Orange County Gives Nixon Big Welcome Home

(Note: The following story was published with one picture taken by the author on the front page of the daily newspaper "The Orange County Evening News" on Friday, Jan. 3, 1969, under the headline "Sentimental Journey for Nixon" with a jump to page A-2. The story also was published on full-page spreads with five additional pictures taken by the author the next week in editions of the twice-weekly "Buena Park News," "La Mirada Lamplighter" and "Huntington Beach Independent" and the weekly "Anaheim-Fullerton Independent" under the headline "Orange County Gives Nixon Big Welcome Home.")

by Jim Drummond

Richard Nixon “came home” Thursday night to a two-hour evening of sentimental reminiscences about his early life in Orange County before more than 10,000 “friends and neighbors” crowded into Anaheim Convention Center.

The President-elect was greeted by former neighbors, teachers and friends, including the 92-year-old woman who acted as midwife at his birth 56 years ago in a small frame Yorba Linda home.

Nixon called the evening “one of the greatest moments in my life--and I’ve had many great moments to remember.” He said the program reminded him of his early roots, and, after hailing the importance of “small town America,” promised to work for peace in the world.

"I will not let my former neighbors and friends down as president,” he said.

Listening along with Nixon and his wife, Pat, to the stream of anecdotes about his early life were about 9,000 people in the convention center proper and several thousand others seated on the floor of the exhibition hall viewing on closed-circuit television.

Hundreds of others, seeing the long line circling the center to get in, left before the program began. Evidently, the various Orange County chambers of commerce sponsoring the event printed many more free tickets than they had seats.

First introduced by master of ceremonies Art Linkletter was Mrs. Ella Fernas, 92, who was the first to hold Nixon after his birth. She could only recall that “he cried a lot.”

Also introduced was the first person to give him a spanking and his first and second grade teacher.

Mrs. Cecil Pickering said she administered the licking on the future President’s bottom because “he was such a nuisance.”

Mrs. Ellen Cochran, who taught Nixon in both the first and second grades in a Yorba Linda schoolhouse, revealed she sat the President-elect “in the back of the class because I didn’t have to keep an eye on him.” She also related he was such a good student, “He skipped the second half of the year in the second grade.”

An early classmate of Nixon’s, Mrs. Yanika Iwatsuru, asked by Linkletter if Nixon had changed any, replied, “His nose is still the same.”

Providing the most laughter of the evening was Howard Sutherlin, a young 4-H member who presented the future first lady with a 4-H recognition plaque because she used to raise pigs, and the President-elect with an oil painting of his birthplace.

Sutherlin, at a loss for words, could only wave the Nixons forward so he could make the presentations.

Dr. H. Lynn Sheller, currently president of Fullerton Junior College, Nixon’s first speech teacher at Fullerton High School, recalled the President-elect’s early speech contests.

Sheller said that Nixon did not place during his first year, but then worked hard on his delivery and gestures, and took a first place the next year with a 10-minute oration on the Constitution.

Later, Nixon singled out Sheller as one of his “finest teachers.”

Many presentations were made to Nixon during the evening. Wallace (Chief) Newman, retired Whittier College football coach, presented his former third-string tackle with a varsity letter--something he never earned in college--and former teammates gave him the bench he sat on during the games.

Another presentation “for his use in the White House” was a desk Nixon made himself for his first law office in La Habra. The desk was brought out by Thomas Bewley, the man who hired Nixon for his first job out of college.

Bewley also noted that since Nixon had “never resigned, and the city council has never fired him, he still is an assistant city attorney of Whittier.” The future President, Bewley said, handled all the barking dog complaints.

Concluding the reminiscences was Dr. Paul Smith, president of Whittier College, who was Nixon’s history and political science teacher. Smith recalled he gave Nixon mostly A’s and that he told him he would be President some day, adding, however, that he told all his students that.

Nixon, in commenting on the nostalgia, said, “My grades improve every year I’m out of school,” and admitted to bad handwriting, even recalling that Mrs. Cochran had given him an “unsatisfactory” mark in the subject.

A large birthday cake was brought out after Nixon’s remarks and the audience joined in singing “Happy Birthday.” He was born Jan. 9, 1913.

Security for the Nixon appearance was tight, although photographers and others were allowed to approach within eight feet of the future President while he was speaking. Secret Service men, wearing green and yellow lapel pins, watched from positions 10 and 20 feet from him.

Secret Service, augmented by local police officers, searched the center completely before Nixon’s arrival and roped off about 300 seats directly above the platform on which he sat.