How I Met My Husband

Having been assigned my next subject, I realized I quite like remembering this special time in my life. But going back 65 years also makes me think, Wow, how time passes.

As usual, my room mates, five in all, enjoyed Saturday nights. Our favorite activity was dancing and our favorite place was the Crescent Ballroom, located on 6th Avenue between Pike and Pine and on the second floor above several shops.
We also like the Trianon Ballroom but it was much farther North and harder to get to.
Whenever the big bands came to Seattle, they came to the Trianon and we'd be there and cancing to the Tommy Dorsey Band, his brother Jimmy Dorsey's Band, Benny Goodman and the greatest of all, Glenn Miller.

Back to the Crescent Ballroom. The place we lived in was an old mansion. The nuns lived in the upstairs and the six of us lived in what must have been a large living room. There was a lovely old fireplace but it was never used. It was located at 9th and Madison. There is a large building here now named after St. Frances of Cassini and is mostly doctors offices and clinics. It was easy to walk to the ballroom except on the way back because of the steep hills.

On a Saturday night in October 1942, about two weeks before my nineteenth birthday, we were at the ballroom and having a great time. I was very fortunate as I never had to sit out a dance. I loved all kinds of dances, especially jitterbugging and what are now called swing dances. About an hour into the dance I noticed this very nice looking sailor who seemed to be always watching me. Eventually, when I took time out to have a bottle of pop, he came up to me. He introduced himself as Fred Hanis and asked if he could have the next dance. He was a beautiful dancer and I agreed when he asked if he could have the next dance and the next.

When the band took a break he asked me to join him at a booth and we talked and talked and danced and danced. And we enjoyed it so much we stayed for the swing shift dance. This was from midnight to 3:00. ( I can feel some eyebrows raising) He then asked if he could walk me home and on the way he took me to breakfast. Before he left me he asked if I would go out with him the following Friday night and I agreed. He then, like the smoothie he was, kissed me on the forehead and I was impressed. On Friday night we went to the movie at the Fifth Avenue
Theatre but I can't remember what movie it was. I do rememer that he picked me up and brought me home in a taxi. Very Impressive.

He called me every night. There was one phone for the six of us, so it was hard to get through but he was persistent. At this time he was a radioman stationed on Bainbridge Island. The next Saturday night we met at the Crescent again and danced a lot. I didn't dance every dance with him as my favorite jitterbug partner was there. He was a soldier from New Jersy and most all the girls agreed the men from New Jersey were the best at the jitterbug. Fred waited and insisted he be the one to walk me home.

On my birthday, November 4th, he called and said he had something important to tell me. He said, "since I am going to marry you I need to tell you my name is Martin and my family call me Marty." My response was that as far as I was concerned his name was Fred and as for marriage I wasn't planning on that with him or anyone else. He said I could call him anything I wanted and I would be marrying him as he loved me and would forever.

Because of religious differences and the fact that he was a drinker, I wouldn't go steady with him, although I really loved him. He became very frustrated and finally said he would quit drinking if I would quit dating and dancing with anyone else. Much to my surprise and joy, he did quit drinking, so I quit dating.

As you all know he was Fred for the rest of his life, except to his family in Kansas. Two years and two months from when we met we were married and LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER for fifty two years and nine days.