Almeta Fridley:
CLASS OF 1947
Mt. Hope High SchoolClass of 1947
Mt. hope, WV
Almeta's Story
My story?? My story is so much like other people's that I would bore you to death. I was born, I live, and I will die. Doesn't that sum it up?
However, knowing that now you are now demanding details, I will briefyly fill you in on what has happened.
Spent five years after graduation working with Mr. Roland Gale Kirby in the Princess Theater building, i.e. Masonic Bldg. Biggest thing that happened while I was there was the visit of Frances Langford, hired to sing at a benefit for the March of Dimes, held in the Masonic Temple. I was the hat check girl. Got very friendly with the press, Charleston Gazzette, Charleston Daily Mail, Beckley papers, etc., who used Mr. Kirby's office as headquarters. Anyhow that was the one incident that was worth retelling.
After five yars, after he returned from service in the Air Force, I married Richard Lee Fridley, originally from Hinton. Very brief courtship but it seemed he had made up his mind before he got home. He was tall, dark and handsome, just the type I always sorta idolized!
Marsha Gayle was born on April 13, 1953, one day after my 23rd Birthday. Her sister Mary Elizabeth was born September 4, 1954, their brother David Gordon on July 6, 1956 and their brother and sister Robert Edward and Marlene Kay were born on August 16, 1959. All are now in their 50's. I am proud of my kids because they have succeeding on their own merits - nothing flashy but solid.
During the period from 1953 to 1982, Richard worked as lineman for West Virginia C & P. necessitating a move to Beckley. After his promotion to first level management in 1955, a move to Charleston; second level in 1956, a move to Silver Spring, MD.; the promotion to third level in the late 60's, still in Silver Spring.
It ended in 1982. when Richard died on February 2. after treatment for cerebral hemorrhage.
What was Almeta doing? Kept my hand in the clerical side of things - typing, shorthand, etc. but basically was a homemaker until 1969, when I was recruited to work with Richard's group who was basically responsible for filing rate cases for all four of the C&P Companies...Expand for more
(Maryland Washington, D C.; Virginia; and West Virginia). Started as an occassional wife (all occassional workers were wives of employees), soon became temporary, then permanent. Picked up a little computer knowledge along the way, and then was promoted to first level management! I was by then handling most computer tasks such as cutting paper tapes, interacting with the companies central Time Share computer, even writing some programs in Basic first and Fortran IV the test of the time). Promoted to second level (forget the year) and put in charge of the mechanization of the whole department. After Richard's death, was transferred to another group, and ended in 1984 when my temper got the best of me after an argument with the fourth level. You just don't do that.
That is me. The aftermath was my leaving the Silver Sprng Area for Austin, Texas, where Masha was living with then husband, James, and was having twins in 1987, after a son and daughter born earlier. Helped her with the twins for two years, then I worked for her (she was Bankruptcy Trustee) until 1998, when I officially retired. My home is still Austin and I'm hanging in there.
If you haven't gone off to sleep after reading this, I am grateful to youl.
Still think of Mt. Hope and the long ago events that shaped my life. Love every one of the people I knew and still do. So long, Almeta
PS: 08/01/2010 Decided to add a bit to flesh out what's missing. Nothing much the more I think about it. I am now 80 years +, and still wondering how I got this far. Did have a fractured hip in '07 after a fall in my kitchen, standing by my refrigerator minding my own business. I have been recuperating in the almost four years since.
I have become a great-great-great aunt, also. That's my greatest accomplishment in the past eighty years. That is Ozra pictured above with me.
Becoming a great-great-great nephew is tiring work.
Just became a proud owner of a new HP computer and I can see now it's going to be some adjusting to get used to the keyboard and the new system. But it satisfies my soul. See I told you I was indescrible.
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