family treasures

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My dad recently returned from a visit to my uncle’s home with a cardboard box full of veritable family treasures. I found my grandmother’s senior high school yearbook circa 1932, a cigar box full of war bonds, hand-written receipts from the late 1950s, vintage Valentine’s from my grandfather to my grandmother… I’ve struck GOLD.

Amongst the jumble of shoe boxes filled with Polaroids, I found a small jewelry box containing a delightful series of portraits from the early 1930s. I have many more photos to share, but I thought I would introduce you to the principal characters through this small collection:

Left to right: My grandfather Floyd, my grandmother Mildred (“Mimi” to her adoring family members), my great-aunt Genevieve (also known as VeVe), and my great-uncle Raymond, whom I unfortunately never had the chance to meet.

Here are three of Mimi’s school photos, followed by one photo of VeVe. Mimi and VeVe shared a first generation Scottish mother and an English-American father. They bear a striking resemblance, no?

Mimi played a formative role in my early years. She never had a daughter of her own and I was her only granddaughter. I inherited not only her middle name, Kathryne, as my own, but also the same brown eyes, a giggle that can get a schoolgirl in trouble, and a penchant for chocolate, cashmere and pretty things. I miss her dearly.

VeVe was Mimi’s elder by just a couple of years. As the youngest and only girls in their family of seven, they were very close. VeVe suffered from polio at a young age; she walked through life with a sweet smile and a slight limp. Her husband Raymond died young of cancer, so after he was gone, my aunt frequented my grandparent’s home in Woodward, OK and accompanied them on family vacations.

Now that you know their story, I’ll be sharing more as time goes by. Enjoy!