Emily Nevada Smith
JOHNSONS   LUTTRELLS   JACK FRYE   DIE-CAST   SAILPLANES   MUSIC
Esquire magazine clipping
    My father Ken Johnson has always been one to read just about everything non-fiction he can get his hands on ever since I can remember. He also has been a great historian in regards to many subjects and especially our Family Heritage which I am deeply indebted to for passing on to me so many interesting and provocative rememberences.

     This small representation of the
Smith Family and Emily is one that is near and dear to my heart for a few reasons. One, because of the Internet I was able to locate Emily's only daughter, my third cousin Nevajac Moore whom I have never met. We have since been in contact and I must say she is a great lady and a trooper in the trenches on behalf of many families across this country. I'll share a little more about this so stay with me. Secondly, Emily was my fathers favorite cousin and was married to a man with a very colorful career that literally shaped our countries mode of travel through Aviation and it's beginnings. And as you might already know by my link on Sailplanes, I love aircraft. Finally, and most importantly, I love family. It's been my desire to find as many members as possible during this short stay on planet earth. We need to draw near to family, not tear them apart as it seems society today is so bent on achieving. No, our families are the most important thing we have besides the good Lord above.

     THANK'S for stopping by, I hope you enjoy this little expose' on my family. I would encourage you to look into your own heritege also, you never know who you might find in turn uniting our families towards home
.............EJ

    My Grandfather Ken Johnson Sr., had 7 brothers and sisters. The eldest sister's name was Lillian who married a man by the name of Buck Smith. Buck was a high stakes gambler that traveled around the western States in the 20's playing poker games wherever they were held. Most people in those days were not mechanically inclined, so Buck talked Grandpa into becoming the driver for him and his gambling buddies.
     Grandpa's job was to drive them wherever a big game was being held and to sit in the car until they finished, then to rush them out of town before they could be followed. All of the gangsters always knew when a big game was going on, so Buck always wanted to get out of town as soon as possible.
     Over the years while traveling all over California, grandpa would point out to my dad and his sister Jeanne those places in Oroville, Sonora, Fresno, Bakersfield and Ventura where he had waited for the poker players.
     Buck later became a part owner of
The Bank Club in Reno, which backed up to Harolds Club. He and Lilly had 3 children, Dorothy, Emily and Jimmy.

    
    Then as the gambling life took it's toll, Buck and Lilly divorced and Lilly moved to Las Vegas. Grandpa always said you could tell whether Buck was winning or losing by seeing if he was driving a Duesenberg or a Model "T" and whether he was wearing his big diamond ring, which he periodically had to hock. Even a profficient gambler goes from rags to riches and back again.
     Dorothy was the eldest of the Smith children and became a showgirl and dancer. I suppose her involvement in this occupation influenced Emily to also persue this avenue of business. The first time my father saw Emily was in 1938 when both families were driving to Pismo Beach for the day and he remembers he thought she was a real beauty. The Smiths were ahead of Grandpa's car on the highway and dad can still remember her pretty red hair flowing out of the car window. Over the years dad never saw her but heard she was advancing in show business. She had done bit parts in movies that dad saw, and he cut one picture of her out of the Police Gazette, and another out of Esquire magazine as you see here.
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Emily was in "Minskey's Follies" in Florida and when dad was about 17 (1946), he read that she had been picked "Showgirl of the Year" that year.
Police Gazzete clipping, 1945
    Then as told by Uncle Reginald Johnson, Emily met Jack Frye at an "after show" hangout that show business people frequented after their nights work was over. The first meeting apparently did'nt seem too amicable according to uncle Reg, because the show type people were very clannish and did'nt seem to appreciate a "square" businesman trying to insert himself into their parties.
     Jack was then either President or Vice-President of
TWA Airlines, was Vice-President of the AGFA (ANSCO) Film Corporation, and was director of many other corporations, yet the show business people did'nt want him around.
     Finally Emily and Jack were married. They had homes in New York, Europe, Hillsborough California and Texas. He also had Cadillac's stationed all over the country with the liscense plates reading
"JF-1", so they would have a car waiting whenever they flew into another town. Since the number "1" was the Govenor of each states number, they did'nt need drivers liscenses and any tickets they recieved would be fixed, or usually not issued to them at all.
     Dad was also told that when Jack and Emily were married, Jack gave Emily one of his oil wells in Texas as her own allowence and that she could do what she wanted with the money from the well!

     As you can tell up to this point, show business was a prominent part of Emily's life, even her name has the show business influence as it was taken on from the movie character "Nevada Smith" played by Alan Ladd. Emily quite often worked with Hollywood figures and actors including Ethyl Merman who was a close friend of the family. Jack and Emily had one child, their daughter
"Nevajac". I was very fortunate to finally find her through all my efforts and persistence on the Internet, that we will one day finally meet and have some wonderful stories to share.
     Your probably wondering how the Frye's arrived at choosing their daughters name? They owned a ranch in Arizona that needed a name, so while christening the ranch one evening with dignitaries and guests, Emily conferred with her husband and they decided to call it
"The Nevajac Ranch", thus Nev's first name was born. Remember uncle Reginald Johnson? He was Nev's favorite uncle on the Johnson side of the family. She still remembers him and his cute parakeets he'd train to do tricks pulling little wooden wagons and cracking jokes. Oh those were the days.

Emily Nevada Frye, God bless her passed away in 1985...
    
More about Nevajac
This is one incredible family for the new millennium with a burning purpose in their hearts.

Against a wall on the sheltered stage, a row of signs voice silent screams reading, "Save the children from the child-savers, help us light their way home," "Governor Cellucci, 71 dead foster children is not a 'few mistakes,' how do you sleep at night?" and "Missing: DSS took Tarri." A flyer reads, "STATE LEGISLATORS need to hear our stories & make drastic changes to STOP state sanctioned child abductions."

After her two children were removed from her home by the Department of Social Services following an incident of domestic violence involving her husband in 1997, Nevajac started "Justice for Families," a support group for parents who believe that they have been mis-treated by the DSS.

She has been successful. The February 9, 1999 edition of The
Boston Globe ran an article about her and her husband stating that the Moores "did more than get angry at the DSS, they got organized."
"Justice for Families has four bills in the House which would do the following"
1 - All questioning of children by DSS would be videotaped.

2 - A comprehensive guide would be available to give people the benefit of hard-won experience on how to deal with the DSS.

3 - DSS would be prevented from viewing children in a state of nudity.

4 - The fourth is what Nev calls "Tarri's Bill." It would provide a hotline that must be available to all children in state of care. Tarri is a child who ran away from foster care claiming abuse. She was recaptured by DSS and here whereabouts are now a mystery.
    Nev Moore has deep roots in the government of this nation. Her family dates back to Virginia in 1648. She is a direct descendant of Joshua Frye, George Washington's commanding officer. Upon his mortal wounding at the battle of Will's Creek, Frye handed his command to Washington and the rest is indeed history.
     Her father, Jack Frye was an aviation pioneer, and co-founded
TWA with Howard Hughes. Frye, who was a close friend and advisor to President Harry S. Truman, was asked by the administration to consider a run for the White House. He declined a run for office and was appointed the head of General Aniline and Film, a German company taken over by the allies following World War II.
     When she is not helping parents in their battles with the DSS, Nev enjoys working in her garden. She also bakes and cans her own vegetables. She and her husband are both very "home-oriented" people. She has always thought that this was a very healthy lifestyle; one that teaches her two children many things like how to be self sufficient, disciplined, as well as about conservation and responsibility.
Justice for Families can be reached at
(508) 362-6921
Their address is:
P.O. Box 141

Barnstable, MA. 02630
Or visit the JFF website at www.firedocs.com/familyjustice/
click for JACK FRYE >>>