My small claim to fame is that on November 5, 1936, I was a sophomore in Warren Harding High School, when Amelia Earhart came to talk to the Girls’ Assembly. She told us that it was not only a “Man’s World”, but a “Woman’s World” as well. After the Assembly, 3 Honor students were chosen to go with her in her airplane, over the Stratford Airport. How fortunate that I was one of them! You can go to google, type in my name, and I will tell you about her pioneering accomplishments.
At 97, I have been touched by 4 wars. My father registered for World War 1; my boyfriend at the time who later became my husband, fought and earned the Purple Heart and Cluster in World War ll. My brother fought in the Korean War, and my grandson fought for 10 months in Afghanistan. What a chaotic world we live in!
Arts and Crafts have always kept me occupied. In the 1950’s, I made hooked rugs down on a big frame. Then I braided rugs, a skill my mother taught me. I crocheted Alphabet afghans for my 3 grandchildren and now, I am weaving rugs at the Easton Senior Center. My mother and dad were weavers at The Salt’s Textile Company in Bridgeport. There they wove velvet and Frieze, a fabric that furniture was covered with at the time. (This was in the early 1920’s and 1930’s).
When I was a girl scout leader, cookies were 35 cents a box. The Girl Scout movement started in 1912, and I was born in 1921 so I am almost as old as the Girl Scout Organization!
From 1939 to 1948 I played Mary Magdalene in a Passion Play and that is where I met my husband. We had four children. Al died of a heart attack in 1973. My youngest was 12 years old. I went to work after that and have been retired for 32 years and in that time, I have never had a boring moment.
I firmly believe that you must have a reason to get up every morning. I volunteer at the Easton Senior Center and I am also the Volunteer Coordinator with over 20 people that answer to me. I volunteer at Notre Dame Church where I am a Eucharistic Minister and Reader. I do errands for my friends that no longer can drive. I play Scrabble every day on the computer, I paint once a week. I have a season ticket for the Operas at Fairfield University and at 97 years of age, I still have a zest for living! Above all I thank God for my good health.
Listen to Anne Fiyalka
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