A Girl NOT Named Sue - Sorry Johnny!

When I first met my wife to be, she was known as Sue. Her family all called her Sue and that’s how she introduced herself until the late 1970s. She was friendly but sometimes a bit subdued those early years of our marriage, maybe constrained is the right word. I had the reputation of being the joker & entertainer when we were with other people and she just enjoyed being there. That said, every once in a while she would do something totally out of character* and it was obvious in those moments she relished making people laugh, smile, and enjoy just being together.

*(I was a representative in student government at the UW–Seattle and we were invited to a somewhat formal student government gathering at the University President’s home. Not too long after the gathering began, she spied the long curved banister to the second floor and decided to go slide down it...in her best dress. She did and immediately was surrounded by people congratulating her for breaking the ice and turning the gathering into a party. Even the President and his wife came over and had an animated conversation with her as “the party” really began. Later her comment to me was that she got a little bit of friction burn between her thighs and decided that next time she did something like that and wanted to be the “Life of the Party”, it would be smarter to be wearing pants!)

Back to the name issue...In January of 1977, we had gone to Kaua’i with my Mom (Carole) and Joen (my Grandma) for a couple of weeks after we’d moved to Roseburg. Mom knew all the entertainers and really had a knack of telling stories. Frankly I think she just plain enjoyed laughing with everyone and competing to be the “Life of the Party”. I needed to return to Roseburg after my two week vacation was over, but Mom convinced Sue to stay for another week...or two since she had no commitments back in Oregon.  I should have been concerned leaving my Mom, Party Hardy Joen, and my wife together when every day was going to be a party in paradise with little or no holding back. Here’s a picture of Carole (sitting) and Joen, plotting the evenings activities at the condo across from the Prince Kuhio Memorial Park in Poipu...their favorite spot on the island.

Mom really loved to spend her evenings at the piano bar of the Sheraton Kaua’i with the extraordinary Norman Young (the piano player there). Norman was incredible! Not only was he a tremendously talented musician, but he remembered the name of every person who came into the piano bar since the day he started there. Anybody who came in and sat down would be introduced around the piano bar by Norman. He truly made everyone feel like a close, family friend. So Carole, Joen, and Sue made the Sheraton’s piano bar their primary party location. As it was later related to me, one night after I’d left for the mainland, the party trio were having fun and drinks at the piano bar. Norman stopped playing after being interrupted by one of their loudest laughing sessions that night and with a warm, smile told Sue she was worth much, much, more than a one syllable name suggested. He introduced her as Susan to everyone from then on...and she really took that name “upgrade” to heart.

When she came home from Kaua’i, she seemed a slightly different person to me–happier and more comfortable with herself. From that time on she also made it very clear to everyone, that her name was not Sue it was SUSAN ...and we all recognized from that new glint in her smiling eyes, that she was a force to be reckoned with in this world!

Here’s a slide from January 1977 that shows Norman and the “new Susan”.