Geania Dickey and Arlean Rogers

00:02 Gina Dickey 56, today's date is Friday April 9th 2021. I am in Hot Springs Arkansas with my grandmother in her home. And so your first and last name or Lynn Rogers your age. I am 100 years old. Today's date April 9th, 2021.

00:38 I am at my home where I met my husband built many years ago and my name and our relationship my all rest granddaughter.

01:00 Do we talked about ahead of time? We would start our conversation with a early memory of your childhood. So what do you want to share?

01:11 Hours morning, SoundHound, New Mexico, but I do not remember anything about the Mexico. I was too small. My mother's health at the altitude was too high for her and the doctor said she could not live. There. We moved first to West Texas. I can't remember the name of the area. Really but for my father to manage.

01:50 Grant Ranch in west, west Texas at the ranch belong to some of his info and they needed someone to run it and that's where we ended up.

02:07 My parents, my brother and sister and myself. There were only three children in our family and immediate family and the youngest.

02:23 I can remember several things. I tried to remember some things that would be of interest. One was that on this Ranch. That was also calling for me. My father was very good at and it came time to pick cotton. My mother made me a sack. If you've never seen someone pick up with a sack over their shoulder, dragging on the ground. My mother made one for me.

03:03 And I guess a pedal that is a little while and I took my back to where they were. And I said and my mother said that, I do not remember saying this, but my mother said, I said,

03:26 I will all through that. I have found that this is not in my line of business, and I went to the way wagon where the cotton. Cotton was made in foot and they never found the sack. I don't know what happened to it. And of course, I don't remember what happen if you didn't have a sack. You didn't have to pick. So you had gotten rid of the fact, when I got rid of the sack, so I wouldn't have to fix. And I think if you moved to Arkansas when you are about seven, I move we moved to, Arkansas.

04:07 And I was almost 7:27. Now remember that probably around 5. I was bored, but this was not for you and taken with not for me. Of course. They're my parents just last night when you came to Arkansas, cuz I tell people, then you came in a covered wagon in 1923. Did my mother talks go all my life somewhere. And when we were in West Texas, she was teaching school. I went to school everyday.

05:02 Because then you didn't have places to put children, to somebody teaching me, took care of your own children, and I went to school every day. She would give me a desk in her school room. You can imagine that I had to be a very quads and but fortunately, I listen to what was said that. I think that's the reason I did so well, when I started to school because I had been going to school, I knew how to act as my mother is very strict and does this school was like a one-room schoolhouse with white wine ages. One room Schoolhouse where there were about six different.

06:02 Lessons being taught every day, and

06:10 I grew up and went to school. And what why do you think that was, right? Why in that time, that was unusual privilege that, they valued that so much.

06:32 My mother was teaching school when she was 18 years old. She had been to college and and Texas at Commerce, Texas. She was there when she was a nurse. I said she was chasing school when she was 18 years old. Yeah, so education has been for most

07:08 In our priority Pryor prior name. And in the prior family education was very, very important. So I just learned when we talked to Uncle who had a doctorate in mathematics and taught at the college. Yes, he call it that college and the chemistry department at. Now. I have been told as still names for La Parson, and

07:57 Hey, yeah, she has a Ph.D. Already did and his brother. My mother's older brother. Was it Joe Parsons that he had a PhD also and talked all of his life.

08:20 1st and Kansas, he talked. And then in Texas, is not only that the Parson valued education so much. But for the women equal to, the man that girls were is capable of receiving, an education as the man. Yes, women were always Ali.

08:47 Educated. They did not lose out on it. UK should my mother did not have a PhD, but she did all of my life. She was taking School somewhere.

09:12 Yeah, yeah, of course.

09:18 She has been deceased for many years, but the education was.

09:25 Empire Ginger. Do to fast forward.

09:31 When you went to college, that's where you met Papa. You went to college and nine. What would that have been 38 graduate from high school in 17 or 18?

09:53 My parents. Well, we had moved from dequeen Arkansas. My family had moved to Kelso or near McGehee Arkansas, and there was a country school and got to be a senior in high school. My mother mother said, I want you to go to college. And this this school was not accredited. So they made arrangements for me to live with a older couple in Magee and I lived with them all that year by senior year.

10:53 So that I could go to school and be accredited. And of course, when I graduated from high school, I go to Marshall A&M in Monticello, Arkansas. We Will Rogers. And I not known by all, but ours and and then he couldn't get the degree. He wanted at am. So y'all had to move to Fayetteville to you. I said vocational Agriculture and they just offered two years at Monticello was a junior college. And so in order to get a degree, we had to go to Fayetteville to University of Arkansas.

11:51 And so, his last two years of college was bad and

11:59 We were married. We crazy kids or rarest and

12:14 There was not enough money available. My husband had to work during the summer on jobs, to make money to go to school. Money was very scared. And there was not enough money for me to go to college. So I only had two years of my college education and for a house of the first year, there were only six girls at this whole and I cooked at that hole and the minister. So that was his

13:06 That year that I worked at their house was his sabbatical year. So he had to had left and I had to find a new job. There was a house for women at University of Arkansas. I don't know if that still there or not, but there were about 15 girls who lived at that and they had to work just be able to stay there and cook. I was the only cook for that house of girls. And that was an education. And did you make all three meals for them? Do they eat together? All three meals is

14:00 I think. Now I live down the street, quite a ways from the cop house and I was at 5 in the morning. I was walking from our house. You would not let your girl do that this day and time. I'm afraid but I felt perfectly safe and I walked up there every morning and fix their breakfast that I cook.

14:36 Lodge. I did not have to cook very much lunch because most of the girls were in and out and they just wanted back at lunch time, but I did cook a full dinner and part of their job was to serve the meal, they serve the meal and then they washed the dishes after work. I only had to wash up, but I have my cookie messed up, and these girls were could bring canned goods.

15:20 And that's part of their payment, their house payments. And their manager would come down and the back on Monday morning, and we would make menus for the week. And I used part of the things that while used to. And that's the most all the shelves that the girls had brought from their home. And that was

15:54 And get. So all of that made that more affordable to them, right there meals and their lodging, that made, it affordable for them to go to school as women is that and yeah, that building is still there and because of my work in early childhood education. That's why I know, because the Ladd school at the University of Arkansas built for child care is all kind of across the street. I don't know what we would have been there before and so the women who are professors at the University in child development. That's where their offices are a real. If they kept the first floor as it was, I bet if you walked in right now, it would still it would look so familiar to you and their offices. Are where the lodging was for the women do it's still a part of the University.

16:46 And looks just like it did before I I mentioned it one day and they said, they told me in a meeting. That's where my office is. And so they took me to show me where you had worked. Well, that is amazing and I would love to go by there and say that the girls were one funny thing. One girl said to the other one, one day. She said, you know why our food is so good and the girl other girl said, no, and she said it's caused her and ask her hands and everything.

17:19 That's what we still say about yours. Dressing your stuffing Thanksgiving. That's why it's so good cuz you still put your hands in it. Sunday. I did not put the girls had to fend for themselves on Sunday. Good for me because my husband did not have work on Sunday and that gave us a time to be together and we walked for about, I don't know. I just about a mile down, the road Methodist church, and we walk there every Sunday and went to church. And one good thing about wonderful things about that. Job those girls never, let me Miss anyting.

18:16 That I wanted to do all the cameras because they were give me their tickets. Sometimes even the Ballgame, take it to go. Where brockwood other students were attending a pair of there. That's how they that's how they treated you, which is love like I did. So I think one of the things I learned from you, so many weight. We couldn't even 45 minutes. Wouldn't even just my side of that. But one is about you. And Papa, both always wanting to learn about everything whether that was gardening or working with children with special needs like always learning. And so, when you told me the other day I asked you, how did you become to be Papa's bookkeeper?

19:16 Share that how you came to be the bookkeeper at the co-op.

19:22 Well, it's go out came into being when when went well.

19:29 I heard of a job at Lakeside School. That was an adult.

19:40 Class, and he applied and got the job and he had Young.

19:57 Laura around, Hot Springs were in that class, Airbus that there was a big class and they were all veteran, and he was the teacher. And he spent a lot of his time. Going to the various Farms, to help them with how to apply. Fertilizer, how to feed their animals, everything involved as far as vocational agriculture. He was very good at it, and

20:49 He did graduate from the University of Arkansas in 1942. And we and he replied. Of course, they got him a suggestion to school, to go to, and he did not. He said that's just Google. I don't want to know there. So he applied personally to Watson Chapel out of hospital. So that's cool. I got the job and there. He also had an adult class that during the time, but he

21:37 One day, I'll be sure to tell me a funny story. He had his, he had a class out on a school on a trip. They were somebody in the neighborhood, wanted their fruit trees.

21:57 No.

21:59 Clip dolls, and they were on their way to that. He was teaching his students, how to do that. And the man looked at it. Benji, Second Son. Can you vote? Because he looks so young and hit their face. And, yes, I'm sorry. I spoke. Of course. He can. He's our teacher after ball mystery. Yeah. Yeah, we always thought that was supposed to ask him to be the Farmers Co-op manager. They were starting a new co-op or armor. They started started.

22:59 They wanted him to be too and he told him, I can't, I don't know that I can do that. I've never had any education in business and they said, you know, everything and can tell us everything and we want you. So they hired it. And that's why he got, he got the job and he had hired a bookkeeper and she would.

23:38 Please ignore him at all as far as for work.

23:42 One day, he came to where I was in here with practically with tears in his eyes and said.

23:50 Would you?

23:53 Consent to come and be my bookkeeper. And I said, well, I have no bookkeeping knowledge and he said but you can do it better than she can.

24:06 But in order. So I said, oh, okay, and then I finally agreed to do it scared me to death and

24:19 I decided to take a course of Correspondence course in bookkeeping and I did and that's why the doctor from Little Rock that would get audited the books told. Well since she can't do this and I looked him Square in the eyes. And I said you wait and see and I did I did that for about 30 years. That's what I remember that a lot like being at the store and y'all working together at the store. And as I as I when I married that I could not imagine working and living with the same person every day. I always thought that was super interesting. And so how do you think that worked out that y'all were together so often?

25:19 Staple it told me that that they couldn't do that. And I said, this is the way it is. I must be a boss at home and I may be bossy at home. My heart rate, walk through that front door. He's the boss. Yeah. Yeah, and that's the way that's the way it works. And it works out, dude. Yeah. That was my observation. It looked like it worked out beautifully and I think I also got to learn a lot about being a mom that was working. Right? Cuz your kids were school age when you'd started being the bookkeeper and what that was that was new for me. Write. My mother had stayed home with us. And so when I wanted to work outside the home and have children, you guys helped me. See how people do that and do it well,

26:15 Well, I think our children were very well behaved and I'm sure they did things at home. That we didn't approve of baby, but we didn't know it. Yeah, yeah.

26:37 And where we had?

26:41 Three children, we should have had the three at the time and Marsha was small and

26:53 But also by mean.

26:59 Well, gave me lot of time to work with my children to add to work at the school. Yeah, I know my presents at, like, Side school, all the time because I did a lot. I got to be the president of the ye.

27:30 So we had a good boss that let you do what you need to do as a mother. If I needed to go. He let me go. It all depended on whether my work was so interesting, not different in that way, right? You still had things you had responsibilities for, but he understood your responsibilities as a mother to and value that I had that responsibility and I realized it and I'm proud of them the way they conducted themselves at home by themselves and afternoon, and they've grown up to be

28:21 Adult.

28:29 So well. Now my, my mind's got lots of things, I'm thinking about, but you know, living to a hundred and be married or a more than 50-year. What, what do you think are some of the keys to that like that? I'll I preciate what you said. He's the boss at work, but I might be bossy. R bossy at home. I observed the partnership, an equal partnership in your relationship. I think that's what we were when we had an equal partnership and home just like we did it work.

29:06 And one way we were, so fortunate was that I showed her where was well, they hardly ever had to be home because of L as they were all very strong and well children. And I think

29:32 That's because their mind they were smart. As I could be a lot to tell us things that I think a lot of people knew from their families or observation and things like physical, like exercise activity, you guys were outside and I remember you getting up in the morning reading to papers.

30:01 And then walking the circle and eating lots of vegetables. Like these are things that we here. Now that we know that you guys did all that like keeping your mind up to date and being outside and eating lots of vegetables will walk that Circle that will help oil that he could find out and we walk 10 times around that Circle which was a mile every morning before we went to work still Palace today, but you know, you still got to get up and do it. Do I do you remember when I asked you guys one time why you read two papers?

30:59 You remember that conversation and why you read two papers?

31:04 Here's what I remember and the other paper was a little more liberal and that you you wanted to be informed and your own information. So you would read both papers to get both plants and then you would make your own decision. And that was I like we were sitting right here at this same table having that conversation because people I knew had trouble getting one paper read every day. And so that you guys read to every day when there were two papers that I thought that was really very fascinating. Well, I'm sure we didn't, we missed a lot of the papers all the time. We read what we thought was in for a minute. As always say, now we see him but yeah, but still keeping up with all those things. So I

31:59 I say just what is it? I think fun things about this conversation is that we'll be able to share it with Josh and Zack and their children and my children. Like, are there any things you want to share with say to them? Cuz they'll hear it like things about them or about yourself that you'd want them to know the one. The one thing I wish in my life, but I was closer to my great-grandchildren because I don't, I don't feel well. I know my great-grandchildren, like I should my grandchildren will, and I made it apart to be very close to the family. And I have always loved that because I love my grandchildren and

32:58 Proud, so, proud of the things that they have done in their lives. My grandchildren. I wish with all my heart that I was closer to my great-grandchildren that I am, I can't be. So I can say with confidence. We all know it. I'm stuck. I was going to try not to cry during this conversation. When is the things I made a note to myself?

33:36 Another thing you model value of education and value of keeping up with your education.

33:43 You are specifically, pop always good at it. But not as good as you unconditional love for your family and it just whatever we did. Whoever we became, it is better. We knew you left us no matter what. And I do not think,

34:09 I have ever shared that with you in that you helped me, see what that look like and how important it was and I tried to be as good at it as you. I am not as good at it as you but I have I have seen the value of that and how important it was to me as your granddaughter to be loved unconditionally.

34:35 Your great-grandchildren do it too. I hope, I hope my great-grandchildren do knowing I hope that

34:48 My values.

34:54 Rub, do they have to live to be a hundred and see how who you are, you know grew into more people who were all the bad things you are.

35:18 I was so happy. That was know. When Josh, they had their first baby. I was able to go to their house and help with with the the mother and and I've always wished that I could have been closer to that girl. I understand. She's 17 years old. Now, I can start for me to believe that, but that is just my greatest wish that I could be closer to my great-grandchildren close in proximity and close in our hearts. And you got, you got that, Ariana Grande said, not hard and we know it. So yeah, I pray every night that when I go to bed, I pray for all of

36:18 Sometimes even by all your names and let God knows your name because I've told him so many and I pray for them every night. I hope you. I hope you and, and my great-grandchildren to realize that it's not no way we do feel it that we do. So, I'm glad I got to tell you that cuz I don't know if I've ever said that out loud because I probably couldn't do it without crying. But any, any last in his last things we want to talk about before we start to run out time.

37:04 No, I don't think so. I don't know where we supposed to tell the story about man getting shot.

37:16 It's a good story that would use half of our time but just forbids but we didn't talk about that. But how are we?

37:36 Okay, maybe. Can you in 2 minutes? Can you tell the quick story when you talked about your children behaving at home? But the quick story about the angel food cakes, when they called? I think you can do that two minutes.

37:53 When running.

37:56 We had.

37:58 A chicken, a big chicken house up here with laying hens.

38:07 And, and that was you with every soul eggs.

38:15 Now what do you use like, when they had double yolks? You use those to bake the woj. I guess they were picked out for the Richard to move, a double yolk eggs, and I got started making angel food cakes and I would make them five or ten at a time and have Amanda Frazier. Until one day at school. I wonder about my angel food cakes, for closer. Look. They were disappearing. And I said something. And I understand one of those are the best things we can have after school. So that was an after school, but they, but they were taking angel food cake out and they would eat the whole

39:15 The story I heard, I think it was Marcia tattling on herself, called you at work and asked if they could have one and you said, yes, but when you got home, they had one, each one, a one each instead of each having one and Marsha said, but when you squish it up in a little ball is so little, and that's right, and it is right that I lost them and eggs were plentiful. So I didn't mind I love making cakes making other people. That's right. Good. That was also good for all of us to you. Now, Matt, something that Matt says, I think I'm told you, but we haven't talked about recently. He thinks people like, there's a cosmic Lottery. That's what he says and that you can't take any credit, right? When you're born into a family who loves you and who has shelter and food, but he

40:15 He is certain. I won the cosmic lottery so I can't take any credit for anything. I might accomplish cuz it was just really about being a part of this family from the get-go. So right, he is right, is right about that and we were happy. He's part of the family to me to be part of us. That is the best part of that. Love. You have for family, like doesn't matter how you got here. If your, our family, your arm.

40:49 We say that about everybody and it's trip.