After attending Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, I met a Marine named David Ellington. My mother was divorced at the time and was dating David Ellington’s father. We dated several months before getting married in 1947. Soon after getting married, we moved to New Bern, North Carolina the home of Camp Lejeune. While in New Bern, I worked at the J C Penney store.
We then moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia where David attended officer’s candidate school at Quantico. It was here that my first son David was born on April 20, 1949. When David was six weeks old, we both flew back to Kansas City. It was here that I moved in with my parents on Wood Avenue and subsequently filed for divorce.
I then took an office job at Lowell and Campbell, a sporting goods distributor in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. My aunt Mita was the manager of the factory store and helped me secure the job. I worked as an administrative support person in the credit department. Soon after, the company was purchased by Wilson Sporting Goods. It was here that I started dating a retail manager named Jack Leathers.
Jack was popular with all of the “girls” at work. He was very handsome and one of his best asset s was that he was raised to be polite to women. He always held the car door for you, etc. Lowe and Campbell would have a bowling party every year with dancing, etc. It was the highlight party of the year and almost everyone went. I went with my girl friend, who also worked at Lowe and Campbell, Ernestine Ward. Jack and I danced several dances and then he wanted to take me home. I was spending the night with my girlfriend Ernestine so of course I turned him down.
Several weeks later he asked my out on a date and we went to his good friend Stan and Marilyn Aufdemberge’s wedding. Jack and I dated for several months but not steady as I had a couple of other boyfriends. On our dates we usually went to a movie or sometimes his friends would have a party and we would attend. In 1950 Jack was drafted to serve in the military. He joined the Army and was an MP there. We wrote letters back and forth and finally he got a leave to come home on a furlough. His Mother lived in the Country Club area of Kansas City, Mo. and I lived in the suburbs of Kansas City, Kansas. As fate would have it, the Missouri river flooded in July 1951. He was on one side of the river and I was on the other side. The Intercity Viaduct was closed except for emergency vehicles so there was no way to get together. As fate would have it, a good friend of my Mother’s, Bruce Baldwin, was a special deputy and he had a pass to drive over the viaduct. Bruce owned a motorcycle shop so he gave me a ride over the flooded bottoms on the back of his motorcycle. My aunt Laura lived a block from Jack’s Mother’s house so I stayed with her for the next few days so Jack and I could see each other while he was on leave.
My Aunt Lena and her family lived in Argentine, Kansas City, Ks., and her house was flooded completely up to the attic. They all stayed with my family for several months. Shortly after Jack’s leave he was stationed in Augsburg, Germany. We corresponded almost every day while he was away, which was about a year.
Jack was discharged from the Army in 1952 and we were married August 1, 1953 in Bonfils Chapel at the Frank Lloyd Wright Church, Community Christian Church on the Plaza with Dr. Pippin officiating. Ernestine Ward was my Maid of Honor and Dick Rollert was the Best Man. I didn’t have any Bride Maids but Jack had several Groomsmen. Bob Leathers, Dick Tucker, Bill Stephens, and Bob Fountain. Our reception was at the President Hotel. The next morning Jack and I left for our Honeymoon to Grandview Lodger in Brainard, Minnesota. It was located on a beautiful lake and they had nice cabins to stay in. The food was fabulous. The weather was not warm so we didn’t do much swimming but they had a lot of other things to do. ONe day e went into Brainard and did some shopping. The first and only time I was ever on a horse was there. I have never been so scared in my life. We met another couple there who was from Kansas City and got married on the same day that we did. What a coincidence. We had a cute little cabin and had a wonderful time.
We had a great apartment on the Plaza. 409 W. 46th Street. The first party we had was there. We had a Halloween Party and invited all of our good friends. We all dressed up in costumes. I was a football player (costume from Lowe and Campbell). Jack was a cheerleader. I have some pictures of that party. We had such a good time! (So nice to be young!). We had to live on the Plaza as that was the popular place at that time.
After Jack went into the Army, I left Lowe and Campbell (Wilson Sporting Goods) and went to work for General Motors (BOP) in Fairfax. Again I did secretarial work. I made some great new friends there At that time they were making the F84 Thunderjet. I was working there when Jack was discharged from the Army.
