Add to collection
You do not have access to any existing collections. You may create a new collection.
Other
White, Margaret (audio interview #3 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - By the time of this third interview, White was more relaxed and seemed to lose some of her earlier shyness. Like other women interviewed in the RRR project, she had difficulty distinguishing between events that occurred during the war and and during her postwar work life. 11/19/1980
- Date
- 2021-07-28
- Resource Type
- Creator
- Campus
- Keywords
- Handle
["Made available in DSpace on 2021-07-28T21:55:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 3 1048262961494820-rrrmwhite7.mp3: 24336926 bytes, checksum: 88b78d1cb441c1bf1276b3240dd4cd92 (MD5) 3660223011155015-rrrmwhite8.mp3: 24033070 bytes, checksum: c34eec349be4b3aa5763a5342129e1a0 (MD5) 0203378854689404-rrrmwhite.jpg: 61541 bytes, checksum: 2c60c6fe5cff57766a8bd048859aa0cf (MD5)", "Submitted by Chloe Pascual (chloe.pascual@csulb.edu) on 2021-07-28T21:55:31Z No. of bitstreams: 3 1048262961494820-rrrmwhite7.mp3: 24336926 bytes, checksum: 88b78d1cb441c1bf1276b3240dd4cd92 (MD5) 3660223011155015-rrrmwhite8.mp3: 24033070 bytes, checksum: c34eec349be4b3aa5763a5342129e1a0 (MD5) 0203378854689404-rrrmwhite.jpg: 61541 bytes, checksum: 2c60c6fe5cff57766a8bd048859aa0cf (MD5)"]- Language
- Notes
- *** File: rrrmwhite7.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:36)... Between the years of 1945-51, White's life revolved around her home and husband. She visited with friends and family; however, she was content just staying home with her husband. When he died in 1950, she reapplied at Douglas and was hired at the plant in 1951. (2:36-5:24)... In 1950, White's husband had a stroke and was admitted to the Long Beach Veteran's Hospital. He was released from the hospital six weeks later and died at home after suffering another stroke. White took her husband's death very hard. It was difficult for her to adjust to an empty home. However, there was not much of a transition in terms of household or financial responsibilities because she was the one who paid the bills, shopped for the family, and did all of the housework while her husband was alive. A year after her husband died she began dancing again. (5:24-9:26)... White reapplied at Douglas in 1951. She was rehired because of her previous work experience with the company and her successful work record. When she returned to Douglas she was hired to do "pick up" work on the DC8, which entailed fixing parts that did not pass inspection. She was conscientious about her work quality, indicating that her main priority was that she do everything the right way. (9:26-11:09)... When White returned to Douglas in 1951, she did not work with anyone she previously worked with during WWII. She made most of her close friends after she returned to Douglas. She believes that she was one of the oldest women employed in her department. Because she was laid off after the war, the years she worked during the war counted towards her accumulated seniority with the company. (11:09-13:19)... White worked for Douglas for twenty-one years in both general assembly and pick up work. There were some jobs that inspectors and the union deemed too dangerous for her and pulled her off that work. (13:19-15:51)... She very rarely attended union meetings while she was employed at Douglas. Once she retired, however, she frequently went to the monthly dinners held at the union hall. Her sister, who was employed as a tool crib attendant at Douglas, also enjoyed these dinners. White digresses regarding the short time she worked as a took crib attendant. (15:51-17:29)... White remembers participating in a labor strike at Douglas in the 1960s. During the strike, people were expected to picket a certain amount of hours each week. The union provided meals for the picketers. She does not believe there were labor disputes when she returned to the plant in 1951. However, she was more concerned with learning the new production procedures at Douglas. She thought her work was easy and very interesting. (17:29-18:20)... White does not know what kind of work she would have been qualified for had she not returned to Douglas. She did not have a high school diploma or any special training in office work. However, she believes that she would have managed somehow because it was in her nature to do so. (18:20-22:20)... White discusses what type of social activities she was involved in after her husband died. Her favorite activity was dancing, which was how she met most of her friends. In addition to meeting men on the dance floor, she met men at work, but refused to date any of her male coworkers. She occasionally thought about remarrying and envied women with husbands. However, she enjoyed her freedom and the fact that she could come and go as she pleased without having to answer to a husband. (22:20-23:34)... White's daughter married shortly before her stepfather died. She moved out of her parents' home and moved into an apartment with her husband. It was difficult for White to adjust to an empty next, but she eventually learned to live without her daughter. (23:34-25:20)... White decided to retire from Douglas while she was on sick leave for a back problem. Prior to going on sick leave, she was traveling to the Lomita plant to work on DC9s. Her days were tiring and long because she had to leave at 4:30 a.m. to get to the plant. Once she retired, she regretted it and missed her work. End of tape. *** File: rrrmwhite8.mp3 (0:00-3:53)... After White retired she continued to go to dances and spend time with friends. She talks about vacations she took to Kansas to visit her sister and to Utah to visit friends. (3:53-4:58)... White continues to talk about her retirement activities, indicating that she is a member of the Midway City Women's Club. When she moved to Garden Grove, she joined the Methodist Church and enjoys the senior citizen activities sponsored by the church. (4:58-10:02)... White discusses her decision to move from Long Beach to Garden Grove. The move was quite an adjustment for her because she missed her friends in Long Beach and her familiar surroundings. Over the years, however, White became accustomed to living in Garden Grove. (10:02-11:02)... In general, she is in good health and physical condition. Her good health has enabled her to take trips with her church and social clubs. (11:02-11:50)... Even though she does not think it is worth while to worry about the future, she is concerned about unemployment and robbery. While living in Los Angeles County she was wary about going out at night because she did not think it was safe. (11:50-15:14)... White approves of the women's movement. She thinks that women are more conscientious than men when it comes to work, at least that is how she describes her work ethic. She digresses regarding the enjoyment she got from cleaning her daughter's house. White believes that more women are going to work than women of her generation. (15:14-18:03)... White supports the ERA. When she was employed at Douglas, she received the same wages as men employed in her line of work. She digresses regarding her production work on frames. When production demands increased, White worked with another coworker by the name of Betty. Together, they produced more frames than anyone in their department. While working with White, Betty was promoted to an 'A' job classification. Even after she retired, White continued to correspond and stay in touch with Betty. (18:03-20:00)... Working at Douglas was fulfilling for White because it enabled her to save enough money to support herself in retirement. She very rarely took vacations and, therefore, accumulated vacation and sick time. Each year she was paid for this accumulated time and deposited the money into her savings. (20:00-21:24)... White never experienced symptoms associated with menopause. She received a partial hysterectomy in her early thirties when she began experiencing problems with her reproductive organs. (21:24-25:01)... White discusses how working at Douglas affected the quality of her life. In addition to providing financial security, Douglas enriched her life because she learned so many new skills while at the company. She also talks about the tools and production procedures utilized in order to satisfy certain specifications stipulated in Douglas contracts. End of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Margaret White was born in Minnesota in 1905, the seventh of ten children. She worked as a domestic after she finished the tenth grade, until she married in 1925. Divorced three years later, and with a two year old daughter to support, she resumed work as a domestic, first in the Midwest and then in California, where she joined her sick sister in Long Beach in 1930. White returned to full time homemaking again in 1936 after her second marriage. Motivated by a sense of patriotism she sought work at the new Douglas plant in Long Beach in 1942 and worked until the massive layoffs at war's end. She viewed the work as a "God send," since it paved the way for her to be re-hired in 1950 after her husband's death. She continued to work at Douglas for the next nineteen years, until her retirement in 1970. The three interviews (totaling almost 4 hours) with White were all conducted by Cindy Cleary in White's home in Garden Grove. Although very personable, she was not altogether comfortable with the interview process, and seemed to have difficulty talking about herself. However, by the third and last interview, she had become more relaxed. TOPICS - family life; social activities; husband; work roles; union activities; daughter; and retirement;retirement; social activities; job skills and work responsibilities; health; daughter; feminism; effect of Douglas employment;
- Rights Note
- This repository item may be used for classroom presentations, unpublished papers, and other educational, research, or scholarly use. Other uses, especially publication in any form, such as in dissertations, theses, articles, or web pages are not permitted without the express written permission of the individual collection's copyright holder(s). Please contact the CSULB Library Administration should you require permission to publish or distribute any content from this collection or if you need additional information or assistance in using these materials: https://www.csulb.edu/university-library/form/questionssuggestions-the-digital-repository-group
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|
1048262961494820-rrrmwhite7.mp3 | 2023-10-18 | Public | Download | |
3660223011155015-rrrmwhite8.mp3 | 2023-10-18 | Public | Download | |
0203378854689404-rrrmwhite.jpg | 2023-10-18 | Public | Download |