Jayne Kelsey Wickman Oral History

Born May 7, 1919 at Cottage Hospital, Jayne Kelsey Wickman grew up in the Presidio neighborhood and has become a true humanitarian of Santa Barbara. She met Swede Wickman, who she would eventually marry, while vacationing in Los Prietos (Santa Ynez) in 1936, but didn’t fully connect with him until they ran into each other at Fiesta in 1940. They married in June 1941 and moved to Utah for his job. They returned home to Santa Barbara in 1946. After retiring in 1977 from the US Forest Service, where she was an accountant, she started volunteering in the community and hasn’t quit yet. She has volunteered for 30+ years at Cottage Hospital and the Santa Barbara Mission, making her insights invaluable to the oral histories collection.

Above Photo: Jayne (right) with interviewer Mary Louise Days in Ms. Wickman's home  (July 2010).

Clip 1: Sometimes places seem so scary when you’re a kid, but you grow up and realize they aren’t so bad. Jane remembers her father taking her to gamble at the Whittaker Building.

Clip 2: Jane remembers meeting her husband and the elaborate Fiesta event, comparing it to the modern event.

Clip 3: Jane recalls her high school graduation party at a favorite local restaurant – Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens.

Clip 4: Still one of the highlights of downtown Santa Barbara, Jane remembers the Fox Arlington and the Granada opening, and some of the special events she went to (Gone with the Wind sneak preview!!!).