Anyone who has lived in Saudi Arabia and worked for Aramco for any length of time has a wealth of stories to share about life in the Kingdom. One of the great joys of operating this website is being able to help people share their stories of the KSA with other readers.
For that reason, beginning with this issue of the newsletter, we are pleased to offer to our readers excerpts from the memoir of the late Colleen Wilson, who recently passed away. Colleen entitled her book, "First Trip to Saudi Arabia."
Colleen recounts the highlights of the five-plus years in the early '50s when she lived in Saudi Arabia with her Aramcon husband, Oran Wilson, and their two children. Olan Keith and Victoria.
A 22-year-old, small-town girl from the East Texas oil town of Overton, 120 miles east of Dallas on the way to Shreveport, Louisiana, Colleen set off from home by train for New York City filled with nervous anticipation and excitement at the prospect of joining her husband Oran in a far-off land of mystery.
At NYC's Idlewood Airport—better known today as JFK—Colleen boarded an Aramco DC-4 appropriately named, “The Flying Camel”.
Thus began the adventure of a lifetime, whose details fill the pages of Colleen's lovely, highly-personal account. I'm sure that, like I have, readers will find her stories rich and rewarding.
Colleen has gone from us, but she remains alive in our memories through her enchanting stories.
Her own words describe her feelings about the KSA perfectly:
"I loved living in Saudi Arabia and having the privilege of meeting and associating with all the people of all nationalities I encountered. For this unequivocal opportunity, I give praise to Allah.