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My name is Kay Waldrop, and I was my maiden name of Stone. Um, I was raised in the Panama Canal Zone. My grandfather was one of the constructors of Panama Canal. Um, I lived in Panama and look on the Atlantic side. Went to Cristobal Elementary School in Crystal Ball High School from 90.

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I lived there from 1942 until 1958. I left before my junior year and finished school in New York State. Um, my grandfather was a rough writer and had been in the Spanish American War, and Goethals wanted cement to build the Panama Canal. So he was a volunteer, uh, to build from Panama.

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Now he and his family, his wife, came from born home Denmark, and then where he had those activities and then came down for the building of the Panama Canal. He had six Children. Um, my mother was the oldest of the six Mildred. Um, and we have wonderful memories of growing up there.

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My mother's one of my mother's brother's married, uh, Panamanian girl, governor's daughter, Governor Galindo's daughter. And we live close to where the governor and his family lives. So we became I think all of us learned Spanish early on. My mom's brothers and family and kids did, too.

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On the Atlantic side, we had one of the siblings that lived on the Pacific side and that Cheryl Peterson Russell, the family name was Peterson. Walter Peterson was my grandfather's name. You know, that's such an emotional thing, isn't it? Ideas for me, because e think of the hardships that are the family went through during that time and losing family, losing people to malaria and yellow fever and the tough days.

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I've often thought how wonderful, um, to have lived be the third generation because we enjoyed the benefits living in Panetta in the Canal Zone. For me, growing up was like living in paradise. Things were done for me, and I had so many benefits and privileges. We had a wonderful made that I dearly loved almost as much as my mother.

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I just can't wait to see her someday. Catherine in heaven, Uh, she was Jamaican and wonderful lady, and so a lot of our the canal zone on the Atlantic side had to do with a sweet, dear Jamaicans who many of them lost their lives doing construction days welder.

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There are a couple of kind of different ones. I mean, there's so many I don't know how you picked two but one waas I remember in in grade school Ah, Marvel, play the violin. And I played the flute. And apparently Mr Georgeta needed some a violin and flute at the high school.

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And so he would dismiss us toe walk from the grade school to the high school to join the orchestra and band and play when we were just little kids. Both of us have since abandoned our instruments, but that was a really fun memory. Often wonder how many things I lost during the time that I was away from my class.

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Marvel didn't lose anything. I think she was very, very smart. But I was very average students. So, uh, but anyways, a very happy memory and a fun a time to be, you know, have that special treat. And another thing is, I remember in, um, in high school we go out across the street and we buy green mangoes to for five cents.

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They were green and they were sliced. And then you would get a little bag of salt. And if the mangos at lunchtime, and that was a fun, fun thing I knew nobody ever heard that before. And, of course, getups were a favorite treat that you can't find in many parts of the world.

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Um, that get up fruit. Well, the construction of the Panama Canal. Yeah, a lot. A lot. A lot. A lot of hard work. And, uh, when I look at the pictures and I think of the few memories that I have from my mother and from my grandfather, my mother tells me she remembers assuming in the canal, You know, before it was finished, My mother was born in 03 My grandfather died at 103 so he lived a long time after that and had many stories to tell.

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I wish we knew mawr. I wish we'd, um, asked him more questions. I think you probably hear that over and over from people. I wish we'd asked more questions. And, um, now the opportunity is gone, but well, I have a mosque ETA that I were last night to the to the Symphony Symphony of America's.

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That was a wonderful treat. And it was given to my mother upon her retirement in 1958 by Governor and Mrs Galindo. And it's been a real treasure for me to have, and I just wear it on special occasions. But I do when I wear it. I think of the memory of the Galindo family and Peterson and Galindo family connection and how many, uh, fun memories we have because my mother being the oldest of the six kids.

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Ah, lot of the parties in that Christmas and Easter and birthdays were all celebrated in our house. And since I was a lonely child, I remember them well because it was a time when our house was open and filled with family and laughter and the mixing of the two cultures, which was a wonderful thing.

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I remember Mother's brothers all spoke Spanish well, and it was really nice for me to be able to grow up in that almost kind of a multiple multi cultural atmosphere. And to this day, I think it's carried me through. Now in Portland. I have ah like a hospitality house where I welcome people from all over the world and I've listened to their stories because I love to hear people's stories as my mother and father used to welcome people off the ships.

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My dad was with customs and Immigration, and we were always bringing someone home off a ship. And so I carry that through with my lifestyle today liking. I refuse to live in fear. And so I do bring people into my home people I don't know, but have come to visit maybe the Portland area or their northwest.

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And so this has been something I think that I learned when I was a little girl and I carry on today. 1955 was when Ramon was assassinated and it was, you know, the police cars were just racing in front of our house, back and forth, back and forth, and officers were running across our yards and I had a friend across the street who was at my house.

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We were playing E. I guess I was what, 13, 12, something like that. And we're playing in. Her mother wanted her to come home. She called and she said, You come home right now and we said, Oh, Ellen, you can't go home. I mean, look at there's all this stuff going on in the streets and in our yard, and I remember that so vividly because I thought, Geez, this was a really scary time.

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Is the only time I remember growing up where I was really scared and it was a very serious time. Was that 1955 event when Ramon was assassinated and everything was in an uproar. But other than that, I just remember it being a very happy childhood. Very, uh, carefree childhood.

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So, unlike the childhood my kids have had today in many ways, um, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. And I'm so grateful to my grandfather and his family and my mother and all her brothers who made eso happy living on the canal zone. Yes.

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Very emotional, Very mixed feelings. Well, I remember thinking that that shouldn't have happened. I remember thinking that we should still, you know, I remember being disappointed when it was, uh, turned over because it's been so work by so many people for so many years and, ah, feeling of I wonder what's gonna happen next and how this is gonna be carried out.

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And will it be the same? And, you know, just of anxiety about the respectful nous of the turnover and of the people and of the combination of the future. How it's gonna unfold Well, I think the flora and fauna of Panama, it's hard to match it anywhere.

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It's a beautiful, beautiful country well worth a visit in the Panama Canal. The construction, what those people did in 10 years is just an incredible, phenomenal feat on I would wish that everybody that has the opportunity would have at least one time ah, transit through the Panama Canal to see what an incredible, incredible feat it is and the engineering that is just something to behold and experience on.

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When I saw this opportunity to come down for the centennial, I couldn't miss it because it's such a special one time event and my cousin Cheryl Russell said, You just must come. And so it's been delightful to come back. See some of my old grade school classmates and some of the people that I taught with at the elementary school on a special treat for me is that Marvel Davison towns in her mother is 100 years old, and I'm going to get to meet her right after this interview.

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Today she was my Girl Scout leader in Panama in the Canal Zone, and she was also my Sunday school teacher. So besides this centennial event, which is just a wonderful treat for me, it's the wonderful treat to be able to see her and to hug her and thank her for helping.

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Maybe the person I am today through girl scouting and through Sunday school. So and it's just been delightful experience coming today. Thank you so much for the opportunity of sharing.