My maternal grandmother's name was Norma Dale Wells-Nash. She was born Sept 26, 1918 and died July 6, 2011 in Indianapolis, IN at the age of 92. My grandmother spent ninety-two years on this earth, from birth to death. Let that sink in a moment. I always enjoy thinking about all the things she saw in her life, simply because it can be difficult to grasp the sheer amount of history she witnessed.
When my grandmother was born, the sinking of the Titanic had happened only 6 years prior. She was born before the armistice that ended World War I. She spent her youth growing up during the prohibition era (hence her dislike of alcohol), then weathered the Great Depression. When asked about the latter subject, she said she didn't notice the Great Depression much because her family had, quote, "always been poor". This seemed to be something of an understatement, however, since her family not only had a farm, but sold cars as well. With all this, they surely must have done alright for themselves. In 1936, my grandmother graduated from Hymera High School, an unusual occurrence for the time. Upon viewing one of her report cards, my father and I found her grades in school to be outstanding in all subjects.
Of her experiences in the 40s, I admit I know very little. I know my grandfather attempted to join the military, or may have been drafted, but was turned away possibly due to a leg or knee problem. When I asked her for her opinion of the Holocaust, she replied, "it was bad". My grandmother was a great master of understatement, but then again, there were few things that truly impressed her to shock and awe. She was always a rather even-keeled person. Of the 50s and 60s, I know little of her experience save for my mother's birth in 1959 and my uncle being drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. I have been told he was there during the final days of the American presence in Saigon, but the veracity of this tale unknown to me, and he doesn't often speak of his service experiences.
Of the 70s, I don't know anything at all. Of the 80s and 90s, I can tell you more because I was there by then. I remember she didn't get worked up about much, unless I was misbehaving and making everyone mad when I was a child. She never had much use for politicians, since for as long as I can remember she said they were all liars and not to be trusted. She enjoyed the Kentucky Derby, but never really picked a favorite to win. She said she mostly just liked to watch the horses run. I never asked her how many derbies she had watched. She may have seen Secretariat win the Triple Crown for all I know.
My grandmother witnessed the telephone go from a wooden box on the wall to the tiny cell phone she carried in her purse. She saw the civil rights movement, changes in women's fashion and roles in society, the assassination of JFK, the rise and fall of communism, etc, etc. Through it all, though, my grandmother was largely unimpressed with events that were not within her ability to influence or directly affecting her. She lived in a world that was still largely isolated, and saw it become interconnected over the course of her lifetime. She never had much use for events that occurred in distant places, and would often smile and just listen when I tried to explain my studies to her. It was never that she did not understand, just that places far away, beyond the scope of her family and fields of interest, were not very appealing to her (can't this be said of most academics, honestly?). Her wit was ten times sharper than my own, and her understanding of things within her areas of interest was great.
My dad was the first great historian I ever knew, my mother a great writer and teacher, but my grandmother was a great artist, literary enthusiast, intellectual, and pragmatist.
Would that we all approached life with her knack for understatement and even temperament. Perhaps there would be less drama and strife in this world.
Granny's obituary can be found here: http://www.gcdailyworld.com/story/1742609.html
When my grandmother was born, the sinking of the Titanic had happened only 6 years prior. She was born before the armistice that ended World War I. She spent her youth growing up during the prohibition era (hence her dislike of alcohol), then weathered the Great Depression. When asked about the latter subject, she said she didn't notice the Great Depression much because her family had, quote, "always been poor". This seemed to be something of an understatement, however, since her family not only had a farm, but sold cars as well. With all this, they surely must have done alright for themselves. In 1936, my grandmother graduated from Hymera High School, an unusual occurrence for the time. Upon viewing one of her report cards, my father and I found her grades in school to be outstanding in all subjects.
Of her experiences in the 40s, I admit I know very little. I know my grandfather attempted to join the military, or may have been drafted, but was turned away possibly due to a leg or knee problem. When I asked her for her opinion of the Holocaust, she replied, "it was bad". My grandmother was a great master of understatement, but then again, there were few things that truly impressed her to shock and awe. She was always a rather even-keeled person. Of the 50s and 60s, I know little of her experience save for my mother's birth in 1959 and my uncle being drafted into the army and sent to Vietnam. I have been told he was there during the final days of the American presence in Saigon, but the veracity of this tale unknown to me, and he doesn't often speak of his service experiences.
Of the 70s, I don't know anything at all. Of the 80s and 90s, I can tell you more because I was there by then. I remember she didn't get worked up about much, unless I was misbehaving and making everyone mad when I was a child. She never had much use for politicians, since for as long as I can remember she said they were all liars and not to be trusted. She enjoyed the Kentucky Derby, but never really picked a favorite to win. She said she mostly just liked to watch the horses run. I never asked her how many derbies she had watched. She may have seen Secretariat win the Triple Crown for all I know.
My grandmother witnessed the telephone go from a wooden box on the wall to the tiny cell phone she carried in her purse. She saw the civil rights movement, changes in women's fashion and roles in society, the assassination of JFK, the rise and fall of communism, etc, etc. Through it all, though, my grandmother was largely unimpressed with events that were not within her ability to influence or directly affecting her. She lived in a world that was still largely isolated, and saw it become interconnected over the course of her lifetime. She never had much use for events that occurred in distant places, and would often smile and just listen when I tried to explain my studies to her. It was never that she did not understand, just that places far away, beyond the scope of her family and fields of interest, were not very appealing to her (can't this be said of most academics, honestly?). Her wit was ten times sharper than my own, and her understanding of things within her areas of interest was great.
My dad was the first great historian I ever knew, my mother a great writer and teacher, but my grandmother was a great artist, literary enthusiast, intellectual, and pragmatist.
Would that we all approached life with her knack for understatement and even temperament. Perhaps there would be less drama and strife in this world.
Norma Dale Wells-Nash
1918-2011
Granny's obituary can be found here: http://www.gcdailyworld.com/story/1742609.html
