; Building a house in Big Bear, CA and breaking his hip in an construction accident; Deciding to move somewhere without snow to shovel; Buying property on Rancho Carlsbad a golf course; The cost of living in California convincing the couple to return to Utah; Buying an old home in Mt. Pleasant and renovating it; A friend, Ron Staker's, work on the house; Hundreds of curious people attending an open house when the renovations were complete; Entertaining/hosting groups of people at their home; Enjoying their retirement in Mt. Pleasant; Being instrumental in bringing propane gas into the valley and propane supporting the turkey industry in the area; The couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary and Jay feeling lucky that Eathel chose him out of the twenty-two marriage proposals she received.

The oral history interview with Jay W. Winkelman, conducted by Ron Staker, highlights Jay Winkelman's diverse life experiences, from his challenging childhood and educational pursuits to his career in real estate and involvement in local community projects. It also reflects his deep gratitude for his wife, Ethel, and their fulfilling life together.