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| Lillian Margaret circa 1929 |
Fashions for women were, for the most part, dictated by the glamorous Hollywood stars. One such star was Clara Bow, known as the "It" girl. She wore her hair very short - her mouth was made up in a cupid's bow, and rouge adorned her cheeks and knees. Her skirt was at a length which gave one more than a glimpse of her silk stockings rolled above her knees. A one-piece garment called a Teddy was worn underneath this skimpy attire. The Charleston was the popular dance of the hour, and although the music was basically the same, everyone danced their own version of it. It was not a "togetherness" dance, to be sure.
An opportunity for advancement presented itself in the downtown office of the Wabash Railway where I obtained a position as a stenographer-typist. Gen McGrath, a secretary there, and I not only became good friends but we learned that many years ago our fathers had worked together in the switch yards for the Wabash Railway, and they too were good friends. Gen was an attractive brunette - a most likable gal, and her warm, friendly way was only exceeded by her Irish wit. She was instrumental in changing my country bumpkin manner and appearance to a stylishly groomed, well poised, confident young lady.
Since Coolidge "did not choose to run" in the next election, the Republicans selected Herbert C. Hoover, the Secretary of Commerce for President. Alfred E. Smith, a product of the Tammany Hall machine of New York, and a Catholic, was nominated by the Democrats, but he came out strong against the Prohibition Amendment (the 18th) and many Democrats who were "drys" voted against him - thus Hoover won by a landslide over Smith.
Although Hoover came to the White House under very favorable conditions, this situation would change shortly as a result of the stock market crash of 1929. Banks were failing - others closed to protect themselves against "runs". Suicides of Wall Street bankers made glaring headlines almost daily in our newspapers. The future of our country was one of pessimism; people looked to the government for help, but it had no plan for such an emergency, and Hoover was not able to come up with one. Father lost his savings in one bank, and for a time it looked as though he might lose his job.
On September 6, 1930 at 4:00 p.m., Pat and I were married at Thoburn Methodist Church. A reception was held at the Church for family and a few close friends.Late that evening found us in a rustic cabin in the backwoods of Muskegon, Michigan. This shack was ours for a whole week. Our "modern" conveniences included: kerosene lamps for lighting, a fireplace for heating, coal stove for cooking, hand pump in the yard for water, and a two-holer fifty feet from the cabin equipped with a Sears Catalog.
To say the "wedding night" was a fiasco would be the understatement of all times - I was as frigid as the inside of that cabin. The next morning didn't improve my temperament or attitude as we had to build fires, sweep the kitchen, wash pots, pans and dishes before we could even start the breakfast. It was my first experience cooking on a coal stove - in fact, the thought of cooking and doing household chores at all on my honeymoon was revolting. We were miles from nowhere. There were no neighbors in the area as most of the cabins had already been boarded up for the winter. The only sign of life was a big ole friendly hound dog that I called "Sam." After four days of pioneering, I threw in the towel and we headed for home.
Pat was very fond of children and was hopeful we would soon be blessed. My thought on the subject was "no dirty diapers and runny noses for me." It had been my responsibility over the years to look after my bratty brother and I wasn't going to be saddled with brats of my own.
My days were busily occupied with homemaking, Woman's Club work, bridge, teas, Red Cross work, etc., but I soon tired of all this, and much to Pat's dismay, I obtained a part time job - then later worked full time at the B. F. Goodrich Tire & Rubber Company. For a short time I worked in the Steno Pool, and also relieved on the two-position switchboard; then the Budget Division opened up and I was promoted to Secretary to Bill Badenhof, the Budget Supervisor. He was young and handsome - was blonde with light blue eyes and had a smile that would melt your heart. We hit it off immediately.
Bill and his men traveled at least four days out of the week selling tires and other automobile and truck products to dealers in five mid-western states. The workload became so heavy that Bill hired another gal. Lorraine Baumann was a young, attractive brunette very conscientious and eager to learn - a real asset in our budget family.
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| Girls from the office - Lorraine 4th from right |
Bill was married to Martha and after seven years of marriage, a little girl blessed their home. He idolized his "little princess" and she was a carbon copy of her daddy: blonde curly hair, light blue eyes and a charming smile. His wife was very unhappy that Bill had to spend so much time on the road, and their marriage began to sour. Martha issued an ultimatum to the effect that "either he obtain a job closer to home •••• or else." After that, Bill was in travel status for longer periods of time. When he did report in to the office we were "snowed" with travel vouchers, reports and dictation; and frequently when he felt the need of a good "sounding board" or a shoulder to cry on, he'd ask me to have dinner with him.
Spending an evening with Bill dining, dancing and laughing together was more therapeutic for me, I believe, than it was for him. He was never at a loss for words, and had a great sense of humor. Would that we had more Bill Badenhofs in this world!
My association with Goodrich came to an end when an opportunity for promotion presented itself to Bill and he transferred to the Goodrich office in Minneapolis, Minn. When his successor took hold of the reins, it was inevitable that sooner or later we would be on a collision course, so I resigned.
Once again I was at loose ends and the idea of travel appealed to me, but when I announced to Pat that I intended to take a trip by myself he was stunned to think I'd even entertain the thought of separate vacations. My mind was made up and away I went on a "Go As You Please" tour to Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. This was the first tour I had ever taken and it was a glorious experience.
Pat decided he would take his vacation too. He arrived home from his trip in Northern Michigan two days after my return. He confessed that he had met a gal in Traverse City, Michigan - she was a Monogram Demonstrator, and her job was to machine monogram bath towels, hand towels, linens, etc. When she came down to Chicago for demonstration work at one of the large department stores he dated her again. It was apparent that Pat was very fond of her, but he had an overwhelming sense of guilt and evidently thought it wisdom to break off any further relationship.
The events of the past few months had not put our marriage on a plane of solidarity, to be sure. Nevertheless, we moved to a new garret apartment located in the neighborhood where I resided as a little girl. Pat was still working a lot of overtime at Link Belt (formerly H.W. Caldwell & Co.) so I found some part time work downtown and occasionally would meet my good friend, Gen McGrath for cocktails and dinner.
In the decade of the 30's, the grim reaper claimed the lives of my maternal Grandmother and Grandfather Freund, and my Paternal Grandmother Albee. It seems that when one reaches the age of maturity and appreciation for one's elders, they are gone.
The overwhelming vote of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a democrat, over Hoover was in essence a desire for change - any change - as the public had lost faith in Hoover's leadership. After FDR's takeeover, one of his first moves was to close all banks in the country until after an investigation could be made of their financial stability. If audits indicated them to be on shaky ground, they did not open again. A plan was inaugurated to insure deposits to prevent further "runs" on banks.
During FDR's administration, so many agencies and bureaus were created they were commonly called the alphabetical agencies. A depository was built at Ft. Knox, and literally billions of dollars worth of gold bullion, serving as a basis of value for our money, was stored in the underground vaults. The majority of the Acts, including the Social Security Act passed by Congress under FDR's ("New Deal") were intended to meet the immediate situations of the national emergency.
President Roosevelt was unanimously nominated and won a second term, promising to continue what he had been doing; and when in 1940 he won again for a third term, the tradition of only two terms for any president was broken. Four years later it was FDR again for a fourth term with Harry S. Truman of Missouri as his running mate.
My brother's friends were mostly from the Cedar Lake/Crown Point, Indiana area, so it came as no surprise when Harold announced he and Neva Alexander were planning to be married on September 1, 1939. Neva was one of eight children and lived with her family on a farm in Crown Point, Indiana. When the Alexanders (two sisters and six brothers) tuned up their musical instruments, it was truly a jam session.
With less than two weeks' notice, my father was released from his position in 1940 after fifteen years of service at Strauss & Schram, a Mail Order House. The layoff was due to the reorganiization of the company, and the new policy of the firm to hire younger men. After months of pounding the pavement looking for work, father obtained a WPA job in the war plant of the Pullman Company in Hammond, Indiana.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was one of the alphabet agencies set up by President Roosevelt to provide jobs for the people on the home front. His next job a few months later was Traffic Dispatcher with the TransAmerican Trucking Company in Detroit, Michigan. My parents' stay there was short-lived, and upon their return to the midwest they purchased some farm acreage in Crown Point, Indiana, on which a home was built, in addition to out-buildings to house 1000 White Leghorn Chickens, and a few pigs. A black Cocker Spaniel puppy was later added to the menagerie.
In spite of the fact that President Roosevelt assured American Mothers "that your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars", our security bases were being pushed farther and farther toward Europe and Asia; and as the war went on in Europe, our participation became greater all in the name of defense. Munitions and other war supplies were sent to countries at war with the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). FDR argued that the best way to keep out of war was to help other countries defeat the Axis Powers by making this country "an arsenal of democracy."
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, a state of war was declared on Japan, then on Germany and Italy, and soon most of the nations of the world were drawn into the war either in Europe or Asia.
Major Lawrence Rector came to live with his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Darche, who happened to be our landlords. Major Rector was a Personnel Officer stationed at 6th Army Headquarters in downtown Chicago. With Pat working overtime almost every night, the Darches invited me down one evening to meet their cousin, and thereafter we all spent many pleasant evenings trying to solve world problems, etc.
It was an ambition of mine for some time to get into Federal Government work, so during the summer of 1942 I passed a ClerkTypist examination and was offered a position in the downtown office of the Social Security Board. It was great fun working in the loop - meeting Gen McGrath Friestadt for lunch occasionally and window shopping in the large department stores.
I had become totally disenchanted with my married life, and as far as I was concerned it was just a sham. I knew that Pat would not make a move no matter how unhappy he was, so one day I checked out bag and baggage into a small furnished apartment conveniently located to the Illinois Central (I.C.) commuter train station. During the rush hours the I.C. made it to town in thirty minutes. Although Pat was sad and disheartened over the break he would take me to dinner about once a week, and we continued on this basis for awhile. It didn't resolve anything or rekindle any flames, if that was the purpose of his gesture.
Major Rector called me one evening, and on our first date we attended an Officers' Banquet and Dance at one of the downtown hotels. Major Wayne King (who worked in Personnel with Major Rector) and his Orchestra entertained with his beautiful waltz music.
We dined together frequently after that, and wherever we went we were "favored" with the best seats in the house. Lawrence made an impressive Army Officer - and, I must confess, a man in uniform could always turn my head! He was an excellent cook too, and although my kitchen wasn't much larger than a breadbox, he prepared dinners fit for a king!
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Editor's note: Adding the Wayne King video clip was my idea. Look for Chapter Four October 19.
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