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Bettie Witherspoon Wright
Started in 1981 ‘ Is it enough at my age?’
My life is diversified and busy, but am I accomplishing what I want?
In the last fifty years, I’ve given birth and had the privilege of helping three g...view moreStarted in 1981 ‘ Is it enough at my age?’
My life is diversified and busy, but am I accomplishing what I want?
In the last fifty years, I’ve given birth and had the privilege of helping three girls
to maturity.
I was a church soloist for twenty years and practiced singing every day at home and
with an accompanist once a week.
When my middle daughter Susan was six years old I formed a Campfire-Girls group of
ten neighborhood children and was their leader for five years. I taught the singing at Campfire
Day camp for four summers. I was known as ‘Sing-a-ling the ‘Singing lady.’
My mother took me to Europe in 1962 for six weeks. When I returned I began Italian
lessons from a wonderful elderly Italian gentleman. The lessons lasted for four months. I have
also taken Italian from Diablo Valley College in the Acalanes Adult Education Department. I
studied jazz piano and real estate in Berkeley and was very happy to find I passed the test in
San Francisco and received my license. My Dad had been in the business for forty years and
my husband Ed went to work for him.
The real estate business was not for me. A friend of mine in the Unity church asked me
to be a partner in a needle craft business which I knew nothing about. She thought I could
design for the company because I had taken lessons in oil painting but each is different from
the other. This adventure was to cost me nothing but after two year the business folded, she
walked out and I was left with all the bills. I considered this a lesson from God.
I went again to Europe in 1977. This time I took my three daughters. After we returned
from our six weeks journey; I started teaching singing and took a part-time job selling women’s
clothing at a specialty shop in the mall.
Travel interested me so I took a series of travel courses from the adult education
department and sang with the Contra Costa Chorus for several months and also sang with them
at the Orinda theater. After I fell and broke my pelvic bone I couldn’t do anything for several
months.
In 1980 I traveled to England to visit my daughter Sarah who was a flight attendant with
Pan American Airways, stationed at Heathrow near the airport of the same name.
I have always enjoyed singing and have tried out for many musicals. I have performed in
three or four and have had some good parts. I auditioned for the San Francisco Opera Chorus
and didn’t make it but it was something I wouldn’t have missed. I attended Diablo Valley
College for three semesters, taking Music Theory, French, English, drama, piano, singing and
Creative writing.
I have lived in Berkeley, Kensington, Orinda, Lafayette, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill and
in Concord. Just before we moved from Walnut Creek I visited my daughter Sarah in New York
and we took a trip to Hong Kong. Next I planned a trip with my church to India to see the Taj
Mahal. I attended school Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00am to 12:00 at Diablo
Valley college in Concord, Ca. Tuesday I took Creative writing from 9:30 until noon. Monday
night I took a travel course in Oakland from Vista College. I picked up and delivered my
daughter Susan in high school, and took her to dancing and piano lessons.
I study, write, practice the piano, clean house, fix meals and work part time arranging
rips, but I don’t spend enough time at it. My youngest daughter Sydney and I took Tahitian
dancing lessons. I performed in Diablo Valley’s production of ‘Damn Yankees.’ I would say I’m
busy. I’ve thought about cutting out some of my programs but can’t seem to find any I want to
eliminate. There are many more courses I would like to take, it’s just like when I look at a dinner
menu. I want to try everything. If I lived to be two hundred I could never be bored. Maybe I
answered my own question. Am I accomplishing what I want? As I’ve written another book
entitled I didn’t Miss Much, I’m still “at it.”
After my husband retired we moved to Arizona and I was in the Mrs. Senior Arizona
Pageant. I took Surprise Unity members to Peru, Oaxaca and Italy. I arranged and took my
husband Ed to Europe two times. I began rewriting my memoirs and rewriting and having them
edited by my good friend and writer Mary Peirano.
Now that I am ninety, I have published one memoir and working on the one you are
reading now. while still practicing piano and working to sell my book.view less
Books by Bettie Witherspoon Wright
Here, There and Everywhere I Didn't Miss Much Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings