The war years had a profound effect on all Americans. Women entered the workforce in numbers. It seemed that everyone wanted to contribute to the war effort, including a young lady from Paris, Texas named Dorothy Williams.
Dorothy had longed to leave Paris in general, and nursing school more specifically. She bade goodbye to her mother, Evelyn and her sister, Bernice, and boarded a bus to Washington D.C. The Friday evening edition of the Paris,
Texas newspaper on November 28, 1941 announced that:
Miss Dorothy Williams, daughter of Mrs. Evelyn Williams, 89 S. 17th St., left Friday for Washington D.C. where she has accepted
a position in the Navy Department.
The bus ride to the east coast was long and arduous. She became extremely motion sick and the kindly driver gave her Saltine Crackers to settle her
stomach. (A remedy which she always gave her children in later years) Finally, she reached her destination and reported for work with the U.S. Navy Department on December 1, 1941.
Life during the war years was not easy; there seemed to be a scarcity of everything from gasoline and clothing to food and magazines. Dorothy made several lasting friendships with her War Department girlfriends: June, Flo and Libby. Later, she was also
joined by her mother who worked at the Pentagon.
Note to Reader: Dorothy's complete story will have to wait a bit as we won't be able to celebrate her 100th birthday
anniversary until 2021!