Sylvia Slegman Cohn
My mom told me she was a terrible child, Very defiant. Her Mother died when she was one year old and her Father died when she was 4y.o. Her Aunt Rae was married and was childless and took her home to raise her. She told me she never got spanked but would be put on the top of the cellar steps for punishment and that didn't bother her because she never had to apologize. Looking back at my childhood I think I did the same thing but we didn't have a cellar it was "GO to your room" such horrible treatment.
My mom started kindergarten when she was 5years old and at birth she was named Channah
with the CH pronounced with a hard gutteral sound from the Hebrew - the teacher changed her name to Sylvia and told Aunt Rae that had to be done to remain in public school and so it was done. Can you imagine any teacher or school representative telling that to a parent today?
My mom went all the way to the 12th grade at which time her hands became rough and scaly, she became aware students were staring at her hands and quit school. Later on she found out she was allergic to Ivory soap,at that time no one knew about allergies. At that time she had just turned 17 years old,NOW WHAT?
My mom wanted to be independent-it was 1917-what could she do? She entered a business school, took typing, shorthand and bookkeeping and was immediately hired by a practicing attorney as his private stenographer. One day as he was leaving the office he told her to sweep the sidewalk before she left for the day. Knowing my mother I can only imagine what she said but told me she grabbed her purse and said goodbye to that job and she would pick-up her paycheck the next day. I can only envision the expression on that attorney's face, this was over a hundred years ago, no one talked to their boss like that except my
MOM