Minyo Family Interview 11/23/23

00:00 My name is Bella Minyo I am 16 years old. Today is November 23rd, 2023. I'm speaking with Eleanor Minyo who is my grandmother, and we're recording in Pittsburgh, pa. What are you proudest of and why does it make you feel proud?

00:33 I think I'm proud of my five children that they show me love and respect.

00:42 And then why does it make you feel proud? I guess that they show you love and respect?

00:49 Well, because some children don't give their older parents respect where my children does.

00:58 Do you think it's an issue nowadays that people don't give their elder, like, their parents, respect?

01:05 Yes, I definitely think that. Yeah, sometimes they're not taught respect as they were growing up where we, my husband and I, always taught them to respect their elders.

01:23 Do you. Are you grateful that, like, you have had the chance to teach them respect and they.

01:29 Yes.

01:30 They're still around? They still talk to you a lot?

01:32 Yes, yes, they call me all the time. Yes, the out of time children call me all the time.

01:38 How often do they call you each week?

01:41 Sometimes too often. My daughter in North Carolina calls at least twice a week or more, and the other two daughters that live in Florida call me at least once or twice a week.

02:00 Do you talk to, like, Aunt Mary J. And my dad? Do you talk to them off, like, once a week or do you talk, like.

02:06 Yes, I definitely talk to the children that live in Pittsburgh at least once or twice a week.

02:12 So, yeah, you're very connected to them. So that also helps to, like, increase that, like, proudness, I guess, with them, too. Yes. Because you get to be a part of their lives through the whole life.

02:23 Exactly.

02:30 How would you like to be remembered, sort of, you know, through your children? You're proud of your children. You're proud of the traditions you've instilled in your family. Is that a way to be remembered just through the traditions, or is there a way that you like your legacy to be carried on? I think.

02:47 I think more so that I've shown them love over the years, and I think that's part of being. Having a loving family.

02:59 Is it like having them carry on your legacy of love?

03:03 Yes.

03:03 Their children and children's children?

03:06 Yes.

03:07 Is. Is there any, like, through your work of volunteering and, you know, through the fop, do you think that will also, like, they'll be proud of having. Saying that you're a member and being a part of it?

03:22 I don't know if my children would be proud of it, but because I'm president of the Fraternal Order Police. And so it's just something that I've always been involved with.

03:38 When did you first get involved with the Fraternal Order of Police?

03:42 I got involved with the Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary when I wanted to get away from five children, go talk to adults.

03:53 Did it. Was it whenever you first were like got away from the. To be with more adults, did it sort of transform like you and so we're enjoying it because you don't have kids at home anymore so you don't necessarily have to get away from them as much.

04:07 Yeah.

04:08 Is it more like you like to go because there's friends now.

04:10 Definitely made friends friends with these women over the years. Yes.

04:16 And they're those lasting connections?

04:18 Yes, definitely.

04:20 What are some of your closest memories that you've had through those friends?

04:25 I had a lot of memories when we used to go to the conventions a lot and we did a lot of going to meetings and socializing over.

04:35 The years and then what kind of. What was your favorite place you guys went to for a convention?

04:44 Good. I've been to so many of them. Let me see, what was my favorite? I think mostly the state conferences that were. The state of Pennsylvania was definitely more of a close knit friends. Then when I went to the national convention it was like across the United States. So it was altogether different. So I think I was closer to the state conferences and then which state.

05:10 Conference is it in different place each year in this state?

05:13 Yeah. It's not every year at state conferences every other year because the national is. They go. It rotates state and national, state, national.

05:25 And then is the state convention, is it last week was in Philadelphia. Is it also like in Greensburg or Harrisburg?

05:32 Oh no, the last one was. It could be Monroeville in Pennsylvania. We've had them. It's. We've gone to New Bethlehem and. No, I mean. And our 2023 conference, state conference is in Bethlehem, Pennsyliaan and we've been to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, all the different varieties in Pennsylvania.

06:03 Did you always like have those connections when you were there? Like you would hang out with your friends and you would go out. Was that what made it special and fun?

06:12 Well, it was. You were close to other delegates and you would socialize during the meetings and after the meetings and years ago they used to have hospitality rooms. So we used to go to hospitality rooms and meet people from all over the state.

06:29 What was a hospitality room?

06:31 A hospitality room is when the meetings are all over and they usually have like soft drinks and maybe some alcohol and Snacks and stuff like that. And you just socialize and sometimes would play cards, you know, and in the hospitality rooms.

06:50 So just generally like hanging out with people.

06:52 Yeah, just hanging out and having fun. Yeah. And then how many?

07:00 I'm not. Can you describe one of your happiest memories?

07:07 I think my happiest memories is when I married my husband.

07:14 Can you tell me about your wedding day, the preparation and the day?

07:18 The. The wedding day started at 10 o'clock in the morning and with a mass. And then after the mass we had a breakfast and then after that we went 2:00 in the afternoon to Pull Pole Eyes restaurant and had dinner for all the bridal party. Then we went home and rested and then a big reception. There was 500 people at my wedding because the years ago they had children and adults and that's why it was so big.

08:00 And then what was your gown like here? Your dress.

08:04 Oh, my wedding dress was white lace.

08:08 Do you still have it or.

08:11 No way. You could take a picture of it?

08:13 I saw. What? Your picture? Yeah. I was wondering if it was like really heavier, all the leggings.

08:18 No, it really wasn't. It wasn't heavy at all.

08:22 What season did you get married in?

08:24 May 26, 1960.

08:29 Was it a warm day or was it like a cold?

08:31 Yes, it was a warm day.

08:34 Did you guys take pictures like as a bridal party?

08:37 Yes, we have pictures of bridal party. And my cousin had a white Cadillac and we rode back and forth in this white Cadillac to all the different events.

08:50 Was it real fun?

08:51 It was a lot of fun. And I spit a lot of rice because they poured rice on me all day. What.

08:59 What was the original tradition of the rice? Throwing the rice at the couple. Do you know?

09:04 No, I don't. They just always threw rice after they started after the mass in the morning and started throwing the rice.

09:12 Who was all there? Like who was in your bridal party?

09:15 Oh my God. You gotta be kidding. My brother. My. My brother and his sister in law and cousins. My cousins and my husband's cousins.

09:27 Did you have a maid of honor?

09:29 Yes, it was my cousin K. It was a maid of honor. I was close to her.

09:35 Are you guys still close?

09:37 We were till she passed away. Yeah.

09:40 Did she pass away recently or was it.

09:42 No, it was about a year ago.

09:46 Do you. So then how many years would you have been married to this day, this year?

09:51 I think it's over. I think it's over. Close to 55 years if we were still married.

09:59 Yeah. And then what was, you know. The little children, everything. They. And then for the preparations for your wedding day, how long in advance were you preparing?

10:17 Oh, it was probably a year in advance to plan for everything.

10:22 And do you still have your engagement ring or. When did he propose to you?

10:26 Yes, he proposed to me, my husband. It was my birthday, and he. I thought he was giving me a ring for my birthday, so he brought a big box, and inside this box was my engagement ring. And that's how he asked me to marry him. And my mother was very upset because I was the only girl in the family and she would have wanted to have an engagement party. So my mother was upset, but I was happy.

11:04 Yeah.

11:07 You'Re learning from your grandmother. Okay.

11:11 Do you remember the day you got married? The day you got engaged and, like, where you were?

11:18 Yes, I was at home at my mother's. Like I said, it was my birthday. It was a birthday, a celebration, and it was. Actually. We waited two years before we got married.

11:30 I was just curious if it changed all because my parents, they also waited, like, two years.

11:35 Oh, yeah, yeah.

11:36 If it was the same. Because if you had 500 people, it's a really big wedding.

11:39 Yeah, it was to plan and everything. Yeah. And the wedding reception was in a church, the church hall of the church that we got married in. And of the ladies of the church did a lot of the cooking. They had the caters. They were the caterers. And it was all home cooking. Stuffed cabbage and ham and chicken and everything like that. And lots of cookies. Lots of cookies at Italian weddings.

12:13 What church did you get married at?

12:15 It's called St. John's Chrysostom. It was a Greek Catholic church in Greenfield.

12:24 And then did he grew up. Pappy. He grew up in Greenfield, right?

12:29 Yes, yes, he grew up in Greenfield. And I'm gonna add another thing. Normally when women get married, the man usually goes to the woman's church. But because my husband was Greek Catholic, we had to get married in his church because the woman followed the man, even though we were still Catholic, but he was. And my mother was very upset about it, again, because she wanted me to get married in my own church. But it's the law of the church that the woman follows the man. For the Greek Catholics, is it still.

13:16 Like that today, the rule that.

13:19 I don't know. I'm. I'm assuming it is because the church is still there.

13:24 Yeah, yeah, the church. You got married and still there?

13:27 Yes, yes.

13:28 Have you gone back to it since you got married?

13:31 I went back to it when my husband was still living because we used to go there, but we got away from it when we moved to Virginia because we lived in Virginia, the state of Virginia for five years.

13:48 And have you visited in the past five years in Pittsburgh now?

13:52 No, no, never did.

13:54 Would you want to go back to visit it?

13:56 No, not with that.

13:58 Not that. Yeah, that makes sense. I'm going to move to the next question. Can you tell me, tell me about someone you'll always remember. Someone special in your life that you always remember.

14:13 Well, of course I always remember my husband. But when we lived in Virginia, his sister was so. I was so close to her that she was almost like a sister I never had. Even though she was my sister in law, I was very close to her.

14:34 What would you guys do together? Did you just hang out?

14:38 No, we used to cook together, bake together, we used to go shopping together. We used to go downtown shopping and spend the whole day shopping, going to lunch and that. So we used to do a lot of fun things.

14:57 Did you hang out with her? Is she still alive now?

15:01 No, she's passed away.

15:03 But did you. Whenever. Did you hang out with her all the way up until her passing?

15:09 No, because then we moved back to Pittsburgh. It was when we lived in Virginia and she lived in Virginia.

15:15 She never left Virginia?

15:17 No, no, she was married and had a husband and she died first and then her husband died later and then we didn't go to Virginia anymore. Virginia beach they lived in.

15:32 Was that the Uncle John that we. We went and visited that lived in 99?

15:37 Yes, yes, that was him. Yes.

15:39 Okay. Cuz I remember going.

15:41 You remember? Yeah, but he was sick then, I think.

15:44 Yeah, but I just want. Because I kind of name to your face.

15:49 Yeah. Yes, that. That's the picture in there. Yeah.

15:54 Is there anyone else a very important person in your life besides like that was really close?

15:59 Well, maybe my brothers. I had three brothers and I was very close to my.

16:04 Can you describe your relationship with them?

16:07 Well, my brother Frank and I were a year apart and then my brother Joey, him and I were a year apart. So the three of us were always close. We used to go on double dates together and they would bring their friends around, their friends would want to date their sister. And so I had a lot of boyfriends around because of my brothers that wanted to date me.

16:39 And then your older brother Tony.

16:41 Well, there. My older brother Tony, I didn't get close to him till after I was married and that because he was. Let's see, he. He's about eight years older than me. So that's why? We weren't that close.

16:57 So he was probably in high school.

16:59 Or middle school when I was still in grade school.

17:02 Yeah.

17:02 Yeah. Right.

17:03 Well, you guys didn't have a lot in common at that time.

17:05 No, no, definitely not.

17:07 You guys got older and then you could hang out.

17:09 Yes. Right.

17:10 Yeah. Okay.

17:14 This is almost like a history.

17:15 It is, sort of.

17:16 Yeah.

17:17 Yeah. For future generations of your family listening to this years from now, is there any wisdom you'd want to pass on to them? And what would you want them to know? Excuse me?

17:31 I don't know. What would I want?

17:37 Is there something that you've learned that you want them to know?

17:42 I can't think of anything.

17:47 What? Is there any, like, sayings or mottos that have gotten you through, like, a hard time that you would share if they went through a hard time to help them?

17:57 Well, I. We used to. Oh, I know. We used to get together and play cards once a month, and we would go to dinner and we would take turns and play cards at each other's houses. So whose ever house was their turn, they picked the restaurant and play and pick the cards to play.

18:21 And so you want to share that.

18:22 Tradition, and I think I've shared the tradition of playing cards with you. Yes.

18:32 Yeah, I'll probably always be playing cards. It's just really fun.

18:35 I have more games to teach you, too.

18:39 And then is there any something that you've learned through your experience? You're over 80 years old, and so is one that you've learned through.

18:49 Well, I think mostly I do have. I belong to three car clubs now, and I used to belong to four, but I dropped out of one. And I have a lot of friends, and I really cherish my friends because the old saying goes, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family. And that is so true because you have to tolerate your family where your friends you can walk away if there's any problems.

19:20 Yeah, because you can. Because you have so many friends that you feel a close connection to that, you know, you can go out with all of them or, like, with as many of them as you want. And you can do whatever you'd like with certain groups of friends you have too, right?

19:35 Definitely.

19:37 And then for your friend group, do you. Would you say that, like, having younger friends has helped you, like, get out more and stay out, you know, in the schedule?

19:49 Actually, no. My friends are older. I'm the younger person. They call me the baby. Me and my other girlfriend, Carol, were the baby of the. Of our Morningside Car Club. And most of them are Italian, so I'm having a Christmas party here to them that I have to serve Italian food, which I'm trying to figure out what to make.

20:16 Yeah, but has having, you know, just friends around, you know, and being very involved helped keep you young, though?

20:25 Well, that's true, that's true. And a lot of them are. We've went to church together and we celebrated different events at church, at our, our neighborhood church. So these are friends that I've had over quite a few years and some.

20:46 Of them even decades you've been.

20:47 Oh, true, true. Yeah.

20:49 So are some of them like found sisters to you as well? Like you're so close to them?

20:55 Well, I did have some that I was really close to, but I have lost quite a few of them too, that have passed away. As I get older, I keep losing my friends. So I've had four close friends that I used to be close to. Yeah.

21:15 At least you still have their memories to cherish.

21:17 Oh, yeah, right, right. Definitely. This isn't moving.

21:27 So we've talked a little bit before, some of my history projects about parents, grandparents, and how we came to America. But could you tell me more about your parents and your experience with your parents?

21:41 Yes, My parents were very strict because I was the only girl and I was engaged to be married and I still had to be in the house at 11 o'clock and I was 21 years old. So Italian families were very strict.

22:00 Can you remind me of your parents names?

22:03 Yes, my mother was Josephine and they called her Jay and my father's name was Frank.

22:13 And then their grand. Their parents were born in America as well, or were their parents. They came from America?

22:22 No, their parents. Their parents. Was, was born in. Yeah, no, they, no, they were. I think they were born in America. I don't want to call. No, my mother's. My mother's. My great grandparents were born in Italy on my mother's side.

22:48 Your great grandparents on your father's side, were they also born in Italy or were they born in America?

22:55 I. They were born. I think they were born in America.

22:59 Okay, and then have you ever gone, you've gone back to Italy?

23:04 Well, I've gone to Italy. When I know the year. I have to look it up.

23:09 You don't have to look it up. I'm just talking.

23:12 Oh, okay.

23:12 Just as if you were like, tell a story to me in general.

23:15 Oh, well, I went to Italy with cousins and, and relatives. There were six of us rented a van and went to Italy for three weeks. And I really Appreciated America more. I was so happy to come home because I couldn't communicate with anybody, you know.

23:38 Was it. Did you visit the town that we're from? Spinier?

23:43 No, I didn't spin. We started in Rome and we went from Rome to Venice to Florence. We kept going all the way up north to Milan and then we turned around and came back to Rome.

24:01 Was an experience you enjoyed a lot.

24:03 It was the most fabulous experience because we stayed in monasteries and nun houses and they were like bed and breakfasts. And then we would sleep there, have breakfast, and then go sightseeing. And so we only stayed two and three days the limit. Three days at each time that we visited.

24:29 That must have been very interesting because you got to like. You had to be very efficient.

24:34 Yeah. Actually, I made a journal of my. Yes. Of my trip to Italy.

24:39 Do you still have your journal?

24:40 I most certainly do.

24:42 Do you Is. Have I seen it before? Like, have you showed it to me?

24:45 I never showed it to you. No, I never showed it to you.

24:49 That'd be cool.

24:50 But I will tell you something funny.

24:52 Okay.

24:53 Because I started writing a journal. Aunt Rose would. I used to room with her because she was the other relative, my sister in law. And she would take my journal and write what I wrote in her journal. And I would get so upset that I would hide my journal from her because they were my words. And I did not like her taking my journal.

25:22 Well, because that's your experience, not her experience.

25:24 Exactly. Exactly. In fact, we started fighting. Women were fighting.

25:31 It's like taking someone's book they wrote.

25:33 It was personal. Yeah, it was personal. Yeah.

25:36 Like a diary.

25:37 Yes, exactly.

25:39 And like making it her diary.

25:42 Yes.

25:42 Yeah. But that's cool that you journaled your whole experience.

25:45 I did. I really did.

25:47 And you've also traveled to a lot of the 50 states and everything. Did you journal that experience?

25:53 I didn't. And I'm sorry, I didn't. Because since I've been involved with the auxiliary, I've gone to quite a few states across our United States.

26:07 At least half of them.

26:08 At least half of them. Right. At least half of them.

26:11 Of all the states you've been to, which is your favorite to visit?

26:15 Let's see. I think Nashville was a fun. Nashville, Tennessee was really a lot of fun. But all of them were a lot of fun because we, you know, they were conferences and we had a lot of fun at the conferences.

26:30 Was there any state you don't want to go back to again?

26:34 Yeah. Las Vegas. I hated Las Vegas this past summer. It was it was not the same Las Vegas that it used to be. They. Everything was very expensive and they. They really raised all their prices because of the tourists. Cup of coffee was $10. That's crazy. I know.

26:57 Here it's like maybe four bucks, right?

27:00 Maybe it's Starbucks. Maybe 350, something like that, which. I don't even go to Starbucks.

27:06 I don't know. I don't really drink.

27:07 Yeah, I don't. And I don't even like it because it's too strong for me.

27:11 But is there a state that you want to go back to you haven't been to in a while?

27:22 See, I really didn't really think about it. I think I would like to go the New England state. So we really didn't go to that many of them. You know, I think that would be one that I would like to go to.

27:36 Like to Vermont or Massachusetts.

27:38 Yes, Right. We were. We were in Rhode Island. We actually had a national convention in Rhode island. And it was like, crazy. Everything was so crowd because it was a national convention. So that was like. The restaurants were full and they couldn't handle all the people.

27:56 It's a smaller.

27:58 Because it was a small state. Yeah.

28:01 I've always wanted to go to Vermont in winter.

28:03 Yeah. Oh, that's true. And when we. We were in Rhode Island, I ate a lot of lobster because it was so inexpensive there that I can't even eat lobster today. I ate so much of it. Really. That's the truth.

28:24 It's the more expensive here where we don't get it.

28:27 Right, right. Exactly. Yeah.

28:29 And then there's a question I've been. I was looking through questions. I had a question I really want to ask you is how did you and Pappy meet? Like, what was your.

28:37 That is another nice story. My. I was. Let's see, I just graduated high school. And So I was 18 and my girlfriend lived two doors down and she. Her boyfriend had a friend that was just got out of service and didn't need it and didn't know any girls. And she asked me if I would double date with them and meet this guy. And I said, okay. So it was in the summertime, and I'm sitting on the porch with my mother and father and my husband went into my girlfriend's house with the other couple. And I didn't want to go out. I didn't like what he looked like. And I didn't want to go out on a blind date because I didn't know him. And my father made me go because I made a Commitment to go. And he made me go out on a date with him. And so. And he really didn't like me because he just got back from Germany and I was too young for him because he was. He was four years older than me, and he would go out and have a beer, and I was still drinking Cokes at the time.

30:01 You were 18?

30:02 Yeah, I was only 18, right? Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, he apparently liked me because he asked me if he could call me, and I said okay. But I was dating two other guys at the time. Your grandmother was. You didn't know all this?

30:22 You were dating three men at once?

30:25 So he called me for a date, and I already had a date. So then he called again, and then I made arrangements to go out with him again. And then. And then I started liking him, you know? And then he asked me to go study, so. Which meant I couldn't date the other two guys I was dating, so. But I liked them enough that I said yes, you know?

30:51 And then did you just start liking him more as you were around him then?

30:55 Well, I liked him when I said I would go steady with him. Yes, definitely. Yeah.

31:00 And so do you look back now and think what would have happened if you didn't go on that date? Like, your father didn't make you go on that date?

31:08 That could be. Yeah, probably. I. But it was. But my. My father really liked him because when. Oh, I should back this up. So I was graduating high school, and my parents were having a graduation party for me because I was dating two other guys. And him. He came to the graduation party. I didn't invite him. My father invited him. I didn't invite him. So I was with this other guy, and he seen me kissing this other guy. This is so funny, pal. He said, what is it with this girl? So anyway. But he must have really liked me because he kept coming around.

32:01 That's kind of funny.

32:03 Yeah, I know.

32:04 Yeah. And so you ended up dropping the other two guys?

32:08 I dropped the other two guys, quit dating him. One was Italian fellow and one was another guy, and I just dated my husband. Yeah.

32:18 And then how long did you guys date before you got married?

32:21 It was two years. Yeah, two years.

32:25 So then. And that's nice. Like, you guys, like, met, like, on.

32:28 Like, a nice trip. Right? Right.

32:31 And then after. Did he like Germany? He, like, served. What did he do?

32:36 He was in the army. He used to fix radars, and he loved it in Germany. And years ago, that was 1957, when he was in the service, and he wanted. So his Time was up in the army and he was being released. And years ago they wouldn't let you go stay where you were, where today they do. But he wanted to stay in Germany. He wanted to stay in his position fixing radar. And they said no. So he said, then if I can't stay where I am, I'm leaving. So he got out of the service.

33:15 And then what did he. He transferred to being a police officer whenever he came back?

33:19 No, no, he didn't become a police officer for quite a few years after. After we moved to Virginia and lived in Virginia for five years. And then when we moved back to Pittsburgh is when he got the job as a policeman.

33:34 What did he do for work then in between that time?

33:38 Actually, he did everything, any job. He worked in a produce department at Giant Eagle and he used to do side jobs until he got on the police force.

33:50 What made him decide to go on the police force?

33:53 He always wanted to be a policeman.

33:55 Did he really like the job?

33:57 He loved the job. He loved the job. He liked being with the people and he was good. He was a good at it too.

34:06 That's good then. And then for you, you ended up getting a job as a secretary at.

34:11 One point, yes, actually, I was a secretary for 30 years. I worked first. I was a parish secretary at Sacred Heart Church and I was there for 14 years. And then I retired and stayed home for a year and hated it because I used to fight with my husband. So then I would. Then I went back to work and I got a job at Children's Hospital. Working in Children's Hospital.

34:42 And then how long did you work at children's hospital?

34:44 For 15 years and then I retired.

34:47 And then you still volunteer at Children's Hospital now?

34:49 Yeah, I love bothering all the people that I used to work with. I go agitate them, tease them. But it's really about the children. I love seeing the children.

35:01 Yeah. And like helping them out and just doing like some helping out like a few times a week or like a few times a month now, right?

35:08 Yeah, I go twice a month now. I used to go every week, but I hated fighting the traffic.

35:14 Yeah.

35:14 And so I switched every other week.

35:17 Because it's in the heart of the city.

35:18 Yes. And like, do you want.

35:23 What do you do at Children's Hospital?

35:25 Yeah, actually they, I, I've done many jobs over the years, but the currently job that I do now, I deliver, get well cards to all the children, to all the rooms in the hospital, like the emergency room and all the room floors and what it Is when the children in the hospital you can go on the computer and send get well wishes and the coordinator, the volunteers princes get well cards and I deliver them to the children.

36:01 Do you get to see the children's reactions?

36:04 Oh my God, they are so thrilled when I walk in that room and say I've get well cards for you. Their faces light up and they're so thrilled to see them.

36:14 Is it one of your favorite jobs you've done?

36:16 Yes, it is one of my favorite jobs. Yeah. Now. But I have to sort them all and I mean, I get a big stack at 8, half by 11, get well papers and I have to sort them to all the rooms and the floors before I deliver them.

36:32 And then do you. Will you plan on continuing this job for as long as you can?

36:37 Probably. Probably till I get tired of fighting the traffic again. I realize it was that late.

36:45 I know. Can you tell me about your childhood? Do you remember. Do you remember any of the stories they used to tell you when you were a kid?

36:55 I do. Like, let's see. You want to see? My childhood was my three brothers used to tease me and break my baby dolls and throw them against the garage and crush them. And so they used to really bully me. They bullied me because I was the only girl. And I used to go to my father and my father would yell at them and my father used to take his strap off and beat them on their butt and when they were bad. Because they were bad. Yeah, they were wild boys, put it that way.

37:41 But do you. What was it like in school?

37:44 Oh, in school. A grade school. High school. Grade school.

37:49 Grade school.

37:51 Grade school was. I. I mean, it was just like normal school. You went? I had to walk to school every day. I hated walking in the rain, you know. And then in the wintertime, you know, we had used to wear skirts there all the time. And the boys used to make snowballs and throw sn. Snowballs underneath our skirts. I hated that. You never heard that, did you?

38:23 Where did you go to school at New York?

38:26 Actually, I went. We lived on Larmor Avenue. I went to Larmor Avenue grade school. And then when my parents moved to Jackson Street, I went to Rogers School for. For a year. And then I went to Peabody High School, which is, I think Obama.

38:47 It's Obama Prep now.

38:48 Yeah, right.

38:50 Did you enjoy like being where you went to school? Did you have fun?

38:54 I loved high school. A grade school, not that much, but high school was a lot more fun.

38:59 What was. What years were you in high school?

39:03 Let's See, let's see. I got married, so I think I graduated in 1960. So back up. So that's what, 57, 58, 59, 60.

39:15 What was high school like in the late 50s, actually.

39:20 It was fun because of course I walked to school all the time. I belonged to a sorority. And, you know, it was we. The years at Peabody. Then there was Jewish students and there was gentile students, and I was always with the gentile students.

39:41 So you were in high school at the time of Elvis Presley being really popular?

39:45 Elvis Presley was my idol. Yeah.

39:49 Did you guys, like. Did he have concerts? Did you guys go and see him or.

39:53 I never went to concerts. Never went to concerts till I was older. Yeah, never. I don't know if they even had. They probably did have concerts, but my parents were strict and I wasn't allowed to go. I actually, when I started dating was when I would go out and go to different places with my dates. Yeah. Because my parents didn't allow me.

40:18 And then when, like in high school, there's a piece of hair. When you were in high school, where did you, like, go after school? Did you guys go to the little diners to hang out?

40:30 Yeah, we went to a place on Holland Avenue and it was a. We used to go for Cokes and after school, but I wasn't allowed to go. So I. My mother used to always pay her bills. Any celebrity, like the gas bill, the electric bill. So I would volunteer to go after high school school to go pay her bills. So I would run and. Or jog to pay these bills. And then I would go with my friends to this young people's. I can't even remember the name of it, but it was like something you see on Happy Days. You know, they used to go to those little restaurants and have Cokes and snacks, French fries.

41:23 What would you say? Like, the fashion was like, what would you wear on a typical day of the school?

41:30 Well, we always wear skirts and full skirts, glasses, you know, saddle shoes. Yeah, yeah.

41:40 When you were at school and you were going out maybe for like dinner with your family, what would you wear?

41:46 My family never went out to dinner. No, I only went out to dinner with my dates.

41:51 If you went out to dinner with a date, what would you wear then?

41:54 Oh, I would probably wear slacks or a skirt. Yeah.

41:58 And so was boring pants. Was that like. Except, like normal or.

42:02 Yeah, yeah, you could wear, you know. Cause we still wore jeans, you know, I didn't know.

42:08 Cause sometimes people, like, didn't wear pants.

42:10 Yeah, no, we wore jeans. We wore Jeans? Yeah. Barbie socks, Little white socks? Yeah. Rolled up? Yeah. Right.

42:20 Is there any dance. Did you go out dancing with people?

42:23 Yeah, we used to go to a place. It was called Denny Moore's with my dates, and it was a dance place in the evening, and we used to go there. And years ago, Kennywood had a dance hall, and we used to go dancing at Kennywood. Kennywood Park.

42:42 What was it like, you know, going out dancing? What would you dance to? Or like, what was the dance?

42:47 I was a dancer. Jitterbug. I used to jitterbug a lot. I have to teach you.

42:52 Can you still do the jitterbug?

42:53 I can still do that jitterbug, yeah. When I can move without my arthritis.

43:00 Would you go dancing with Pappy?

43:03 He didn't like dancing when we were. We used to go out with friends when we had the children, and we used to go to the Italian Club. And I told him I would not go unless he danced one dance an hour with me. So that was my stipulation. If you want to go out drinking and dancing. I had to dance.

43:27 Yeah. If, say, because he didn't like dancing, would you dance with your friends?

43:32 Well, the girls. Women will do the jitterbug and get up and dance. My husband never did it. Yeah. And we used to do line dancing. You know how they do line dancing? Yeah. And hokey pokey, you know, and that.

43:50 If this was to be our last conversation, is there anything you'd want to say to me?

43:56 I love you and I'm happy to help you with your school. And I enjoyed talking to you and telling you about my. About my life over the years.

44:11 I also enjoyed hearing about, like, things I didn't never.

44:16 You never knew.

44:17 Yeah.

44:18 You never knew before. Okay.

44:20 I didn't ask anything about, like, your kids because at Thanksgiving dinner today, you talked a lot about what was like giving birth to all the kids.

44:26 Yes. Right. Oh, well, that's true. We did. Yeah.

44:29 And that was interesting because I didn't know any of that stuff either.

44:32 Like, did you enjoy that we were talking about the babies?

44:35 That was funny. Yeah. Thank you for doing this with me. I really appreciate it.

44:41 Oh, you're welcome. You're welcome. So we're done.