Later 1942 - 1947

"When I got to be a Junior in High School I had to go to Bottineau for my last two years. My Junior year I stayed with a girlfriend's family. The next year I stayed above the Candy Kitchen with several other single women.

"I worked at restaurants for my board. I worked at the Steinmeir Cafe and Rosie's Place. At Rosie's I did everything from cooking, waiting tables, and shopping to taking care of the ration books to get our allotments of sugar, coffee and meat.

"I remember V.J. Day (victory over Japan). I was waiting tables at Steinmeir's. They were running short of hamburger, so I had to run over to another cafe to borrow some. That was when the news came and every one was celebrating and opening bottles of champagne. It took awhile for me to get back with the hamburger, but nobody cared.

"The summer between my Junior and Senior year I went to Seattle to stay with Vi & LeRoy and baby-sit Cheryl while they worked at the Boeing Aircraft factory. Evenings, LaVonne, LeRoys sister and I would sometimes go to the PX to dance or play ping pong with the soldiers on leave. We would take a bus there and back. We would enjoy doing our patriotic duty! I also liked going to White Center to rollerskate.

"After graduating from high school in 1944, I went to Minot State Teachers College and after 3 months got an Emergency Teachers Certificate. There was a shortage of teachers because of the war.

"During our Graduation exercises, they announced there was a phone call for me. They were calling from home and said I should take the next train home as mom was sick. When I got to Carbury Ted met the train and told me mom had died. She had gone into a coma two days before she died from encephalitis, which was an epidemic that year. They hadn't told me because they wanted me to finish school and there wasn't anything anyone could do for her.

"The first year I taught in a country school in the foothills of the Turtle Mountains. It was close enough so I could stay at home. I had 8 students and 8 different grades.

The next year I taught at a country school near Landa, ND, with about 13 students.

"I lived there in the school in a part that was curtained off. I kept the fire going in a pot belly stove. I enjoyed teaching and especially the programs we would have for the parents at Christmas. Ozzie would come and get me to take me home for the week-ends."

from The Ann Adeline Dravland Story on dravland.com