Dossier f4 - Baker, Annie May, nee Cooke

File consists of a recording of Annie Baker. Topics of the conversation include Queen's women's residence houses, forerunners to residences proper; subject as housemother (responsible to warden) at Macdonnell House, population of 15 students. Residence restrictions; closeness of residence staff to students neighbourly attitude no longer felt among students since university expansion. Comparative poverty of students then: basic wardrobe of a few skirts, pairs of shoes; absence of radios. Close tabs kept on students. University as a sexual meeting ground, possible source of exciting marriages. Independence of present day students, friendly dependency of earlier residents. 'Fanatic' religious group on campus (1960s) led by Donald Wilson. Dramatic, dangerous orientation pranks, since reduced to level of simple fun. Protected farm life during Depression years. Work at Alcan during WWII ; hiring of women by the thousand during labour shortage, placement according to weight; happy integration of male and female workers. Postwar lay-off of female workers; rehiring priority accorded to single female workers. Varying degrees of education achieved by siblings, according to whether or not they were wanted on the farm; subject's sole educational regret that she is not bilingual. Assumption of part-time work at Queen's as children reached school age; co-ordination of family and work schedules. Opinion that degree of Depression poverty depended on individual drive; social problem of laziness then, high job expectations now. Arrival in Kingston (1941). Canadian sense of security during WWII; dutiful feeling of subject's enlisted acquaintances. Veteran loan benefits. Obloquy attached to conscientious objection; lingering resentment of French Canadian war resistance. Red Cross volunteer-work, knitting of mittens with special hand-openings. 'Do without' upbringing of subject's generation, dependence on luxuries of youth today; difficulty of return to more basic existence (e.g. fuel economy); harm done by credit card economy. Experience as housewife, neighbour; childcare co-operation among neighbourhood mothers; dangers inherent in women's coffee-party syndrome. Rising standard of living in 1940s, 1950s, current economic inflation; expectation of sudden economic 'crash'. Church attendance, concern that children should be given religious instruction; religion as an out­moded social need given today's money, leisure, mobility. Inability of working mothers to transmit basic home-making skills to younger generation; 'craft hunger' of today's young, desire to regain skills of foremothers. Stimulation of return to work (1960), enjoyed as an opportunity for decision-making. Satisfaction with working life; value of experience as cleaning lady in contributing to sense of fair play as supervisor. Replacement of residence houses in 1960s development of Victoria Hall womens' residence, hectic conditions of fall opening. Residence custom of student visits with parents in 'Parents' Room'; gradual relaxation of restrictions in response to student protest. Problems of student uppitiness with cleaning staff, usually resolved by time, discussion. Change in woman's educational aims from marriage-goal to career-motivation. Sad phenomenon of divorces in 1950s caused by educated male's spurning of ignorant woman who dropped education to put him through college. Easy attitude to equal career opportunities for women. Feeling that marriages thrive on variety (lawyers shouldn't marry lawyers). Kingston city expansion; city resentment of rural workers taking additional work in factories; agitation by university dependents against admission of industry to Kingston. Sizeable Kingston boardinghouse business lost to university residences. Dedication required of farming candidates, now lacking; loss of family farms through children's preference for spendable money, freedom, rather than committed time, invested riches. Female night-duty residence desk staff. Change in motivation for attending university from brilliant dedication to mere necessity to fill in time. Change in pattern of university attendance: former custom of obtaining university credits after attending Faculty of Education, by attending summer school (thus requiring decades of work to obtain degree); current receipt of teacher training after BA degree, hence dwindling status of summer school. Teachers' current disillusionment with teaching, discipline problems, problems with uncooperative parents; sharp contrast with subject's upbringing 'to mind the teacher and do as we were told.'