After Lucile finished ninth grade at the age of 15 her father gave her the option of helping Eliza at home or helping him at the office. Rather than stay at home she decided to work at the office. Harry was a plumbing and heating engineer. His office was where the Temple Square Hotel is now. Lucile did typing, bookkeeping, and filing. She didn’t learn typewriting in school so she learned it “hunt and peck” working for her father. I would take dictation from Father on the typewriter. Father must have been very patient.
Lucile at 18.
I decided I wanted to go back to school and get more experience in the business field. I borrowed money from sister Leone and paid a month’s tuition in the Utah School of Business [downtown]. It was of short duration. The third morning the teacher came to me and said there was an ad in the paper she thought I should answer. I was reluctant as I thought I really needed more training. She brought me the paper and I wrote up an application. I thought I could take my application over to the Tribune when I went to lunch. She had other ideas and I took it over to the Tribune then. I was called very shortly to go for an interview. It was The Salt Lake Auto Garage, Mr. Strickly was the manager.… He was impressed because I had worked for my father. I was accepted for the job and he wanted me to come to work immediately and I started to work on Friday the 13th. He said that was a lucky day for him.
I had only been there a couple of weeks and I heard of another job through a friend of Leone’s, Ada Lumsden, a convert to the church. Ada Lumsden and I became close friends and we would take in the special shows and concerts that came to Salt Lake at the Salt Lake Theater which was on State Street and First So. where the Telephone Company now have their offices. There were usually four or five of us that would go. We would always go to a nice place to eat before the theater.
Next I went to work for the Botterill Automobile Company as a cashier and General Office work. The one thing that stands out very vividly is the Armistice was signed for the cease firing of the War, which was 1918. This was a very Memorable Day. The shops were closed and everyone was parading the streets. However we were supplied with large trucks to ride and really had an exciting day.
Mr. Botterill asked me to take another job which was in the Parts Department as a stock clerk… In this job I learned the parts of cars and the location of the stock. The Shop Foreman would very often say to ask Miss Green, she will know, if something couldn’t be found.
In taking this assignment I gave up my vacation for a later date, which was nearly a year later. Mr. Botterill didn’t see fit to let me go at the time I wanted to but the opportunity had come up and I was very desirous for a change. Aunt Win [Pettit] Reeves and her two daughters Virginia and Leone and Aunt Daisy were going to California for a vacation. Aunt Win on the spur of the moment said, “Come and go with us.” I took her up on it. I don’t know if she was serious with the invitation but anyway it became a companionship that lasted through the rest of our lives until she passed away. They had rented an apartment that was on 14th and Hill St. in San Francisco, a very short walking distance to the Department stores. We would walk to town and one day it was suggested we go the Remington Typeprint Company and see if we could get a job. We both got a temporary job, made to our liking.
Lucile at 20.
After returning from a lengthy stay in California, May Green got Lucile a job as bookkeeper for the Whitehouse Furniture owned by J.J. Daynes who also had a music store. Four years on this job also.
To be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment