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Stangeland, Addie (audio interview #2 of 5)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of five interviews with Addie Stangeland conducted in the bedroom of her daughter's home, where she living. The interview was frequently disturbed by movements of the family in the background. Stangeland was comfortable with the interview process, although she had a hearing problem and questions often had to be repeated. Nevertheless, she spoke freely, even when the subject was noticeably difficult. 9/14/1980
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- *** File: rrrastangeland5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:59)... Stangeland's father supported his family by working as a foreman in a machine repair shop for the Sante Fe Railroad. He died suddenly from a heart condition which was aggravated by influenza. During his career with the Sante Fe, her family had a railroad pass which they frequently used to visit relatives in San Diego. (1:59-5:49)... When she was growing up, Stangeland's uncle lived with her family and paid her parents room and board. After her father died, her mother managed her living expenses with the money she received from Stangeland's uncle. Stangeland and her siblings continued to take care of their mother after they left home, cleaning her house every week and supplying her with groceries and clothes. Her brothers and their families regularly visited her so that she was not alone. It was difficult for her mother to do get around because of a hernia she developed after having children. Stangeland digresses regarding her brother's career with the Sante Fe Railroad and his participation in a company music group. (5:49-14:20)... Stangeland describes her family's experiences spending summers in Big Bear. In addition to fishing, her brothers hunted squirrels and rabbits. Although Stangeland was allowed to hold the gun during these hunts, her brothers would not permit her to fire the gun because she was a girl. Stangeland often wonders how they were able to manage without all of the modern conveniences that exist today. However, she believes that her mother was acclimated to surviving with very little because she was raised in the 1800s. In many ways, her life improved after Stangeland's father died because of the development of household appliances like electric refrigerators. (14:20-17:53)... Stangeland's father graduated with a degree in teaching from the University of Illinois. Her mother and her siblings also went to college. Due to their educational backgrounds, Stangeland's parents encouraged their own children to pursue an education. When her oldest brother was fourteen, he left school and enlisted in the army because he felt he needed the discipline. During his career with the army, he served in the Philippines. After he was released from duty, he went to work as a machinist apprentice for the Sante Fe Railroad. He worked as a machinist for the Sante Fe until he retired in his sixties. (17:53-22:27)... When asked about her educational and career aspirations, Stangeland states, "I just lived day to day really and truly." Even though she never graduated from high school, she enrolled in evening courses while living in Los Angeles and took courses in accounting, art, and foreign language. She decided not to pursue a career in accounting because it would require her to work in an office all day. She discusses her job responsibilities in the alteration and stock rooms at Jacoby Brothers, a women's clothier. She worked there until she moved to Oklahoma, at which time she went to work for the county agent giving sewing lectures. She also earned money by selling prize chickens and clothing at county fairs. In many ways, she feels that her education was more practical than academic. (22:27-24:55)... When she began dating, she always went out with boys in a group setting. It was not uncommon for girls to start out dating one boy at the beginning of the night and end up with a different boy showing them to the door. Most of their dating activities involved dances, parties, and playing cards. Parents were always present at these social events. (24:55-29:19)... After she married, Stangeland and her husband maintained an active social life. They also attended Aimee Semple McPherson's religious lectures. She describes McPherson as a magnetic person who was entertaining. Although she and her friends though that McPherson's religious beliefs were valid, they understood that her underlying motivation was money. Stangeland did not plan on working after she married, but soon found out that it was necessary in order to afford their living expenses. She accepted many things in her marriage and never thought about divorce. Her marital problems developed gradually and for many years she blamed herself for the deterioration of their marriage. End of tape. *** File: rrrastangeland6.mp3 (0:00-1:24)... Stangeland knew very little about sex when she married. She understood, however, that the likely outcome of sexual intercourse was pregnancy. She did not use birth control during her marriage. Although she never rejected her husband's sexual advances, she did not feel that sex was an important or necessary ingredient to a happy life. (1:24-7:45)... Stangeland describes the process of filing for a divorce in Oklahoma. She calmly informed her husband that she was tired of his womanizing and unscrupulous behavior and that she was going to divorce him. That same day, she hired an attorney and filed for divorce citing "gross negligent of duty and nonsupport." It cost $35 to file the papers. When she presented her husband with the divorce documents, he obtained representation and filed a cross-complaint. While waiting for her divorce to be final, she and her children moved into a one-bedroom apartment. She sold all of her furniture for $50, which she used to purchase train fare to California. When the divorce was final in April 1938, they left for California. In the mean time, her ex-husband had moved to California and was not present during the court proceedings granting their divorce. (7:45-10:05)... Stangeland had a few close friends that she turned to while she was having marital problems and going through a divorce. One girlfriend warned her that her husband intended on taking all of her money before she left him. She decided to put all of her money into postal savings so that he could not get his hands on it. She used her savings to pay for the divorce and support her children until they moved to California. Before they left Oklahoma, she took her children to say good bye to their grandparents in Blackwell. They left for California the day after her divorce was final. (10:05-11:51)... Her in-laws drove her and her children to Newton, Kansas where they caught a train to California. When she arrived in Los Angeles, she remembers feeling like "ten thousand pounds had been lifted off my shoulders. I was home." She and her children lived with her sister in Seal Beach for two months until Stangeland found an apartment that would allow children. She began looking for work immediately after she arrived in California. (11:51-15:10)... Note: there is background noise in this segment as a result of someone talking on the telephone. She paid her sister room and board by sewing and working odd jobs; however, her income was minimal and it was difficult to get people to pay her what she wanted. Approximately five months after she arrived in California, she was hired at May Company. It cost two dollars a week to carpool from Seal Beach to downtown Los Angeles. On days that she did not carpool, she rode the bus to work, which meant leaving the house at 6:00 a.m. and getting home after 6:00 p.m. Her children were home alone while she was at work. She left them money for groceries and their meals consisted of "wieners and peas" on many occasions. She explained to her children that they had to work as a team in order to survive. They were reliable and never spent their money on frivolous items. (15:10-18:36)... Stangeland again discusses the reasons that she placed her children in an orphanage during the early part of WWII, becoming emotional, as perviously. Her daughter was in the orphanage for six months and her son for a year. They were both enrolled in good schools near the orphanage. She visited her children on the designated days that the orphanage allowed visitors. On the weekends, she took her children out to eat and to the movies. In the meantime, she began looking for a new job because commuting to May Company every day was costly. (18:36-21:04)... She eventually moved to Los Angeles so that she would have more opportunities to look for work. During this period, she began dating an upholsterer. She appreciated his company and the fact that he took her to lunch and dinner every day, noting that she would not have eaten otherwise. However, she rejected his marriage proposal because she was not interested in getting re-married. She also felt that her children were at impressionable ages and never would have accepted a stepfather. After she was hired at Douglas, she ended the relationship. (21:04-23:48)... After Stangeland began working at Douglas, she moved back in with her sister. When things got tense there, she decided to borrow money for a down payment on a home in Seal Beach. She again describes the remodeling projects she completed to get it ready for her children. Her son had his own room and she and her daughter shared the other bedroom. (23:48-25:08)... While working for May Company, she took work home with her in the evenings and was paid a piecework rate. She earned this money in addition to her regular wages in the upholstery department. She saved fabric scraps from her upholstery projects to make slipcovers for her furniture at home. When she began working at Douglas, her wages increased substantially compared to her earnings at May Company. (25:08-27:12)... She learned about job opportunities in defense through newspaper advertisements. The thinking at that time was "If they're still warm, bring em' in." When she applied at Douglas, her interviewer wrote "real husky" on her application "and that was what they wanted. Someone who could lift." She had no expectations about the work prior to getting hired. When she was told that she was going to be a spot welder, she envisioned sitting at a machine and stepping on a pedal to weld parts just as if she was operating a sewing machine. Initially, her duties were to clean the machinery. She was ambitious and cleaned everything around her, which did not go unnoticed by the foreman. (27:12-30:24)... Stangeland describes the application and interview process at Douglas. She applied at the plant in Long Beach and recalls that there were crowds of people waiting in various lines to complete the hiring process. She was required to take a complete physical examination, "which I found quite revolting!" She did not take an aptitude test at Douglas. However, she took a similar test when she applied for work at a different defense plant prior to getting hired at Douglas. When the interviewer asked if she was interested in a position as a spot welder, "I said fine because who was I to say I couldn't do it." End of tape. *** File: rrrastangeland7.mp3 (0:00-1:27)... During her initial interview with Douglas, Stangeland was not provided with any information regarding wages or benefits After she began working in the plant, however, she was informed about an insurance policy that would pay her during sick leave and cover her medical expenses. Although the benefits were decreased when the policy was revised, she indicated that she had no complaints about Douglas "in the physical line." Even though she was never sick during the war years, she took advantage of these medical benefits in the postwar years. (1:27-3:13)... Stangeland went to work in the plant two days after she was hired. One of her first tasks was learning how to hold a welding device that was similar to a gun. She describes the function of this piece of equipment. For the first three weeks she cried every night because of the muscle pain she felt in her arms from operating this welding device. She never informed anyone about the pain she was experiencing and eventually adjusted. However, at some point during her employment at Douglas, she began to have some swelling in her arms and was told that she was probably developing arthritis. (3:13-6:51)... After Stangeland was hired at Douglas, she purchased her work attire, which included sleeveless jumper suits, pants, and blouses. She also was required to wear closed-toed shoes with flat heels and a handkerchief on her head to hold her hair back while she was on the job. Regardless of the innocuous nature of machinery in certain departments, all women were expected to tie their hair back . She notes that if any women saw others without the headdress, they would complain. As a result, they all had to wear it. Stangeland also purchased a tool box and a set of tools prior to going to work in the plant. She kept her tools after she left Douglas so that could pass them down to her son because "boys needed that sort of thing." (6:51-7:17)... Stangeland did not receive any formal job training prior to going to work in the plant. However, during her on-the-job training, she was told how to operate her welding equipment so that she would not scratch the metal while completing her welds. (7:17-9:25)... When Stangeland started working at Douglas in August 1942, she reported to the hiring office and was issued an identification badge and introduced to a supervisor. The supervisor gave her and a group of new employees a brief company orientation that included showing them how to clock in and out of the plant. They also were instructed not to discuss their work with anyone. After this orientation, the supervisor escorted them to the plant and introduced them to the foreman of their department. After giving them a short introduction, he turned them over to their leadman who provided them with their work assignments. In addition to spot welding, these employees were assigned to riveting, assembly, and upholstery jobs in the department. (9:25-10:37)... Stangeland was both nervous and excited about starting her new job, aware that it was something entirely different than what she was used to. She wondered if it was going to be temporary or not, commenting: "But I felt this was for always. It seemed like this was going to be it." (10:37-11:08)... She did not mind wearing pants to work because it was easier to move around and she did not have to worry about exposing anything when she had to work in compromising positions. (11:08-14:28)... Stangeland was not expected to learn her new skills within a specific timeframe. "They just said you'll do it. You're good," and she believed them. After about two weeks, she felt comfortable with her abilities and noted: "It came very naturally." During the war, her leadman was drafted into the service and when he returned to the plant after the war, he had so much confidence in her skills that he placed the majority of new trainees with her. She discusses the work ethic and camaraderie among employees during the war years compared to the period she worked in the plant after 1950. Although she felt patriotic during the war, her main motivation for going to work in defense was the money. (14:28-16:18)... During the war, Stangeland was transferred to several different buildings. When she was transferred to Building 15, she was required to sign a ledger upon entering and exiting the building because it was a top secret department. She again was instructed not to discuss her work with anyone when she went into this department. (She digresses and talks about the time the Roosevelts toured the plant.) Looking back on the war years, she remembers that "there was a good feeling all during that war." Her co-workers were motivated about their work and wanted to see their loved ones come home from the war as soon as possible. (16:18-18:16)... Stangeland describes her first impression of the plant. She was a little embarrassed about the way the florescent lights emphasized her freckles. Even though the plant was noisy, the spot welding department was located a comfortable distance from the most nosiest riveting and assembly areas. (18:16-21:06)... Men did not welcome women into the plant with open arms. Their reactions ranged from indifference, impatience, and defiance because "they didn't think we were worth what we were being paid, which was the same as they were getting. They didn't think that we could do the job." She occasionally encountered these attitudes after the war as well and recounts one incident. She was not afraid to defend herself, or women in general, because she felt that she was doing just a good a job as the men. By the time she retired from Douglas, she was working in an 'A' classified position as a mechanic welder. (21:06-23:24)... Stangeland describes the on-the-job training she received and how her first job was demonstrated by a male co-worker in his early twenties. He liked to talk about his love life and ask her for advice. She notes that as far as he was concerned, she was just another man. Initially, her job responsibilities involved cleaning the welding equipment and setting the instrument controls on each machine. (23:24-24:56)... The general attitude of the supervisory staff towards women was amicable. She talks about a leadman she had for a brief period during the war and in the postwar period after she returned to the plant in 1950. She had a good, working relationship with her leadmen and they occasionally talked about their personal lives. (24:56-29:07)... Although there were quite a few women in the plant when Stangeland first started, there was only one other woman on the graveyard shift in her department. She recalls what it was like being one of only two women working on a predominantly male crew. She exchanged pleasantries with the other women in the plant during their five-minute work breaks and they congregated during their lunch break. However, these breaks did not give them enough time to get to know each other that well. As the war progressed and men were drafted into the service, more women were hired at the plant and eventually outnumbered the men. (29:07-30:11)... After finishing her first day of work she felt as if she had wasted her time; that she hadn't done any real work. She did not consider cleaning the welding machines a particularly exciting or inspiring line of work. However, she eventually realized the importance of her work to the rest of the operations in the plant. She describes the process involved in spot welding materials. End of tape. *** File: rrrastangeland8.mp3 (0:00-1:40)... Stangeland continues to discuss the techniques she used to make accurate and efficient welds. She worked on several parts of the aircraft during her employment with Douglas, including the engine cowling, cargo doors, wing flaps, and air ducts. (1:40-3:36)... She chose to work the graveyard shift so that she would be home with her children most of the time. While she was at work, they were in bed. She got home in the mornings in time to get them up and ready for school. She worked six and a half hours a day, six days a week. In addition to being paid for eight hours of work per day, she received an eight-cent bonus for working the graveyard shift. She occasionally worked on Sundays when it was offered because she was raising two children on her own. After the war, the work week was cut to five days a week with an option of working on Saturday or Sunday when it was offered by the company. (3:36-4:32)... For the first year at Douglas, she received a wage increase every three months. After that, she received a raise periodically, but not on a regular basis. When she returned to the plant in 1950, pay raises were stipulated under the union contract. (4:32-8:43)... Even though Stangeland was transferred to several different buildings during the war, these transfers were not considered job promotions. Many women co-workers refused to go into other departments because they were possessive about their jobs and the machine on which they worked. Stangeland, however, felt it was her responsibility as an employee to go wherever she was needed. She usually helped out in other departments during production lulls in spot welding. Her pay remained the same wherever she transferred. Eventually, she was promoted to a mechanic welder for which she received a pay increase and her job classification was changed from a 'B' to an 'A.' She describes her responsibilities as a mechanic welder. She was offered a lead position, but turned it down because she did not want to compound her difficulties at home with problems at work. Besides, she comments, "a man could not take orders from a woman.... The men resented it and I wasn't going to get that resentment." (8:43-9:38)... Stangeland discusses how she felt about her competency as the years progressed. She believes that she was naturally mechanically inclined and enjoyed doing home improvement projects and fixing things around the house. (9:38-11:57)... In general, the production pace in Stangeland's department was fairly steady and there were never any production quotas set by the company. However, the crews were competitive with one another and liked to see who could produce more in the department. She believes that competition and the drive to increase production levels is a natural trait in any field. She talks about the encouragement she received from her boss at May Company to go beyond her personal production numbers. (11:57-13:34)... The work in Stangeland's department was carried over from shift to shift, so that when she started her shift she went to work on materials that had been worked on in the previous shift. When she finished a job, she took her work to an inspection area, and if it passed inspection, it was moved to the next production area. She cannot recall any women inspectors during the period she worked at Douglas. (13:34-18:03)... Plant security was tight during the war. As employees entered the plant, their lunch pails and personal items were inspected by security officers. She recalls the problems she had with security when she forgot her identification badge and had to acquire a new one. Security officers made unannounced tours of the departments several times a day. And, the women's restrooms were patrolled by women security officers (restroom matrons) to make sure that "nobody loafed" during work hours. Stangeland tells a story about the time she warned the girls that a security officer was making her way to the bathroom. If women were caught wasting time in the restroom, they received a reprimand. (18:03-22:31)... Stangeland discusses the no-smoking policy in the plant during the war years and recounts an incident when her leadman attempted to scare one of her young women co-workers by threatening to terminate her for smoking outside during work hours. Stangeland did her best to comfort the girl and reassure her that she would not lose her job over the matter. She also confronted her leadman about his behavior and persuaded him to tell the girl that he was not going to reprimand her. (22:31-23:30)... Employees were discouraged from wasting materials. As an incentive, the company frequently awarded people with "E" pins, which symbolized efficiency in conservation and production. She was honored with a pin and her department received several "E" awards during the war period. (23:30-24:53)... Stangeland does not recall plant officials talking to employees about sabotage during the war. The only thing she remembers being told is to conserve materials and to do a good job so that their work was not rejected. (24:53-29:53)... During the war years, Stangeland read the Douglas newspaper. The articles revolved around personnel and production issues. She discusses the promotional films that were made during the war and the time Walt Disney visited the plant and took photographs of her demonstrating her spot welding responsibilities. Afterwards, her co-workers wanted her autograph. She recalls Douglas showing similar films during the war, one in which that illustrated the operation of a new spot welding machine. The company retained the film in which she was featured as well as the photographs that were taken of her during the war. Although the company gave her an electric oven when she retired, she did not receive copies of her war photographs like some of her co-workers did. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Addie Stangeland went to work at Douglas as a spot welder in 1942. Born and raised in southern California, Stangeland completed the eleventh grad in San Bernardino. She began working for clothiers doing alterations until she moved to Oklahoma with her husband in 1928. After ten years there, as a farm wife, she divorced her "ne'er to well" husband and moved to California with her two children. Stangeland was forced to put her two children in an orphanage until she was able to get back on her feet and get more stable, lucrative work. Douglas employment offered her this opportunity. After the war, she worked as a sail maker for four years until she was laid off and sought re-employment at Douglas. She continued to work at Douglas after her second marriage in 1958 until her retirement in 1967, after which she worked for two years as a companion. By then, her husband who was a beach concessionaire, had died. TOPICS - father's work on Sante Fe Railroad; father's death and mother's economic problems; helping to support mother; childhood; family life; vacations in Big Bear; gender expectations; parents' educational backgrounds ansex education; husband and marital problems; divorce; return to California; living arrangements in Seal Beach; working odd jobs to support family; job at May Company; dating; problems with chid care; placing childmedical benefits; job responsibilities; physical effect of work; work attire and tools; company orientation; job expectations and adjustment; work ethic; worker relationships; motivations for defense work; buildingspot-welding operations; job responsibilities; hours and raises; department transfers; work ethic; job promotion; mechanic welding work; rejection of lead position and men's attitude towards women leads; production
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