McEver, Lucille Adelaine (née Paulson), 2011 April 18

This is a Living History interview with Lucille McEver conducted by Marilyn Somers on April 18, 2011 at her home in Canterbury Court, Atlanta, Georgia. The subject of the interview is the interviewee’s life and.

Mrs. McEver was born in Carroll, Nebraska on June 17, 1917. Her parents were corn, oat, and hay farmers on their 400 acre property. Her grandparents immigrated from Germany and purchased the family’s farm upon their arrival. Mrs. McEver has two sisters, who have both passed away. Her earliest memory is when she was able to visit her grandparents while growing up. She began school at the age of five at the local public school. She continued through the public school system and there were only fourteen children in her graduating class. Her mother came from a very large family so there were many aunts and uncles located all around the country. Mrs. McEver learned to read in her free time and would take many trips to the library after school was out. Her father built his own house with a German architect because he did not like the American style of architecture. The children did not have many activities in the community and so they would all participate in similar programs such as the choir, baseball and basketball. The community was very close knit and everyone knew everyone else. In high schools, Mrs. McEver continued her passion of learning and play saxophone in the town’s community band. Her mother made all of her clothing including dresses, pants, shirts, and jackets. Mrs. McEver ended up attending Wayne State college in Wayne, Nebraska where she chose to study teaching, one of the only subjects available to female students at the time. Her older sister was already full-time teaching by the time that she left for college. The Great Depression did not negatively impact the family because there were no harsh conditions in Nebraska. Her father worried, but was always able to provide for his family. The Dust Bowl was a very bad period of time, and Mrs. McEver recalls having to keep every window in the house shut despite the extreme temperatures. Wet cloths and towels were placed underneath the windows and doors to keep as much dust out of the house as possible. During her summer vacations, Mrs. McEver would go to stay with her grandmother and aunt in Long Beach, California. During the year, she was always required to help out the family around the farm, sometimes even operating the heavy machinery in the fields. Most of her chores were with her mother learning how to cook, sew, and preserve food. The house had a food cellar where canned fruits, vegetables, and preserved meats would stay to be consumed during the winter months. Mrs. McEver’s first job was with a public school in Osmond, Nebraska. She taught there for several years before moving to California to work as a bank teller at Security First National. There she because very away of World War II, and eventually met her husband, Harold. They married after six weeks of dating, and wrote to each other every day while Harold was serving in the navy overseas. After their first child, Bruce, was born in 1944, the family moved to Atlanta. Because of Harold’s position with Delta, Mrs. McEver had flight privileges that have allowed her to travel the world. She has been to every place that she wanted to see. She is very proud of her children and loves talking to them very much.