General Notes

Lola was born in the 500 block of Division St. in Indianpolis. She
attended school 47. Moved when in the 5th grade to school 49.She lived at
455 S. Harding St. from 1919 to 1924 then moved to a house her dad had
built at 2616 W. Ray St. (on the hill). Her parents lived the rest of
their lives at this home.
Lola graduated from # 49 in January 1928 and graduated from Washington
High School in June 1931. She received a scholarship to the Eliza Blaker
Teacher College which was located at 23rd and Alabama Sts. Her dad was so
proud of her. She could hear him yelling all the way from the back of the
gymnasium when they announced she had won.
The school had long hours and Lola often wondered if she would make it.
They were very strict and all girls. But she did and graduated in 1933.
She was very fortunate in getting a school in Wayne Township. Lola done
her student teaching in school 32 at 22nd & Illinois St.
Her first school after that was Ben Davis Grade School. After working
there for 20 years, she went to Butler at nights and summers and got her
Bachelors degree in 1954. Still not done, she went back to Butler in 1963
and got her Masters degree in 1965. Lola retired from Ben Davis in June
1977.
While teaching at Ben Davis, Lola sometimes had 3 grades while they were
having mid-term promotions and during the war had as many as 65 students
at a time.  She always remarked that if she had to take 1st grade that
she would quit but lo and behold her last 21 years she had 1st grade. She
finally realized how much she enjoyed seeing the progress the children
made and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Lola is still involved. She belongs to the Wayne Township Retired
Teachers and the Hendricks County R.T.A as well as the state R.T.A. and
National NRTA. She also belongs to the Hoosierette Grandmothers which is
a charter in the National Grandmothers.
Lola loves crocheting especially with yarn, counted cross stitch. She
used to also bake tierred wedding cakes, paint, make guilts, and
especially make Raggedy Ann dolls. She would also make her husbands
sports jackets and all the girls clothes as well as her own. Since her
retirement she refuses to make clothes anymore.
In 1941 when Lola lost her first husband, she had to work in the summer (
teaching was only 8 months at $100.00 per month).  So she worked in a
laundry at 30 cents an hour. Her mother cared for her daughter Roberta.
The 2nd summer, she got a job at a heating and air conditioning company -
turned defense producing at 80 cents an hour. Lola learned everything
from tapping to louvering, forming, etc. all except arc welding. It took
her a while to learn how to spot weld so it wouldn't fall off.
Lola continued working every summer there until the war was over. She
then met her 2nd husband George and married in 1945.