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Studer, Helen (audio interview #4 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - By the time of the fourth interview, Studer was a bit more comfortable and, ultimately, was pleased that she participated in the project, despite her initial doubts. By the time a transcript was sent to her, her health was failing, and her children read the transcript to her. They were all very pleased with her interview. Unfortunately, portion of this interview suffer from poor audio quality. 10/22/1980
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- SUBJECT BIO - Helen Studer was older than many of the other defense workers who came out of the home to do war work. Although she had worked out of the home for short spells after she married, these were always part-time or temporary jobs. Born in Kansas in 1898, Studer was raised first by her grandfather and eventually adopted by an older couple. After high school, she went into nurses' training and then to business school, and worked until she married in 1918. Her three children were born between 1918 and 1928. The family was hit hard by the Depression, beginning with the farm depression in the early 1920s, and for a while lived in a tent in a city park in Colorado. They were beckoned west by the promise of war good paying war jobs, and she went to work at the newly opened Douglas Aircraft plant in Long beach in 1942. Studer's primary identification was always as a housewife and mother, and she made a direct connection between her war work and the well being of her son, who was in the service. When the war ended, she was forty seven years old and tired and was ready to return to full-time homemaking. She kept all the tools she had used on her Douglas job and regularly used them for home repairs. After almost forty years, she was still proud to ply her mechanical skills. The four interviews with Studer, totaling six hours, were conducted by Cindy Cleary in Studer's bright kitchen in the small and compact home that she shared with her husband from 1948 until his death in 1972. At the time of the interview, she was already much less robust looking than she appeared in the 1978 photograph, but she seemed to be in good health and spirits. However, by 1981, when her oral history was reviewed with her, she was frail and bedridden and was enraged at the humiliation of being helpless and dying a slow, painful death. She died a few months later. TOPICS - attitudes towards labor unions; gender relations; long term effect of Douglas employment; lesbianism; work force demographics; family life; social life; social relationships; marital relationship; and children; Nochildren; marital relationship; domestic life; postwar work; work injuries; medical care; and health; Note: there are problems with the audio quality on this side;health problems; domestic life; social activities; husband; social relationships; life review; impact of wartime work; Note: there is a problem with the audio qualityattitudes towards the women's movement and ERA; gender differences; husband; motherhood; child rearing; children; and reflections on her life; Note: there is a problem with the audio quality on this tape;
- *** File: rrrhstuder9.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:45)... Studer claims that the older women at Douglas were less likely to join the union than the younger women who probably felt that their positions at Douglas would be permanent. The union held organizing rallies in an attempt to encourage employees to join the union. However, Studer was never interested in joining the union. (1:45-3:28)... Prior to going to work at Douglas, she had experience working with household tools and repairing small household appliances. The skills she learned at Douglas in metal work were not very applicable to household maintenance except for knowing how to operate a drill. She recalls the feeling of operating a rivet gun, which was similar to a jack hammer because of the way it shook one's body. (3:28-5:05)... Even though Studer never saw men make sexual passes at women, it does not mean that it never happened. She frequently heard men whistling at women. Most of the men who worked at Douglas during the war were older, married men with families. Her lead man was one of the few younger men work worked in her department. He got a job at Douglas to avoid military service. While Studer and her female coworkers kept the war effort going, he sat around playing games. (5:05-7:14)... Studer was unaware if there were any lesbians who worked at Douglas because no one ever talked about that subject. When she lived in Kansas, people gossiped about a neighborhood boy who wore fingernail polish and walked like a girl; people called him a "queer." Studer did not approve of stereotyping people without knowing them first. (7:14-9:51)... There were very few minorities in her department. She recalls only one Mexican woman working in her department while at Douglas. She digresses regarding the large number of Asian and Mexican immigrants in the country today compared to the numbers in the 1940s. She gets frustrated when she cannot communicate with minorities and believes that foreigners should learn English if they want to live and work in the US. (9:51-12:44)... Studer started smoking heavily while at Douglas, explaining that she needed a cigarette after the strenuous motion of the rivet gun. When her shift ended at 7:30 a.m., she went home to see her teenage daughter off to school. After doing some household chores, Studer went to bed and slept until it was time for her shift to begin in the evenings. On the weekends, she and her family occasionally went to the beach or entertained in their home. They went to church every Sunday. Most of their spare time, however, was spent recuperating from the work week. (12:44-16:51)... She did not socialize with coworkers outside of work. After she left Douglas, she occasionally visited with a few women who were members of her carpool. She mainly socialized with women in her bridge club, none of whom worked at Douglas. (16:51-23:27)... Even though Studer's husband was the financial head of the household, he preferred that she make all the decisions for the family. They rarely argued, but when they did it was over issues related to disciplining their daughter or her husband's occasional resistance to doing household repairs. They never argued about money. Her husband surrendered his check to her each week and she managed their finances. During their more than fifty-year marriage, she never had to pick up after her husband because he did this for himself. She digresses and tells an amusing story about her washing machine. (23:27-25:17)... It was difficult for Studer's daughter to adjust when they moved from Kansas to California. In addition to losing her friends, she also lost the attention of her parents because they went to work in the defense industry. When the war broke out, Studer's son was enrolled in a business college pursuing a degree in accounting. After entering the military, he was assigned to work on radios which he knew nothing about. He was stationed in the Pacific during the war. Studer felt that if her son was in the military, she should be working in the defense industry. (25:17-26:48)... Her husband enjoyed working in the shipyards and he never complained about his employer or his working conditions. Even though he did not work along side very many women, he was not the type of man who criticized women employed in defense jobs. End of tape. *** File: rrrhstuder10.mp3 (0:00-2:35)... Studer's oldest daughter moved to California in the winter of 1942. She found clerical work at the shipyards almost immediately. Her salary doubled from what she was earning in the same type of work when living in Missouri. Studer discusses her daughters' household responsibilities. (2:35-5:29)... After recuperating from injuries she sustained when she fell from a platform while inspecting an engine, Studer returned to Douglas. She was laid off shortly after the war ended in August 1945. She explains that had she wanted to stay at Douglas, the company would have extended her that opportunity. However, she went to work out of necessity and when the war ended she was relieved to go back home and "be a housewife." (5:29-13:05)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. Studer enjoyed being home and taking care of her household and family. She spent a lot of time sewing for herself and her daughters. In 1948, they sold their property in Kansas and bought a home in California for $9,400. She talks about the advantages of owning a home compared to renting. She maintained the interior of the home and her husband maintained the exterior. She discusses her marital relationship, indicating that they rarely argued and when they did they never thought about divorce as many couples do today. (13:05-20:28)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. In 1963, Studer's doctor offered her a job to pay off her medical bills. She worked at the doctor's office part-time for several years, during which time she filed paperwork, bottled pills, answered telephones, and completed miscellaneous clerical work. When an additional doctor was hired, Studer was paid a salary to do work for that doctor. (20:28-28:01)... Note: the audio quality is poor in this segment. While riveting at Douglas, Studer developed a growth on her elbow that was removed several years after leaving the company. She talks about her attempts to transfer into an inspector position in order to alleviate the stress on her arm. Approximately a year after working as an inspector, Studer fell from a platform while inspecting an engine. She encountered difficulty with Douglas over lost wages and payment of her medical bills. She retained legal representation but only received a small settlement. She was never the same after this injury and believes it may have contributed to her developing cancer. In 1961, she underwent an operation to remove the cancer in her lower organs. End of tape. *** File: rrrhstuder11.mp3 (0:00-4:03)... Following the operation to remove cancer from her lower organs, Studer began radiation therapy. It took her about five years to recuperate from the surgery and her therapy, at which time she began experiencing vomiting spells. She survived by eating broth and other forms of liquids. She went to several specialists and it was determined that the radiation treatments had damaged her lower intestines. She underwent another surgery and has been well ever since. (4:03-6:00)... Note: the audio quality is poor in this segment. When she stopped working, Studer spent most of her time doing household chores, working in the yard, and sewing or knitting. She went to Bible study on Friday nights and then they would all splurge by treating themselves to a meal at McDonalds. (6:00-10:54)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. Studer's husband died in 1972. It was difficult for her to adjust to life without her husband. She continued to attend church and participate in activities there. She befriended other widows and they occasionally went out after church. In 1977, Studer broke her back and a friend took care of her. Eventually, Studer paid her friend to cook and do work in the yard and around the house. Studer discusses their eating habits, indicating that they always prepared nutritional meals. (10:54-13:23)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. Studer talks about her three children, all of whom are happily married with children. (13:23-20:10)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. She does not spent her time thinking about the future. She lives day-to-day and is not the type of woman to get lonesome or sad. She considers herself a busy woman. She enjoys spending her days working in the yard and sewing. At the age of eighty-two, she no longer enjoys doing housework. Whenever she gets bored, she visits a neighbor or drives somewhere. She digresses regarding her youngest daughter who has moved around quite a bit over the last few years. (20:10-21:42)... In response to whether or not she is involved in senior citizen activities, Studer replies "When I get old like Bob Hope I might!" (21:42-24:15)... Studer would not change anything about her life if given the chance. There were only certain things that she could control and she considers herself a content person. She is fortunate because she does not have to worry about money. Although friends have encouraged her to sell her home and purchase a mobile home in a senior citizen community, she enjoys her home and the familiarity of her surroundings. (24:15-27:56)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. Studer reflects on how Douglas affected her life. She believes that had she known then what she knows now, she could have caused a lot of problems at the company over the way she was treated when she was injured. Overall, she does not think that her life would have turned out any different had she never worked at Douglas. She digresses regarding a cousin who worked as a beauty operator. End of tape. *** File: rrrhstuder12.mp3 (0:00-6:43)... Studer agrees with some of the issues being addressed by the women's movement. However, she disagrees with other issues because she did not have the same experiences as the women involved in the movement. Even though her husband behaved like a "bachelor" in the beginning of their marriage, he quickly figured out how a marriage worked and became a wonderful husband. Men and women are inherently different as ordained by God and have a certain "place" in society. However, she supports the ERA and believes that women should not have to fight for equal rights; "it should just be." (6:43-13:06)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. She would not raise her children any differently if given the chance to do it over again. She treated her children lovingly and disciplined them appropriately. Her children had rights too and she always gave them an opportunity to explain themselves before she made decisions about their lives. She talks about the children who live in her neighborhood and how child rearing has changed over the years. (13:06-16:05)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. She feels sorry for women with children who have to work in order to support their family. A woman's place is in the home while children are young. Once children reach a certain age, however, it is acceptable for a woman to work outside the home. Studer talks about her daughters who, after years of taking care of their home and children, started looking for work just to get out of the house. (16:05-22:16)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. When asked if there was anything else she would like to talk about, Studer remarks that she would like her life story to be published. She digresses regarding miscellaneous topics such as early childhood memories, her distaste for driving, and how she liked to bake cookies for her family. End of tape.
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