Jan Ewing:  

I started out in music, which had always been my principal interest. After graduating from Citrus I went east to music school, got my bachelors degree in voice and piano from the Oberlin Conservatory (which included study in Salzberg, Austria, as the protege of the great, Wagnerian tenor, Max Lorenz), and did my Master¿s work at the Eastman School of Music (where I received the last fellowship in voice to be personally awarded by the director of the school, the well-known composer, Howard Hansen). After that, interestingly enough considering my training, I went into the Navy. They drafted us in those days, as some of you may recall, and I knew I had to do something because, even though my days in California were basically behind me, I started getting letters from the Los Angeles draft board wanting to know what I was doing. After looking into it, I decided that 1) sailors have by far the best uniforms, and 2) being an officer is a lot less confining than being a squid or grunt, so I took a commission as a line officer which turned out to be a terrific experience. They let me drive the ship. I loved being at sea (looking out and seeing nothing but the curvature of the earth puts everything into perspective), and what I learned from my division, 27 young men ranging in age from their late teens to their mid-20s, was priceless beyond words. After that I took some time off and bummed around. As the 60s waned, I lived in Morocco, Spain, Austria, ...Expand for more