Graduation from Washington High School

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Subject: Norma Elsbeth Waswo(age 19).

Date: 1940.

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Occasion: High School Graduation.

Photographer: Unknown.

Relationship to me: Mother.

Once my mother retired, she went through the boxes of photographs and created historical photo albums. She made one for myself and one for my brother. This is a photograph from the album made for me.

This was my mother's high school graduation picture from Washington High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you an astute observer, you will see that she graduated at age 19. If you remember from earlier posts, my grandmother pulled my mother from her senior year of high school to work the family grocery store while my grandfather was on his deathbed. My mother always resented this, especially having to graduate a year after her class. Grandmother did not take Norma's brother George out of school. Even in the 1930's and 1940's, the male in the family was considered more worth.  My grandmother wanted George to be a MD and my mother a school teacher. Neither, pursued these careers. George started college and never finished, and Norma never did have the chance to attend college. With grandfather gone, upon graduation from high school Norma joined the work force.