My wife is my age, and consequently relates her experiences from a different perspective. During the depression era, she attended Champaign High School where she learned typing. To become proficient, she advanced to Champaign Commercial College to better her skills. She had a job with the government in the Resettlement Administration until they moved to Indianapolis, which she refused to do. She typed many graduate college theses, which is an exciting job for the best of typists. She started a savings account, putting some into US Postal Savings at 2% interest, and removed it when the post office closed all those accounts out about 20 years ago. My first savings were in a band Savings Account, I was greatly disappointed when my small account paid only a few cents, which was at 3% interest. Banks were lending money at 6% – try to borrow for that today!
Emmett Kirby
Champaign, Illinois
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.