Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline McElroy
Hi Caroline, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Having a natural ability for dancing, it was only logical that I would take dance class as a kid and then move on to stages at the Teen Fairs staged at the Hollywood Palladium as a Go Go Dancer, teen dance shows, film and commercials. I rode that wave until it was time to graduate from Van Nuys High School. The high school tested my aptitude and teaching and writing were my strengths. The only classes the high school offered for teaching were in the Homemaking genre of Child Development which I took. I always chose classes where I could write until college where I studied Journalism as my minor and I studied Early Childhood Education as my major. During that time as well as high school art was always somewhere in my class schedule. While in college I traveled up to San Fransisco and hung out in the Haight/Ashbury district in California and also hung out in Berkley. During this period of my life I was a Hippie and my motto was “Freak Freely”. As a teen I was arrested for curfew on the Strip a bit after interviewing the Grassroots for a teen magazine at the world famous Whiskey A Go Go as well as rousted on Laurel Canyon where I liked to hang out as well as a nightclub on the Strip called The Hullabaloo. Yes, I was firmly ensconced in the music scene of Hollywood at that time. For the majority of my teaching experience I wasn’t that involved in the music scene. It wasn’t until my eldest son told me an unflattering story in the 80’s about a then popular rock band whose lead singer was dallying with a minor…that infuriated me. It’s at this point that I will confess to knowing Rodney Bingenheimer when he was hanging out around The Hullabaloo. Jane Wiedlin’s assertions are within the realm of reasonability about Bingenheimer. Back then I was more interested in listening to “LOVE” at Bido Lito’s who were my favorite local band. Recently , Robert Plant attended a “LOVE” gig in the UK and bought merchandise. Turns out he’s a “LOVE” fan from way back just like me. I still attend gigs at the Whiskey A Go Go, the Rainbow and other local clubs as I think it’s in my blood.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When it comes to the music side of my adventures, it wasn’t a very smooth ride. There was and still are sexual predators that prey upon the naïveté of young girls. There was an artist’s manager named “Barbara Bell” that told me the rules about musicians, music business hustlers and hangers on. The most important things to keep from her astute mentoring was never go backstage or the office at a gig. I was called “Little Sister” and word went out to treat me like their “Little Sister.” I was safe until I turned 18-years-old and then it got ugly. I was glad to go to college when my mother said “Go to college or get out.” As a teacher there is a different type of pressure. It was pretty obvious by my attire that I was a Hippie, but with an IQ of 150 no one could deny that I new my stuff. I did pretty well working for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Indian Education Program and being a school site supervisor for the Catholic school system, but I was always unhappy with the pay and I was always griping about it. One time when a school psychologist gave a speech while attending a conference for Catholic school teachers/site supervisors said “it is so rewarding working with our children and remember that you are doing God’s work.” Because I wasn’t a Catholic I piped up and “Good! Let me tell the bill collectors I’m doing God’s work.” Shortly after that I went to work for Bright Horizons Family Solutions. I particularly enjoyed working at Discoveries Learning Centers in Santa Barbara, CA. They handle childcare for all the movie studios and I worked at Universal Studios for many years and then worked at Disney Studio’s school which is where I was when I had to retire because of health issues related to my Long Covid after an injection of Dilaudid at a local hospital took the Long Covid out of remission.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Although I no longer teach for Bright Horizons I still write when I am able and create art. I always took art during my stint in grades 1 through 12 as well as college. My first paying art gig was for Junk Sculptor “Duffy of California” where I welded and “finished” the welded art pieces. Today I work with bottle caps and bits and pieces of metal I find while walking around to create sculptures and also collage with specialty magazines, paper and other media such as books. Nothing is photocopied and clients will give me their items that they have curated. It is cheaper for the client to provide items than for me to do it. Of all the pieces I’ve done over the decades my favorite series is “Buddha Rising” which is inspired by the Taliban’s dynamiting ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan. I follow the Dalai Lama and believe very strongly in my Buddhism. I believe it is important to keep our creativity flowing from our minds in order to maintain a healthy soul.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
When I was eight-years-old my mother took my brother and I to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. My maiden name is Morrow and while riding on a people mover (I think it was) in Tomorrowland the ride comes up to “Mr. Morrow” who is wearing a long white coat and has a clipboard in his hands. As soon as I heard “Mr. Morrow” I jumped up and said “that’s my daddy.” My father was an electronics genius (I used to call him Tesla) that did sonar and radar for the military. Because he was a Quaker he went AWOL. Long story short, he went to work with Howard Hughes instead of going to prison. He designed many things for Hughes such as the control panel for the Spruce Goose. As a child I collected rocks and dragged an old beat-up wagon full of potions to sell. My BFF Carol Anne would come with me sometimes and we would collect herbs and flowers for our potions. There was an old time actress in my neighborhood that would put on plays with all of us friendly kids acting them out. It was fun.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @musicmaven9
- Facebook: Caroline McElroy
- Twitter: MusicMaven9
- Youtube: @musicmaven806
