Jim Truher as senior partner, Gary Nelson is general partner, and Jack Truher is junion partner from our conspiracy of childhood. Therefore it is impossible that we boys are all in our sixties today.

Helen Truher methodically orchestrated a return from Seattle to Altadena about 1942, claiming that Jack’s vulnerability to pneumonia was due to the rainy Seattle weather. But Jack guess, the move was specifically to get near her important consortium of friends, her mother and sister, and pointedly her friend, Helen Nelson, who surreptitiously cheered this return migration scheme to completion

Upon returning to the Los Angeles area, Jim and Helen Truher located in Altadena, where the family stayed through Jack’s high school years. Helen Truher was determined to dress her sons in pre-adult style, a form of torture only relieved by the liberation of high school jeans.

Of particular horror were “itchy-scratchy” wool suits, required for some church and special events. Only horsehair could offer more torment. Jack was careful not to directly challenge this torment. Forever after in adulthood, Jack was careful to avoid any professional obligation which required such dress obligation. Notice Jack’s arms hanging out the sweater. Helen Truher never did quite understand Jack’s extra- long arms.

Jack recently has scanned a few photos from Helen Truher’s album to share with Helen Nelson and Gary Nelson. A gathering of Phi Mu sorority sisters and perpetual friends from the 1930s, with names below the photo, was taken at Helen and Jim Truher’s South Pasadena home, about 1980. The photographer was Helen Truher. Helen Nelson provided the names several months ago.

Evelyn Pheasant Mona Handley Betty Clark Ardene Calloway
Helen Nelson Lorraine Thompson Mickey Martin








Helen Nelson at left below is photographed again at a U.C.L.A. Phi Mu alumni gathering by Helen Truher in the same 1980 era, but at a different event.

Helen Nelson Mona Handley Evelyn Pheasant Betty Clark


Helen Nelson and Helen Truher were great friends for all of their adult years. While the offspring of this consortium often related at long-range, still we kept track of each other, through our respective Network of the Helens.

Gary Nelson and Jack Truher attended the same grammar and high school together, separated only by one year in age and grade. These years included periodic encounters between the Helen Truher and Helen Nelson families, at least until out migration of the respective children occurred on schedule.

Gary Nelson at John Muir High School, 1955.

The two Helens were important figures in the lives of their children, who always knew a good place to go for thoughtful advice,even if we didn’t always adapt immediately. Helen Nelson’s secret from the mountain has been to encourage us all to stay positive. The world needs more of that.




Helen Nelson in college began a lifelong friendship with Helen Burke, then Helen Burke Truher and husband, Jim --

-- and their sons Jim, Michael, and Jack Truher, shown here in year 1999.

Happy 90th birthday -- Helen Nelson.

Helen Nelson has renewed a friendship with Helen Truher’s granddaughter (Heather Truher Cousins), shown at Christmas 2001, great granddaughter (Amanda Cousins) and Jack Truher’s wife, Nancy Truher. It will be Heather, M.D. before April 2002, but apparent here that she has other happy interests.

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"Nature wants children to be children before they are men. If we deliberately depart from this order, we shall get premature fruits, which are neither ripe nor well flavored and which soon decay. We shall have youthful sages and grown-up children. "Childhood has ways of seeing, thinking, and feeling peculiar to itself. Nothing can be more foolish than to seek to substitute our ways on them."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778

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Jack favors the thought of Rousseau, and suspects that Helen would find something worthwhile in it. -- Jack Truher Feb 14, 2002