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Stumph, Marye (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - Stumph was a bit more relaxed during this second interview, recorded in her home. However, her physical discomfort resulting from arthritic joints caused her to tire easily, and there are short pauses in the interview as she shifted sitting position. 12/2/1980
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- 2021-07-27
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- Notes
- *** File: rrrmstumph5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:10)... In the summer of 1941, Stumph enrolled in a six-week aircraft production training course. She believes the classes were held at Long Beach City College. She was not paid while in training, and continued to support herself through unemployment. In July 1941, she was hired at Vultee. Her starting wage was .625 cents an hour, which seemed like hitting the "mother lode." (3:10-5:16)... Stumph did not have any expectations about working in a defense plant because she had previous factory experience. Her priority at the time was to find a stable job so that she could support her family. She remembers few specifics about the training school she attended, but believes she trained for about four hours a day during the six-week period. (5:16-8:34)... Stumph befriended a few women while she was taking classes at the business school. They often socialized outside of class, and their favorite spot was the Pike. Stumph lost track of these women once she went into the aircraft training program. At the time, her friends were more interested in clerical work than defense jobs. She discusses her friendship with a woman she met while in business college. Even though they lost track of each other for a short time during the war, they eventually reconnected and have been close friends ever since. (8:34-11:59)... The course in which she enrolled was advertised as training women for defense jobs. All of the students in Stumph's training class were women , but the teachers were men. Most of the women were the same age as Stumph, and all of the women were Anglo European. The training facility was a large, barn-like building that resembled a factory. She learned to operate various hand tools like pliers and snippers, and also learned wiring and soldering skills. Riveting lessons were not offered at the training school at that time. (11:59-15:45)... Despite her training in wiring, Stumph went into subassembly work when she was hired at Vultee. She describes the production process involved in subassembly work and her job responsibilities. She eventually learned how to operate a spot welding machine. This was a male-dominated skill at the time, and men in the plant protested any efforts by women to move into the position. As a result, Stumph never completed any production work as a spot welder. Women eventually worked as spot welders when a large number of men were drafted during the war. By that time, however, Stumph was working in the machine shop. (15:45-21:18)... Stumph recalls a representative from Vultee visiting the training facility and informally interviewing women for subassembly work. He told Stumph to apply for a job at the Downey plant, which was located near the intersection of Lakewood Boulevard and Bellflower. She believes she traveled to the plant by way of bus. Once she started working at the plant, however, she got a ride with coworkers. (21:18-23:17)... When she applied for a position at Vultee, she was fingerprinted. She believes that the personnel department took about a week to check her background before sending a telegram offering her a position. At that time, she was not informed about the type of work she would be doing at the plant. (23:17-25:34)... She was required to wear slacks while on the job. She felt awkward at first, but then grew accustomed to wearing pants even when she was not working. Most employees wore flat-heeled, leather Oxfords. Women who worked with machinery had to wear a hair net, and people working near welding areas wore goggles. Stumph had purchased a few tools while in training, but she cannot recall if she had to purchase anything else to work in the plant. (25:34-27:35)... Stumph was with a group of employees the first day she went to the plant. She was assigned to a subassembly section that was an easy starting point for new employees. The subassembly department was quite large and she believes that it was divided into separate sections. Vultee mainly produced small airplanes during the war such as a two-seater training airplane. The company also produced a dive bomber called the Vengeance much later in the war years. End of tape. *** File: rrrmstumph6.mp3 (0:00-1:43)... Stumph recalls that her leadman was nice. When she started in subassembly, he taught her how to do the work. She occasionally worked by herself, but also received assistance from other women whenever it was necessary. Stumph found the work to be easy, remarking that "there wasn't anything that anyone couldn't do." (1:43-2:18)... The women she worked with while in subassembly were merely acquaintances. Stumph befriended one woman, and they occasionally socialized. However, they lost track of each other once Stumph moved into another department. (2:18-4:36)... Stumph describes the plant and the working conditions relative to noise, heating, and lighting. When she moved to the machine shop, which was directly across from riveters, it was so noisy that she could not carry on a conversation without screaming. She believes that her hearing was negatively affected by the high noise level. (4:36-5:03)... As long as women worked in jobs that men did not want, they were not harassed by male employees at the plant. However, as men were drafted into the military during the war, women moved into jobs traditionally dominated by men. (5:03-5:38)... Stumph believes that the fumes emitted from the chemicals she used to clean aircraft skins were harmless. The company developed safety precautions to protect employees; however, she does not discuss what safety standards were in place during the time she worked at Vultee. (5:38-9:01)... It took the leadman about five minutes to teach Stumph how to complete the job she was assigned. She digresses regarding her work hours and scheduled breaks at the plant. There was a short period during the war when women worked ten hours a day, six days a week, but this was reduced to eight hours a day when it became too difficult for women to work these hours. There was a cafeteria available for employees to purchase sandwiches and drinks. Stumph typically brought her lunch to work and ate it in the cafeteria with her coworkers. (9:01-11:34)... Stumph went to work at Vultee July 1941. A few weeks into her job, the company increased the pay scale to .75 cents per hour. The leadman informally placed her in charge of the other women cleaning skins; however, Stumph was not compensated for this expanded role. When she moved into the machine shop her pay increased to $1per hour. She does not believe that pay raises were automatic, but were granted based on a person's job or skill level. (11:34-13:32)... After a couple of months at Vultee, Stumph was trained in the skill of spot welding. When the men protested women moving into this job, she was transferred back to her old position cleaning skins. She was friendly with the male spot welders and they never harassed or spoke to her about their grievances. (13:32-16:47)... When Stumph heard there was a vacancy in the machine shop, she expressed interest in transferring into that department and her request was granted. She describes the type of work she did while in the machine shop. She eventually graduated to completing various operations on the #5 machine. By the time she moved into the machine shop, the war had started and women were filling the gap left in the machine shop when men were drafted for military service. The men in the machine shop were Class A machinists while women were Class B machinists, "which was as much as we expected to be. We weren't making a career of it like men." (16:47-21:14)... Stumph talks about the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, and how American entrance into the war affected the labor force at Vultee. As men gradually left the plant for military service, women moved into male-dominated positions like spot welding. Stumph explains that Vultee employees felt superior to Douglas employees because Douglas was a cost-plus plant while Vultee worked on a contract basis. Stumph and her coworkers felt that they were "really contributing something" to the war effort. Vultee encouraged support for the war by periodically holding bond rallies. (21:14-24:48)... Although Stumph joined the union at Vultee, her membership was brief, and she never attended any union meetings. She never considered herself pro-union, but felt that the union was beneficial for employees and that she should support it during the war. In some respects, she thinks that unions are responsible for "a lot of their inflation." (24:48-29:23)... After she started working at Vultee, Stumph rented a two-bedroom apartment located on 8th and Redondo for t$20a month. She was able to take her daughter out of the children's home, and her son moved back to Long Beach from Ohio. Stumph's mother left her husband and moved to Long Beach to live with Stumph and the children. She cared for the children when Stumph was at work. Stumph was able to support the family with her wages from Vultee. End of tape. *** File: rrrmstumph7.mp3 (0:00-0:32)... Stumph continues the discussion regarding her mother's assistance in caring for the children and managing the household while Stumph was at work. (0:32-2:56)... When Stumph was assigned to work in the machine shop, a leadman trained her on proper operating procedures for the machinery. She enjoyed her work environment, and never experienced any difficulties with her coworkers. Stumph does not recall whether or not there were caution or safety signs on the machinery, but believes that the leadman informed her of any safety measures during training. She was never injured while operating machinery, and she never witnessed any major injuries incurred by coworkers. (2:56-5:57)... Most of the women Stumph worked with were in their thirties and married with children. She does not recall seeing any minorities employed in subassembly or the machine shop while she was at Vultee. There were a few "Okies" employed at the plant. In general, her coworkers were similarly motivated in that they wanted to aid the war effort and make some money. There were very few "trashy types" at the plant, and most of her coworkers were of good character and friendly. (5:57-6:20)... When Stumph moved to California, she had no idea what a lesbian was and did not know if there were any employed at Vultee while she was there. (6:20-9:59)... Most of the men employed in the machine shop were in their thirties or younger. These men were experienced machinists who mainly operated the large machinery in the shop. According to Stumph, gender relations between men and women were amicable. She does not recall hearing or seeing men flirt or tease with women in the shop. In her opinion, men did not resent women working in the machine shop. When she worked the night shift, she frequently took lunch breaks with male coworkers. Occasionally, they left the plant and ate their lunch in a car parked in the plant lot. (9:59-13:15)... Vultee operated a company store where employees could purchase tools and pay their bills. The store also provided employees with a referral service that Stumph utilized when she was in search of furnishings for her new apartment. She does not recall whether or not the store sold work attire. In addition to buying slacks at Sears, Stumph's mother handmade her work slacks. The plant was equipped with a Nurse's Office that provided medical attention for employees suffering from minor injuries or illnesses. Stumph was unaware of any counselors employed at Vultee, indicating that grievances were probably handled in the personnel office. (13:15-14:07)... Bathroom facilities were separate for both men and women, and located centrally in each department. There was a small settee or lounging area in the women's bathroom, but not comfortable enough to sit on for a long period. The plant did not employ matrons who monitored the women's bathroom. (14:07-15:23)... For a brief time, Stumph was a member of a sketching group organized for employees; however, she was unaware if there were any other recreational activities offered by the company. (15:23-16:26)... Stumph cannot recall exactly how she got involved with a carpool, but believes it may have started through word of mouth. She met her carpool on Pacific Coast Highway, which was quite a long walk from her apartment located just south of 10th Street. (16:26-23:24)... Stumph's mother managed the household and took care of the children, while Stumph shopped for groceries. In 1942, the family moved out of the apartment on 8th and Redondo and into a home in Naples for $40 a month. About a year later, Stumph purchased a home in El Monte. They lived there for only six months because it was located on the outskirts of town and they had no transportation. When they returned to Long Beach there was a major housing shortage and they had to move into a storage room located on 10th Street and Stanley. In the mean time, Stumph used the $800 in equity she earned from her home in El Monte to put towards a down payment on a home located on Gaviota Avenue. (23:24-28:23)... In order to make extra money, Stumph and her mother applied for a foster care license with the City of Long Beach, and began taking in children to earn extra money. On average, Stumph's mother earned about $6 a week caring for children assigned to her by the city. Periodically, city officials visited their home to inspect the living conditions. Stumph believes that many of the children's mothers were employed in defense plants and needed someone to care for their children while they worked. (28:23-30:22)... Stumph's former husband remained in Ohio when she and her children moved to California. She never had any difficulty with her husband over custody, and her children simply stopped seeing their father once they moved to California. She digresses regarding food rationing during the war. End of tape. *** File: rrrmstumph8.mp3 (0:00-0:35)... Stumph talks about a woman who lived with them when they were operating their daycare business during the war. (0:35-3:34)... Her main mode of social activity involved going to the movies with her mother. She did not socialize with coworkers at Vultee because everyone she knew at the plant was dispersed in different locations or other cities. She rarely dated men, indicating that dating and sex was never an important priority in her life. (3:34-8:01)... When Stumph began working at Vultee, she thought her job would be permanent, and possibly turn into a career. Once the war began, however, she figured that her job would only last for the duration of the war. The war ended while she was vacationing in New Mexico. When she returned, she received a ten-word telegram informing her that she had been laid off from Vultee. Even though she was disappointed that she lost her job, she was relieved the war had ended. (8:01-11:07)... When Stumph was laid off from Vultee in August 1945, she worked a few temporary jobs and took in boarders to make ends meet. One of her boarders informed her of civil service opportunities being offered by the government. In October 1945, Stumph applied for a temporary civil service position, and was hired to work for the US Navy Separation Center (possibly located on Terminal Island). End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Marye Stumph was born in Geneva, Ohio, where she was raised by her mother and her grandmother. After high school graduation, when her mother's millinery business failed, they moved to Cleveland, where Stumph had to get a job, giving up her dream of going to art school. She married a year later in 1928 and moved with her husband to Akron, where she lived with her two children until the marriage failed. She returned to her home town and worked in a factory there until moving to California in 1940. Initially, unable to find a job, she collected unemployment and attended business school. However, she was not able to support the children, she sent her son back to Ohio with a friend, and placed her daughter in the Children's Home in Hollywood for a few months. Once she started working at Vultee Aircraft in early 1941, she was able to re-establish family life. Her children returned and her mother joined her and ran the household while Stumph worked at Vultee. When she was laid off from her job at war's end, she began a career in Civil Service, eventually becoming a clerical worker at the Naval Hospital (later Long Beach V.A. Hospital) in 1947. She remained there until her retirement in 1974, after which she seriously resumed her lifelong interest, filling her house with her art work. Stumph was referred to the RRR project by her granddaughter, who was a friend of one of the project staff, Jan Fischer, who conducted the oral history. The three interviews with Stumph, which totaled more than five hours, were recorded in her simple, wood frame home in Long Beach, where she lived with her blind dog. The rocking chair in which she sat during all the interviews was obviously her "center," surrounded by papers, books and her art work. TOPICS - aircraft production; training; wages; social activities; production process; job skills and responsibilities; gender discrimination; Vultee hiring process; and work clothing;description of Vultee plant; working conditions; gender relations; wages; training; gender discrimination; Pearl Harbor; bond drives; unionism; living arrangements; children; and mother;labor force demographics; gender relations; employee services; living arrangements; household management; mother; foster program; and food rationing;social activities; gender relationships; career aspirations; postwar lay offs; and work in civil service;
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