Pearl Ridosh Essay

The turn of a new decade after the First World War came with much needed healing. Made possible by the sustaining of economic prosperity and the return of normalcy to politics, music and art blossomed as well as technology and industrial growth. The new era saw the adoption of better days in the wake of World War I, families introducing children into a world where the worst was finally over. Two years later, into a country aching for prosperous beginnings, Pearl Ridosh was born. Born January 19, 1922, Pearl was brought into the fresh, cold air of Pennsylvania in a little township near Pittsburg called Neville Island. The island, only nearly five miles long, is surrounded by the Ohio River. Her parents, Nicolas and Kathrine, left their origins from Austria and settled in the small farming land to raise nine children, …show more content…
One day, her husband went in for a tooth extraction under anesthetic, sadly unable to awaken from the procedure. Her husband’s passing left her with her three young boys, ages 9, 6, and the youngest being only 4 years old. The first few years left Pearl with her thoughts, a time for silence and mourning. Still, that was short-lived, as the reality of having to care for her children and continuing raising them on her own was a hard burden to bear. After six years of attempting to stretch the time she could to stay and take care of her young children herself, she had to then immediately pick up a job as a telephone operator at age 35. Working as part of the telecommunications system, she helped many customers make long distance calls, provided information, and made sure everything worked smoothly. She recalls the uniforms necessary to wear for work, needing comfortable shoes, skirts or dresses in khaki color palettes. Pearl continues, remembering fondly how well that job served her, working for the company for nearly 27 years until she retired at age 62 in