Lawrence Richard Majercin

Childhood

Lawrence Sr. was born in Danville, Illinois on February 22,1922 to Michael George and Emilia Mary (Kacmar) Majercin. He had seven siblings, though two - Dorothy and John - died during the Flu Epidemic of 1918.

Excerpts from letter from Bernice Majercin-Zobay, Dated 12/23/96:

My father, (Michael George Majercin)... Occupation in Streator was Glass Blower. Occupation in Danville was Coal Miner. Father came from Czechoslovakia about 1911. His father had come 5 years earlier. He also had a brother Andrew Majerchin in Streator, Illinois and that's where his father lived. His mother stayed behind because of a crippled son who could not have traveled.

My father played the accordion. He spoke in Slovak but learned English & spoke it very well- Was a kind hard working man - and raised a family of 6 children - 2 children died in infancy - during 1915 to 1918. There names were John & Dorothy. Michael was the oldest, then John & Dorothy, Carl, Lawrence, Bernice, Evelyn & Norman. Lawrence was older than me. My father came to U.S. in early 1900's. Bid his mother goodbye & left by foot and went to Poland - over the mountains. He said he had an address on him as Streator, Illinois as his destination.

He could not speak English at that time. He spoke of trying to eat a banana without peeling it. From Ellis Island he made it to Chicago & then to Streator. He played the accordion. Whenever we got company from Streator, they would dance the polka & sing and dance a merry good time. We kids got soda pop and candy.

There are Majercin family in Streator, Illinois. That is where my father settled when he first came to America & where he met and married my mother. His brother, now deceased was Andrew Majercin.

My father said his mother, Anna Peticky never wanted to come to America. She had a crippled son & was unable to leave because of him. I do not know his name, but I do remember him mentioning Bratislava, but I know my father also spoke of living in Prague".

His father and grandfathers were coal miners, and worked in the glass industries that brought so many of the Slovak immigrants to Central Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Most of his relatives lived in the town of Streator, Illinois.

His father, Michael George Majercin emigrated from Kracunovce, Slovakia in 1911. He married Emma Kacmar in 1913 in Streator. They moved to Danville, Illinois, where the family home is today.
(end of excerpt)

Lawrence attended Danville High School from c.1936-1940. His childhood nickname was "Rat". From viewing his childhood report cards, I can safely say that school was not one of his favorite past-times. 

Larry enlisted in the US Army on August 31, 1940 at Chanute Field, in Rantoul, Illinios. He then trained with the 6th Fighter Wing which was headquartered at Faircloth Hall, located at Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The 335th, 66th Fighter Wing, VIII Fighter Command transferred to RAF Duxton, located near Royston, Cambridgeshire, UK. He was the Statistical Officer of the Group, which was headquarted at nearby Sawston Hall. He was in the Air Corp through at least through 1950, possibly through 1955. I have requested his Air Corp and Army records, but they were lost in a fire in St. Louis, MO in the 1950's. Some family stories say that he was an airplane pilot, while others say that he served in the diplomatic corps, as an escort for dignitary's daughters. 

Family In England
Between 1940-1945, he fathered two sons; B. Majercin, in 1944 and G. Tatum in 1945 with Patricia Peters. Patricia petitioned to have her name changed to Majercin in 1944, but there is no indication that they ever married.

According to B. Majercin, his mother, Patricia Peters did not have any intentions of going to the US with Larry after the war. Larry's attempts to bring his sons were rebuffed. The mother threatened to place both of the boys into an orphanage. At that time, Larry stopped his pursuit in getting his sons. Norman Majercin said that it was understood that this part of Larry's life was not to be talked about. (See notes on Barry Majercin for more).
When Graham was 2 years old, he was placed in the Barnabos Orphanage in England.
(Note: In 2012, Barry's daughter located Graham.  The two brothers were finally able to meet in March 2013.)

Return to the US
Larry returned to Illinois after the war, living at home with his parents in Danville.  The 1947 and 1949 Polk's City Directory showed that he was employed at a General Motors factory, and his wife was Helen Pribble.

In 1950, it appears that Larry re-entered the military.  He is listed as being on active duty in the Unites States Air Force, and based at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

On July 28, 1950 Larry married Constance Lee Stevens in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Constance was listed on the marriage certificate as living in Washington, D.C. We have never found any more information about this marriage or Constance.
How the marriage ended is unknown.

Larry married Aletha Altman in December, 1950 in Dayton, Ohio. In 1952 Larry was employed as an accountant for the duPont Corporation and was living in Augusta, Georgia. I assume that he also completed his college education during this time. He was employed by Sunkist Oranges as an accountant while in Florida. 

His wife, Aletha, was an alcoholic and the marriage was difficult. They divorced. She died in San Diego in 1959.

Larry moved to San Diego, CA, c.1957-1959. He lived in an apartment or house in the El Cortez Hotel area of downtown, near 8th Avenue & A Street. Ryan Astronautics first employed him when he came to San Diego. This company eventually became General Dynamics.
Larry met Marie Pacheco, c.1958-59. In 1958 she lived at 1968 2nd Avenue, #11, with her brother R. In 1959, she moved to 4085? Normal Street in the Hillcrest/North Park area of San Diego. She was employed by Walker-Scott Department Store on Broadway and 5th, as a saleswoman and as an office worker. They married on Aril 20,1959 at Our Lady of Guadeloupe Roman Catholic Church in the Barrio Logan area of San Diego.

By 1961, Larry and M. moved to 3821? 46th Street in the City Heights area of S.D. Larry was employed by Western Regional Associates (3875 Granada) as a salesman. In 1962 he was a bookkeeper for Berner-Judd and they had moved to 3612 44th Street. In 1963 they moved two blocks south to 3412 44th Street. He began working for the Hotel del Coronado as an assistant controller. They moved to 911 Grove Street in Imperial Beach, CA, c. 1964. They moved to 1340 27th Street, San Diego, c. 1966.

Their first child, T____ , was born in 1960 at Mercy Hospital in the Hillcrest area. V______ and L_____, were born in 1962 and 1963 respectively at Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa. S_____ and G____ were born at Chula Vista Community Hospital in 1967 and 1968.

Life at the house on 27th Street was a slice of 1960's suburbia. With an acre of land, and horse ranches surrounding the property, the Majercin's soon had a mini-farm of chickens, ducks, geese, a donkey, a colt, and numerous dogs and cats. The children attended St. Charles Catholic School, where the family worshiped.

I have fond memories of life during that time. Trips to the mountain town of Julian during the apple harvest; visits to Ferman Sims house (Larry's cousin who lived in San Diego); trips to the farmland around the Tijuana River valley to pick strawberries. I also remember visiting the Hotel del Coronado as a child, and feeling as if the whole place was my own castle.

Marie's brothers and sisters lived in the San Diego area, which allowed for wonderful family gatherings. Birthdays and holidays would see 20-30 people at any one of our houses. With 17 cousins, there was never a quiet moment.

 Larry was hired by the Hotel del Coronado in 1962. He began as an assistant controller, and then became the controller by 1967. He remained with the hotel until c. 1968? He opened the first game room on Orange Ave. in Coronado, c.1968-1969. It had pinball machines, pool tables, etc., and was apparently quite popular with the personnel stationed on the Amphib. Base and at North Island. The game room was apparently shut down by the city at the behest of M. Larry Lawrence, who owned the Hotel del and wanted to put a game room into the hotel. My father was sued by Lawrence, c. 1969 regarding a loan of approx $1,000. Larry then worked for Travelodge Hotels Inc. as an accountant, traveling extensively. He was also involved in a real estate development called "California City".

Larry was in ill health during the mid-to-late 1960's. He smoked at least two packs of cigarettes a day. He had a number of strokes, and was hospitalized frequently. Circa 1970 he became paralyzed on the left side of his body after a serious stroke. He died on July 14,1971 at the Balboa Naval Hospital. He was buried with military honors at El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, CA on, July 18,1971.

1922-1940: 315 Oakwood Street... Danville, IL...61834
1940-1943: US Army , England
1950: Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.
1950 - ?: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; Dayton Ohio
1952:  1001 Greene Street, Augusta Georgia
1954: 113 East Woodlawn Avenue, Augusta, Georgia
1958-1961: 2668 6th Avenue (?) San Diego, CA (Balboa Park West)
1961-1962: 3821 1/2 46th Street, San Diego, CA (City Heights)
1966-1971: 1340 27th Street, San Diego, CA  (South San Diego)