"...and the switchboard suddenly lit up."

Mom was working for Ma Bell when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor…

Harriet  had gone down from home to stay with her big sister Alberta, fondly known as ‘Pat’ (a nickname given her years ago as a shortened monicker for her maiden name, Fitzpatrick…)  She wanted to find a job and get a taste of independence now that she was a high school graduate, so she joined Pat and Pat’s husband John, who had recently moved to Bemidji.  There was word that Northwestern Bell Telephone Company was hiring switchboard operators there.  It wasn’t long before Harriet was learning the ropes of literally connecting calls, how to switch calls without losing them, etc.  It was tricky, but fun once you got the hang of it.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, she was working at her switchboard in downtown Bemidji, when the board lit up.  She knew something serious must have happened, but she - along with the rest of the country and world - was about to learn of an unpredictable, horrific truth:  The surprise bombing attack on Pearl Harbor, the resulting destruction of the U.S. Navy’s 7th fleet, and over 3580 casualties. She told me years later it was a flood of calls that came in, in a short period of time - she was almost on automatic as she used every trick in her newly trained noodle to keep up. That morning was imprinted on her memory, something she never forgot.

Radio Interview

Tonight, Christian Cassidy of the West End Dumplings - The Radio Edition, will be interviewing me about the St. Vincent Memories history blog.

In his own words...

...my guests are: Trish Short Lewis of the blog St. Vincent Memories; U of W history prof Dr. Jody Perrun and Susan Algie of the Winnipeg Architecture Foundation. Join me at 7 pm on 101.5 UMFM. Only three episodes left! If you want to listen: Since UMFM can be heard in Winnipeg at 101.5 UMFM but it doesn't go much beyond city limits, people can listen online or, tomorrow there will be a podcast generated. the link will be in a companion post on a blog for this episode.

1967 Party: Debbie, Trisha and Heather

I am the little girl on the left as it starts, and I put on my glasses...