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The Hughlock Family
Hello and welcome to our web page. Let me introduce ourselves..We are David and Doris Hughlock, we live in Pomona, California, but we are originally from Preston, in Lancashire, England. We have dual nationality, we became U.S. citizens in January of 1981.
Preston was granted the right to be called a 'City', by Queen Elizabeth on March 14 2002 in honor of the queens 50th Jubilee. Preston therefore became England's 50th city.
Both Doris and I attended the same school in Preston, Fishwick Secondary Modern, we didn't know each other in school, I met Doris a couple of years later, and we dated for about three years before I 'popped the question'. We were married on December 20, 1958 at St Matthews' church in Preston.
We moved from Preston to Walton Le Dale, a small village just south of Preston, we lived there in our new bungalow until 1964, which is when we emigrated to the USA. We had one son David Andrew, born in April of 1963.
I, David, served an apprenticeship at Goss Graphics, (Printing Press builders), and also worked for The British Aircraft Corporation in their Research and Development Department at Warton Aerodrome.
Doris worked for Stephen Simpson's, a well known maker of military, and other, hand made gold threaded badges.
We emigrated to the USA in May of 1964, moving to Syracuse in upstate New York. We lived in Syracuse for almost four years before moving again to California.
As you can imagine, almost everything we did was a new adventure to us. We traveled all through the New England states and up into Canada.
We did a lot of camping in those early days. We were lucky enough to see three Worlds Fairs, one in New York City, (1965) another one in Montreal, Canada (1967), and another in New Orleans, in the mid eighties.
One of the 'happening's' that really stuck with us from our Syracuse days was the 'great storm' of February 1966, when an incredible 84 inches (7 feet), of snow fell on Syracuse in just 48 hours...hard to believe I know, but I still have the 'special' paper that was published as a reminder. The winter of 2006/7 has once again hit Syracuse and the eastern seaboard with a huge amount of snow. But the storm of 1966 got me thinking about a move to a warmer climate..... So off we went on our next adventure...California or bust !
We left Syracuse in September of 1967 during a curfew, those were the days of the mid sixties, the Viet-Nam war was raging, student protests were common, and rioting seemed to be the norm. What an adventure that cross country trip was for a couple of Lancashire ex-pat's with a young son in tow.
Our route took us west through Ontario, Canada, into Michigan where Detroit was ablaze with rioting, on into Indiana, and Illinois, where Chicago was also caught up with the rioting, of course we didn't go anywhere near where the 'trouble' was, but never the less it was quite an adventure.
We crossed the great plains states of Iowa, and Nebraska, we flipped a coin in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as to which route we should take from there....south through Colorado, or west into Utah.
The flip of that coin took us through the grasslands of Wyoming, mile after mile of wide open space. It was in Wyoming that we crossed 'the Great Divide', an imaginary line that runs the length of the American continent, so called because any rain that falls on the eastern side of the Great Divide will eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the rain that falls on the western side will drain into the Pacific Ocean. And on we drove to Salt Lake City.
Looking back I guess that is when we realized we were 'out west', when the sandstone canyon's started to come into view and the 'great desert' of the west became our new 'home'. After a few hours visiting Salt Lake City and the magnificent Mormon Temple, it was time to move on......
On we drove heading south now toward Arizona, desolate country this, but exciting new territory for us three. Into Nevada and a few hours in fabulous Las Vegas, if only you could imagine the difference from the Las Vegas of 1967, to the present day Las Vegas...the mind boggles !!
Then on into our destination...California,...the land of endless sunshine, of mountains, and desert, and the Pacific Ocean, as close to Shangri La as one could get.
We now live in the lovely Pomona Valley, just thirty miles east of Los Angeles. Pomona, (the Roman Goddess of Fruit), is well situated in the Greater Los Angeles metropolis, just a short drive to some well known places...Disneyland, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Long Beach, Palm Springs, the Mojave desert, and Las Vegas is just 230 miles away....
After moving to Pomona we bought a Craftsman Bungalow in the Lincoln Park district. The district is one of the oldest settlements in the Pomona/San Gabriel valley, and is now a registered Historic District.
To be eligible for consideration of Historic Designation, the area must have at least a fifty-one percent housing which are at least fifty years old. Lincoln Park has an eighty five percent designation.
Our Craftsman bungalow was built in 1910 and is constructed entirely of redwood. We purchased the house in 1968 for $15,500. Some are now selling, (2007), in excess of $600,000.
Pomona itself is the 'home' of the Los Angeles County Fair which attracts over one and a half million visitors a year to the two week long fair. It is also the headquarters of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), where the annual Winter National Drag Racing finals take place. The NHRA also has its very impressive drag racing museum situated within the city.
We had a second son, Peter Christian, born in Pomona in 1968. Both of our son's and their families live here in the Pomona Valley.
We now have three grand children, Kyle, born in 1990, Madeline, 1993, and Cassidy, 1993. Kyle has been an excellent sportsman winning several golf tournaments, he has developed into an excellent American Football kicker and has been named to the All Inland Valley football team for 2006, which is quite an honor considering that he is only a 'junior ' at high school. Several well known colleges are watching his progress.
I was lucky enough to have a trade in my hands so that I was never 'out of work'. I worked in the booming aerospace industry for many years as a machinist. I spent the last fifteen years in quality control, and retired when I was 59 years old. That was my plan and it worked out for me.
Doris worked for about twenty five years at the local newspaper in the customer service department. She started out working with the 'paperboys' from our garage, and finished up, hiring and firing in the office, not bad for a Lancashire lass with no college degree, but plenty of common sense.
Doris and I are both retired now although I do 'work' two days a week as a starter at local golf course in the valley.
Golf and soccer refereeing take up most of my spare time now, and Doris also is a keen golfer.
She's a member of three golf clubs, Claremont Ladies, where she was the founding president, Whispering Lakes Ladies, where she was the 2000 Third Flight Gross Champion, and the 1999 Presidents Cup winner, and also at Upland Hills Golf Club, where she won the Secretary's Cup for 2000.
In 2004 Doris had more golf success by finishing second in the Upland Ladies Presidents Cup, and winning the Secreterys Cup at the Claremont Ladies Club
I played a lot of soccer during my life, I had a short spell with both Lancaster City, and Lytham Football Club, who were in the now defunct Lancashire Combination.
I also played in the West Lancashire League, and the Preston and District League. I was lucky enough to be selected as the 'striker' for the All League team representing the Preston and District League back in 1960.
I continued playing after emigrating, first for the Syracuse Italian's, in the Up-state New York League, and for Santa Monica FC, in the Los Angeles area.
I broke my leg just two weeks before my 50th birthday playing in a summer league that ended my 'playing' days.
I do have one curious fact that happened to me whilst I was playing in England. Whilst playing for Atkinsons Vehicles, circa 1956, I was coached by two famous soccer player's who both became manager of Manchester United after they retired from playing.
First Tommy Docherty who was playing for Preston North End at the time, was hired to coach our team, then when the 'Doc' moved on to Arsenal, Frank O'Farrell, the Irish international, took over the coaching job at Atkinsons.
It's when you scrimmage with players of their talent that you realize just how good these players are...brilliant.
In 1969 I volunteered to work for the American Youth Soccer Organization with Region 3, Claremont, California, and after getting aquainted with the organization, I started the AYSO program in Pomona, Ca. in 1971, and we became Region 30.
In 1981, on our region's tenth anniversary, we brought a soccer team over from Leyland, England, the Leyland Diamonds, to help us celebrate. The following year we were invited to Leyland, and we took a select junior squad with us to Leyland and had a great reunion with the Diamonds.
I am also a keen snow skier. The local mountains in the Los Angeles area do have some 'decent' skiing facilities. Mt. Baldy, just 19 miles from our house, rises to a tidy 10,000 plus feet, and is snowcapped for about three months a year.
It is a bit hard to make people believe that here in sunny southern California, one can snow ski in the morning, then go to the beach and sunbathe in the afternoon.
Our Family Photo's
Preston History
Send E-Mail to: pnefc@verizon.net
Copyright © 2007 David Hughlock. All Rights Reserved