Ernest Damkroger – Born in Forest Lake, Illinois in 1895. His family later moved to Santa Cruz. He graduated from Santa Cruz High school in 1914. He graduated Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1917. After graduating Ernest enlisted in the US Army and served in France. He married Harriet Firestein, another Santa Cruz High School graduate, at the end of 1917. The couple moved to Hawaii. Ernest and Harriet had two sons. The Damkrogers retired to Santa Cruz in 1951. Ernest was very involved in Santa Cruz life, starting the Santa Cruz Boy’s Club, working with the Retired Men’s Club and the Masonic Lodge. He died on the 6th of June, 1984.
Harriet Firestein – Born in Illinois in 1896. She came to Santa Cruz with her family at the age of two. Harriet attended Santa Cruz High School. Harriet Firestein married Ernest Damkroger on December 22nd 1917. They were married in Tacoma, Washington. She lived in Hawaii for more than 30 years, and returned to Santa Cruz in 1951. Harriet and Ernest had three children, Patricia Ann was born in 1920 in Hawaii, but seems to have passed away very young. Their son Ernest died while fighting in Italy during World War Two. The couple’s son Donald survived them and had a family of his own. Harriet passed at the age of 84 in August 1980 in Santa Cruz.
