My Grands, Were Great!

By Lorie Herrman

 

All four of my grandparents; John and Fay Lane on my mom’s side, and Yvonne and Allen Axson from my dad’s side were born between 1918 and 1921. They came into this world at the end of WWI; their families experienced the wrath of the Great Depression of the 1930’s; and they fought for their country in WWII.  Men were the kings of their castles, and women were to keep the castles clean.  The decades of the 1920’s through the 1940’s were action packed as America felt growing pains in virtually all areas. Scott Simkins of the University of Mississippi wrote, “Call these decades’ bookends if you will because between them they contain so much that defines America as a nation, a people, a philosophy and yes, a faith.”

 

Depression

 

When WWI had come to an end America was able to catch her breath. Americans were beginning to feel that the rough times were over, and that prosperity would be achieved by everyone.  President Herbert Hoover had this to say in 1928 as part of his acceptance speech: “We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land. The poorhouse is vanishing from among us” (Schultz and Tishler).  He couldn’t have been farther from the truth. “Historians refer to October 29, 1929 as Black Tuesday” (Schultz and Tishler).  On this day the stock market crashed, and millions of people lost their money.

 

Thus began the Great Depression. Those who were living during the Great Depression will never forget it according to Peter Jennings in his film,   “The Century, Americas Time.” Marty Glickman can remember his father coming home one night and asking what was for dinner. His mother replied, “nothing.” He said it was that moment that he had become very fearful about his future (Jennings).  Many social problems arose during this time such as; unemployment and poverty, breakdown of families, soaring high school dropout rates, homelessness, foreclosures, and pension denial to WWI veterans (Schultz and Tishler).

 

Fern Parker

 

Fern Parker of Blue Springs, Missouri was born in 1920 around the same time as my grandparents. She was nine years old in 1929 when the Great Depression started.  Her parents owned a farm about 10 miles north of Blue Springs. She said her parents sheltered her from most of their financial problems. For instance, she wasn’t aware that they moved from the family farm because the bank took it to pay off their loans.  They were not alone as over half of America’s mortgages went to default (Jennings). The Parkers were able to move to a new farm. Fern said while living on their new farm they had everything they needed. They had a cow for their milk; chickens for eggs and meat; and a vegetable garden. Her older sister didn’t reveal the truth about the family farm to her until ten years ago. 

 

Fern Parker and millions of other Americans listened to their radios about the goings on at the beginning of the Great Depression. She said she vividly remembers listening as the radio announcer spoke of businessmen jumping from their high-rise windows to their death. People crammed in droves to their banks only to be denied their money.  Fern’s father lost his money in The Blue Springs Bank when they closed their doors.  “One year after it began four million families were without any means of anything” (Jennings).  The Great Depression lasted about a decade leaving its mark on everyone. Soon after the Depression lifted young men were being called to the service to fight in WWII.

 

World War II

 

Gail Sheehy must have had my grandfathers in mind when she wrote, “They crowded into the armed services, with hundreds of thousands on the waiting list for the U.S. Navy alone.”  Both of my grandfathers enlisted in the Navy during WWII. My maternal grandfather, John a long time ago told me the war was terrible because he was seasick the whole time.  My paternal grandfather, Allen spoke only of cooking food for the Navy men.  When he died he was buried at sea by the Navy per his wishes.

 

My grandmothers were also typical of the era’s youth in that they both received no higher than a high school diploma. 

They were married young, and had the job of raising a family and that was that. Women had few rights in those days, and in some states were considered to be the property of their husbands along with their children (Sheehy). The suffrage movement slowed down after the 19^th Amendment was passed in 1920 (Simkins). One look at women’s rights of today, and it’s obvious they continued their fight. 

 

Women of Today

 

Some might say that women’s rights are equal with their male counterparts. Many women are receiving college educations, and often working their way up the corporate ladder of success. They have families, but often take advantage of day care for their children to maintain their careers. My grandmothers must have been amazed at the changes before they died in the 1990’s. Some of the changes may be too contemporary for the women of their time, but they must have been frustrated with their unequal status.  My paternal grandmother, Yvonne gave me a wedding gift with a pink feather duster attached to the package. When I looked at her she smiled and said, “Give that to Matt (my husband), so he can do some of the cleaning.” I knew at the time she was serious. Perhaps she had bitterness for all the years of humility she’d gone through.

 

My grandparent’s and other Americans born in the 1920’s, share the same history because these events reached all ends of the United States. Some of the details may vary from person to person, but everyone experienced the Great Depression and WWII.  Women of the 1920’s were either happy with their inferior status because they didn’t know any different, or they fought to make a change. Wow! What a change they made! American’s cannot deny that women have come along way, and some may say that women have gone too far! 

 

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