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Millikan, Gertrude (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of three interviews with Gertrude Millikan conducted as a project for a women's oral history class at CSULB. The interview was recorded in Millikan's room at the PEO Retirement Home in Alhambra, California. This interview focused in more detail than the first on Millikan's background and her leading role in the consumer education movement in southern California. Millikan is described by the interviewer as "a very proud, alert and articulate woman" who was able to recall many aspects of her life in great detail. 7/16/1976
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- 2021-02-23
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- *** File: refgmillikan3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:51)... Millikan reviews her family's migration, how they moved from Independence, Oregon, to Eureka, and ultimately Southern California where her father when to work for the Los Angeles Times. He arrived first, rented a house near Lincoln Park, and then sent for the family to arrive before Millikan started her sophomore year at LA High School. (3:51-6:12)... Millikan talks about her childhood in Eureka, recalling riding her bicycle through Eureka's muddy paths, ruining it, and arriving home dirty. Her storytelling began early, and neighborhood and school friends regularly gathered at her house to listen. In addition to regular household chores, stirring the gravy was an important task. (6:12-8:44)... Millikan recounts what Eureka was like in 1910. The lumber baron locals did not mix and objected to outsiders who might make changes. Visiting the largest mill in her early years traumatized Millikan after she witnessed a serious accident. With few automobiles and no handy appliances, groceries were delivered and clothes hand washed and hung to dry. Millikan's mother was a homemaker. Socializing among women included sewing bees, knitting, and church activities. (8:44-11:23)... Los Angeles had more conveniences in 1909 than either Independence or Eureka recalls Millikan. She describes how watering rose bushes was the final act during the Saturday night bath ritual. Indoor plumbing and electricity came with the rented Los Angeles house. (11:23-14:50)... Millikan's parents developed Los Angeles friends through church activities. During formative years Millikan's older sister lived with relatives in Oregon who wanted to adopt her. With twelve years between them, Millikan didn't really know her older sibling until she returned to live with the family. (17:04-20:34)... Inquisitive Millikan always followed older brother Harvey and his friends. While expected to learn sewing and join activities for girls, she preferred playing outdoor games with the boys and was dismayed whenever she had to remain indoors. Millikan describes creative group games that were fun and cost nothing. (20:34-24:48)... Millikan explains courting rules and high parental standards in her family. She believes that her parents divided responsibilities, with her mother usually handling social aspects and her father making decisions about the use of an automobile. Millikan enjoyed writing because her school teacher-father impressed her with his continued emphasis on proper language. She attributes her enjoyment in writing letters and magazine articles to his influence. (24:48-29:15)... Millikan details her USC sorority experience in Entre Nous. Her parents believes that being in a Greek sorority or fraternity system was prestigious and carried long term benefits. She describes the several levels: the big four, for example, were Delta Gamma, Kappa Gamma, Theta, Phi Beta Phi. When finances allowed nearby homes to be purchased, members could move closer to campus, living together in the same environment. There were no college dress codes and she recalls that big hats were in vogue and were seen everywhere. (29:15-31:22)... In a small way the bombing of the Los Angeles Times may have contributed to Millikan's interest in the labor movement. The primary reaction to the bombing was the loss of employment at the paper. Since her father's job was gone, he opted to free lance as a writer and did not return to the paper when the new building opened. (31:22-34:40)... Millikan talks about her childbearing years and the availability of prenatal care and family planning. Chatting over bridge with neighbors and friends, talking to one's pediatrician, and reading current magazines helped to educate new mothers. Although Millikan felt that the rules kept changing while she was rearing her four children, she feels that al the children turned out well. (34:40-40:29)... Millikan and her husband always discussed impending pregnancies and a previous miscarriage. She believed that it was important to nurse her children for nine months. With affordable live-in help and college boys handling yard work, Millikan was able to volunteer time for PTA in 1932. Millikan's career educating women to handle household business matters of banking, insurance, home buying, and other financial dealings began when she was pressed to organize PTA programs. Following opposition by local businessmen, Millikan single-handedly organized a successful sixteen-week lecture series at USC that generated enthusiasm from both speakers and attendees. Women attending surprised and impressed the various lecturers. (40:29-43:54)... In 1932, grocers were illegally adding weights to produce and wages were based on cheating the public. These practices jump-started Millikan's career in pioneering consumer education, noting women would become more intelligent buyers if experts could educate them. The success of her USC lecture series led to a special teaching credential and compensation for her to teach consumers to buy more intelligently. Working from a home office, she organized workshops, traveled, wrote extensively on behalf of consumers, and certified women from Southern California as new consumer educators. *** File: refgmillikan4.mp3 (0:00-3:41)... Millikan and her consumer education committee developed a liaison with various merchants and businesses, who agreed to provide a secretary, a telephone line to Millikan's home, and a neutral place for the women to meet at The Los Angeles Better Business Bureau. For many years this arrangement allowed Millikan to respond to letters and telephone calls and still preserve her home life. It was important to be at home when her children arrived from school. The consumer program was curtailed during WWII. Adult Education continued but no organized movement until much later. Only women worked in the organization; men she notes, were cooperative, but not involved as participants. The consumer movement enjoyed local and national print publicity over the years. (3:41-8:30)... Millikan was actively involved in a host of interests and organizational activities: consumer affairs, YWCA , the Christian Education movement in colleges, Republican organizations, and musical and civic committees. Her priorities, however, were as wife, mother, and homemaker. To her mind, volunteering superseded any paid employment, and she performed better as a volunteer. She learned to pace herself between her home and outside demands. Millikan's husband, Pat, was also active in organizations and belonged to Rotary, Masons and Kiwanis. They cooperated and helped each other as needed. He shared her family values and would not allow business or outside interests to interfere with his family. (8:30-12:24)... Women were not members of organizations like Rotary although they received invitations to special meetings. Millikan's time was taken with her own causes so she rarely attended, and never felt compelled to become a member. While husband Pat enjoyed golf as a diversion, Millikan played bridge with longtime women friends. They gossiped, discussed politics, social issues, current events, and shared family events. She was not influenced one way or the other about prohibition and was not against others imbibing; she and her family chose not to drink alcohol in their home. (12:24-18:37)... Before radio crystal sets and television, Millikan's thinking time came after the children went to bed and she began her ironing. She enjoyed "way out" readings and had an interest in ESP. Readings, old sayings, and Magruder Reading books played an important role in her life. Her personal library contained 800 truisms and maxims. She laments the loss of vocabulary among young people and believes that the warmth of our life is reflected in many of these sayings and cliches. She always sought the derivation and historical significance of a quote, cliche, or old saying, and gives several examples. She cannot imagine anyone ever being bored, life has so many exciting interests to offer, no matter one's age. (18:37-26:11)... Millikan remained active in her college sorority and other organizations for twenty years after moving to the mountains. The Idyllwild home was a great family gathering place for her children and grandchildren. She counts the family unit, welfare of the country, and moral standards among her all consuming life interests. If there was no challenge, she would not participate. Never a feminist, but believing in equality, Millikan contends home and family responsibilities are priorities and should be shared. Women and men should work together and not compete. Although she had live-in help, she knew how to cook and clean; otherwise she couldn't teach others to do the same. She equates problems of the day with women lacking acceptance of their responsibilities and hiring others to perform their roles as mothers and homemakers. End of tape
- SUBJECT BIO - Gertrude Millikan was a leading figure in consumer education in California. She taught one of the first classes on consumer affairs, which became the basis of the certification program for consumer educators. The third of four children, Millikan was born in Independence, Oregon and then raised in the lumber town of Eureka, California by college-educated parents. When she was fifteen, the family moved to Los Angeles in order for her father to take a job as a feature writer at the <Los Angeles Times.> After Millikan graduated from USC in 1916, she went to work first at the YWCA and then organized Hostess Houses (USO) during the war until her marriage in 1918. From the early days of her marriage, she was actively involved in a variety of organizational activities, including consumer affairs, YWCA, PEO, Republication organizations and civic committees. Typical of the volunteer reform activist, Millikan's life centered around the home and family and her priorities were as wife, mother, and homemaker, pacing herself between her home and outside demands. After Millikan's husband died in 1949, she moved to the mountain community of Idyllwild, where she continued her volunteer work. She remained there until she moved into the PEO Retirement Home, where she was residing at the time of the interview. TOPICS - migration to Los Angeles; role of church; relationship with siblings; parental expectations; dating rules; parental roles; USC sorority life; impact of bombing of LA Times; pregnancies; child care; PTA volunteer; USC Consumer Education lecture series; and consumer movement activism;consumer education; volunteerism; social life; hobbies and diversions; purchase of mountain retreat; and beliefs on women's role and status;
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