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Milligan, Adele Hernandez (audio interview #2 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of three interviews with Adele Hernandez Milligan, conducted in her home in Lakewood, California. In contrast to the first interview, Milligan's recall of details was considerably better than previously, perhaps because the war years seemed to be a more pleasurable period of her life. 1/13/1981
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- 2021-03-22
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- SUBJECT BIO - Adele Hernandez Milligan was twenty three years old when she went to work at the Lockheed plant in Maywood (southeastern Los Angeles). Milligan, the fourth of three children, was born in Texas. After her mother left the family, she moved to Los Angeles with her father and siblings. Shortly after they arrived, Milligan began working at various factory and packing house jobs, until 1942, when she went to work at Lockheed. As the war was drawing to a close, in 1944, the plant was closed and all the workers were transferred to another sub-assembly plant. Since there wasn't much work, and little future there, Mulligan quit to take a more "glamorous" job - as an usherette in one of the large downtown theaters. She continued to work there until her marriage in 1954, when she started her career as a full-time homemaker. Three interviews were conducted in the living room of her small, cheerful tract home. Milligan remained a somewhat hesitant participant throughout the oral history process, even though her sister encouraged her continued participation in the project, Milligan remained a somewhat hesitant participant, and was cautious and nervous about the interviews. She did continue, however, and despite her reluctance tried to cooperative, checking details of her earlier life with other members of the family. TOPICS - employment at Lockheed; plant environment; job responsibilities; working conditions; and social activities;social activities; defense work; working conditions; work clothing; employment opportunities; and attitudes and life during the WWII;
- *** File: rrramilligan5.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:38)... Milligan moved to Los Angeles in 1936 and worked in a different job practically every year until she was hired at Lockheed around 1942. She decided to apply for work at Lockheed because her brother was already employed there. She explains that most people wanted to find work in the defense industry when the war broke out. She does not recall how she was hired at Lockheed, but was assigned to the plant in Maywood. When she decided to work in the defense industry she did not have any job preferences. She was "defense conscious" and was more concerned about doing her part for the war effort. (3:38-10:33)... When she started at Lockheed she was assigned to work on stabilizers using a drill press. She was trained to use a drill press; however, she did not go through a formal training program. It did not take her long to learn how to use the machinery and she enjoyed her work very much. The department in which she worked was a large, open space. She describes the physical characteristics of the department and some of her responsibilities. She was extremely fast at her job and was able to complete her assigned task in under one minute. (10:33-13:52)... Initially, she was somewhat fearful of the machinery she encountered at Lockheed. However, she got used to it after a short time. She believes that riveting was much more of a physically demanding job than operating a drill press. When she worked she stood on a wood board that was slightly elevated from the concrete floor. She did not have any problems with her working conditions. Her department was predominantly staffed by women. Men also worked on the stabilizers but further away from the women. (13:52-17:18)... The building in which she worked at Lockheed was very large. She describes the physical characteristics of her department and discusses the lead men she worked with. (17:18-21:10)... Milligan began working at Lockheed in 1942 and was assigned to work the swing shift, which started at 4:30 p.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m. At the time she was hired at Lockheed, the plant primarily employed women. There were very few Spanish women employed in the plant. Milligan socialized with co-workers during lunch and coffee breaks. (21:10-29:11)... While working at Lockheed, Milligan was involved in organizing and participating in various social activities with her co-workers. These activities ranged from horseback riding, swimming, ice skating, and going to the movies. These events took place following her shift in the evenings. She discusses these events and how they were coordinated. Even though some of these activities included men, Milligan did not date anyone she worked with and she only went to the movies with female co-workers. End of tape *** File: rrramilligan6.mp3 (0:00-4:00)... Note: the tape appears to fast forward in the beginning of the interview. Milligan continues to discuss how social activities were coordinated with her co-workers. She believes there was a bulletin board available at the plant on which people posted their telephone numbers. She digresses and talks about her living situation at home and her siblings. Both she and her older brother worked at Lockheed; her older sister worked at Douglas. Her adopted sister was not working during this period. Milligan worked at Lockheed for two and a half years, although she is not clear about dates. She worked eight hours a day and did not work any overtime. Although she did not recall what she earned, she remembered that her earnings were placed in a bond. (4:00-6:13)... Milligan did not follow the events of WWII very closely. The war did not affect her life in a personal sense because she did not lose any family members as a result of their service in the war. Only one of her brothers entered the service; most other family members were too young. She remembers the time fondly since she did not lack anything and was constantly participating in fun activities with her friends. Shortages of gasoline and stockings did not interfere with her daily life. (6:13-11:48)... Milligan went to dances at the pier with her friends, whom she refers to as the "Gardena girls." They met a lot of servicemen at the dances and often took them home, fed them, and provided them with a place to stay until they were shipped out. Milligan explains that there was never any "hanky panky" involved and she never established a relationship with any of these men. She was simply enjoying life and not taking anything too seriously. Milligan and her friends occasionally had a cigarette or an alcoholic beverage, but they did not drink on a regular basis or do anything to excess. Her social activity with her friends did not include her co-workers at Lockheed. (11:48-16:48)... The women who worked the swing shift with Milligan were young, while most of the older women worked the day shift because they had families to care for in the evenings. While at Lockheed, Milligan was involved in a fashion show in which she modeled work attire for the "Victory Store." While working, she generally wore slacks with a flannel shirt and boots. Rather than goggles, she wore something very similar to a welder's hat that had a leather strap and a clear visor that protected her face. She also wore a hair net. It was not necessary for her to wear ear plugs, as the noise in her department was bearable. (16:48-21:50)... When the Maywood plant closed, she was transferred to the Santa Fe plant. Although there is some confusion as to the time frame in which she worked at this plant, she recalls that the war was coming to a close and the workload was decreasing. She later decided to leave defense and go to work in a movie theater. (21:50-27:57)... Milligan did not want to stay in defense work once the war was over. She knew that she had to work, but did not think about pursuing a career. She was not pressured by her parents or peers to marry and she only casually dated during the war years. After being transferred to the Santa Fe plant her job responsibilities mainly involved cleaning and other janitorial type duties. This did not satisfy her and she decided to leave. Through a cousin she was able to get an interview with the manager of a movie theater. She thought that working at a theater was a cleaner and more "glamorous" job than defense work. Even though she had not been released from defense work, she was hired at the theater as an usherette and then a "spot" girl. She discusses the duties required of a spot girl and her experiences at the movie theater. She was ultimately promoted to the head girl when the theater company merged with another theater in the area. (27:57-29:10)... Milligan explains that during the war people did what they had to for their country. They worked hard and played hard. She does not recall sitting around and feeling depressed because of the war. The overall attitude was to work hard and do the best possible job for the war effort. End of tape.
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