Oral History
Interviewee:  Fred L. Bristow Jr.   (b.05/18/1955 – d. xx-xx-xxxx)
Interviewer:  Susan Cypert         
Audio Number:  1638     
Duration:   01:05:22
Date:  August 16, 2023
Acquisition Number:  ACC# 2023.059
Topics Discussed:   Growing up in Prescott; 1965 Prescott flood; 1967 snowstorm; Yavapai College; Cross country trip; US Air Force service; Prescott VA Center career; Bashford House moving; Jack Sutter;  Timerhoff Pharmacy; Fort Whipple Museum; Ground Transportation Manager; CVOC Clinics; Prescott VA Domiciliary; Grounds, Laundry and Transportation Manager; Bob Stump VA Dedication; Rohrer Bloom Drug Store; Street Dances.

Bio
Fred Bristow Jr. was born in Prescott on May 18, 1955 to Fred Bristow Sr. and Virginia Bristow. He lived at 841 Walnut St. until 1965 and attended Miller Valley School. In 1965 his family moved to Country Park Estates and he attended Taylor Hicks school and Prescott Junior High. Fred graduated from Prescott High School in 1973 and went to Yavapai Community College for two semesters. On September 24, 1974 he joined the USAF and served four years at FE Warren AFB in Cheyenne, WY. He married Vicki Knott on July 14, 1975 and had a son Joshua Lee in 1976. Fred was honorably discharged in August, 1978 and the family moved to Phoenix, where he was hired by the VA in 1979 in housekeeping.

In January of 1980, he was transferred to the VA in Prescott. His son Wayne Dale was born in 1980 and Fred worked in the VA warehouse until 1986 when he transferred to Engineering as a driver, transferring many WWII VA patients all over the state. In 2000 Fred was promoted to Supervisor of the VA Grounds/Transportation. Fred retired from the VA in 2010 and he and his wife traveled the US for four years in a 5^th wheel. They moved to Morristown, AZ in 2014.

Time             Topic /Subject Discussed
00:01:09    Born 05/18/1955 – Old Yavapai Hospital
00:01:32    Lived at 841 Walnut Street
00:02:01    Miller Valley School
00:02:27    Middle School – Old Prescott Junior High
00:02:50    Taylor Hicks School – 5 & 6th grade
00:02:55    Prescott High School
00:03:10 – 00: 03:51    Prescott Memories – manure spreading
00:04:07 – 00:05:24    1965 – Prescott Flood – Granite Creek
00:05:29 – 00:07:00    1967 Snowstorm
00:07:09    JC Penney roof cave-in
00:07:46    4 feet of snow in front yard
00:07:57    2 feet of snow on roof
00:08:22    1st trip into town – snowmobiles with wagons delivering groceries
00:08:55    Yavapai College
00:08:59    Working at Arco station
00:09:12    Delivery person for Sears on Cortez Street
00:09:43    Lutey Ford
00:10:24    10 week cross country trip – 8000 miles
00:10:31     35 states
00:10:47    Washington Monument
00:11:32    $1000 for trip
00:12:29    Kept diary
00:13:04    Disney World – same as Disneyland
00:14:04    Drove to North Carolina
00:14:55    Joined USAF 08/24/1974
00:15:12    Wife Vicki
00:15:24    F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY 4 years
00:15:51    Horizontal snow
00:16:06    3 months out of the year good weather
00:17:17    Wind chill -40  to -50
00:17:29    1978 - Moved back to Phoenix
00:17:49    Angel’s Do It Yourself Center
00:18:00    Went to work for VA Center in Phoenix
00:18:27    1980 – Transferred to Prescott VA Center
00:18:43    Worked in warehouse
00:21:22    Dad was still working at the Prescott VA
00:21:47    37 years at VA
00:21:56    Bashford House moving
00:22:40    David and Bernie Fisher
00:23:07    Green Frog Inn
00:23:24    VA Duties – Warehouse
00:23:49    Special vault for narcotics
00:24:43    Delivery routes
00:24:49    1985 – Transferred to engineering
00:25:44    Transported patients to other VA locations
00:26:00    Tucson VA – Specialized in cancer treatment
00:26:21    Phoenix – Bone doctor and specialty clinics
00:26:24    Orthopedics and prosthetics – Phoenix
00:27:00    World War I patients
00:27:18    1 World War I patient was a boxer in the Navy
00:27:43    Jack Sutter
00:28:09    On shore when Pearl Harbor hit
00:28:17    Saw USS AZ get hit and sink
00:28:43    Band competition 2 days before Pearl Harbor
00:29:24    Jack witnessed Peace Treaty signing on USS Missouri
00:30:15    Vietnam Vets stories
00:31:10    Army National Guard 6 years
00:31:22    Navajo Army Depot
00:31:40    Dad helped lay concrete road in front of old Armory
00:32:14    Timerhoff Pharmacy
00:32:43    Mining camp dump
00:32:55    Timerhoff medicine bottles
00:33:09    Pharmacy was located downtown
00:33:22    Timerhoff was great uncle
00:33:51 – 00:33:40    Grounds transportation/cemetery duties
00:35:00    Headed set up of Ft. Whipple Museum
00:35:11    Moving Vietnam Vet Wall
00:35:24    Wall was in Prescott between 1989-1990
00:36:35    Supervised Ground Transportation – 10 drivers
00:36:53    CVOC clinics
00:37:07    Drivers in Kingman, Flag, Anthem
00:38:03    Prescott VA Domiciliary
00:38:15    Nursing Home
00:38:50    Prescott VA – “Didn’t call by number, called them by name”
00:39:08 – 00:44:59    Bob Stump Memorial VA Dedication
00:45:04 – 00:46:25    Cavalry patient story
00:47:17 – 00:51:37    Retirement Story
00:51:39    Grounds, Laundry and Transportation Manager 37 years 5 months
00:52:10    Traveling to Montana and Arkansas
00:52:52    Sold house and living in RV
00:53:20    West Coast to Seattle
00:53:36    Traveled 8000 miles in 3 months  - all 50 states
00:54:53    Lives in Morristown now
00:56:47    Grampa’s house made of fish crates
00:58:09    2 boys – Joshua and Wayne
00:58:50    Wayne – 4th generation born in Prescott
01:00:42    Fred and brother Dale rode bikes downtown to sell newspapers
01:00:57    Sold Arizona Republic newspapers at Post Office, 75 cents 
01:01:29    Water gun fights 4th of July
01:01:43    Rohrer Bloom Drug Store
01:01:57    Water balloon fights
01:02:16    Got caught by classmate (police officer)
01:02:51    Street dances on Whiskey Row
01:03:04    Fireman’s races
01:03:27    Boot races on Whiskey Row
01:03:40    5 gallon Igloo coolers
01:04:06    Vicki and Fred’s 1st date at 4th of July street dance
01:04:15    3 grandkids
01:05:07    Growing up  in a little town was a neat experience