Feminism on Trial

The odyssey of Ginny Galluzzo and Jack Sidote that began in New Paltz, New York in September 1965 ended in early 1966 on the Pacific Coast. After leaving Nevada they headed west, then south toward the Los Angeles area. They settled into a small furnished apartment on the beach in Hermosa Beach. Still naively envisioning the day the two of them would get married and settle down to a normal life minus the beatings, Ginny's disillusionment would, unfortunately, continue. Instead of getting better, the beatings got worse, as did Jack's drinking problem.

Jack found sporadic work at one of the small dives that catered to "local beach drunks" on the pier at Hermosa Beach. Ginny began working in a beer bar in Torrance. Later the two of them worked together for a telephone solicitation company. Ginny managed the office and Jack delivered prizes people had won.

This arrangement, Ginny recalled, worked out fine in the beginning. Jack seemed to enjoy being his own boss and, as he drank less, the beatings stopped. To Ginny, it appeared that they might finally be able to settle down to a normal life. She was even more buoyed by the news that Jack's divorce had finally gone through. But, as always, the good times never seemed to last too long. Jack became bored, especially when deliveries were slow, and he began drinking heavily again.

Then one day she came home and found him in bed with another woman. He was apologetic and defensive, calling the other woman his favorite insult, a "whore," and saying she meant nothing to him. In typical fashion, he managed to put Ginny on the defensive, implying that she was to blame.

Not long after that they opened a bar in Carson with the help of some backers. It was called "No Regrets." As they applied for the liquor license, Jack offered Ginny a strangely worded proposal. "Since we've got to get that beer license, I guess we ought to get married."

It was far from the romantic, wine and candlelight, ring-presenting proposal she had been hoping for but she knew it was probably the best he could do. And she accepted it in that context. On New Year's Day, 1967, Jack and Ginny tied the knot in Winterhaven, Arizona.