Kay Martinez
I'm Kay Martinez, and I'm my father's daughter.
Arnold J. Martinez
I am Arnold Martinez. I was born in Colorado to Ramona Lovato and Tobias Martinez. My father was in the Second World War. After that, we moved to Utah. I was only 10 years old, and I remember we were very religious.
Kay Martinez
Which religion was that?
Arnold J. Martinez
You know, there was all sorts of things going on, singing and funny sounds coming out, like they were speaking in tongues. I call them holy rollers.
Arnold J. Martinez
Now, we were first at Dragerton, and that's where my father got into the mining business. He was a coal miner at Horse Canyon and Castle Gate.
But my father was hurt in the mines, so he couldn't work in mines anymore. We were very poor, and we were even on welfare. And we moved to Price with this little shack to live in.
Kay Martinez
Made of railroad ties?
Arnold J. Martinez
Yes. That's where we grew up for a lot of my teenage years.
Kay Martinez
Yeah.
Arnold J. Martinez
My mother, my two brothers, and two sisters. And while we were living there, we also had one of my sisters born -- Priscilla, and she was given off for adoption. And then had Darla Dean, who was given away in dire straits. And when my father was away, getting into trouble (he ended up in jail and prison a lot), it was pretty tough getting along.
But back in those days, you could go to a movie for a quarter. I loved movies! Sci-fi was probably one of my basic loves in life.
Kay Martinez
That is true escape. You know, and also an ultimate feeling of hope that there's something more than what we understand.
Arnold J. Martinez
I think I watched every science fiction movie that was ever made, even the bad ones!
I thought it was going to be a pilot. Well, I ended up being in the intelligence service for 28 years. The Berlin assignment was very special, probably my best assignment. And we used to drive around East Germany, taking pictures and so forth.
This was before the wall went down. Berlin was kind of like an island in the middle of a Russian-controlled East Germany. It was populated by Americans, English, and French on the West Berlin side, and the Russians had East Berlin. The Russians were allowed to drive around in West Germany. It was an agreement between us, a very strange, occupied city.
Kay Martinez
I know it was interesting for us as a family as well.
Arnold J. Martinez
You were pretty well free in Berlin because you spoke some German, and what were you doing?
Kay Martinez
Things I don't want to talk to you about. Because I would incriminate myself.
Arnold J. Martinez
One of the things that irked us is that you stayed out so late that you couldn't catch a train back.
Kay Martinez
I know. Well, that was by design, as you well know. That only worked for so long. Then I got grounded.
What I really loved about being in Berlin was we were big fish in a small pond, in a way. That was cool! We got to meet all the top tennis players on the women's circuit.
Arnold J. Martinez
Every place I go, I look for people who play tennis.
Kay Martinez
Well, that's your foot in -- for building rapport, to start friendships. Because that was something we had a lot of practice at, since we moved every two or three years.
Arnold J. Martinez
Yeah. And what did that do to you?
Kay Martinez
Well, you know what, as a kid, you just know that that's your norm. I figured out how to build rapport fast, do things on my own, until I found a friend group, and I didn't rely so much on friends because of that.
Arnold J. Martinez
That gives you that feeling of adventure, and the
Kay Martinez
Yeah!
Arnold J. Martinez
wanderer, the nomad, that could go anywhere.
Kay Martinez
And I still like that. And now I'm in a house on wheels, so I can really go. I don't mind moving someplace where I don't know anybody. I'll figure that out when I get there. So, for me, it's like I'm just another extension of that feeling and having that freedom.
