Blane, Evelyn and Steve (and Pierre?) goofing on the front porch at 500 Walter Street, Kennett, MO. Date unknown.
Tag Archives: Evelyn
My first steps?
Another never-before-seen photo from the recently discovered Mystery Photo Album. My mother had written “first steps” on the border of the photo. I was born in March and it looks like I’m about one year old here so, spring of 1949? Tried to remove the crease but it looked worse so I left it. This is as close to time travel as I’ll get.
John and Evelyn (March, 1946)
I’ve read that memories are not retrieved or recalled but recreated. Sort of recompiled, changing slightly each time. Is a photo a memory? Only if I took the photo, was there to experience the moment captured. Is a photo history? Arguably more accurate than the one my brain creates.
I’m not headed anywhere with this, just rambling. These two photos are of my mother and father (and an unidentified friend). Probably taken sometime in 1946. My father was discharged from the Navy on March 9, 1946. He married my mother on March 23, 1946. So, as mom often claimed, they knew each other for two weeks before taking the plunge. This suggests the photos below were taken in March of 1946.
I can never know the people in these photos. What that time was like for them. This is as close as I will ever come. One instant in time (two in this case). Where were they? How long had they known each other. When/where/how did they meet? Who took the photos and why? Then again, maybe it’s better not to know. We can create our own histories, which we do in any event.
For me There is powerful magic in old photos. Even if I don’t know the people.
Found Photos
[We’re posting this for archival purposes. Someday, someone might recognize someone] If I had to guess I’d say this was part of a photo of women who worked with my mother (Evelyn Mays) at the Dunklin County Welfare Office in Kennett Missouri. No idea why the photo is torn, if it was an accident or intentional. Latter seems unlikely. Some of the names from the back of the photo: Betty Cash, Dolores Gillpatrick, Leona French, Evelyn Overall, Laverne Johnson, Kay Spears, Beatrice Summers, Lucy Redd.
This is one of hundreds of photos found in my parents attic.
Evelyn Perry
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- I believe this was taken during Evelyn’s year of college at Cape. No info on the two young women with her (front, left).
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- Evelyn is on far right. All we know is the month/year. Again, I think this was taken in Cape Girardeau, MO.
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- Southeast Missouri State Teachers College, Cape Girardeau, MO (1943) Part of physical education class.
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- Since Evelyn is not in the photo, I’m assuming she took it. It would be another year before the end of WWII. A different world.
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- Probably 1943 or 1944. Check out the sneakers.
Some of my most treasured photos are of my parents when they were young. I’ve shared photos of my father from his Navy days I recently discovered some of my mom I don’t think I’ve posted.
She grew up on a farm near Broseley, Missouri, and attended one year at Southeast Missouri State Teachers College (as it was called in those days). Not sure why she didn’t finish but she always spoke fondly of that time in her life.
“Miss Perry, take a letter, please”
One of my mother’s many talents was shorthand transcription. A skill she used during her early working career. In those ancient times, people would dictate a memo or a letter and mom would write it down using something called Gregg shorthand.
I assume she took her “steno pad” back to her desk where she’d roll some typing paper and carbon sheets into the old manual typewriter and bang out a few copies which, I assume, got marked up with corrections, and she’d do it again.
I was reminded of this painful process recently when I heard Barb dictating a memo on her iPhone using Dragon Dictation. I’m just not sure how it gets much easier (but it will).
In a few years we’ll look at our huge 3-ring binders and drawers full of paper and shake our heads in wonder. But some folks just have to hold the paper in their hands. The numbers/words are just less real if not printed. One wonders of the iPad and similar future devices (digital paper) will change this.
One of my next projects is to convert the few remaining paper artifacts in my desk to PDF. I think I can get pretty close to paperless in my work life. I’m close.
Speaking of paperless…
I’m nearly finished with my first ebook. It was a very good experience. My beloved paper books will undoubetedly go the way of my vinyl LPs. Alas.
Evelyn
Mom
First trip to the beach
I believe this photo was taken at Hammonasset Beach in Connecticut. But Mother’s Day always brings this image to mind.
John and Evelyn in St. Louis
Tomorrow is my father’s birthday. He would have been 78. He’s been gone a couple of years now and would find it amusing that I remembered his birthday since I usually forgot. If he were here I’d ask him where this photograph was taken. For some reason I think it must have been in St. Louis. If we have any STL readers, and you recognize this statue, drop me line and let me know where it is. John and Evelyn partied there right after the war. Happy birthday, Johnny!