LEARNING HER LINES
The topic for Week 50 of the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge was a tough one for me. Finally I decided to write about my mother, Eloris (Kijak) Schulte, and the various times "lines" became part of her life.
In 1936, at the age of 11, my mother took part in a school play at Trinity Lutheran School in St. Joseph, Michigan. This was a Thanksgiving play and she had lines to learn as part of this performance. Here she is with her fellow cast mates. My mother is standing on the bottom row, the second person from the left:
Another view of the same play with my mother in the second row, first person on the left:
In 1939 at her confirmation from Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Joseph, Michigan, my mother had to learn the lines from her confirmation verse and recite it:
The entire confirmation class of 1939 with my mother in the second row, the fourth person from the left:
My mother had a great soprano voice and sang many solos over the years at church memorizing her lines. Here is a photo of her in 1995 singing a solo at her church, St. Thomas Lutheran in East Detroit, Michigan:
Interestingly one of my mother's early jobs also included "lines". In 1943, upon graduation from high school, she worked for Michigan Bell in Benton Harbor, Michigan as a "ship to shore" telephone operator. When my parents were married and relocated to Detroit, Michigan she transferred to the Detroit office of Michigan Bell and continued her career as a ship to shore telephone operator.
"Lines" in various forms were indeed a part of my mother's 91 years of life.
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