My brothers, Willie, Andy, Ralph and Bobbie and I could have been swamp cooler installers, repairmen and technical advisers in the 1960s. Including my four brothers, there were 10 of us living in our small 900-square-foot Watts Drive home. Those included my three sisters, Rachel, Espie, Nancy, my dad and grandmother. Living with only a swamp cooler during those hot Bakersfield summers was often a heated challenge.