Document text
Accession no.
V\O"A.0
L. C. OJECT LL2&dL V5 UNIT
Form -3
W 371T
Date received
I Consignment no.
Shipped from
ritfia -64, If
Label
Amount
op
L.r.
Collection (or Type)
Title 50.C.tal— faf faZidfaril
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Place of originaLcit:a_nsp2118•12.1Date 4//c/3
Project worker eia.1" 5. I
Etkilt.1
Project editor
Remarks
FORMS FOR INTERVIEWS (Original and one carbon required)
FORMA
CIRCUMSTANCES OF INTERVIEW
STATE Indiana
NAME OF WORKER Charles Bruce Millholland
ADDRESS 2821 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis
DATE April 10, 1939
SUBJECT Social -Ethnic Study (of Bedford, Indiana)
1. Name and address of informant We. W. C. Patrickson (not real name)
Martindale, lnd. (Poet laureate of State Women's Clubs)
2. Date and time of interview April 104 1939 9-10 AM.
3. Place of interview Greyhound bus, en route to Bedrock, bid.
4. Nano and address of person, if any, who put you in touch with
informant
5. Name and address of person, if any, acompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
PLACE: Front seat of bus.
PERSON: Smartly dressed middle-aged woman, who looks as though she
night be a traveling aaleeweman for a cosmetic company, gets an bus
at Martindale and site in one remaining seat, beside me. Un-zips
what looks like an order book, but first page is a typed poem. We
pass a State park entrance. She speaks in a high, penetrating, rapid
voice.
SPEECH: "That's a State park. Our club planted those pine trees you
see around the entrance* We. P, Mrs. Henry H. P the President
of the Federation, gave no one to plant on our estate. It's between
W3711
Indianapolis and Martindale. My health was so poor in town I Wall ad-
vised to move sway. The smog was bad for my asthma. So Doctor and I
—.my husband is a doctor —moved out to our lodge. It wasn't built to
live in the year around, but we've weatherstripped it and added five
more rooms. Of course it's more expensive than living in town. And
people don't pay their doctor bills these days. !Wye felt the de-
pression. Doctor lost quite a good deal in the last few years. He's
given up his clubs, and our membership in the Civic Theatre. Wove put
about a hundred thousand in our estate. It's 123 acres, right next to
W.2:4 place; you know, the president of Cosmetic Corporation. We
used to raise pheasants, but they were such a oars. Yes, those are
peach trees. Doctor put $25,000 into a peach orchard. And then that
cold winter we had several years ago killed them all. And he had
hired a man at $3 a day just to mulch them all one summer. Be rooted
them all up. I cried, I couldn't help it.
"I'm going to Blankburg to give a poetry reading. I'm Poet
Laureate of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. I've scribbled
since I was a tiny tot. Ws. P, when she was elected president
we were brides the same year —called me and said, 'You simply must take
the post.' my husband objected. BC thought it would be too much for
me. But I agreed to take it for one year. But I think I'll finish the
four now. So many club members have asked me to bring out a book of my
poems. I think I shall, while I'm still in office. I do get around a
good deal --giving readings all over the State. It takes most of my time,
the executive part, so that I don't have much time to create. Of course
the clubs usually pay my travelling expenses, and insist I take something.
"Would you like to see some of my poetry? I have it here. Now
here is something I wrote when the King of England abdicated." CA
rimed paraphrase of his radio speech.) "I was at a clutooman's
bridge game. I went home and wrote it. And here is my answer,
'TO THE KING OF LOVE.' It's been very well received. And then I
have these quatrains." Miming passion with fashion, and nude with
elude.) "Of course some people don't like that as well. But then
there's poetry you write for yourself --and what you write for the
general public. Now Jack Blank read some of these over the air and
is including them in his anthology. It's to be quite a big book.
I've also been invited to read some of my poems over the air at the
A
opening of the poetry division of the World's Fair in New York. The
chairman in charge used to be from here. I don't know -whether I can
make it though. Dm scheduled to speak the same week at the State
Federation. Doctor thinks it would be too much. He thinks I don't
stay home enough. Oh this is where you get off? You must drive out
and see us sometime --it's on Route 69. You can't miss it --we have a
sign out that's marked 'JINGLE DELL'. Oh you don't have a oar?"