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Hutchinson, Mildred (audio interview #1 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - The interviews with Mildred Hutchinson were conducted by a student in a women's oral history class at CSULB . All three interviews were held in Hutchinson's "office" at the Peace Center and Church and Society Office of the Conference Headquarters, United Methodist Church, Los Angeles. The audio quality of this first interview is poor, both because of her tendency to speak in a rather low voice and because of technical difficulties, particularly on the second side of the tape (1b). Hutchinson often tends to answer questions with very little elaboration. 1977-07
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- 2021-02-23
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- *** File: refmhutchinson1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-11:59)... Note: the interview begins abruptly with a discussion of family background. There is an interruption in the audio sound in this segment from 1:32 to 1:46. Hutchinson describes her parents' origins. Her father's family settled in Iowa in 1850 where he worked in the railroad industry for Pacific Northwest. Her mother was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Both families moved to California in the 1860s and settled in Sacramento. After marrying, her parents moved to Los Angeles in 1892, where her father continued working in the railroad industry until the labor strikes of 1894. He was an officer of the union during the strikes and a member of the Populist Party. However, her father often cared for the children so that her mother could participate in activities outside the home. Hutchinson recalls that her home was intellectually stimulating and her parents often read Shakespeare to the children. Her parents were very different from each other; her mother was a very religious and rigid person and her father was a liberal democrat. Her mother was raised in a conservative atmosphere that restricted women's activity outside the home. However, she abandoned these restrictions and became active in literary and religious activities, and pushed her own children to do the same. Hutchinson describes her parents' relationship and noted that her mother handled most of the childcare and household responsibilities. (11:59-15:12)... After leaving the railroad industry, her father went to work for Mulholland Fountain, a privately owned water company in the Los Angeles area. He advocated conservation and was involved in political activities related to water conservation issues. She discusses her father's role in a sewer scandal. (15:12-26:15)... After arriving in Los Angeles, her parents lived in a hotel across from what is now Chinatown. When Hutchinson was a small child, she lived in a home near Asbury Church. Her mother was involved with the PTA and raised funds to build a library in this area and to develop kindergarten centers. Her mother was also a charter member of the Wednesday Morning Club, which provided girls with a cultural education and sponsored social events and dances for the youth in the city. This was initially a literary club that expanded into other areas within the community and worked for the self-improvement of women. Hutchinson discusses her namesake, Mildred Obar, who was active in the Los Angeles area in establishing kindergarten centers. Hutchinson's mother also advocated that sex education programs be taught in schools, which mainly covered the reproductive system and the study of a woman's biology. Hutchinson's father was very supportive of her mother's activities. Although he did not attend church, he participated in the activities sponsored by the church and her mother's groups. Hutchinson digresses regarding her father's insurance business and her experiences working at his office answering telephones and doing light office work. (26:15-31:41)... She describes her childhood home and the neighborhood in which she lived. Though the houses were small, they were set on large plots. The relations in the neighborhood were both formal and informal with a degree of privacy. The families in the neighborhood were close and shared common interests and aspirations for their future. She recalls that her family was the first in the neighborhood to own a telephone that rivaled the Bell telephone. (31:41-33:40)... The transportation system in Los Angeles was fairly advanced. There was an efficient street car system that took passengers into the city and out to Pasadena. Her father rode a horse and buggy to his office, but did not keep the horses at home because he did not like caring for the animals. (33:40-36:16)... She received an education in Los Angeles schools. After finishing high school, Los Angeles High School developed a junior college and she took college preparatory courses there for approximately one year. Her parents expected her to finish high school, but college was not a big emphasis. Most of the girls in her class planned to pursue careers in teaching. (36:16-45:22)... Though her mother went to school, her father was more or less self-educated. She discusses her parents' interests in reading and how this influenced her own intellectual development. She recalls that her parents subscribed to the New Republic and the Nation. Though her mother pressured her to attend Occidental College, her father did not have any expectations for her to attend college. She discusses her move to San Diego and her experiences there. Her father went to work for the Customs Department in a capacity that is now known as the Border Patrol. At the time, Hutchinson was engaged to a man she met in high school. He was attending USC and was drafted in WWI. During the war, Hutchinson enrolled in a nurses training program, which greatly disappointed her father. She discusses her father's attitudes towards her decision to become a nurse, indicating that he did not like the idea of her waiting on men. She describes her father as a militant pacifist, although he never formally described himself this way. Her mother volunteered for the Red Cross during the War. When Hutchinson married, she returned to Los Angeles. end of tape *** File: refmhutchinson2.mp3 (0:00-4:30)... Note: the audio quality in this segment is poor. After she married, she quit the nurses training program. She describes her attitudes towards her life as a married woman. She found the transition into her husband's family from her own, where she was the center of attention, difficult. (4:30-10:55)... She discusses her social life and her husband's family. Her in-laws were staunch members of the Congregational Church. Her mother-in-law was a club woman and her father-in-law owned a real estate business. When her father-in-law died, her husband assumed ownership of the business. (10:55-14:53)... When she discovered she was pregnant with her first child she attempted to keep it a secret for a little while. She was very excited about her first pregnancy. She received prenatal care and gave birth to her baby in a hospital. She lived with her in-laws after she married, and though her relationship with her father-in-law was amicable, her relationship with her mother-in-law was tense. (14:53-21:56)... She describes her childcare experiences in the community. The community was a small-town atmosphere and most of the people she socialized with knew each other's business. She had an active social life, frequently shopping with her friends, or walking on the beach, playing games, and entertaining each other in their homes. She and her son often accompanied her husband on his real estate calls. When her son started school, she became involved with the PTA. (21:56-25:49)... Although she was not involved in the suffrage movement, her father supported women's efforts to gain the vote. She discusses her father's attitudes towards suffrage and his disappointment that women's votes did not accomplish more. She digresses regarding the community of Los Angeles and its cultural life. Her mother was active in organizing Los Angeles plays and often helped women actresses in their careers. (25:49-31:01)... She subscribed to the Los Angeles Times and the Herald as a source of information on local and national events. She describes women's activities in the 1930s, indicating that many women she knew were associated with the PTA and its attempts to establish parent education classes. She was also a member of the League of Women Shoppers for a brief period in the 1920s. In general, women in the neighborhood cared for each other's children when they wanted to participate in social activities. (31:01-37:43)... Note; the audio quality in this segment is poor. She describes her involvement with the Methodist Church in the 1930s. In general, Methodists ministers were liberal-minded people who supported the community. Her husband encouraged her social and church activities. He wanted her to become more involved with the YWCA; however, she was much more hesitant about dedicating her time. She volunteered for the YWCA, but her life during this period generally revolved around her son. (37:43-45:15)... Note: the audio quality of this segment is poor. After Hutchinson's son graduated from high school, she became more involved in Methodist Church activities. end of tape NOTE: After the tape was stopped, she told the interviewer that after her husband died in 1952 she became even more strongly involved in Methodist Church activities.
- SUBJECT BIO - Mildred Hutchinson was interested in social issues and "underdogs" all her life. She focused her energy in the PTA, YWCA, and particularly the United Methodist Church, which she viewed as more liberal than the Congregational Church in which she was raised. After graduating from Los Angeles HIgh School, Hutchinston attended one year of nurses training in San Diego, where the family had moved. After she married in 1919, she dropped out and devoted herself to family life. She became increasingly involved in the United Methodist Church after her son was grown, and at the time of the interview was head of the Social Issues Board for southern California and Arizona. She remained active until her death , just short of her 106th birthday. Although the interviewer was hoping to document Hutchinson's involvement in social issues, these details are sparse. TOPICS - family background; mother's community activities; Wednesday Morning Club; PTA; living conditions and neighborhood in Los Angeles; transportation system in Los Angeles; education; home life; nursing school; and activities during World War I;family background; parents; marriage; childbirth; maternity; community life; social activities; PTA activities; husband; and children;
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- This repository item may be used for classroom presentations, unpublished papers, and other educational, research, or scholarly use. Other uses, especially publication in any form, such as in dissertations, theses, articles, or web pages are not permitted without the express written permission of the individual collection's copyright holder(s). Please contact the CSULB Library Administration should you require permission to publish or distribute any content from this collection or if you need additional information or assistance in using these materials: https://www.csulb.edu/university-library/form/questionssuggestions-the-digital-repository-group
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