Engagement - Dec. 20, 1960 to June 14, 1961

Eileen Albertson Engaged to Walter Petersen

-- Times News

"Arnold and Verna Albertson of Gooding, Idaho, announce the engagement of their daughter, Eileen, to Walter Ray Petersen, the son of Ray and Jane Petersen of Wendell, Idaho.

Eileen graduated from Wendell High School in 1957 as the salutatorian and from a 12-month advanced Executive Business Course at Stevens Heneger Business College in June 1958. She worked for one year at First Security Bank in Salt Lake City for the Eccles brothers in the presidential/vice presidential wing, and is currently attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.

Walter graduated from Wendell High School in 1952, and attended the University of Idaho, receiving a 4.0 the first semester, and 3.9 the second semester, while also being on the freshman basketball team. Boise Jr. College recruited him for the 1953-1954 basketball year, where he graduated as valedictorian from the 2-year Jr. College in the Spring of 1954.

At age 20, (which was the required age for missionaries then) he was called as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Uruguay/Paraguay Mission. He served from August 1954 to March 1957. He was an Assistant to the President for the final 9 months of his mission.

When he returned, he attended BYU in Provo for 1 quarter, then transferred back to the University of Idaho in Moscow where he was majoring in Civil Engineering. However, during that first semester back, he changed to Pre-med, graduating in 1959. He was accepted to the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Their wedding date has not been decided at this time."

Here's Walt on New Year's Day 1960, looking at my photo, as we were about to be separated as he left for St. Louis to finish his second year of medical school.

I can't get these black and white photos to lighten up, no matter what I try....sorry. This is New Year's Day of 1961 when we would soon be parting till he finished his second year of medical school in St. Louis, and I finished my semester at BYU.

I'm looking at his photo.

We put our engagement announcement in the Times News, (paraphrased at the beginning of this blog) which then the custom was to just put the girl's photo in, then the photo of the couple was put in for the wedding announcement--after the wedding. I like today's custom of having the couple's photo to announce the engagement and forthcoming wedding.

We hadn't decided on the exact date.

I had always had the notion that after you were engaged, you chose some romantic date....but oh no, I soon learned that you had to check out both families' schedules and then fit in a wedding date that worked for both families.