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Remley, Zita Donegan (audio interview #1 of 6)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of six separate interviews with Zita Remley conducted over a period of two years. This first interview was conducted as part of general course in oral history. 4/29/1976
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- 2021-03-18
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- SUBJECT BIO - Zita Donegan Remley was an influential figure in California Democratic party politics, and was called upon regularly to organize and coordinate election campaigns. One of eight children, Remley was born in North Platte, Nebraska to a family who engaged actively in political discussions and participated regularly in Chautaquas. Her mother was an advocate of women's rights and typified progressive era reform women activists. After her Catholic school education, Remley attended the University of Nebraska. During a summer break, she met a group of school teachers who were selling Chautaqua desks and, in short order joined them, working as a traveling saleswoman. She rose in the ranks of the company and transferred herself to Los Angeles in 1925 in order to be close to her future husband. Remley became involved in politics in 1925 while living in Carlsbad, working hard for the election of Al Smith and then, in 1934, both for John Steven McGroarty, an advocate of the Townsend Plan and for Upton Sinclair. When she moved to Alhambra in 1936, she volunteered for Jerry Voorhees and became his district manager after he won the election. She worked for Voorhees until his defeat by Richard Nixon in 1946; organized the 12th District Council, which became the model in 1958 for the California Democratic Council (CDC); and was elected to serve on the Democratic Party County Committee, State Committee and Executive Board. In 1950, Remley ran Helen Gahagan Douglas's unsuccessful campaign for Senate; and in 1958 worked on the campaigns of Alan Cranston and Stanley Mosk and was recruited by the AFL/CIO State Federation to organize the campaign to defeat a "Right to Work" ballot measure. After following her husband to San Francisco in 1960, she was called on to serve as the secretary-treasurer of the Adlai Stevenson campaign in California. In addition to these campaigns, Remley worked for local Long Beach politicians while she lived there and organized the Democratic club there. Among her other organizing activities and accomplishments, Remley co-founded and chaired the Democratic Women's Forum, an organization devoted to supporting women's participation in politics and running for office. TOPICS - family background; WWI; early education; parents; railroad strike; family environment and political awareness; and selling Chautauqua desks;sales work; traveling saleswoman; vacations; mother; career; dating; marriage; and meeting famous aviators Charles Lindbergh and Jimmy Doolittle;
- *** File: refzremley1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:35)... Remley opens by reciting her little girl poem: "Zita Donegan is my name, America is my nation, North Platte is my dwelling place. Heaven is my expected destination." Her parents went from Illinois by wagon in 1880 and settled in North Platte, Nebraska, supposedly meeting Jesse James en route. They had four boys and four girls. Remley's father worked for Union Pacific Railroad until retirement. The family's first house burned in a prairie fire, and her mother then bought an officer's home from Fort McPherson, forty miles away, cut it up, hired hayricks for transport, and then built a a two story, seven-room solid cedar home, where Remley was born in 1904. (3:35-6:17)... Remley's older siblings scattered: a sister went to California as secretary to U. S. attorney, U. S. Webb; a brother went around the world as a seaman; and another brother went to the Holy Cross order as Brother Kevin after playing on the University of Nebraska football team. All four brothers fought in World War I, and one (Noel) was killed in the Argonne offensive. As an aside, she notes that for years she dressed in silk pongee which her brother had sent from China. (6:17-8:20)... Remley notes that everyone was "terrifically patriotic" about the war (WWI). Her mother had a big flag and four stars in her window. A children's crusade planted vegetable gardens, and Remley, who planted on a well-fertilized former chicken farm, got a certificate for best vegetables in the state. Remley was educated mostly at Catholic schools. She had appendicitis in the fourth grade, cut up her stitches, and awarded them to her best friends, one of whom wrote her in later years to say he still had his stitch. She was always the top student and was valedictorian of her ten-pupil senior class. (8:20-10:05)... Remley's mother, who was very strict, was both thrifty and a doer. They had the first three-piece suite of upholstered furniture in town, a seven-passenger Willys-Knight auto, and the first attached garage. She raised beautiful flowers and paid the water bill with flower sales and the sugar bill with jam and jelly sales at the county fair. When she was about thirteen, Remley went with her mother to urge the city council to buy the William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) home for a museum. When they declined, Remley's mother tried unsuccessfully to raise the $10,000 purchase price. Today when one enters North Platte, a sign says "Buffalo Bill's Home Town", but the home is gone and the museum is north of town. (10:05-10:55)... Remley was taught by nuns from grades 7-12 and was valedictorian of her ten-student graduating class. Her neighborhood was full of children, who played games in summer, made May baskets for friends, got Easter eggs, and picked grapes and choke berries along the river. Her father made wine with his own wine press, which he used only to pour over his morning oatmeal; he also had twenty bee hives. Remley sold some honey every Saturday to ten steady customers and made .50 cents/week, which was more than any of her friends had. (10:55-13:15)... Hard times came with a railroad strike before Remley was born. Her father was a loyal member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers member. Her mother baked bread and her brothers delivered it in a goat-drawn cart. Her father raised vegetables, some of which were canned by her mother, others buried in sand until winter. And since her uncle had a large grocery store and gave them credit there was always enough to eat. Enmities that arose during the strike lasted for generations, and even though the strike was before Remley was born, she was never allowed to speak to children of scabs. The family had an annual pass on Union Pacific and could order passes on other railroads. Her mother used them monthly for trips to Omaha or Denver, going at midnight, shopping the next day, and returning by midnight. She saved $2 by sitting up all night. (13:15-13:56)... Remley's mother petitioned the City Council for sewers and gathered signatures from property owners. The sewer hookup was a big event, and baby Zeta got the first bath, in a tub still in use. (13:56-18:50)... Remley describes the annual summer event when the Red-path-Horner Chautauqua came for a week and set up the big tent. In the mornings, children rehearsed for the big Saturday extravaganza and although Remley couldn't sing or dance, she always got a speaking part. In the afternoons, singers, instrumental groups, cooking demonstrations took place, and the evenings featured lecturers, poets, mind readers, and jugglers. William Jennings Bryan was there every year and she recalls sitting on his lap. The speeches were political and Bryan gave his Cross of Gold speech. Other kids thought Remley was "nuts", but she loved listening to the speeches. Years later Remley met the granddaughter of William Jennings Bryan, who never got over her grandfather's representation during the famous 1925 Scopes trial. (18:50-22:16)... Remley's family was politically aware. They subscribed to North Platte and Omaha papers and the Denver Post and always talked about current political events at the table. Her mother was a poet and read Edgar Guest aloud every day and wrote poems for the local newspaper. Remley's mother was an advocate for women's rights and was happy when Wyoming gave women the vote. Remley recalls arguing with a friend about whose father was greater and won because her father voted for Woodrow Wilson. (22:16-23:35)... High school piano and elocution lessons were taught by the nuns. Remley won an elocution contest, perhaps because her neighbor was a judge. The last drawing contest for free Western Nebraska land was held in North Platte. It was a huge event that received national publicity. Young Remley was chosen to draw some of the numbers and got her picture in the paper. (23:35-26:33)... When she was fourteen, Remley came to California with her mother to visit a sister and sight see. Afterwards, they went to Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Glacier Park, and on to Great Falls to visit relatives. President Wilson was giving a speech there, but she couldn't get in, so hung around the side door. Wilson's wife gave her a rose, which she still has. She recounts another encounter with higher-ups when President. Harding's funeral cortege stopped in North Platte for oiling. The only person to be allowed on the train was the Queen of Job's Daughters, to lay a wreath on his coffin. When the Queen didn't show up Remley was asked to do it. (26:33-28:18)... Remley matriculated at University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where brother Cyril had graduated. She spent one year, majoring in English, but her mother was not keen on paying board and room because she thought public universities dens of iniquity. During her first summer vacation, Remley went with two young women teachers to sell Chautauqua desks in Western Nebraska, making about $20/day. End of tape. *** File: refzremley2.mp3 (0:00-4:25)... When Remley's sales group was in Davenport, it was so cold they didn't want to go out, but since they were only paid commissions had no choice. They went to the City Hall for records previous five year births and discovered that one in five said, "Father unknown." Knowing that, Remley saw nothing to condemn in current young generations. The nicest place in any town was the drug store, maybe because it had to be run by a college grad. So the girls asked the druggist to recommend where they could rent nice rooms for a week or two, and to inquire for them. As a result they stayed in nicest homes. She notes that nothing bad ever happened, even when they hitchhiked back home. (4:25-7:15)... Remley notes that she wasn't thrifty like her mother, so when she'd saved some money she went on a vacation "spree" with two cousins to Chicago, Niagara Falls, New York, and Washington. Two of them would register for a hotel room, and then all all three slept in it. She recalls that New York was an entertainment gala and that she saw Gilda Gray do the shimmy, Marilyn Miller in a musical, and Fanny Brice singing "My Man." In Washington,DC she says that she talked to Vice President Coolidge. Her wallet was stolen at Mount Vernon and she recounts how she caught up with the thief, struck her hand, and dislodged the wallet - which not had her money, but their tickets home. (7:15-10:00)... Remley's career and some dating kept her occupied from 1922-1925. From her base in Kansas City, she operated as the Midwest to Texas manager, training salespeople. She recounts meeting a suave Kentuckian who took instructions to become a Catholic in order to marry her. However, after meeting his family right before the wedding, Remley had a change of heart and could not proceed on the wedding morning. There was a big scene at the train, and Remley returned to Kansas City alone. (10:00-18:40)... Remley met her next beau in Kansas City. Because he was Catholic, her mother approved. He was an engineer who transferred to Pismo Beach, California. She was sent to Texas and they remained in constant communication. Then, when she transferred from Kansas City to Los Angeles in l925, she wound up in Ventura County. By Christmas Zeta and Lou decided to marry. She recounts how their wedding was called off at several different churches in Ventura, Tucson, and Phoenix, until they were finally married at noon in Ventura after three masses. (18:40-26:50)... About 1914, Remley's mother had a fourteen-room convent moved by horses a half-mile to a corner lot she owned. This huge project cost her $2,000 and she turned down $10,000 upon completion. She refused to take in boarders, but agreed at local hotelier's request to accept overflow in an emergency. One night in 1917, while Zeta was alone in the house, the hotel called requesting room for a group of aviators. (North Platte was first stop on airmail route.) One aviator was Charles Lindbergh; another was James Doolittle. Aviator lodgers came and went throughout the war and after. As a result many North Platte boys became aviators. End of tape.
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