Delbert and Donald Wilson joined the US Navy in early 1934, and were assigned to the USS Chicago on the East Coast. Later that year, the cruiser was based in Southern California. Three of their mother Leora’s siblings lived near there, so the teenagers were invited to their homes whenever they were in port.

Their Uncle Clarence Goff tried to get tickets to Rose Bowl Game of 1935. The game was sold out, but they got to watch the Rose Bowl Parade the parade. The next year, they did get to attend the Rose Bowl Game.

What began as a small effort by Pasadena’s Valley Hunt Club to promote the city’s charm and beautiful weather, the Tournament of Roses has since become America’s New Year Celebration. During the winter of 1890, the club members brainstormed ways to promote the “Mediterranean of the West.” They invited their former East Coast neighbors to a mid-winter holiday, where they could watch games such as chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo and tug-of-war under the warm California sun.

The abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to add another showcase for Pasadena’s charm: a parade to precede the competitions, where entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blossoms.

In 1895, the Tournament of Roses Association was formed to take charge of the festival, which had grown too large for the Valley Hunt Club to handle.

Leora Goff was born in December of 1890, about the time the Valley Hunt Club began coming up with ideas for a New Years Day celebration. After learning about the excitement of the the Rose Bowl festivities from siblings living in Southern California, and her own sons during the 1930s, Leora hoped to get to see it in person someday.

1952

Leora, her mother, and her aunt visited Wayne Goff in late 1951, perfect timing to get see the 1952 Tournament of Roses Parade in person.

From Leora Goff Wilson’s memoirs: “Mother [Laura Jordan Goff] and I and Aunt Floy Cowden [Laura’s younger sister] went by train to California to visit brother Wayne [Goff] and sister Ruby [Goff Blockley, 10 years younger than Leora] the winter of 1951-52. We left here the 9th of December, as I remember. Jennings [Goff], my brother, came over from  Omaha to get us and to take us to the train. It took two days and nights to get to Long Beach, California. Wayne [Goff], Ruby and Bob Blockley were there to meet us.

“Aunt Floy [age 74] . . . attended the Tournament of Roses with us. Wayne lived just two miles from the parade route so we walked, as parked cars were filling in on all the streets and we would have to walk a distance anyway. Aunt Floy had to drop out. She insisted we go on. Someone came along and took her.

“Mother [age 82] stayed at Wayne’s. We went with Wayne the day before to get his first T-V set so Mother could watch it on T-V. No color back then, but it was wonderful, anyway. After the parade and back to Wayne’s, we ate our lunch and took Mother with us to see the floats where they all parked after the parade. Folks were all over taking pictures. I had my camera and took quite a few pictures.”

After a late lunch at Wayne’s, they watched some of the Rose Bowl football game on his new TV. Wayne took the ladies to see the Rose Parade floats, which for two days were parked near the Sierra Madre Mountains for a large crowd of sight-seers to enjoy.

They got to Wayne’s in time to see the last few plays of the Rose Bowl game. Illinois beat U.C.L.A. 40-7. Leora recorded the U.C.L.A. was “so mad and humiliated they left their suits in lockers at Rose Bowl ‘till they broadcast for them to come take them out.” 

This was also the trip where they ordered Postum in a tavern!

For decades, both mother and daughter looked forward to watching it on TV (black and white TV, then in color) every New Years Day.