In Akron, c. 1912, the Phillips family bought a large house on Buchtel Ave., a short walk from Buchtel College. They fixed it up into a boarding house for college students and night shift rubber workers. In other words, the students slept at the house at night; the workers used the beds during the day. (Lots of sheet changing had to happen.) Each of the Phillips family members had a specific job to do. My mom's job was to keep the bathroom clean and well stocked (when she was old enough to do this, of course). Mom and her sisters had the entire third floor for their sleeping quarters. They enjoyed that!
The evenings at the boarding house were usually music time: Grandma or Mom's sister, Martha, at the piano while all other attendees sang Welsh or Stephen Foster tunes. Sometimes Grandma would accompany the songs with her harmonica, too. The three sisters often made treats for guests and family, such as, popcorn, ice cream, home made fudge, or cookies. Mom's diary is full of details about these pleasant events.
The diary also explains the kinds of activities that Mom participated in at school and during vacations. It seems as though she especially liked to go to the circus and movie theaters. As I mentioned in my dad's story, she and Bob also had fun at Summit Lake and the amusement park. Another plus, it was an easy walk to Main Street, where all the department stores and movie theaters were, from their house.
This central location was really ideal for a number of years. But the rubber factories were causing a lot of pollution which in turn caused some health problems in the area. So, the Phillips family found cleaner air in the Ellet district where they bought a house behind the high school. Mom attended that school, her senior year, and met her very best girlfriend, Marjorie Snyder, there. I believe that this last year of school, in 1926, was Mom's favorite year, mostly because of Marjorie, my namesake.
Yes, Mom got involved with the rubber industry, too, just like most Akronites. She was a comptroller at the Goodrich Tire and Rubber Company for a few years. She seemed to be proud of this job.
My first story, of my dad, tells details of how they met, dated, and waited until age 21 to marry in 1929, the year of the stock market crash...not a great beginning! But, these two loved one another all their years together, from the first day they met until Dad died in 1991. Mom quit the Goodrich job to start her family. She devoted her time, efforts, and talents to keeping a good home for us five. She made many of our clothes, including my gorgeous recital and wedding dresses. We all loved her cooking which she learned from her mom. After her three kids were able to fend for themselves, she took a job at a florist's shop for a few years, learning how to create lovely arrangements and corsages. This was fun for her.. not interested in making money, just wanted to learn. Another job she liked, outside of the home, was working at the voting booths at election times.
Many people enjoyed my mom's silly sense of humor, which usually was poking fun at herself. Her life mostly centered around her husband and family and she lived an active and alert life to age 97!
Kathryn Lewis Phillips
Born 1 Jun 1908 Cleveland, Cuyahoga, OH
Died 25 Jun 2005 Akron, Summit, OH
Sources: Birth, Death, and Marriage Records. Censuses 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940. Interviews with my mother, my own memories, and Kick's 1924 diary, scrapbooks, photo albums, and my baby book.
