Take the problems facing Alta Wageman Jensen. Alta was born in 1919 in Butte County. She was a bright girl and excelled in school, but she faced the discrimination and prejudices that every female of her time found. Women had a certain place in the world.

Alta graduated from Chico State College, which many considered to be a ‘waste’ for a girl, whose purpose in life was to marry, keep a pleasant home and give her husband strong healthy children. But for Alta, an education was essential. She planned on teaching, which was a noble and proper occupation for a woman… until she married. And that was Alta’s problem.

In 1939, Alta secured a position teaching Homemaking at Lassen Union High School and Lassen Junior College.

Female teachers could not be married or engage in ‘unseemly’ conduct. These ‘anti-married teacher’ rules swept throughout the nation in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many schools had strict guidelines concerning the teaching position; teachers must stay at home between 8:00p.m. and 6:00a.m. unless at school functions, no smoking or drinking beer or whiskey, no bright colors could be worn, teachers must wear at least two petticoats and of course they had to clean the classroom.

This is a small sample of the restrictions in most areas, plus, female teachers could only make 5/6 of the wage that a male teacher was paid.

The anti-marriage rules centered around the fact that ‘people’ didn’t want their children to see a pregnant teacher, and of course, babies followed marriage, at least in the ‘good old days’.

Most of these people were concerned that their children might believe that a teacher would, “behave that way.” Imagine the snickers and giggles in the classroom! ‘Decent’ women kept their pregnancies secret for as long as possible, and then stayed home, ‘confined’ during the last months.

The big secret as to how babies appeared in the world confused many a youngster, but the true ‘facts of life’ were seldom discussed.

So, Alta Jensen, new bride, was fired from her job at Lassen Union High School and Junior College, and the protests began.

The Lassen Union High School Board of Trustees met in Special Session on May 13, 1942, to deal with the protests. Resolutions from throughout the community had been sent to the board, and a public ‘squabble’ continued all over the valley. President J. A. Brown offered any interested parties a chance to comment and comment they did. Over 50 interested citizens showed up for the meeting.

At the very least, they said, the anti-marriage rule should be abolished during the war.

It was learned that Jud Jensen was to be called up for active duty in the armed forces, along with his brother. The Jensen boys, who were heading off to fight for their country, had to close their hardware store in preparation.

Even with all the protests and testimony, the Board of Trustees voted to uphold their former ruling.

But, as it happens, there was an election to be held. Leonard Franklin Dozier, incumbent board member, was up for reelection. In a campaign to show the Board of Trustees how the community felt about their outdated and irrational rules, two concerned citizens, Charles Clemment Doyle and James Clyde McQueen challenged Dozier for the open seat. Pamphlets were distributed throughout town urging people to write in Doyle’s name.

The votes were tallied, and the results were telling. Clem Doyle 257, Jim McQueen 380, and current member Leonard Dozier 141. The people had spoken.

On June 1, 1942, the Lassen Union High School Board of Trustees met again. At this meeting they rescinded the 1937 anti-marriage rule in a 3 to 1 vote. But they refused to reinstate Alta Jensen.

A new head of the Home Economics Department, Miss Dorothy McBride, was chosen by the board of trustees, and began her job in the fall.

Officers requested medical respond to the accident and an officer made their way down to the vehicle in an attempt to contact the driver, who was still inside.

“Once members of the Susanville Fire Department and Paramedics arrived on scene, the driver was removed from the vehicle. Paramedics checked the driver who was declared deceased at the scene.”

The driver was identified by the SPD as 29-year-old Susanville resident Gustavo Aguirre-Cases.

According to Cochran, the cause of the accident is still under investigation and results from the Washoe County Medical Examiner are still pending.

If anyone witnessed this accident you are encouraged to contact the Susanville Police Department at 530-257-5603.

Please bring cash or a check and a copy of your child’s birth certificate.

Click here to sign up online. For more information you can email susanvillelittleleague@gmail.com.

An undated photo, likely from the early fifties, of the print staff at the Lassen Advocate.

 From the Eastman Studios Collection at UC Davis

Sale of Paper at Susanville is Announced

Idaho Man Takes Over Lassen Advocate Operation

January 19, 1953

The Lassen Advocate at Susanville changed hands yesterday. The new owner and publisher is Richard L. Myers, who came to Susanville from Bonners Ferry, Ida. He took over the property from William and Laura Norton, who have been publishers of the Advocate for the last six and a half years.

The Susanville paper came into national attention several years ago when a Broadway writer for one of the big New York papers resigned his job in order to go take over the Lassen Advocate. He announced at that time he was tired of big city hustle and bustle and that he wanted to go to a smaller community where he could just lie back in a hammock and take things easy while the paper ran itself. It took him only a short time in Susanville to learn that isn’t the way a newspaper is operated, and the New Yorker headed back to the city a wiser man.

The new owner is a more experienced newspaper publisher, and is already established in Susanville. He has been co-publisher of the Bonners Ferry Herald for the last seven years. Before that he served three years with the Navy during the last war.

Mr. and Mrs. Norton are interested in the operation of papers at Herlong, Westwood and Chester and expected to remain in the west. They went to Susanville in July 1946, when they purchased the Advocate from Mr. and Mrs. Larry Towe.

The Nortons will retain their interest with Gene Travaglio in The Westwood Sugar Pine, the Herlong Challenge and the Chester Progressive.