“In the 50’s our family got a television, and one of the first programs we ever watched was the Ed Sullivan Show. Oh, we were excited! We all gathered around and Daddy turned on the TV. It just happened to be the night when Elvis Presley was the guest, and he was doing all that wiggling up there on stage. My daddy said, ‘I’m not going to watch that boy, and neither are you.’ He was very strict.
“During WWII, I worked in the Defense Depot. I was also a USO hostess and attended all the USO dances. That’s how I met my first husband, the father of my boys. We dated all through the war, and when he was sent overseas, he wrote me a letter every day. We married in 1945. He was a steel worker, and his job moved him around a lot. Sometimes we joined him, and sometimes we stayed with my parents while he worked, but after a while he stopped sending for us, and eventually we divorced.
“I was by myself then, and it was up to me to support us. At the time, I didn’t think raising children as a single mom was all that hard. I had two good boys, and we always had a pretty good time. I loved them so. I just did what every other mother did: I worked, fixed meals, ironed, cleaned, and took care of the children. We never ate out. I never complained though. I didn’t say anything bad about my situation and never blamed anyone. I was just thankful to have a good job ($1.25 per hour) so that I could take care of my boys. I always prayed that my children would grow up to be good boys, and they did. Each of them thinks they’re my favorite [*laughs*]. We had no money, but we had food to eat and a place to live all those years, so we were happy."
“During WWII, I worked in the Defense Depot. I was also a USO hostess and attended all the USO dances. That’s how I met my first husband, the father of my boys. We dated all through the war, and when he was sent overseas, he wrote me a letter every day. We married in 1945. He was a steel worker, and his job moved him around a lot. Sometimes we joined him, and sometimes we stayed with my parents while he worked, but after a while he stopped sending for us, and eventually we divorced.
“I was by myself then, and it was up to me to support us. At the time, I didn’t think raising children as a single mom was all that hard. I had two good boys, and we always had a pretty good time. I loved them so. I just did what every other mother did: I worked, fixed meals, ironed, cleaned, and took care of the children. We never ate out. I never complained though. I didn’t say anything bad about my situation and never blamed anyone. I was just thankful to have a good job ($1.25 per hour) so that I could take care of my boys. I always prayed that my children would grow up to be good boys, and they did. Each of them thinks they’re my favorite [*laughs*]. We had no money, but we had food to eat and a place to live all those years, so we were happy."
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