“Can NOT TELL, what is going on”

                     “Are ‘YOU’ in this 1947 Photo?”

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This is the  “Auditorium”   at St. Vincent’s   – “If you are in this picture – you just may be, as of today… in your  late –  seventies  and or eighties?”

Here’s a help –  look to the center and left of the room – do you see two   “girls” – dressed alike?’ 

Those are the “Whitney Twins”  – they  also have a younger sister, Phyllis Whitney – a year younger than me – and  she was always a  very good friend of mine.   

  ( Let me know where you are…  in this picture???)

When I first arrived here – this room would be filled with folding chairs for the families to sit together in small circles  on – “Visiting Sundays” and  there was  only one ” Visiting Sunday ”  per month.

And then,   sometime later  – they  decided to have  “Visiting Sundays” on the second and fourth Sunday of the month!  

Maybe this change was made, because  of my parents, they would come out to visit us any  day and also at any time  – and as often as they felt like it!

We, KIDS  just “LOVED” it   – but, I guess some of the NUNS didn’t.

 Then  too – you never had  an idea of how… to contend with my “Father”   when he wanted to do things   – “HIS WAY!”

To follow up with “Yesterday’s story”…

The next  “Visiting Sunday and every  Visiting Sunday for almost a year, there  would be a “NUN” standing right next to where my Mother and Father  and us three kids would be sitting in our chairs rounded together.

Their idea was to hear just exactly, that which I would tell my parents about the conditions and all about … what was going on.

My Mother would still ask about what I was doing and all about a lot of other things, but I knew that…  that “NUN” was only posted where,  I and my parents were, so as to know what I told them… before it would be reported to the Court System in Saint Louis.

 There would always be a NUN or two walking around and standing near some  “VISITORS” –  and I pointed that out to my MOTHER, that because I had told her some things, that they did not  want told … to the  general public.

In this  new environment – for me –   I would  always tell it just like it happened –    all the details  –  and would get into trouble –  later with the  –  NUNS! 

 “When my Mother would ask me  something… I just had to tell her… and learn to suffer the consequences, no matter what!”

So, NOW…  on  some very special occasions – and  in this auditorium!

Like a special  “Feast Day of a Saint”   – there would be a movie shown in this auditorium – which was a real treat for all of  the kids!

Some times  –  which happens…  the film would break and the auditorium  lights would  all –   go on –  and maybe  and maybe not someone would  be able to fix the problem   – and I believe we went to bed and never got to see that movie – due to technical problems.

So, some time later  – an enclosed area was built, so that the movie projector and the full standard  set-up  – was  all in one place and ready and a  less chance for future failures???

When “Television”  first came to the Orphanage – there was an area in the far right and center  of the  auditorium – along that wall – looks like a radiator there – if you look   closely  – which was just enough room for a small enclosed room for the “TV” – to be built and kept  under lock and key.  

This change was in the last year,  that I was there and never watch the “TV” – as I would rather be on the “play-ground” and since, I had my own radio – we girls would listen to the music and dance  on the “Pavilion” and that was  so much more and real – “FUN!”


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