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Luna, Mary (audio interview #1 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of three interviews with Mary Luna, focusing on her family background, life during WWII, and defense work at Douglas Aircraft. The interview was conducted in her home in Gardena. She was comfortable with the interview process and was open and relaxed with the interviewer. The audio quality of this interview is good. 2/2/1981
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- 2021-07-26
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- *** File: rrrmluna1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-5:02)... Luna's mother immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 1918. Her father previously worked in the United States, but returned to Mexico to marry her mother's sister. However, she died in the flu epidemic of 1918 that swept the country. Luna's father married her mother and they immigrated to the US. They originally lived in El Paso, Texas where they worked on the railroad tracks and lived in a box car. They then moved to El Monte, California and worked for a seed company. Luna's older brother died when he was eight years old after accidentally setting himself on fire. A short time later her family moved to Hawthorne and began raising chickens. When Luna was thirteen years old her mother died. (5:02-8:18)... Luna believes that her father immigrated to the US because he killed someone in Mexico during the Mexican revolution/civil war. She doesn't know a lot of details of her family history because her parents tended to ignore the children and not discuss their family background. She use to sit underneath the table and listen to the conversations of her elders. Her father did not wish to return to Mexico and impressed upon his children that the United States offered more opportunity than Mexico. (8:18-10:29)... Luna's older brother was born in El Paso, Texas where her father worked on the railroad tracks. Her mother spent most of her time with the other wives raising children and tending to their families. Many of her parents' friends from Mexico immigrated to El Paso and lived in the same community. Luna was born in her family's home in El Monte. The doctor who assisted with the birth was the doctor for the entire community. Luna's mother also gave birth to a younger brother. During WWII, he worked for the aircraft industry on a program tailored for teen-age kids attending school. He went to school for four hours and then worked for four hours. He started at Douglas Aircraft and then went to Northrop where he worked throughout his adult life. (10:29-13:14)... She lived in El Monte before the Depression and her family's economic status was stable. Her mother made extra money doing laundry for the single men who lived in the community. The family earned enough money to vacation once in a while and her father was able to purchase their home in Hawthorne. She describes her home in El Monte. Note: There is an interruption in the interview while she retrieves a photograph of her house in El Monte. Her family lived in the barrio in both El Monte and Hawthorne. Although she does not remember specific activities, the Mexican community of El Monte was socially active. The women living in the community spent most of their time together during the days because they did not work. (13:14-19:11)... While living in El Monte, the police came to her home because her father was caught selling alcohol to the residents in the community. The main manager of the Mexican people in the community suggested that her father move to another city. At that time, they moved to Hawthorne and began raising chickens. Her father became ill and received treatment at the General Hospital in Los Angeles. Prior to going into the hospital, he took the family to Watts to purchase a large quantity of staple food products, which became useful during the Depression. When her father returned home from the hospital, he was told that the banks were closed and his savings of $600 was gone. During the Depression, the family did not make any income selling chickens. Her father planted a garden and they also obtained vegetables from the Japanese farms in the area. They received a form of welfare that provided surplus foods and a small amount of cash. Although the Depression was difficult, she remembers this time in her life fondly. The street on which she lived housed approximately ten Mexican families that originated from the same area in Mexico. Much of her time was spent socializing and playing with the family and friends living in the neighborhood. (19:11-25:07)... A woman organized an adult education program in the Mexican community, which she operated from a small house three times a week. The women in the community attended this school and learned how to read and write and do crafts. On Christmas, this woman delivered a box of gifts to each family that included food, clothing, and books. Luna developed a love for reading at this time and began spending most of her Saturdays at the library. Whenever the community needed assistance, this woman was there to offer guidance or legal help. When the men were out of work, she provided baseball equipment and organized teams to keep the men busy. Luna describes the neighborhood activities and how the community celebrated the Christmas holiday. Over time, the children began introducing new holidays to their families, such as Thanksgiving and Halloween. (25:07-29:07)... When she started school it was difficult because she could not speak English and the teachers would not allow the Mexican children to speak Spanish. She did not catch up with the other students until she was in fourth or fifth grade. The teachers disciplined the Anglo and the Mexican students the same. The Mexican students did not eat their lunch at school because they did not want to bring their tacos to school. The school was near their home so they ran home for lunch and then ran back to school. Her father left the Catholic Church when he moved to the US because he felt it oppressed the Mexican people in Mexico. She did not attend church until a teacher began taking her and her brother to Sunday school at a Presbyterian Church. End of tape. *** File: rrrmluna2.mp3 (0:00-0:38)... Her parents were not religious and did not attend Catholic mass. They were not married in the church but in a civil court in Mexico. Luna wanted to go to church with all of the other children, but her father forbade her from attending church. However, he did allow her to go to Sunday school at the Presbyterian Church. (0:38-1:36)... Luna's family tried to follow some of the American customs, such as decorating a tree at Christmas. One year they cut a branch off of a neighbor's pine tree and decorated as best they could. They made their own decorations and tried to make it look like Christmas in their home. (1:36-4:11)... Spanish was the only language spoken in her home. Her mother learned a little bit of English, but her father only spoke Spanish. While in school, there were approximately six Mexican kids in her class, which she believes was a lot at that time. As a child, she did not leave the neighborhood too often. One year all of the mothers took the children to see "Old Ironsides" when it was on display. However, she did not really venture out of the neighborhood until she got older and could drive. Before the Depression, her family visited Lincoln Park and occasionally went to the movies on Saturday afternoons. She does not recall her parents going out alone for social occasions, but mainly to purchase groceries or do other types of shopping. Her parents did not have a vehicle. Her father rode a bicycle to work at the ranches in the area. (4:11-4:58)... Other than attending the adult education courses offered by a woman in the community, her mother did not do anything outside the home. On one occasion, she earned extra money caring for a baby that came to live with them for six months. (4:58-9:36)... Note: there is an interruption in the interview when Luna's husband comes home. Luna discusses her living arrangements at the time her cousin and his wife came from Mexico to live with them for six months. When her mother's brother was eighteen, he came to live with them and stayed there for the rest of his life. He parented Luna and her brother after their mother died because their father became a heavy drinker and was rarely home. Even though her father was an alcoholic, she and her brother managed to become responsible adults and raise families of their own. She discusses her brother and his career, and provides information on the decisions they made when their father died in regards to the family's property. (9:36-13:17)... She had a lot of freedom when she was a child. However, if she misbehaved she was disciplined with a spanking. Whenever her parents called on her she responded in Spanish with "at your command." This was a polite way of responding to her parents rather than saying "what." As she grew older, her father insisted that she cook and clean the house and he disciplined her when she failed to do so. When her mother was alive, Luna had very few chores. She was responsible for cleaning the outhouse toilet, running errands, and feeding the chickens. Her mother did not teach her how to cook, which made it difficult for Luna to feed the family after her mother died. (13:17-13:42)... During the Depression, her father worked at ranches in the area doing agricultural work. He did not have any steady work until after the war when there were a lot more employment opportunities available. (13:42-17:35)... Luna describes the games she played as a child. Most of the time she played outside in the fields near her neighborhood. She was not restricted from activities because she was a girl. Most of her friends were Mexicans who lived in the barrio with her. The boys and girls played separately. On Saturdays, she and her friends went to the movies. They sold bottles or whatever they could to earn the .10 cents it cost to go to the theater. (17:35-20:47)... When she started menstruating, her mother was in the hospital. Her aunt told not to bathe or drink anything cold while she menstruated. She was instructed to use rags and recalls thinking that menstruating was going to hold her back from physical activities. When her mother died, Luna began experiencing cramps and her father made her hot tea which usually helped. She describes herself as a tomboy. She did not become interested in boys until late in life. While her cousin married when she was eighteen years old, Luna did not marry until she was twenty-five. (20:47-22:42)... Her family used a lot of homemade remedies and herbs to cure their ailments. They did not call on a doctor unless a condition was serious. She recalls the doctor coming to their home when her uncle's girlfriend delivered a stillbirth baby. Luna accompanied her to a mortuary to pick out a coffin for the dead baby. (22:42-24:32)... Whenever someone died in the barrio a wake was held to view the body in someone's home. Mexican sweetbread and hot chocolate was served. The next day a hearse picked the body up and they all followed in their vehicles to a cemetery to view the burial. Most of the people who lived in the barrio were buried at the same cemetery. Funerals were somewhat exciting to her because it was an occasion for a party and some social activity. (24:32-27:22)... Luna's mother died after complications from appendicitis. On the day that she decided to go to the hospital, she told Luna to take care of her brother and to watch over him. Luna believes her mother must have had a premonition that she was going to die. She took a streetcar to the hospital and Luna never saw her again. After her mother died, it was very difficult on the family. Luna took over all of the household and cooking responsibilities and cared for her brother. She felt angry towards other people because they had mothers. (27:22-29:59)... When her mother died, Luna was in the process of finishing grammar school and entering the ninth grade. During her last year in grammar school, she made friends with some Anglo girls from Iowa. Their mother agreed to make Luna's school uniform for her grammar school graduation. In an attempt to console Luna when her mother died, her father gave her a bicycle and Luna spent most of her time riding bikes with these girls. When she started high school, however, the girls ignored Luna because they had made new friends over the summer. Luna's father impressed upon her that it was important for her to graduate from high school. Since many of the Mexicans living in the barrio did not attend high school, they viewed high school as an equivalent to a college education. End of tape. *** File: rrrmluna3.mp3 (0:00-5:17)... During her sophomore year in high school, she transferred to Inglewood High School along with her cousin. Although Inglewood High School was a better educational facility, she experienced more discrimination than at her previous high school. There were very few Mexicans attending the high school and even though she made a lot of friends with American [sic] girls, the Mexican students were ignored by the majority of the students. She was not courted by any boys and she did not attend the senior prom. She occasionally attended the school football games. She and her cousin were very competitive with each other in terms of class performance and grades. (5:17-8:50)... She spent most of her time after school and on the weekends doing household chores and homework. During her senior year in high school, she and her cousin decided to miss school on Thursdays and ride a bus downtown and go shopping. They returned home as if they had gone to school. The school truancy officer ultimately caught on to what the girls were doing and threatened to return them to their old high school if they continued this activity. Their trips downtown gave them an opportunity to discover things and they often rode the bus to Hollywood and other areas. (8:50-11:42)... Luna did not date any boys while attending high school. She describes an incident when a neighbor asked her out but she declined his offer. Her cousin met her husband when she was a senior in high school and married him before she graduated. She transferred to Jefferson High School, which was near her husband's home. Luna was a witness at her cousin's wedding, but did not want her to marry. (11:42-14:07)... When she graduated from high school, she attended training classes to learn skills in the aircraft industry. Even though she despised looking for a job, she felt that she should be doing something productive. She went to the employment office but was told they would not hire eighteen year olds for aircraft positions. She took a bus to Douglas Aircraft to apply for a position. There were tents and tables set up to interview applicants and she was hired to work the night shift. Her wages ranged from .65 to .75 cents an hour with a bonus for working the graveyard shift. Her father was happy that she got a job because it meant the family would no longer need welfare. (14:07-16:54)... Luna's brother worked as a stock boy for a Japanese grocery store while he was in high school. The family that owned the store treated her brother very well and included him in their family activities. When the store was busy, Luna also was asked to help stock the shelves. During the war, the Japanese family was sent to an internment camp. Luna's brother worked at Douglas Aircraft with Luna until he enlisted in the US Navy when he was seventeen years old. She forbid him from entering the service, but he eventually got his father's permission to do so. When he returned home from the war, he went to night school and obtained a high school diploma. (16:54-21:51)... She was not allowed to attend dances when she was a young woman. Her father was strict with her until she reached the age of eighteen. Her father trusted her and she describes an incident when she visited him in the hospital after he injured himself at a bar. She explains that morals were different when she was growing up. The birth control pill was not available and girls were not promiscuous. When she was sixteen years old she was told that if she kissed someone she would get pregnant. Even though she had good morals as a young girl, her uncle did not set a very good example. She was embarrassed about his lifestyle and his live-in girlfriends. When Luna walked home in the morning following her shifts at Douglas Aircraft, she admired the small homes and fantasized about marrying and living in her own home. She discusses her life with her husband and their commitment to improving themselves. (21:51-24:03)... She was very close with her brother when they were growing up. When he was sixteen years old, he got a driver's license and they often drove downtown and visited the pier in Long Beach. Occasionally, they were invited to stay with a family friend in El Monte for a couple of weeks and Luna discusses her experiences there. (24:03-27:55)... She was aware that gang activity existed in Watts and East Los Angeles. She characterizes her family as more "Americanized" and not interested in gangs. In general, her family and friends looked down on the zoot-suiters. She finds herself lucky that she was not raised in a gang environment. Luna discusses her philosophy towards individuality and how she encouraged her daughter to make decisions on her own and not follow others. (27:55-30:23)... When she was a young woman, she did not have contact with other kids from East Los Angeles. While working for Douglas Aircraft, she met other women and began attending dances and meeting Mexicans from other areas. Her husband was from Los Angeles and she met him at one of these dances. Most Mexicans were middle-class people, not gang members. People often fail to recognize that middle-class Mexicans exist in society. Her daughter attended UCLA with several Mexicans, some of whom became doctors. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Mary Luna's employment at Douglas Aircraft in 1942 was her job, following graduation from high school. Her father was a field worker, and the family was in rather tight financial straits until she went to work at Douglas. Her employment there also helped to expand her social world. She met and became friends with Mexican women from other parts of the city, as well as her future husband, who she married in 1949. Her job at Douglas also increased her self confidence and she was proud of her work. She continued working at Douglas until her daughter was born in 1951, re-entering the work force again a few years later. Luna remained employed in aircraft production at various facilities, until her retirement in 1978. Her husband also retired at a relatively young age and they enjoyed spending time with each other. Luna contacted the Rosie the Riveter Revisted project after reading a newspaper article in the Los Angeles Times, after which three interviews were conducted with her. The interviews, conducted by Cindy Cleary, were recorded sitting at the kitchen counter in Luna's immaculate older tract home in Gardena. She was a helpful and willing participants and expanded on her thoughts with little prompting from Cindy Cleary, who interviewed her. TOPICS - family background; childhood; family life; living conditions; housing; neighborhoods; economic status; the Depression; social activities; community activities; and school;religion; home life; parents; family history; childhood; menstruation; home remedies; funeral procedures; social activities; mother's death; and school;high school; racial discrimination; social activities; Douglas application process; job responsibilities; family history; social values; life aspirations; gang activity; and socioeconomic status of Mexicans;
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