Dossier f44 - Judge, Audrey

File consists of a recording of Audrey Judge. Topics of the conversation include range of technological achievements witnessed since 1900; childhood refusal of fairground airplane ride, 'Of course I didn't take a ride, I was scared to death'. Thrilling comic ride to Prescott CPR station with car salesman and prospective customer (1907). Embarrassing encounters as member of car-owning family with owners of horsedrawn buggies: buggy-owners' fear, not of cars but of horses' frantic reaction to cars; girl-driver's emphatic terror, 'Oh I was scared blue!'. Family origins, Judgeville, Ontario. Local have-not animosity; automobile advertisement showing happy car-owning family, envious stay-at-home carless neighbours; playmate's poignant indication of latter, 'That's the side we're on'. Father's imported Massachusetts roadster, subject's lackey seat at back; chase given by excitable dogs. Early radio programming: 'Amos and Andy' favourite; popularity of 'homespun' show material; fascination of soap opera serials. Personal preference for radio because of music programming; preference of TV audience for violence, distasteful perversion; loathesome experience tuning in to recent show, 'Are You in the House Alone?', expecting clean murder mystery, discovering tale of sexual harrassment. Popularity of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, Mazo de Ia Roche's Whiteoaks of Jalna. Approval of technical innovations, belief that quality of life has improved. Inferiority complex regarding traditional 'male' skills (e.g. furnace-firing), encouraged by father; convenient progress to carefree oil, gas (each advance considered dangerously daring at the time). Approval of inclusion of technical courses in female students' curriculum. Experience teaching English to unenthusiastic male and female Commence students; failure of high school commercial department after founding of Brockville commercial college (able to guarantee jobs.) Financial security as only child of well-off parents, ability to leave off teaching at will. Controversy over razing of former Prescott town hall (transformation of high school building into civic headquarters); erection of high school atrocity 'the palace', one of many schools planned by inadequate school inspector. Overexpansion of educational institutions at all levels, Queen's excepted; loyalty of Queen's students in subject's day, good feeling between students and Kingston community (and churches), students as town royalty. Number of Prescott contemporaries proceeding to Queen's; number of subject's students sent to Queen's (probably more after legislation requiring school attendance till age 16). University attendance as no longer a distinguishing attribute; numbers of students attending trade schools. High proportion of female to male university students in subject's day, levelling to approximately equal proportions while she was teaching.//Contempt for education for status' sake; loss of human potential through improperly directed individual ambitions. Discussions with young students during WWII; wrath provoked by student's racist comment; innocent narrowmindedness of student community ('those kids didn't know the first thing about things'), impression that fathers didn't relate WWI experiences to sons. Students' restless desire to enlist; boy student's ardent response to sight of King and Queen at Ottawa Parliament Buildings, followed by enlistment, army death in transport; large number of local youth killed at war. Contagion of wartime restlessness; temporary war-work as filing clerk for Draft Board (Toronto); amusing correspondence with man summoned in his sixties, and with elusive draftdodger; 'circus' aspect of filing room (huge women manoeuvring on tiny stools, decked out in jewels worn for safekeeping); feeling of doing something worthwhile. Application to Prescott war plant, vivid description of staff personalities; desperate idleness as inspector of worker absenteeism; unwilling acceptance of timekeeping job following male worker's forthright refusal of it (speculation on women's sense of duty). Greater effort, compared with previous male timekeeper, to 'do right' by employees (speculation on women's sense of responsibility). Age range of female employees, corresponding with range in dignity. Prescott plant as only site of wartime depth-charge production outside British Isles. Concern for workers' complaints; belief that the happier the worker (the better the product),the better the chances of winning the war. Childcare during WWII: first, children with 'keys around their necks'; later, babysitters (no daycare). Pity for let-down experience of factory women let go to make way for returned veterans: 'things would be a little more dull for them'. War plant as an amicable melting pot of ages, personalities, nearby com­ munities; extension of Kingston commuter boundaries following arrival of DuPont, RCA. Domestic life for women as time-and-a-half responsibility; rare ability to handle motherhood together with career; childcare seen as a woman's role, careerism as best pursued by non-mothers. 'Sissy' degeneration of men as result of female advances into male' territory.