Judy Hernandez Hatfield

Dear PHS Class of 1959:

I hope some of you will remember me …

After graduating from Providence, I worked for a few years with the idea I wanted to travel and work overseas. I booked passage on a German ship, the “T.S. Bremen” flagship of the North German Lloyd. I had no idea what work I would be doing or where I’d be living, but the adventure began.

Leaving New York Harbor on a beautiful spring day in 1962, my journey started by sailing for eleven days crossing the Atlantic Ocean. I met many wonderful and kind people who when hearing of my tale offered me positions of everything from care attendant to working in a bakery. I met a student who suggested I get my work papers and visa, which I did. She invited me to her home. After a few months, my mother contacted me and wanted me to come home immediately, because of the possible conflict with Cuba and the Bay of Pigs Invasion had begun and there was talk of war. I said “No, I’m staying - I’ll be fine!” I obtained work at a German hospital in Siegburg West Germany. This hospital, Stat Krankenhaus, was run by an order of Franciscan nuns. I worked in the Kinderstation- Children’s Department, where I scrubbed floors, brought up meal trays, emptied bed pans and helped the nurses. It was hard work, but very fulfilling. Sister Alexis took me under her wing so to speak. She also informed me of the pending conflict between Cuba and the U.S. and asked if I wanted to go home. I told her “No, I felt safe here.”

She had been a nun in the states for many years, so I learned German from her and the children, and they in turn learned English from me. I roomed with a nurse at an apartment near the hospital and had many experiences there. I made many friends and participated in holiday celebrations.

With a roof over my head, a job and food in my stomach life was good. I traveled via train all over Germany. After a period of time I wanted to move on in my travels. I next went to another hospital in Frankfurt-Katerinan Krakenhaus with a referral from Sister Alexis. This was also run by an order of the Franciscan nuns. Believe me when I say the Germans are very hard working and industrious people. After being here for a while I then went on to Luzanne Switzerland and France. In Paris I had a room at a small hotel – The Hotel Duminy, then on to Italy, Capri, Florence, the Amafali Coast, Pompeii, Rome, Venice, and the Vatican. I met lots of people from all over the world. This was all done when the book “Europe on $5.00 a Day” was extremely popular (I doubt it’s that price now). I ended up staying in Europe for almost two years.

I returned home to Burbank in early 1964. I enrolled in business school and got a job offer with a government agency. While thinking this job offer over, I was introduced to the man who would become the love of my life. A slender guy with flaming red hair named George Hatfield, swept me off my feet. We met in May 1964 and were married on December 12, 1964 in St. Finbars Church. We wasted no time starting our family, our son George Jr. arrived in November 1965, daughter Debra in 1967 and daughter Jessica 1969. We first started our family in Simi Valley in the late 1960’s, moving to Ventura in the early 1970’s and then on to Westcliffe Colorado (where our home was located in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains at the 8,600 ft. elevation level), Ft. Smith Arkansas and back to our home base of California by the 1980’s. We traveled the United States extensively on family vacations in our motor home when our kids were young. I was fortunate enough to be able to be a stay-at-home mom during much of this time. I eventually went back to work in various clerical capacities. George and I were married for almost 41 years; I was his primary caregiver for the last seven years of his life. His brave battle ended on October 29, 2005.

I’m a busy grandmother to six grandchildren, three boys and three girls ranging in age from 8 to 14 years.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion!

-Judy Hernandez Hatfield

POSTED BY JUDY HERNANDEZ HATFIELD