Timeline of My Life

1940s

Events in the United States of America and the World

World War II. The Greatest Generation. FDR, last great liberal, established many social programs in prior decade. Europe and Africa devastated.

Events in My Life

I am born (1944), become aware that I am alive, am amazed, go back to sleep. I am a couple of years ahead of the baby boom and this greatly affects my life. Born in Indiana while father away, travel around, live in Quonset huts near Griffith Park, dad is demobbed in California. A sister arrives. I luck out in my mom.

1950s

Events in the United States of America and the World

Post-war peace and prosperity, except for Korean War and blacks. Eisenhower warns of military industrial complex (still completely ignored). Civil rights movement. Cold War and anticommunism. Europe rebuilds. TV becomes widely available and era of power of mass communications is set. Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan. Smog in LA terrible, leads to death, illness. LA’s freeway system begins development, ending public transportation.

Events in My Life

Happy childhood. Parents buy tiny new tract home in Rosemead in 1949 for about $2,000. Sister and I play with each other and neighbor kids, do arts and crafts with mom. In 1951, parents sell Rosemead house and buy Whittier house for $5,000, which they sell for $12,500 in 1954 and dad begins wandering from job to job and place to place, including San Clemente (for one year, 7th grade), Escondido (for one week), Vista (for one year, 8th grade), Covina (for two weeks), and Arcadia, where mom made him stay for four years while I finished high school. I got so I never wanted to pack or move again. Got good at making new friends, though, and sizing up the social structure of a new school. I had a great pet parakeet, Joey. Smog makes my chest hurt, eyes run, many respiratory illnesses. Father’s second hand smoke doesn’t help. Was unaware of my father’s alcoholism and its effect on his employment instability.

1960s

Events in the United States of America and the World

Social unrest, civil rights, Vietnam War, peace movement, hippies, counter culture, rock and roll, Beatles on Ed Sullivan. JFK, our youngest, most charismatic president, good liberal, is assassinated. Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. Martin Luther King and RFK assassinated. LBJ, War on Poverty, defeated by Vietnam War. Much talk about pollution, running out of oil, environmental destruction, species extinction, even global warming. Smog  in LA actually gets better. Marijuana, LSD. Third wave of feminism. Watts riots. Most African countries gain independence from their colonizers. Wars in Middle East.

Events in My Life (my 20s)

I get an advanced education at UCLA. Fraternity parties, early marriage and divorce, grad school, peace marches, friends, women’s consciousness raising groups, sensitivity groups, group marathons, trip to Europe summer of 1966 to see what real political discussion is like. I really DID the 60s, and had a lot of fun.

1970s

Events in the United States of America and the World

The “Me Decade.” Although boomers helped end the Vietnam War, along with TV death reports and Nixon’s efforts, they get discouraged and turn to personal development and individual expression. Yippies.  Oil embargo of 1973 leads to gasoline shortages and long lines, substantiating the need to conserve oil and develop alternative energy sources. More scientific evidence of hole in ozone, environmental pollution, rapid loss of rain forests, global warming due to human activity and machines. Running, jogging, the gym. Nixon and Watergate. 

Events in My Life (my 30s)

I establish career and lifestyle. Teach at Birkbeck College, University of London, 3 years, 1971-73. Part-time college instructor in LA 73-74. Psychologist at Kennedy Child Study Center, 74-75. Teacher at CSUDH 75 on. Have Kelly 1974. Buy Palisades house 1975 for $60,000. Marry Tony 1978, remodel house several times. Father dies suddenly and mysteriously in 1979 (probably due to alcoholism). Exercise, Jazzercise, hiking. I work hard, and have a lot of fun.

1980s

Events in the United States of America and the World

Greed and materialism become good. A likeable, not too bright actor is elected president. Somehow liberal becomes a pejorative, the L word. The corporatization and Disnefication and WalMartization of America is well under way. The “Reagan Revolution” de-regulated much, undid social progress of 60s and 70s, and began the re-distribution of wealth upwards. Household computers. Cocaine. Yuppies. While boomers are self actualizing, ruling class increases its share of wealth and difference between rich and middle/poor increases. Health clubs. Bottled water. Starbucks. Designer labels. Rise in Muslim fundamentalism, which U.S. pretty much ignores. The fall of the iron curtain, Berlin wall, the USSR.

Events in My Life (my 40s)

Most productive period of my life. Have Emily in 1981. Mom retires early to help raise Em. Divorce Tony 1984. Write textbook then, published in 1988, ran to 4 editions, still in print in 2011, when 5th edition is planned. Program of cross-cultural research, go to Israel and Kenya (1984 and 1989), publish or present 1.2 papers per year. Teach 6 to 8 different psychology courses per year, to rave reviews. Have stupid relationship with Michael Moore. Social life is mostly going to Kelly’s performances. Start bird watching. Kelly goes to USSR with Peace Child and communism falls. Being over-worked, I fail to address Kelly’s resentment of Emily and Emily’s need for extra attention and structure.  However, am very happy raising my two daughters and having them both at home with me. We have lots of fun, parties, holidays with my mother and sister, vacations with the Henschels.

1990s

Events in the United States of America and the World

A relatively peaceful and prosperous decade for USA. First baby boomer president, Bill Clinton, does a pretty good job, economy goes well, deficit is eliminated, environmental protections enacted, all brought down because he thought with his dick. Actually, because of concerted effort by right wingers who seemed to just hate him. Slight increase in awareness of terrorism and fundamentalist Muslims, espcially the Taliban in Afganistan. In a paroxysm of denial, Americans buy more and more, larger and larger SUVs, culminating in the urban assault vehicle Hummer, burning oil faster than ever, making smog worse after years of improvement, exacerbating traffic congestion and global warming. Cell phones. Even more Starbucks. At end of decade, the corporations run the world not governments, globalization, outsourcing U.S. jobs overseas, wealth differences increase even more. The rich get richer, etc. Personal computers. Email. The Internet.

Events in My Life (my 50s)

Things start to fall apart. Move into administration, being Chair of Psychology and then Coordinator of Human Services for rest of my career, doing no research, teaching less. Single handedly turn Human Services into a good program, gaining majors, increasing graduation rate from 60% to 88%. Meet Dan as Chair. Kelly leaves home, goes to Washington DC for a year, then goes to UCLA for BA and MA. Emily gets involved with wrong crowd, abusive Florian, drops out of high school, gets GED, goes sporadically to community college. I sell Palisades house for half a million in 1998, move to Seal Beach in 96 to escape Florian, doesn’t work, get Emily a dog and a horse, she finally gets away from him without being killed. She gets her own apartment, then I buy a townhouse for her to live in with her old friend Jenny who fails her as a friend. She attends CSUDH for three semesters, finally getting almost 60 units. Dan’s parents pass away. Serious birding.

2000s

Events in the United States of America and the World

Worst president ever, George W. Bush, steals election, establishes oil oligarchy, sets out to do exactly the opposite of what is good for our country and the world. 9/11 happens in 2001. Bush invades another country (Iraq) for trumped up reasons, cuts taxes for the rich, runs up huge deficit, undoes much environmental protection, tries to impose fundamentalist Christian beliefs, says global warming isn’t happening in face of hottest years ever, makes fundamentalist Muslims really hate us. Homeland Security. Fear of terrorism affects all parts of national life, apparently leading to the reelection of GWB, although there were many election “irregularities.” The military industrial complex is run amok, along with oil companies. Iraq and Afghanistan “wars” are disasters. Democrats and liberals can’t get it together. Cell phones with cameras, video, texting, make it easy to catch people doing stupid things. YouTube. Information overload. In 2008 gasoline goes to $4.50 a gallon rather rapidly, housing bubble bursts, mortgage mess, economy goes south. First black presidential candidate defeats first woman candidate in endless 2008 primaries. Barack Obama wins election!

Events in My Life

Some positives, many losses. My life spins out of control. I learn to cope.

Emily meets Mark, drops out of college, moves to west Hollywood with him about 2002 or 3. Mom dies September 3, 2003. I cry every day. Ingrid Birsten dies. Auntie Ruth dies. Uncle Ted dies. Anita dies. Irene Ford dies. Daran Schwartz dies. Matt is depressed for two years. As I feared but could never confirm, I find out December 2004 that Emily has been using crystal meth and Mark is extremely abusive and exploitative of her. I learn to live in a state of dread. In 2006 Jean retires and moves to Ohio to be with Jim (which she said she would NEVER do) and he gets multiple myeloma. More crying. Chuck Nakamura dies after long fight with pancreatic cancer 2008.

Some very good things happen. Marry Dan in 2000, Matt graduates CSUF May 2004, I retire July 2004, Kelly and John get married October 2004. I get a Mac. Em goes to rehab in September 2005, gets rid of Mark, gets involved with Serg, who is also abusive, and she finally leaves him. I go to Al Anon. Emily gets job LAEC, rides, stays clean. Matt goes to grad school and gets all As, then finds good work, paid and unpaid, doing therapy. I volunteer leading bird tours around Bolsa Chica until January 2010. I get into painting, take lots of art classes, and make new art friends. My watercolor paintings gain some recognition, which is very fun, and I realize that painting is one thing that can improve with age.

November 24, 2007, Madeline Hope Robinson is born!!!!

Beginning of 2010, Emily quits her job and goes to college full time, where she gets straight As, in accounting, of all things.

May 12, 2010, Ryan John Robinson is born!!!!

November 1, 2011, Samuel William Robinson is born!!!!