Stories from my mother #3 - After High School

I spent the summer just having fun. Aunt Edna had a friend who was co-owner of a beauty school in Hartford and Aunt Edna said I could stay with her. She even paid my tuition and gave me a weekly allowance. So off I went to Hartford for a year. She belonged to The Central Baptist Church so I went there and enrolled in the youth Sunday School class, then went to the Youth group. Our youth director, Mrs. Peaslee, saw that I tried out for the choir which had a noted director. My social life revolved around the church. On Sundays I went to SS, then church. At night I went to the youth group, then evening church service, then the youth group would go to someone’s house for a social time. Mrs. Peaslee pointed out the boys with cars and said to ask someone for a ride to it. I looked at this nice looking guy and asked him. His name was Art. We also had activity night every Tues. In the winter we played volleyball or bowled in the church. (Yes, many churches had bowling alleys.) Then in the spring we went to Elizabeth Park and played tennis. It was war time and many people came to Hartford to work in the factories. We had boys from NH, VT, GA, AL and MS. There was also a girl from VT. I started a tradition of always going with Art, and soon we were also going out every Fri. night. Once in a while one of the other boys would ask me out Sat. night. Aunt Edna didn’t have a phone so it had to be an understanding. On Tues., when we had recreation, and Thurs. when we had choir practice, I would stay downtown and have a grilled sandwich and lime rickey for supper before going to the church. It was the cheapest meal, $.15 for the sandwich and $.10 for the soda. It was a half hour walk to the school and church from Aunt Edna’s.

During that year, 1941, Dec. 7^th changed everyone’s way of life as America entered the World War. Young men were subject to be drafted into the military. If they had a job in a factory where products were made that were important for the war, at first they were exempt, but as more military units were needed, the exemptions were canceled.

I had a wonderful year there. I finished my required hours of hairdressing school at the end of August, but had to wait until October to take the exam for a license. A boy, (the only boy in the school) who had already gotten his license was called up for service. He worked in The Milon Beauty salon that was in downtown Hartford. He asked Mr. Milon if I could take his place. Until I got my license, I could only do manicures and shampoos and receptionist, but Mr. Milon took me anyway. There were 3 other girls there. I got my license and stayed on, but in Feb. my then steady boyfriend, Art , was transferred to Wallingford and moved there, so I decided to come back to Waterbury. I was getting off the bus one day and met a girl who had gone to hairdressing school with me. She was just changing jobs and asked me if I wanted her old one. Henri took me on right away. Soon Art was also drafted. By now all the boys our age had gone into the service except ones who couldn’t pass the physical. The girls who were left behind did everything to keep the military boys morale up,- endless letters and packages. Our youth group took the names of all the boys in the church who were in the service and corresponded with them. I was always looking for fun stationary and enclosing cartoons. I wrote to a lot of boys, some of whom I didn’t really know.

I was very active in the church. I became president of the Christian Endeavor and was advisor to the Junior CE. I was president of the choir and superintendent of the Junior Dept. of the SS. We started a teen canteen on Sat. nights at the church for all the youth in the area.  I ran it, and we were supposed to have chaperones assigned, but they often didn’t show up. When it was over at 11 pm, I walked home. It was a little over a mile. I was never afraid. I was also active in the state CE, first as secretary, then pres. I held that job until I got married.

Our YTC kept going  during the war and we used to write group letters to some of the boys. One night one of the boys wrote to Vernon, who, by then , was in the Navy, that I was knitting ‘little things’. I was; they were for friends. When Vernon got the letter, he questioned me about that. To have some fun, I told him, “You should know, you’re the father”  We kept up this  repartee via letters. I told him I had quadruplets, named Abigail, Buster, Carmen and Dudley.. Then I complained that I needed money to take care of them, so he made a $1,000,000 bill and sent it to me. Then  I told him we really should get married for the sake of the children, so he sent me a marriage certificate. I would come home from work and the rest of the family was already at the table. My mail would be at my place, and when there was a letter from Vernon, I would read it aloud. Everyone got a kick out of it. He said his buddies used to wonder what he was laughing about when he read mine. In the meantime I had broken up with Art, although Vernon didn’t know it, but he began to get interested in me and I was in him, but I didn’t let him know it. But 10 days after he came home, he proposed and I accepted. That was in April. We were married in  Sept.