Surely his widow deserves better than "a woman named Marianne." Gene
was married to Marianne Gertsch, also of Glendale (GHS '48), whose family
moved to Glendale in the early '20s. Marianne is a retired educator
living in Grass Valley.
Gene served two hitches in the Air Force, the first as an enlisted man
during the war. He loved to fly and learned on his own in a war in a war
surplus trainer at Grand Central Airport. A minor eye problem had
eliminated him from pilot training.
Gene preserved, took eye exercises that corrected his vision. He then
enlisted as a cadet and, upon graduation, was posted to the then brand
new F-86, which still had a few problems that needed ironing out. Its
tendency to spin was the cause of the accident, which occurred on a
training exercise.
I would like to take this opportunity, as a veteran and long-time
resident of Glendale, to express my outrage over the lowering of the flag
in commemoration of an event that had absolutely nothing to do with the
United States. The flag is not intended for such purposes and the
Glendale officials who sanctioned it should be turned out of office. It
was a cheap shot for political gain.
JOHN UNDERWOOD
Glendale
