ELLIS-HOWARD WEDDING AUGUST 21, 1943

Sixty Five years ago today, (August 21, 1943) I was married in Storrs, Connecticut. The wedding wasn’t very elaborate according to today's weddings.....Now it is the long white dress, veil, church full of people, large dinner, lovely cake and a honeymoon.

Then it was just two young people, far away from home, during war time....and being married in the Mayor's home, where I was rooming. An Army buddy stood up with Dale and a UConn Student (I'd only known 2 weeks) stood by me. I even wore her shoes, as mine weren't nice enough. Mrs. Hall played the piano while I came down a few stairs. The Minister from the Congregational Church in Willimantic Connecticut married us......Mrs. Hall (June) had set the table with a nice linen tablecloth, a vase of garden flowers and she had baked a cake.....it had no icing because of sugar rationing.....lucky to just have a cake. All four of the Hall kids and Burt ( their Dad) were there...and they thought it a big deal.

After the ceremony and the cake......we had to ride to Willimantic with the Preacher (we gave him either $5 or $10) for marrying us.

Once in town, we stopped at a restaurant and we both had a spaghetti dinner....Dale was so nervous, he hardly ate a thing, but I ate mine and finished up his.....(must have been a charming bride, sitting there eating spaghetti and garlic bread).

We had reservations at the Nathan Hale hotel for that Saturday night. Sunday evening, we hopped on a bus, and headed back to Storrs. Dale's Army group had to stay at a dorm on Campus, and I went back to the Halls and the room I shared with the college student .....There was no honeymoon to some distant island, a cruise, or even any free time because Dale was in Service and due in Class on Monday morning I had to be back at my new Secretarial job with the Department of Engineering on the Storrs Campus.

I had taken a vacation from my job at the U of I, and our getting married depended upon me being able to find a job in Connecticut. I was fortunate as I was hired on my first interview. It’s a good thing because we had only $98 between the two of us.

Later Dale was transferred to Medford, Oregon, then to San Luis Obispo, California, and from there sent to the South Pacific.
He was in the Philippines, and the Invasion of Okinawa, returning home January 1946.

In 1993 we celebrated our 50th Anniversary. Our three sons planned the affair with many attending, beautiful gifts, and Roger baked us the most beautiful wedding cake…….This time the cake had icing (and lots of it).

Dale passed away just two months before our 59th Anniversary.

MY FIRST JOB AT THE U OF I

This is the typewriter I used when I started my first job with the Home Economics Extension Department at the University of Illinois, February 1942.

Jobs were very hard to find. I had graduated in May 1941 with a scholarship to a small College or a 3 month scholarship to attend Danville Institute of Business. There was no way my folks could help me with College expenses so I went to Business College and worked at Kresge's Five and Dime on Saturdays. I worked eight hours and earned $1.98 as they took two cents out for Social Security.

After finishing the 3 months at Danville Institute of Business, I went to work for Illinois Printing. That lasted only a few months. Then they started laying off....I was the last hired so the first to be let out.

I had heard there were openings at the University of Illinois and that the jobs were secure if you could get hired and worked really hard. I went to the Nonacademic Office and was sent on job interviews. Everywhere I interviewed I heard the same comment "I'm sorry, but you have no experience". When I arrived at my third interview, I was getting tired, upset, and felt I would be going home without being hired. When Mrs. Klockner in Home Economics Extension said "I'm sorry, but you have no experience", I spoke up and said "I don't know how I will get experience if no one will hire me".
I have no idea how I had the nerve to do that. Anyway, she went into another office, then came back and said "come to work on Monday morning". I thought they were the sweetest words I had ever heard. Years later, she told me that she felt I was spunky, and since I had the nerve to speak up, I would probably be a good worker.

I was a Clerk Typist and the L C Smith was my first typewriter. I typed letters, manuscripts, speeches, etc. At times had to make 10 copies and to do that, put a steel platen into the typewriter, and used 9 sheets of carbon paper. Certainly didn't want to make an error as it was a real pain to put a small piece of paper behind each carbon, erase, then remember to take out each piece. We had no copy machines at that time.

We worked a 44 hour week and my monthly check was $76. At that time, it seemed like lots of money. I roomed with two other girls and we each paid $10 a month rent, and when I went home on weekend, my parents would send food back with me. I had enough money to start a Savings Account.

They now call those "THE GOOD OLD DAYS".