This scene begins with Raymond receiving his diploma from USC in Aerospace Engineering. It is 1926, and the field of airplane design is growing. After his graduation, Raymond meets up with his older sister, Lena, a distinguished airplane builder, who is just learning to fly planes. At this time of her brothers graduation, she had only taken a few lessons, but was already showing promise as a distinguished woman pilot in Southern California.

    “After the first few lessons had slipped by and I had become somewhat accustomed to having the nose of my airplane go up or down as I pulled or pushed the stick, and seeing the wings respond to its side-wise movement, I began to take some notice of the ship itself”(Rose, 1921).

    Raymond and Lena are particularly excited about Raymond's new degree, because he would be starting his new job soon. Prior to getting an offer to work as an airplane designer, Raymond had been juggling different car design jobs and jobs in rubber production. He had worked at the Ford Motor Company since 1917 in Long Beach, and then more recently at the U.S. Rubber factory (Ethington, Manna From Hell/Petroleum and Inscription of Power).

    Raymond had earned enough money to put himself through college when he was working in the U.S. Rubber factory and was promoted to be a floor manager when they moved their factory from Southern Los Angeles to a new, bigger, factory located on the corner of San Pedro Street and 8th Street.  At 108,750 square feet, this new factory was one of the world’s biggest rubber production factories, and thus Raymond’s job was extremely well paying.

    “Plan’s provide for future expansion, which our experience teaches us will be necessary because of the great industrial growth this territory is bound to have. Such a move has been under consideration for some time…[This move] will allow for the most efficient handling of resources and expanded production" ("Five-Story...San Pedro", 1923).

    This job allowed for Raymond and Lena to live comfortably in urban Los Angeles, and for Raymond to help fund Lena’s flight lessons, but Raymond’s true passion was Hollywood. Raymond and Lena were both raised in a time when airplane design and airplane travel was small and unpopular, but in the past couple of years had transformed to be one of the most popular fields. Lena, as a women, was often inspired by famous airplane pilots such as Amelia Earhart and her teacher Anita “Neta” Snook. Raymond and Lena considered these pilots to be celebrities and often saw them in exhibitions and events. Many globally known pilots came to LA because Long Beach and Glendale were well known in the airplane field.

    “Amelia Earhart, first woman trans-Atlantic flyer, dropped down on the Glendale Airport from Yuma, Ariz., yesterday afternoon at 1:30 o’clock and immediately went to the Biltmore where she will reside during the remained of the air meet at Mines Field… The flight to Glendale was made in two hours and fifteen minutes, and average of nearly 100 miles per hour” ("Miss...Town", 1928).