Osi Model

1. When were you born? How did the Great Depression affect your life (Childhood) at the time?

I was 3 years old when the depression began. We were a family of 7 and my father made $12.00 a week . We ate lots of one dish meals to survive. Mother baked bread every few days and raised a garden for vegetables. It was a happy family and I was the baby and didn't realize we were poor until I got older.

2. During the Depression, where did you live? How was that geographic area affected by the Depression?

We lived in Chicago, Illinois and my father was a devout Republican and in those days if you worked for the Alderman you got a chance to make a little extra money for your family. My mother worked in the polls every election day as a judge. Father would go door to door and speak to the people to get out the vote.

3. When did your family or community first feel the economic impact of the Depression? How did it affect you and your community?

When my father 's factory slowed down he was laid off and we couldn't pay our rent which was $16.00 a month, our landlord agreed to let my dad pay whatever he could afford until he was able to get another job. My mother got a job in a nursery school ran by Olivet Presbyterian Church which we attended every Sunday morning and evening service. She did the cooking 5 days a week there and walked both ways to and from work, about 2 miles each way from home. Most of our neighbors were struggling to keep their families fed and sheltered and friends helped each other. The homeless went begging door to door and mother fed anyone who came to our door.

4. How was the school in your community affected by the Depression?

In school I began to feel I was not alone in poverty , most of the kids wore home made clothes or hand me downs from older siblings. My dresses were made out of flour sacks (at the time flour sacks were printed material) and lots of girls noticed

their dresses might look different but the material was the same! I attended Newberry Elementary School at the corner of Orchard Street and Willow.

5. Could you tell me how other people in your community survived during the Depression?

The people we went to Church with, our neighbors, the ones my folks worked with and our school chums. All we were close to struggled and we helped each other as much as possible. No one called a plumber or a repairman, they would exchange "favors" for their needs.

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