Phil Patton Moves to San Francisco
Phil moved to San Francisco permanently after his mother died in 1931. Phil was 17 at the time. He had an older sister, Marjorie, who lived there with her husband Walter. Information about this phase of Phil’s life is not well documented so anecdotes from this time period are mostly from the memory of stories he told his children, rather than source material.
Phil was three years older than Alma, but he ended up in the same high school classes as his education had been disrupted while his mother was ill and dying. He presumably graduated from Polytechnic High School in the same year as Alma, or perhaps year earlier. The story of his romance with Alma is told on another page of this site.
After high school Phil went to work as a messenger boy for Western Union. He also was an amateur actor, being quite active in the community theater during his bachelor days. For some time he lived with a family in Palo Alto, the Crammers. Lou Crammer was a hair dresser and one of the old family movies shows him giving Richard his first haircut. Phil remained close to the family even after he got married. The Crammers had a daughter named Mary Lou that they would have liked to set up with Phil, but that never happened.
Phil was an enthusiastic journalist in high school, a public speaker and theater actor in and after school. These talents helped him achieve success in later life.
As a messenger boy, Phil rode a motorcycle. In his later years, after suffering a very significant accident, he gave up motorcycles and never permited his own children to ride them, i he had anything to say about it. He always contented that 100% of people who ride motorcycles get into accidents.
Phil’s addresses in San Francisco:
1930: living with his mother and his dog Geri at 139 Hugo Street. His mother died there and Phil moved to St. Louis (7018 Washington Ave), Missouri briefly, presumably to live with his father’s relatives.
1931: back in San Francisco living at 1472 12th Ave.
1933: 1409 Funston Ave. Western Union office (his work place) was 1305 Lyon St.