Person:Douglas Kramm (1)

MARRIAGE

Douglas was married to Elsie Anita Molesworth (known as Anita) on 9 Jun 1945 in a Presbyterian church at Taco­ma, Washington. He first met Anita while traveling by train from Philadel­phia, Pennsylvania, to visit with his parents in Grass Valley, California. He had completed a tour of duty of 18 months on the USS Salamonie and had been reassigned to help commission the USS Ommaney Bay at Astoria, Washing­ton. It was 18 months after Pearl Har­bor. Curiously enough, Anita was also going to Grass Valley to meet a dear friend, Bernice, who had just married an Army man. Douglas and Anita palled around in Grass Valley and San Fran­cisco and then she went back to Wash­ington, DC. There she was reassigned to Venezuela ostensibly for the State De­partment, but actually for the FBI to work as a secretary in that office.

Near the end of World War II they met again and decided to get married. Douglas Rocky John Kramm Jr. was born 8 Mar 1946 at Washington, DC., where Anita was living with her mother. Anita's father was Roy A. Molesworth, born about 1891 in Maryland. Her mother was Elizabeth Genevieve Harvey born 15 Nov 1887.

Anita was born 26 Dec 1913 at Washing­ton, DC, She died at her home, 3343 Trexler Blvd, Allentown, PA. in the arms of her husband, a victim of congestive heart failure, 16 Oct 1979. Anita graduated from high school with a commercial education, and went to work at about age 15 for a firm in Washington D.C. Shortly thereafter, she took employment with the legal department of DuPont in Wilmington,

Delaware. She then secured employ­ment with the F .B.I. and remained with them just short of 10 years, at which time she retired to marry Douglas.

Anita was very bright, and did well at the F.B.I. as a secretary. She was chosen to go to Caracas, Venezuela, and remained there for about a year, as secretary. She constantly sought to improve herself, and took a number of courses at George Washington Universi­ty. She had a quick mind, an excellent memory, and was good with numbers. She was an excellent bridge player, loved and collected antique glassware and was a superb seamstress. Anita was very artistic and studied art for a number of years, producing oils and watercolors of considerable merit. At one time she learned to play the piano quite well, using the chord method, but lost interest upon moving to Allentown because there was no suitable teacher available.

LIFE AND ACTIVITIES

When Douglas entered Grass Valley High School, he was pretty small weighing only 89 pounds so he wasn't much good at athletic activities except tennis. He was on the high school tennis team in his junior and senior years, In his senior year, to his surprise, he became High School Champion, then Nevada County High School Champion, He com­peted for Junior Champion of Northern California. He played against a fellow by the name of Jack Gurlie, who was fourth seated junior in the United States and in Doug's words, "and that was the end of Doug Kramm."

Douglas was president of his Senior Class of 1936 for one semester. Scholastically he was 6th in a Senior class of 89 students, and had no trouble entering U.C. Berkeley in the Fall of 1936. He wrote of himself, "First I was in Mechanical Engineering for one se­mester, then I switched to Forestry and was there for one semester, then I switched to Mining. There I stayed until I graduated in 1941. I lost some time ••• and ended up going five years rather than four ... (but) I took some very interesting courses like Jurispru­dence, English, Biology, and Econom­ics."

During vacation periods he worked underground in the mines in Grass Valley, California, to earn enough money to go back to college the following year. "The superintendent of the North Start Mine held jobs open for those of us who were going to college", writes Doug. "All of us who secured this type of work appreciated it and I know we really produced ••• "

Douglas graduated in 1941 at a time when various branches of the military services were actively recruiting col­lege graduates for officers. Douglas was given a probationary commission as an ensign in June 1941 and was assigned to a three month period of schooling using the facilities of Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He was then assigned to the USS Salamon­ie, a fleet oiler, first as a junior supply officer and later as the supply officer. The Salamonie operated in the Atlantic Ocean.

Douglas was transferred to the USS Ommaney Bay, an aircraft carrier in the Pacific, as the Supply Officer. Then began a series of battles in the Pacific. His ship was sunk and Douglas barely escaped with his life. He was rescued from the water just after two vessels came side by side almost crushing him. Upon his return to the States, Douglas was reassigned to the USS Puget Sound, another aircraft carrier. He helped put that vessel into commission, and then served as the supply officer until several months after the Japanese surrender. His tour of duty included several weeks in Japanese waters and in Japan, after their surrender. He was released to inactive duty in February 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Com­mander, He remained in that capacity for 15 or 20 years but was never called back to active duty. Douglas joined his wife in Washington D,C, where she was living with her mother. Their son "Rocky" was born there 8 Mar 1946; but at the time Doug­las was in Los Angeles in a new job working for Worthington Pump.

He had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life after 5 years in the service, The job with Worthington Pump didn't work out, and he took a job with Allis Chalmers in Milwaukee. Housing was terrible in Milwaukee but Anita joined him anyway in June. That was the first time he had seen his son and he was three months old! Allis Chalmers trans­ferred him to San Francisco as a sales­man, Not finding a place to live, he and family stayed with his brother Alfred and family until the home he was buy­ing at Broadmore Village near San Francisco was finished, about six months later.

In Apr 1952, Douglas accepted a posi­tion as West Coast Sales Manager for Traylor Engineering and Manufacturing. The family moved into a better home in Burlingame, California. In 1959 GATX bought Traylor and merged it with the Fuller Company of Catasauqua, Pennsyl­vania. Douglas was transferred to Allentown, Pa, near Catasauqua. He and Anita bought a home at 3343 Trexler Blvd and moved in 22 Oct 1959. Some­time after, Douglas was promoted to the position of Sales Manager, Pyre-pro­cessing, and still later became General Manager of the department.

On 29 Feb 1984, after almost 32 years with Traylor-Fuller organizations, Douglas retired. After retirement he was offered a top position with a com­petitor, which he turned down for ethi­cal reasons; however, he accepts ( 1988) consulting work on a limited basis with his former employer. As Douglas says, "There comes a point in life where time to smell the flowers is important, and in my life, that time has come." On 16 Oct 1985 he had a heart attack and a?? of July 1988 has recovered nice­ly. With chemicals, weight reduction, diet and exercise he is living a normal life.

He spends time with his sister Elizabe­th, who on 16 Oct 1985 moved to Luther Crest Retirement Community, 800 Haus­man Rd, Allentown, barely two miles away. He plays golf once a week, works in his garden, works in his shop, reads, takes pictures and is currently reno­vating the interior of his home.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Douglas John Kramm, in Find A Grave.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 [1], in Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current.