Women immigrants

Mrs. Betty Potter was the interviewer's neighbor and was in her 80s at the time of the interview. A native of England, she traveled to the United States by ship with her parents at age seven. She started school at age 3-1/2 in England, and was allowed to skip grades in school, causing her to "graduate" from eighth grade at the age of 13. She won prizes for her work in geography and art in school. Her parents did not think it necessary for her to continue her education, so she enrolled in a correspondence course and obtained her high school diploma while she worekd full time in factories. She practices piano faithfully every day and plays for her church. When she was a child she practiced five hours each day, rising at 5:30 am to begin practice, and continuing after school each day. She was also a member of a national choral group that performed frequently in the community. The second part of the interview deals with her life on Ridgeway Avenue. She moved to Ridgeway in 1950, from Ithaca, New York. She and her husband raised three children there.