I was trying to get back to my "Dear Alice" series here on Passed Time. For those who are new to the site, "Dear Alice" is the name of a series of blogs related to a child's autograph book from Nanuet, New York, written in 1936. The entries have led to a series of blogs about the book and its anonymous owner. 

     The latest entry signed by Dorothy Fahnestock is proving a bit....well, there is more information than I anticipated, and I want to do it right. I thought that this brief look into the support efforts of Nanuet's citizens in World War Two might serve as a placeholder until I can return to "Dear Alice."

     Although I would love to take the credit for the title I used, I cannot, it came from the following article. This is a portion of an article from the January 22, 1943 edition of the Orangetown Telegram and Pearl River Searchlight.* If anyone were ever curious as to the questions asked of "Rosie the Riveter," before she got the job, here you go.  

Drive for Pupils

 

"....In reply, the ladies incharge fired back questions at theapplicants. "Do you sew? " "Didyou ever play a piano?" "Can youcrochet? ' "Run a lawn'-mower?""Have you stood over a kitchenstove for hours at a time? " For,according to experts who testifythat trainees from the U. S. DefenseSchools have shown a farbetter record than haphazardlytrained workers in the factories, ifa woman can do these things shehas more than the necessary aptiture

to shape, drill and rivet thealuminum parts that go to make upa modern fighting piane. Apparentlythe hand that rocks the cradlecan rock Hitler to his foundations..."

 

I tried to manipulate the web page to find the author of the cited article so I could give due credit. I was unable to do so, but know the work is not mine. 

Author HistoryKeeper, currently lives in Dover, Delaware, with family, both two- and four-footed. I am a history enthusiast, who has great regard for the past and is especially proud of the Pennsylvania German culture. In addition to my work here at Passed Time, I am currently working on a project for the German Historical Institute's Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies (http://www.ghi-dc.org). I also contribute to various newsletters and am working on another book...or two. Feel free to email me at pcsuter@hotmail.com for questions, comments, information, a shared love of history, an idea, etc. Be aware, Files with Attachments will not be opened, but immediately deleted.