Alice’s 80th Birthday (front row, center) – Tampa, FL in August 2015

It’s been a long time since I published Mom’s interview questions so you can find the prior ones at the end of this post.  I learn so much about my family history by doing the interviews.  For now, lets focus on the last five questions.  Enjoy!

• Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
  • Not really other than when I got married, divorced and purchased a home. LoL
  • I was not mentioned, but my boyfriend, and ultimately, father of my children, was in the Mobile Register all the time while playing football.
• Who were your friends when you were growing up?
  • Sugar (real name was Hermine) and her sister, Punch – These friends lived across the street from my Grandma Laura’s house.  Sugar and Punch had tuberculosis, which was highly contagious at the time, so I was told not to go over to their house.  In spite of her illness, I continued to visit until Sugar called me and told me not to come over.  Tuberculosis almost wiped out their immediate family.
  • Alice (friend in college).  When Alice came to our home during a college break, I was 16 years old at the time and in my first year of college.  All my friends, even Yanetta who was younger, went to the Elk’s Club.  However, I could not attend.  My mother was very strict, and she told me if I went to the Elk’s Club, I would not be able to be a Debutante.  I told her I did not want to be a Debutante, but it didn’t matter.  I could not go.  I thought my mom was the meanest person alive!
  • Yanetta (pictured above, front row, right) – We went everywhere together.  The movies, parties, and fights…yes I said fights!  Check out this story 10 Aug 2015 – The Ditch for details on how we became fighting buddies.
  • Francis – He was a friend and a relative.  See my post on Francis at 23 Nov 2015 – Cousin Francis 
• What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
  • Brookley Air Force base would periodically have air drills.  This was in preparation for an attack on the United States.  During the drills, all the lights, both inside and outside the home, were required to be turned out.  The siren generally started about 11 pm.  The thought process was that the enemy could not see it’s target in the dark.
  • My mother worked at Brookley; however, she lost her job because someone went to the foreman and told him that she did not need a job because her husband worked.  Mom was fired shortly after that incident.

• Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
  • We ate together as a family and mom did all the cooking.  We had the same dishes over and over.  She wasn’t really a great cook.  I didn’t like beans, and she seemed to cook beans all the time.  Looking back, she probably did the best she could with the money available.
  • My grandmother, Momma Eva, could always make a great meal out of nothing.  She was an excellent cook.  As an example, Momma Eva would take leftover grits and put them in a cup in the fridge.  The next day, she would slice the grits horizontally and cook them with an egg.  They were fabulous.
  • I do remember my mom cooking salmon croquettes.  She learned to cook these from her employer, and these were my favorite.
  • On Sunday’s we ate one of three dinners:
    • Beef chuck roast, potatoes and green beans
    • Baked or fried chicken, cabbage and potatoes
    • On Thanksgiving, we had turkey, but the drumsticks were always dried out.
  • My mom cooked the cabbage or green beans very similar.  She grilled a piece of salt pork in a cast iron skillet, then added the veggie and steamed it until tender.
  • She braised her meat before cooking in the oven.
  • One Sunday, we had a lot of cabbage left over.  My older sister was in college at the time and complained of being hungry.  My dad suggested we send the leftover cabbage to my sister Marce.   We all had a laugh at that comment.
  • I also had numerous options for meals.  My father had five uncles and Grandma Laura (on my father’s side) cooked for them even after they got married.  Some of the wives left their husbands because Grandma Laura was in high demand.  She was an excellent cook.
• How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
  • Birthdays – Mom would bake a cake, and we would have cake and ice cream following dinner.  I don’t remember having any birthday parties.  My parents did get us presents.
  • Thanksgiving – My mother generally cooked, and other family members would come to visit after dinner.
  • Graduation – my sister and I received a birthstone ring when we graduated from high school, and a watch when we graduated from college.
  • Christmas – I remember one Christmas very well.  Up through age 12 yrs, I received a new doll every Christmas.  All of my dolls had to get their hair washed resulting in every doll loosing their hair because it was glued on.  When I turned 13 yrs old, my parents got us a piano and we had to take lessons.  We didn’t get any toys for Christmas the year we got a piano.  It was not one of my favorite Christmas presents.

19 Aug 2015 – Suggested Interview Questions

4 Sep 2015 – Answers to Interview Questions 1-5 (Mother)

8 Sep 2015 – Answers to Interview Questions 6-10 (Mother)

13 Sep 2015 – Answers to Interview Questions 11-15 (Mother)

17 Sep 2015 – Answers to Interview Questions 16-20 (Mother)

Between The Dashes