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Cook, Emilie (audio interview #1 of 1)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This one lengthy interview with Emilie Cook was conducted in her home in Santa Monica. The interview proceeded with few problems, though Cook was embarrassed later by what she felt was "illiterate and ungrammatical" language of her transcript. 7/10/1980
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- *** File: rrrecook1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:52)... Cook was born in New Jersey and educated at New Jersey State Normal College where she obtained a teaching certificate. She taught kindergarten before she married in the early 1900s. Her husband served in the infantry during WWI. When he returned from the war, he suffered stomach and lung disorders as a result of being gassed during the war. They eventually moved to California and he died fifteen years later, leaving Cook alone with a four-year-old son and a ten-year-old daughter. She wanted to obtain a teaching credential from UCLA, but the responsibilities of raising two children led her towards a career path that would require less time. She enrolled in business college and began working at Douglas Aircraft in 1933 when she was thirty-five years old. (2:52-5:34)... She learned about job opportunities at Douglas through friends who worked in the new plant located on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica. (The original plant in Santa Monica was located on Wilshire Boulevard). When she finished her second year in business college, Cook applied for a clerical position at the plant and was hired in the employment office. Her starting wage was .45 cents per hour. On one occasion, she was asked to inform a shop employee that his aunt died. Normally, any communication from personnel was handled by two male clerks. (5:34-8:08)... Cook describes her duties as a clerk in the employment office at Douglas. Many of the people she interviewed were eventually promoted to executive positions at the plant. In 1941, the employment office was flooded with thousands of people from all over the country looking for work at the plant. Her job eventually evolved from a clerk in the employment office, to "women's counselor," and then to first secretary of the employment director. The influx of employees created new positions for personnel and gave her access to jobs that required more responsibility. (8:08-11:28)... In 1942, Cook was hired as the first Women's Counselor at Douglas. As the plant grew, so did the need for additional counselors. As coordinator of women's counseling, she interviewed, hired, and informally supervised Women's Counselors at the Santa Monica, Long Beach, and El Segundo plants. On at least one occasion, she also visited Douglas plants located outside California. She enjoyed working with women in the shop. They were typically referred to her by their supervisors. Women's counseling was new to the war production industries. Cook occasionally met with other women employed as counselors in these industries to discuss their counseling programs. (11:28-14:25)... Cook collaborated with Louise Snyder, who was brought in to the plant to recommend how to break down "the jobs that men had previously done so that women could do them." Problems occurred when women came into the plant because they did not have the skills necessary to do the work. Supervisors found it difficult to comprehend women's inability to handle the work. In addition to Women's Counselors, the Douglas employed approximately ten matrons in an effort to provide a support system for women. Many times, matrons would refer women to Cook for assistance. She talks about some of the matters she handled while working as a Women's Counselor. (14:25-17:12)... Cook believes she was at the right place at the right time when she was offered a position as a Women's Counselor. Although she did not have any formal training in social work, Douglas management felt that she was well qualified because she was the only woman in personnel with several years on the job. She was eventually promoted coordinator of the Women's Counseling program. Her role as a counselor was to help women adjust to their new lifestyles as war workers. (17:12-21:57)... As part of the counseling program, Cook developed ties with community organizations and schools in an attempt to establish daycare centers for working mothers. Cook describes an incident of a pregnant woman who wanted to take a leave of absence. Generally, male supervisors were at a loss as to how to respond to women's needs and would seek Cook's assistance. On one occasion, for instance, Cook was asked to speak to a woman about her unpleasant body odor. Cook also refers to a conversation she had with a racially mixed woman who expressed concern about discrimination. (21:57-24:31)... Cook does not recall there being any racial problems at Douglas during the war. Personnel spoke to new employees about race relations as part of their orientation program. In an effort to minimize any racial tensions, people were reminded that Blacks and Whites were fighting the same war. Restroom facilities at Douglas were not segregated. Matrons patrolled the women's restrooms and if they encountered a woman having a difficult time, they talked to her and/or sent her to a women's counselor. (24:31-26:26)... In addition to supervisors and matrons referring women to Cook, she also visited the plant and spoke to supervisors about the women in their departments. Establishing good rapport with supervisors was an important feature of her position. Initially, men resented women when they first entered the plant. However, they soon realized that "if they were going to get the work done they had to accept it [women]." Cook thinks that women did an excellent job in war production, so much so that many stayed after the war was over. (26:26-29:38)... Cook continues to discuss women's ability to work in war production jobs. There was always a "problem child" at the plant with domestic or personal issues. She describes an incident involving a woman who required medical care. When these sorts of issues arose, Cook made all the arrangements, especially when it came to pregnancy and child births. One doctor requested that Cook advise him of illegitimate births for adoption purposes. She remembers only one woman who gave her baby up for adoption and then returned to the plant without anyone knowing what transpired. Cooks remarks, "there was always something to work out and I loved it." (29:38-30:42)... Cook developed a resource file of community agencies and organizations that she utilized when necessary. She attended luncheons and/or meetings at these organizations, at which time the level of assistance was discussed. She also met with women's counselors from other aircraft plants to discuss their needs from community agencies. End of tape. *** File: rrrecook2.mp3 (0:00-1:35)... Meetings with women's groups and community organizations were initiated by Douglas management and/or the heads of the organizations. Cook enjoyed working with other women; however, it was difficult for her to speak in public because she did not have any formal training as a public speaker. She once gave a speech on the topic of women in industry to an audience of more than three hundred people. (1:35-4:22)... Cook was the first women hired at Douglas as a Women's Counselor. As the labor force at the plant increased, more counselors were hired and Cook was promoted to coordinator of the program. As coordinator, she was responsible for hiring counselors and organizing counseling programs for all Douglas plants. (She digresses regarding the housing arrangements for employees hired at the plant located in Daggett. (4:22-5:18)... Women's counselors were not present when supervisors talked to women about their job performance. Unless a supervisor asked for a counselor's assistance in this instance, counselors were not involved in the production end of the business. (5:18-8:53)... She interviewed and hired counselors at the Santa Monica and Long Beach plants. In addition, her position involved establishing policies and procedures for the counseling programs at the Douglas plants. There were approximately ten counselors working in the Long Beach and Santa Monica plants, respectively. The counseling programs were part of the personnel department in each plant. Cook visited the other plants once a month to discuss counseling issues. She was well received by the other counselors and thought it was important to "treat them as an employee not just a woman." (8:53-10:12)... Cook reiterates how she became a Women's Counselor. When the war ended, the Women's Counseling program at Douglas was eliminated. She was offered jobs by other agencies, but decided to stay at Douglas because it was near her home. She believes that her age and experience as a mother enabled her to properly advise the young women she counseled. (10:12-11:55)... When Cook interviewed candidates for counseling positions, she focused on their backgrounds, education, and personalities. Candidates did not require a degree or experience in social work. However, women with that type of background were usually hired. Although Cook did not consider marital status when interviewing candidates, the majority of counselors she hired were married women. (11:55-14:50)... Counselors did not interview women seeking production jobs. Eventually, however, counselors were an integral part of the orientation program because it was important that women knew where to go when they had a problem. Supervisors usually referred women to counselors. Occasionally, women visited the office during their lunch hour or after work when they were not required to obtain permission from their supervisor to take time out of work. The counseling office at the Santa Monica plant was located in an office in the personnel department. (14:50-17:35)... Cook recalls when the local union organized a sit-down strike in the plant. When a bomb threat was received, everyone in the personnel department was sent home until further notice. There was a representative in the personnel office who worked with the union; however, Women's Counselors were not involved with any union representatives. (17:35-21:54)... Cook talks about the company services offered at the Santa Monica plant, including the Employees Aircraft Workers Medical Plan, the welfare store, recreation activities, and the company store. (21:54-25:17)... Douglas employed male personnel counselors whose job focused on personnel and production issues. Women's Counselors, on the other hand, dealt with "things of a feminine nature." In addition to getting referrals from supervisors, personnel counselors also referred women to the women's counselors. Occasionally, women came to Cook with transfer requests. However, these matters typically were handled by personnel counselors. (25:17-26:17)... Cook counseled women who were both new to the work place and previously employed. She digresses regarding office workers, indicating that these women usually came to her because of problems with supervisors. (26:17-27:45)... She regularly scheduled staff meetings with the Women's Counselors in both the Long Beach and Santa Monica plants. Cook also supervised the matrons at the Santa Monica plant. The function of plant matrons was different from women's counselors. However, they served the same purpose of listening to women and providing them with a support system. Matrons patrolled the restrooms and other gathering areas in order to "talk to the girls and pick up things..., which was helpful to the counselors." (27:45-30:45)... Cook addresses the point regarding function of the women's counseling program to minimize absenteeism. While women's counselors could talk to employees "woman to woman," they could not necessarily solve the problems that led to their being chronically absent. In many cases, plant matrons were helpful because they were in the plant and could provide the necessary support for a woman emotionally distraught over the death of or injury to her husband. End of tape. *** File: rrrecook3.mp3 (0:00-4:14)... Women's counselors were on duty during all three shifts at Douglas. Cook recalls working the graveyard shift for a short time in order to familiarize herself with the supervisors, many of whom she already knew from her days in the employment office. She digresses regarding her role as coordinator of Women's Counseling at other Douglas plants, indicating that she played a more direct role at the Santa Monica plant compared to the other plants. (4:14-5:24)... Cook was the only representative from Douglas who attended meetings organized for Women's Counselors working in war production industries. She was friendly with many of the counselors, including Susan Laughlin, a women's counselor at Lockheed. (5:24-7:26)... Matrons at Douglas were required to wear a uniform to distinguish them from plant employees. Women's counselors dressed in business attire which included a dress or a skirt. Although counselors were permitted to wear slacks, many of them chose not to. The only women in production work who wore dresses or skirts were those employed in the sewing room. (7:26-9:39)... Her counseling responsibilities did not involve persuading business owners to extend their hours of operation to accommodate women employed at Douglas. Cook did not have any problems coordinating her household and work responsibilities because a girlfriend cleaned Cook's house and watched her children while she was at work. She did make arrangements with local schools to develop and/or extend their daycare services for working mothers. The company's welfare store also helped women who had difficultly managing their work and household responsibilities. (9:39-12:06)... Cook was not affected by the housing shortages during the war because she owned a home. A woman who worked in personnel rented a room from Cook during the war. Douglas's Welfare Department handled all housing matters for production workers. The Welfare Department also was in charge of developing the recreation activities at the plant. (12:06-15:03)... Cook "knew what was going to happen" to women once the war ended. Rather than take advantage of other job opportunities, she accepted a pay cut and stayed at Douglas. The Women's Counseling program was eliminated after the war. A couple counselors stayed at Douglas and went into personnel work. After the war, all counseling matters were handled by male personnel counselors. Women at the plant did not experience the same problems they had during the war because they "were not doing the same type of work.... The feeling was that they wanted men back and if there were any jobs they had to give those jobs to men and they couldn't keep the women even if they wanted to." Cook believes that most women were not resentful because they wanted to go back into the home while others, like Cook, had to keep working in order to support their families. (15:03-19:13)... She does not recall a large number of women returning to Douglas during the Korean War; therefore, there was no need to reinstate the women's counseling program. She digresses regarding a job opportunity with the state Welfare Department. She turned that job down and chose to take "the easy way out" by staying at Douglas. She describes her personnel responsibilities in "absence control." She digresses regarding her daughter's and granddaughter's careers in personnel. (19:13-21:48)... During all her years at Douglas, it was difficult for her to watch people lose their jobs. Although she took a substantial pay cut after the war ended, her salary was enough to support her family. She does not think that the women's counseling program was necessary once the war ended because women who stayed or returned to Douglas did not have the same problems they experienced during the war. The program was necessary during the war to provide support for the huge influx of women entering production. (21:48-25:12)... She continues to discuss the reasons why Women's Counselors were not needed in the post-war period. The women's counselors who stayed at Douglas after the war also moved into personnel positions and took a pay cut. Cook retired from Douglas in 1959 after twenty-six years of service. She spent the past twenty years of retirement volunteering as a surgery hostess at Santa Monica Hospital. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Emilie Cook was working at Douglas, Santa Monica, when the war began. This was the first job she had since she married, and probably would not have joined the work force had her husband lived. Following his death, realizing she had to support her two children, she went to business college and then applied at Douglas when she completed her course. Initially hired to work as a secretary to the Employment Manger, she was appointed to be a Women's Counselor following the completion of a study (by Louise Snyder Fitzgerald) on the feasibility of introducing women workers into Douglas. At war's end, the Women's Counselor program was phased out, and Cook went back to being an hourly worker in the Personnel Department. She remained at Douglas until her retirement. We were referred to Emily Cook by Susan Laughlin, the former Women's Counselor at Lockheed. Cook was most cordial when she was contacted, and eager to be helpful. At eighty-five, she was a vigorous, lively and vivacious woman. Cook was interviewed by Sherna Berger Gluck, in her bungalow home in Santa Monica. Despite her enthusiasm for the project, she was not happy when she read the transcript of her interview, embarrassed by what she considered to be "illiterate and ungrammatical" language. TOPICS - family background; husband; career aspirations; business college; clerical and administrative work , Douglas Aircraft; wages; labor influx during WWII; promotion to women's counselor position; Snyder, Louise; racecollaboration between women's counselors and community organizations; coordinator responsibilities; Daggett plant; referrals; union and strike activity; personnel counselors; company services; Employees Aircraft Woposition as coordinator of women's counselors; Laughlin, Susan; work clothing; housing shortages; women's dual roles; Welfare Department, Douglas; company services; postwar layoffs; attitudes towards women in
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