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MAY 5, 2012
BETTIE HAS GONE "HOME":
Bettie Lou Basye (Hutchinson) Ott Bettie Basye Ott, age 89, died peacefully on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at home in San Rafael. She was born in Fresno, CA on January 15, 1923 to Ethel (Houyde) and Leon Basye. One of nine children, she was raised in Oroville, CA, where Bettie recently attended her 70th high school reunion.
Bettie went to college at Fresno State University where she was a drum majorette. Photos of redheaded Bettie Lou won her the title of "All American Drum Majorette" and she became an inadvertent pinup girl popular with GIs. When WWII began, she joined the Army and entered training as an Army Corps nurse, specializing in treating burn victims. After the war, she returned to school at UC Berkeley, earning a BS in 1950. There she met and married fellow student and returning WWII veteran Jay Milan Hutchinson.
The couple moved to Marin County in 1951 and raised four children in Fairfax. Bettie was instrumental in establishing the Twin Cities Co-op nursery school, formation of Pixie Park with her friend Elizabeth Terwilliger. She participated in folk singing groups and supported her children's sports, school, and club activities. Since 1954, she was an active member of the Marin Fellowship of Unitarians, now Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin (UUCM).
In 1965 Bettie received her MA in Public Health from UC Berkeley and began a career in public health education. Over the years she worked for the City of Berkeley, Santa Clara County, and the County of Marin, from which she retired in 1987. In 1988 she married city planner J. Stanley Ott of San Rafael. The couple led an active life of travel, art, and community involvement until his death in 2001.
Bettie was a passionate gardener, active with Marin Master Gardeners. She designed and implemented the landscaping at the UUCM in San Rafael. In her later years, she was active in the garden club at Aldersly Retirement Community in San Rafael where she lived since 2002.
Bettie kept journals throughout her life and ardently pursued creative writing and personal history projects. She was interviewed by the writer Studs Terkel, who included Bettie's story in his 1984 Nobel Prize winning book The Good War. Her story was then featured in Atlantic magazine, as well as included in Kevin Starr's book Embattled Dreams. Bettie enjoyed crafting stories from her childhood memories and WWII experiences and, in 2011, self-published her memoir, The Girl Downriver.
Bettie is survived by her four children: David (and Yana) Hutchinson of Reno, NV; Dianne Hutchinson Fruin of San Rafael; Paul Hutchinson of Garberville, CA; and Jennifer (and Rick) Baker of Floyd, VA., seven adored grandchildren: Rana, Jay, Katie, Nicole, Ava, Kevin, and Bradley; and two beloved great-grandchildren: Landen and Josephine; as well as her siblings Mildred Waterman, Rudolph Platzek, Nadine Koefler, and James Platzek.
A memorial service was held at 3:00 PM on Friday May 18, 2012 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin at 240 Channing Way in San Rafael. Her family extends deep gratitude to the many compassionate caregivers at Aldersly and Heartland Hospice.
Published in Marin Independent Journal on May 11, 2012
BETTIE HAS GONE "HOME":
Bettie Lou Basye (Hutchinson) Ott Bettie Basye Ott, age 89, died peacefully on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at home in San Rafael. She was born in Fresno, CA on January 15, 1923 to Ethel (Houyde) and Leon Basye. One of nine children, she was raised in Oroville, CA, where Bettie recently attended her 70th high school reunion.
Bettie went to college at Fresno State University where she was a drum majorette. Photos of redheaded Bettie Lou won her the title of "All American Drum Majorette" and she became an inadvertent pinup girl popular with GIs. When WWII began, she joined the Army and entered training as an Army Corps nurse, specializing in treating burn victims. After the war, she returned to school at UC Berkeley, earning a BS in 1950. There she met and married fellow student and returning WWII veteran Jay Milan Hutchinson.
The couple moved to Marin County in 1951 and raised four children in Fairfax. Bettie was instrumental in establishing the Twin Cities Co-op nursery school, formation of Pixie Park with her friend Elizabeth Terwilliger. She participated in folk singing groups and supported her children's sports, school, and club activities. Since 1954, she was an active member of the Marin Fellowship of Unitarians, now Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin (UUCM).
In 1965 Bettie received her MA in Public Health from UC Berkeley and began a career in public health education. Over the years she worked for the City of Berkeley, Santa Clara County, and the County of Marin, from which she retired in 1987. In 1988 she married city planner J. Stanley Ott of San Rafael. The couple led an active life of travel, art, and community involvement until his death in 2001.
Bettie was a passionate gardener, active with Marin Master Gardeners. She designed and implemented the landscaping at the UUCM in San Rafael. In her later years, she was active in the garden club at Aldersly Retirement Community in San Rafael where she lived since 2002.
Bettie kept journals throughout her life and ardently pursued creative writing and personal history projects. She was interviewed by the writer Studs Terkel, who included Bettie's story in his 1984 Nobel Prize winning book The Good War. Her story was then featured in Atlantic magazine, as well as included in Kevin Starr's book Embattled Dreams. Bettie enjoyed crafting stories from her childhood memories and WWII experiences and, in 2011, self-published her memoir, The Girl Downriver.
Bettie is survived by her four children: David (and Yana) Hutchinson of Reno, NV; Dianne Hutchinson Fruin of San Rafael; Paul Hutchinson of Garberville, CA; and Jennifer (and Rick) Baker of Floyd, VA., seven adored grandchildren: Rana, Jay, Katie, Nicole, Ava, Kevin, and Bradley; and two beloved great-grandchildren: Landen and Josephine; as well as her siblings Mildred Waterman, Rudolph Platzek, Nadine Koefler, and James Platzek.
A memorial service was held at 3:00 PM on Friday May 18, 2012 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin at 240 Channing Way in San Rafael. Her family extends deep gratitude to the many compassionate caregivers at Aldersly and Heartland Hospice.
Published in Marin Independent Journal on May 11, 2012
The Girl Downriver:
An Incredible Journey from Tomboy to Pin-up Girl to World War II Army Nurse
A portrait of the woman behind the true story told in Studs Terkel's book, The Good War.
Author: Bettie Basye Ott
Publisher: Downriver Publishing
For Ordering Information : See "To Order" webpage
*Advanced Review Copies (ARC) were published May 11, 2011 and were made available for a $20 donation. Proceeds went to Oroville's Bedrock Skate and Bike Park to benefit the children. A few "first print" copies are still available. Click here for ordering information.
A portrait of the woman behind the true story told in Studs Terkel's book, The Good War.
Author: Bettie Basye Ott
Publisher: Downriver Publishing
For Ordering Information : See "To Order" webpage
*Advanced Review Copies (ARC) were published May 11, 2011 and were made available for a $20 donation. Proceeds went to Oroville's Bedrock Skate and Bike Park to benefit the children. A few "first print" copies are still available. Click here for ordering information.
Oroville's Pin-up Girl Tells Her Story
1941 Bettie Lou Basye: The Accidental Pin-up.
SAN RAFAEL, CA, April 28, 2011-- Bettie Lou Basye Ott grew up in Oroville, California during the Great Depression, attended Oroville High School (Graduate 1941) where she led the Marching Band as Drum Majorette, and later became the All American Drum Majorette. Bettie Lou also became one of the first Pin-up girls of World War II. She has written her story in the book, The Girl Downriver: An Incredible Journey from Tomboy to Pin-up Girl to orld War II Army Nurse.
The Girl Downriver is the coming-of-age narrative of a young girl’s journey from living on
the California Feather River during the Great Depression to serving as an army nurse in World War II. Bettie Lou Basye shares thought-provoking stories of her family life and reveals the darkness and drama around adult-child relationships of the time.
This book also chronicles the candid reflections of a young woman caught up in the war. Through the diary entries she kept while an army nurse, Bettie shares her experience coming face to face with the horrors of World War II: military men who had suffered grotesque battle wounds. The past informs the future. Her stories alert us again to the veterans of all wars, who continue to bear their injuries. Bettie calls our attention to the importance of recognizing their sacrifices and demonstrating compassion
Bettie’s war story was featured in Studs Terkel’s book The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two, published in 1984, and also featured in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, July 1984. This later lead to author Kevin Starr,California’s State Librarian and Historian, citing Bettie Lou's Good War story in Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace 1940-1950. Harriet Sigerman, in her book The Columbia Documentary History of American Women Since 1941, also included Bettie’s story, titled “The War MarkedMe.”
Bettie, age 88 now resides in a retirement home in San Rafael California. However, she is making plans to attend Oroville High’s 70th anniversary luncheon for the Class of 1941 to be held in Oroville on May 11, 2011. For information about this event, contact Beth Culliton at 530-872-1157. Bettie Lou’s book will debut at this event.
“Since the river was my home, I look forward to visiting Bedrock and Feather River to touch it and re-live the fond memories of swimming the currents of Feather River and romping through the river banks,” reflected Bettie Lou. In 1990, on behalf of her Basye/Platzek family, Bettie Lou donated family land to the Oroville Parks & Recreation Department to be used to benefit the children of the town. The Bedrock Bike and Skate Park sits on this location. Proceeds of the book will go to Oroville's Bedrock Skate and Bike Park. Book donation is $20, plus shipping. To order visit: www.thegirldownriver.weebly.com/to-order.html.
To learn more, contact Bettie Lou Basye Ott at [email protected],
or Veronica Valero at [email protected] or 415-897-2302.
The Girl Downriver is the coming-of-age narrative of a young girl’s journey from living on
the California Feather River during the Great Depression to serving as an army nurse in World War II. Bettie Lou Basye shares thought-provoking stories of her family life and reveals the darkness and drama around adult-child relationships of the time.
This book also chronicles the candid reflections of a young woman caught up in the war. Through the diary entries she kept while an army nurse, Bettie shares her experience coming face to face with the horrors of World War II: military men who had suffered grotesque battle wounds. The past informs the future. Her stories alert us again to the veterans of all wars, who continue to bear their injuries. Bettie calls our attention to the importance of recognizing their sacrifices and demonstrating compassion
Bettie’s war story was featured in Studs Terkel’s book The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two, published in 1984, and also featured in the Atlantic Monthly Magazine, July 1984. This later lead to author Kevin Starr,California’s State Librarian and Historian, citing Bettie Lou's Good War story in Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace 1940-1950. Harriet Sigerman, in her book The Columbia Documentary History of American Women Since 1941, also included Bettie’s story, titled “The War MarkedMe.”
Bettie, age 88 now resides in a retirement home in San Rafael California. However, she is making plans to attend Oroville High’s 70th anniversary luncheon for the Class of 1941 to be held in Oroville on May 11, 2011. For information about this event, contact Beth Culliton at 530-872-1157. Bettie Lou’s book will debut at this event.
“Since the river was my home, I look forward to visiting Bedrock and Feather River to touch it and re-live the fond memories of swimming the currents of Feather River and romping through the river banks,” reflected Bettie Lou. In 1990, on behalf of her Basye/Platzek family, Bettie Lou donated family land to the Oroville Parks & Recreation Department to be used to benefit the children of the town. The Bedrock Bike and Skate Park sits on this location. Proceeds of the book will go to Oroville's Bedrock Skate and Bike Park. Book donation is $20, plus shipping. To order visit: www.thegirldownriver.weebly.com/to-order.html.
To learn more, contact Bettie Lou Basye Ott at [email protected],
or Veronica Valero at [email protected] or 415-897-2302.