Earleen Allen Francis Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

Earl- Allen Francis 18
because I didn' t have to pay tuition. %re wasn' t enough m y in my
Emily to pay a big tuition for three or four years of school*. To get
right dma~ to the nitty gritty, that's why I went into nurses' training,
because I didn't have to pay for it. In fact, the first year they paid
us a little bit of $5 a mnth and baght aur uniforms and aur books. The
second year E got paid $10 a mmth, but w had to buy our om Worms
and books. t+k wt them out of that $10. Nurses' training was Mlve
mnths a yeax for thi~ty-six mmths. Nw it is just like- college, but
when I ms going, you mt thirty-six months in a row and you didn't
stop. You got tw meks off every surrmex to go ham and see your family.
Q. b e
did you take your nurses training?
A. In Chicago at Cook County Hospital.
Q. Really. That nwt have been smre training1
A. If you don't get it there, yau don't get it an-re. It's a rough
place, I'm telling you.
Q. Did the high scbool expect or encourage the yaung mn to go into sane
kind of trade or apprenticeship?
A. Idon'tknow. Idon'thmdmt they said totheboys.
Q.
ht did boys generally do after hi& school?
A. kll , my brother be- a mchinist , W's passed on naw. He ws
very good at it. The mre he learned, the better jobs he got. He really
did ~ 11 for himself. M y around there -re boys £ran farms, and they
=re going to contime on the farm with their family. Ckhe or two from
the ealthier fdlies becarne dentists. 'Ihey mnt away to dental school.
I don't remixher anyone ever going away to be a doctor.
Q. ht did your sister do?
A. My sister? She got married and raised tw children.
Q. &re there any clubs or activities sponsored by the high school?
A. Yes, basketball, football, tennis.
Q. Did you tale part in them?
A. I took part in basketball. I liked basketball. hben I was in grade
school, w had recess yau know, thirty minutes out in the air in the
morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon, and ve 'd play basketball. I
took part in that and then in high school I played basketball in gym.
Q. Did your parents errpress any paxticular attitude tawards education?
A. OP1 yes. My mther mted to do sou~thirg
besides getting married.
She didn' t want IIE to get married. She didn' t want my sister to get
married either, but she did. I m, so young. She ms very happy tihen
I decided to go into nurses' training. Very happy.