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Mason, Belen Martinez (audio interview #3 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the final interview with Belen Martinez Mason, conducted in the living room of her modest tract home in Rosemead. She remained open and relaxed throughout the interview and seemed to enjoy the process a great deal. 2/17/1981
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- 2021-04-12
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- SUBJECT BIO - Belen Mason was working in an upholstery shop before she took her job at the Lockheed subassembly plant, which was located near her home in downtown Los Angeles. The first of ten children, Mason was born in Fierro, New Mexico and moved to Los Angeles with her family when she was eleven years old. She married in 1941 and by the time she went to work at Lockheed, she had three children. Her fourth was born after she left Lockheed in 1944, shortly before she was hospitalized with tuberculosis. After her three year hospitalization, in 1947, she re-married and rejoined the labor force, first in Avon sales and then returning to work in an upholstery shop. Following another two year hospitalization, she worked in electronic assembly on and off for the next thirteen years, retiring in 1968 upholstery, by which time she had divorced her second husband and married again. Three interviews were conducted in her modest home in Rosemead, which was decorated with photographs of her family and of the Kennedys and Reagans. An eager and interested participating, Mason viewed her own life as offering a panorama on the early downtown Los Angeles neighborhood where she resided. Proud of her Spanish and Indian heritage, she also was pleased to talk about her family, and often had photographs ready to show me. Although Mason was generally relaxed during the interviews, she became somewhat agitated when she couldn't locate materials or reconstruct events precisely. TOPICS - health problems; tuberculosis; healthcare; children; pregnancy; abortion; husband; family history; work; and religion;health problems; recovery from tuberculosis; children; marital relationships; child care; work; wages; career aspirations; and nursing opportunities;nursing career; work; family history; children; marital relationships; husbands; and racial discrimination;
- *** File: rrrbmason9.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-8:33)... Brief interviewer introduction. Mason left Lockheed at the end of 1943 because she was feeling ill. Her husband was inducted into the army in January 1944. They had previously separated between 1938 and 1939, but were back together by the time he went into the service. In March of 1944, she learned that she had contracted tuberculosis and that she was six weeks pregnant. Her doctor recommended that she be admitted to General Hospital and receive treatment, as well as an abortion. However, the doctors there refused to perform the procedure. She did not want to have any more children, but felt that abortion was against her religion. After her second child, she did use birth control in the form of a sanitary sponge, which was successful for several years until she got pregnant with her third child. She stayed in the hospital for the duration of her pregnancy. Her third child was delivered by a caesarian section. The doctors recommended that she have her tubes tied and she agreed to undergo this procedure. She did not suffer any complications as a result of the surgery. When she left the hospital and returned home, she was disappointed by the state of affairs within her family and decided to divorce her husband. (8:33-15:00)... After she left Lockheed because of illness, she believed that she would take some time off and then return to work when she was feeling better. However, she wanted to go into a different type of work. She left the hospital in January of 1945 and filed for divorce. She moved in with her parents and decided to sell Avon products because it was an easy job that would allow her to recuperate. She attended Avon meetings and thought the work was quite interesting. She made most of her visits in the evening because many women continued to work after the war and were only available in the evenings after work. When her divorce was final, her brother introduced her to a man who eventually became her second husband. The Health Department often visited her parents' home to check on her; she was not permitted to be around her children while recovering from tuberculosis. Her parents told the health officials that she was living elsewhere. She got tired of these inquiries and decided it would be best if she married again. She did not tell her husband of her past medical condition and continued to work at Avon and then went back to upholstery work. Although not discussed in detail, Mason was admitted into the Olive View Hospital for tuberculosis. When she was discharged from the hospital she went to work for Solar Electronics, where she worked for five years. [Note: this was after her second bout of tuberculosis, when she was sent to Olive View Hospital for treatment.] (15:00-17:19)... Mason discusses her job with Avon. The pay was better than what she received at Lockheed because she was able to generate her own business. She received a 20 percent commission on sales, as well as bonuses. When she married her second husband in 1947, she moved to an apartment on Washington and Hill in Los Angeles and went to work for an upholstery factory sewing covers for car seats. She earned approximately .75 or .85 cents cents an hour. She worked there until she had a relapse of tuberculosis and was admitted to Olive View Hospital. (17:19-19:40)... While she was in the hospital recovering from tuberculosis, she intended to send her children to a Catholic home near the hospital that cared for the children of sick mothers. However, her father insisted that he and his wife care for the children, including her newborn baby. Mason lived with her parents until she married, at which time she moved in with her husband. Her children, however, stayed with her parents until after she was released from Olive View Hospital following a relapse in her illness. (19:40-26:43)... Mason notes what happened during the time she had a relapse of tuberculosis and entered Olive View Hospital in 1948. Ultimately, she received an operation in which several small plastic balls were placed in her lung cavity to reinforce her lungs. This operation was successful and she never tested positive for tuberculosis again. She was a patient at Olive View Hospital for two years. (26:43-29:47)... While in Olive View Mason maintained a positive attitude towards her condition and her life. She attributes her good fortune to a happy childhood and a strong connection to god. The treatment she received at (L.A. County) General Hospital and at Olive View was excellent, and she credits her recovery to the nurses and doctors. Mason provides a brief description of the facilities at Olive View and her room. She was able to see the outdoors from her room and recalls that it snowed in Los Angeles while she was at Olive View, 1948-50. She and the other patients thought the snowfall was an exciting event and even ventured outside to make snowballs. End of tape. *** File: rrrbmason10.mp3 (0:00-2:15)... Mason's family visited her while she was at Olive View Hospital; however, she had to watch her children play outside. After her surgery, it took her eight weeks to get out of bed and start walking around. She made some friends in the hospital, but most of the patients were older. She often helped the nurses with small tasks in the care of other patients. Mason also read to other patients and wrote letters for a Mexican woman staying at the hospital. (2:15-7:41)... When she was released from the hospital, she intended on returning to work. She was concerned about the welfare of her children and filed an order against her ex-husband for failing to provide support for his children. He was arrested and jailed for a year, during which time his wages were sent to Mason's parents for the care of her children. The children did not live with Mason until approximately a year and a half after she was released from the hospital because she did not want to risk exposing them to tuberculosis. While her children were living with her parents, she visited them often and took them out on the weekends. (7:41-11:44)... In 1951, eight months after Mason was released from Olive View Hospital, she went to work for Solar Electronics, a company located on Slauson and Santa Fe in Los Angeles. Her second husband, Nick, was not pleased with her decision to return to work because he feared that she would get sick again. He cared for her the entire two years she was in the hospital and visited her often. He purchased a home located on 85th and Vermont. When she left the hospital, Mason and her husband settled in this home. (11:44-18:30)... When she started working at the electronics company her responsibilities consisted of placing electrical wires on an electrical board. She earned .75 to .85 cents an hour. Within six months she was promoted to a lead position and her wages rose to a little over a $1an hour. As a lead, she did not work on the electrical boards, but supervised approximately fifty women employed in that capacity. Mason's immediate supervisor was a man. When the shop began to unionize, Mason quit because she did not believe the union would benefit the workers. In her estimation, the employees were being treated fairly and would be viewed as traitors if they unionized. The shop held an election and the workers were unionized under the UEW (United Electrical Workers). She equally enjoyed her work in the aircraft industry and in the electrical shop. She left Solar Electronics in 1955. (18:30-22:45)... When Mason left Olive View Hospital, her daughter Norma was sixteen years old and already married. Mason lived with her son and her youngest daughter, Monica, who also married young at the age of fifteen. Prior to living with her children again, Mason and her second husband would dine out and share the housework. On the weekends, they took the children to the beach and went on picnics. They did have friends, but most of their time was spent with the family. Although their relationship was good, Mason's husband was a "woman chaser" and would often disappear for a week at a time. However, she never discussed her feelings with him regarding this matter. (22:45-29:46)... When Mason left Solar Electronics, she applied for a position as a nursing assistant at a general hospital. However, when it was learned that she had a history of tuberculosis she was not accepted into the program. She enrolled in Southern California Practical Nursing School and took classes for ten weeks. Her aspirations were to work with the elderly because she believed very few nurses wanted to work in a rest home caring for the elderly. Her first nursing job was at Rampart Sanitarium. Later in her nursing career, she supervised a ward for mentally retarded children at a hospital in Baldwin Park. End of tape. *** File: rrrbmason11.mp3 (0:00-4:23)... Mason enjoyed working as a nurse for the elderly. She held three nursing jobs in the Los Angeles area, including her work at a sanitarium where she was responsible for six patients. When Mason quit Solar Electronics and went into nursing, she took a cut in pay and made only .75 cents an hour. To supplement her income she sold Avon products. In 1958, she moved to South San Gabriel and commuted to work. After her father passed away in 1956, her mother moved to a small home near Mason and lived there with her youngest daughter. Mason discusses her younger sisters and the generational differences that affected the outcome of their lives. (4:23-7:58)... Prior to being killed in a car accident, her son worked at a produce market with her husband, Nick. She describes the circumstances of her son's death and how it affected her life. When her son was killed, she was on vacation from the nursing home in Los Angeles. She decided not to return to work because she was traumatized by her son's death. Her son died in May 1962 and she did not return to work until October 1962. (7:58-11:45)... Following her son's death, Mason and her husband began experiencing marital problems and decided to separate. She moved in with her daughter, Monica, and began looking for another job in the area. She applied for a position at a rest home near her residence and was hired on the spot. She believes that the elderly people at the rest home helped her recover from her son's death. However, she began to alienate her husband and they eventually divorced. She worked the split shift at the rest home to escape her home life and lost a lot of weight because of her son's death. (11:45-19:02)... Mason's first serious exposure to racial prejudice occurred when she worked at a rest home in Baldwin Park between 1962-68. Many of the patients in the rest home were Whites from southern states. Eventually, Mason was fired because of false accusations made by the staff regarding her work. When new people assumed ownership of the rest home Mason was asked to return to the facility. However, she declined the offer because of the prejudice that existed at the home and the inappropriate actions of the nursing staff, which involved Medicare fraud. (19:02-23:49)... After living with her daughter in Baldwin Park, Mason decided to move out on her own and rented a small apartment near her work. Initially, she was afraid to live alone because she had always lived with her family or husband. When her divorce to her second husband was final, Mason remarried. Her third husband was twelve years younger than her and worked as a machinist. They lived together in her apartment for four years until moving to a new location in 1970. (23:49-28:52)... In 1967, Mason went to work for an electronics company testing electrical equipment. She worked at this company for one year and left because arthritis made it difficult to perform her responsibilities. She also was having trouble breathing while working for the factory because of the fumes and the lack of ventilation in the shop. Her wages at the electronics shop were approximately .85 cents an hour. (28:52-30:20)... Mason's discussion of her third husband, including problems with his eyesight, is cut short when the interview ends. End of tape.
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