On a beautiful Fall day in 1949, two students at Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, Arizona met in an unusual manner. Another student had ridden his motorcycle to school, and after school, was giving some of the girls a ride. When it came time for a girl by the name of Myrna to have a turn another male student stepped up and said, "Let me have a turn driving". So two strangers got on the motorcycle and away they went. On the ride the two students introduced themselves. It turned out they were James Raymond McGrath and Myrna Jane Hancock.
Since Raymond had not wrecked the motorcycle and had returned Myrna safely she consented to let Raymond sit by her in a couple of classes they were both taking......Salesmanship and Courtship andMarriage!
It wasn't long before a little dating was underway. One problem that arose was that Myrna lived in Thatcher and Raymond lived forty-two miles away in Duncan and Raymond didn't have a car. Over the months, when the need of a car was crucial, he was able to use his parent's car or borrow a car from various friends. A couple of times he had to resort to borrowing his dad's Standard Oil tank truck! That caused some healthy remarks among their college friends!
The policy at the Seminary, where they were taking Courtship and Marriage, was that any students getting engaged during the semester would receive an automatic "A" for the class. Needless to say they both received an "A".
Since Raymond was able to "sell" himself to Myrna and Myrna was working as a salesgirl at J C Penney in Safford they both earned an "A" in Salesmanship .
The Spring semester was a great time as Myrna and Raymond were getting to know each other. As the semester was drawing to a close they decided to get married at the end of the school year.
On 6 June 1950 they were married in the Latter-Day Saint temple in Mesa, Arizona. The afternoon of the day they were married they left for a weeks's trip to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands plus other sights in eastern New Mexico. It was a great trip with one exception. Early in their trip Raymond developed a large carbuncle (boil) on his right wrist. It was very painful the entire trip. The doctor in Duncan finally lanced it when they returned home. When they were entering the Carlsbad Cavern's they found the temperture was quite a bit cooler than it was outside. The cold made the boil throb with pain. Myrna, being the good person she is, let Raymond wear her sweater to relieve the pain.
Notwithstanding the boil, their trip was very enjoyable and memorable. It was the first of many driving trips they made during the next fifty-eight years since they were married. They have been in all fifty states plus several provinces of Canada.
Duncan was to be their home for the first few years of their married life. They rented a small duplex apartment owned by Earl Philpott, the local Holsum Bread distributor. It was adequate but they couldn't live there too long as the people who lived in the next apartment smoked and the tobacco smell came under the walls and made it unlivable for them.
Their next home was a small rent house just west of the Interstate Farmer's feed mill in Duncan. This is where they were living when their first daughter, Laura, was born on 27 July, 1951 in Safford, Arizona.
Laura was a beautiful baby. They thought she was the most wonderful baby that ever came to earth. They loved her and didn't want her out of their sight for even a minute.
On 13 December, 1967 another member was added to this couple's family. This time it was a beautiful baby boy. A son! Now their family was complete! This baby boy was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was named James Roger, and brought much more joy and happiness to Raymond and Myrna. Along with Laura and Karen this happy family enjoyed each other very much. Over the years they have had many wonderful times together.
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