First jobs

The ladies gathered to discuss their story. Today the conversation turned to jobs. Remembering their first jobs, Norma tells of how she began by ironing clothes for her doctor. During an annual check-up, he asked if she would be willing to do ironing for him. She agreed, and earned $1.00 per hour to care for his clothes. It was a multi-stepped process - first sprinkling the clothes with water to prepare them for the ironing table. She didn’t care much for it, but she didn’t want to complain - considering it was her first job.

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Her second job was cleaning houses. Norma tells how she cleaned the home of a married woman with 2 children who were very dirty. She laughs about it now. Back then, she thought it stunk. It paid well, she says, considering she was still in school. When she got married in 1948, she tells us that she and her husband were chicken-farmers. Norma loved everything about it. Not everyone would enjoy gathering the eggs from 3400 chickens, but she did. Their eggs were delivered to New Freedom, PA. Sadly, her husband passed away in 1983 and the farm was sold. She confesses that she misses it, along with her husband - and both were the source of many a tear. Today she is retired and happy to be living among the friends she’s made here.

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Not many people can say that their first job was their last job - but Mary can. For 52 years she worked tele-typing and proof-reading for a newspaper company. Her pay began at $12.00 per week. The money was top dollar, and she loved it after only the first week. Her aunt got the job for her, and performed the same duties. Her aunt was quite good at the work, and helped Mary to be just as good.
Mary tells how unusual it was, back then, for a company to have 3 non-working holidays. She felt lucky to have off on July 4th, Thanksgiving, & Christmas. 52 years later, it was time to retire. For her, retirement meant a chance to do all the things she had been wanting to do. Finally, she was able to find the time.

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When Marie was just a kid, her dad made her work in the family store. It was not an unusual practice at the time. Marie didn’t like it very much, but keeping peace in the family was important. She did what she was told to do. She describes her dad’s store having everything - from food to shoes; tools to toys. Sometimes the customers would ask Marie questions. She tells that when she didn’t know the answer, she was sure to ask her dad. Keeping customers happy was important. Though store-keeping never grew to become something she liked, she was able to find some small pleasures: running the register, cutting the cheese at the deli counter… and, especially, being able to dress casually.

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