Linda (Straight) Nilsen

Linda & Gordy Nilsen

I’m delighted to share my story with you! I was born in Glendale, California, on February 19, 1945…and yes, I’m telling you the year for a reason. Most of our classmates were born in 1944. I started school when I was 4 years old, which meant that I was always the “baby” in my class. It never bothered me at the time, but looking back, I’m surprised that my parents sent me off to school so early. I know that I was a very “ busy” little girl, so perhaps they needed some relief! In any case, I loved school and it all worked out well!

When I was a little tot, we lived in Glendale, in Southern California. My father was a well known musician in Los Angeles working in films, studios, and live productions. But by the late 1940’s, he was growing weary of all the Hollywood politics. So my parents bought a small fruit ranch on Latimer Avenue in Campbell.It was a beautiful place and I was a fortunate child to grow up there. Our orchards were mostly prune trees, some cherries and English walnuts. We sold the prunes to Sunsweet. A favorite memory is running through the orchards with my collie, Princess. I would find wounded blackbirds and worked hard at “saving “ them by splinting injured wings,etc. The poor birdies usually died, but I felt I must try to help them. Latimer Avenue was so rural then. A veritable paradise! As I remember, the old bridge and creek that cut through Latimer Avenue was a dividing line of sorts for the school districts. Because I lived west of the creek, I started kindergarten at Moreland School. I graduated from Castro Jr. High with most of the same kids who had attended kindergarten with me. In 1958, we all were freshmen at Campbell High School. I mention this because, sadly, many of these  Moreland “kids” were later  transferred to Del Mar or Blackford, which meant that I never saw them again. In any case, Campbell High was the greatest and I felt fortunate to have such stellar teachers and participate in such an excellent music program.

The photo above is a scene from "Dark Victory", starring Bette Davis. My
father is playing the clairnet right behind her. Just one example of many
films he was in.

After high school, I went to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. I loved college and was amazed at how well prepared I was, thanks to Mrs. Korbanski, and Mr. Tarr, and so many others! We really got a first rate education at Campbell High!

 My first week of college, a cute guy introduced himself to me. We both sang in the concert touring choir, band and orchestra ( yes, I loved my flute and continued playing through college), so he and I were together quite a bit. That man was Gordy Nilsen, the man I’ve been married to for 56 years! 
After 2 years at Cal Lutheran, I transferred up to San Jose State, as I wanted a few more academic options. Gordy and I were married in San Jose in 1965. I had 2 classes left at San Jose State, graduating in 1966. 

We moved to St.Paul,Minnesota, so Gordy could attend Luther Seminary for the next 4 years. During that time, I taught children with disabilities, from brain damaged and birth injured to autistic children. This was my all-time favorite job, using my psych major from San Jose State.

Now, our family…We moved back to California for Gordy to get his teaching credential in music. I then completed my fifth year for teaching and received my California teaching credential. Strangely enough, we found that we really missed Minnesota, especially the four seasons We returned to Minnesota in 1975.I never thought I’d be a Mid-westerner, but we’ve enjoyed living here  for decades. Gordy taught music in the public schools and also served as a chaplain at a State Hospital. As for me, I taught classroom, Title I, and Special Education for 33 years. I loved working with children all those years, especially with those who struggled.Gordy and I have been blessed with three fantastic kids : Kristin, Erik, and Jennifer. Our kids were “busy”, being so involved in music, sports, dance, drama…truly never a dull moment!! Those were precious years and they flew by too quickly.The girls now  live nearby in the Minneapolis area. Kristin is a librarian and writer. We are so excited that she has just had her first book published! Jenny works in home health care and is a gifted musician .Erik lives in Los Angeles and owns and runs Lemon Tree Studios, two buildings of recording studios in LA for music artists. I’ve enjoyed many activities throughout the years. Here are a few! By the time the kids were off to college, I treated myself to studying British Literature in England during the summer. I traveled to the UK for many summers and loved every minute, really a dream come true for me!

I retired from teaching in 2000, so decided I would sell MaryKay cosmetics, just for something different! I really liked running a small business and was able to pay for more travels from my profits. And I found that I enjoyed selling products I believed in.

When I was at Campbell High, I was very involved in FHA. I loved to cook and bake and competed in the County Fair every summer. I continued this interest over the years. So when Taste of Home Magazine was being launched, I was asked to be a Field Editor for them. I did this for years, submitting recipes, stories, working on cookbooks, etc. It was a wonderful opportunity and I learned a great deal about the magazine world!

A recent photo and article of Linda.

"We are featuring Linda Claire Bergstrom Straight Nilsen. It’s time for Betty Crocker to step aside as Minnesota”s own Ina Garten does her thing in her Applewood Point kitchen. Tomorrow”s show will feature Linda and her grand daughter, Rachel as they do their thing.  Linda’s cookies….Mmmmmmmm !"

Linda"s cannng project..

The food on the cover of the cook book "Complete Guide to Country Cooking" was prepared by Linda.

Gordy and I have now sold our big two story family home in Anoka, MN (yes, this is Garrison Keillor’s home town) and we now live in a pretty apartment in a senior co-op. I miss my beautiful gardens, another hobby I forgot to mention, but I’m adjusting. We enjoy traveling to California during the winter, especially to Palm Springs, where our son owns a condo. Lucky for us!

Photos below are gardens from previous home

On a recent visit to San Jose, I was attending church one Sunday and started visiting with a lovely woman. You’ll never believe this…it was Sylvia Moore, our PE teacher from Campbell High School. She started teaching in 1958. We were her first class! Such a  surprise to see her after all these years!

I’ve saved the best for last. Besides our dear children, we have two amazing grandchildren. Liam is 19 and attending college, studying ecology. Rachel is 15 , a sophomore in high school and a gifted artist. What a blessing they have been to us, and what fun it’s been to be their grandparents. 

My cousin and I were in Bavaria to attend a friend’s
wedding. We were asked by bride to wear the
dirndls, which we bought in Salzburg. Hilarious!

In spite of our world being in such a topsy-turvy state, I try to find goodness  and gratitude each day. When I look back over my life, I am humbled at the gifts I’ve been given.