Yes, I remember the Depression Era! My parents had our phone disconnected to save money. I was in high school and that really caused my social life to suffer.
I graduated from high school in 1933. My parents, who farmed, were struggling just to keep up the interest on their farm loan. When our Senior Class began selecting their class rings, my sister and I were told we could not have one – they cost too much.
We had to tell our classmates we could not afford rings. There were two boys in our class whose father was a banker. This father undoubtedly knew about the hard times the farmers were enduring. So these boys brought a catalogue to school which featured class rings for $5 a piece. Our classmates agreed on these rings, and my parents said “OK, the rings can be your Christmas presents.”
I still have my class ring 60 years later.
Clarice Morrison
Coleridge, Nebraska
Back in 1955 a call went out from the editors of the then Capper’s Weekly asking for readers to send in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My Folks title – My Folks Came in a Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to make those stories available to our growing online community.