Memories of Learning at Sherman Institute

Re “Institute Tried to Drum ‘Civilization’ Into Indian Youth,” Feb. 23: I am a member of the Tejon Indian Tribe and attended Sherman Institute in Riverside from 1944 until 1946. I was 12 years old when I left home. I was scared, having never been away from home before. We used to go to Bakersfield once a year for our school wear, but I had hardly ever seen any white people.

I was given two weeks to get the wildness out of me before I entered my first class. I learned that one could turn the lights on with a switch, get water by turning a valve and flush the toilet with water. There were new foods that I never had before -- all of this was new to me. Without the school I would not have been able to attend Bakersfield High School or join the Navy, 1950-54. I enlisted before the Korean War. I spent all of 1951 in the war zone, with a total of 26 months’ duty in Korean waters.

It is correct to say that the school taught me how to live alongside others, plus getting to know English much better. I was an engineer in the Navy, where I studied for and finally received my bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering.

Eddie Montes

Los Angeles