Beatty – Helen Miller

I’ll never forget when Mr. Beatty came to my house, the children were all in school and he talked to me about coming to work at school, cafeteria and office work. I didn’t know what to do but I hesitated, talked it over with Hylton, then in a few weeks I got back with him and I told him I would try it. So I knew he was a stern man, just my impression having children in school. But I would stay in the cafeteria and do the reports and ordering etc. half-day and then go to office for the other half day. I loved it. I really did.

So one day I went to the office, one of my duties was count the money, make a deposit slip, put it in the little red bag to go to the bank. If Mr. Beatty was not busy, he would take it. If he was busy, I would take it down to the Haynes bank. So I carried my money up to the office, he met me pretty close to the door, back of the desk I’ll say, and I guess it is arranged like it was then, I don’t know.

I handed the money bag to him, and you know back then, ten or fifteen or twenty five cents paid for a meal. Somewhere or another he didn’t catch it good and we spilled it. I had not drawn the strings together. Money went everywhere, out in hall, all over everywhere, Mr. Beatty immediately dropped to his knees and started gathering it up. And I couldn’t decide to get down there and go with him or not. But ladies wore slacks and I fell to my knees and we started picking it up and all at once he looked up and just laughed. I have never heard him laugh, before or since like he did then. I guess he thought that if teachers saw us crawling around on the floor, picking up money. But I loved my work at school and I loved what I did and just look who I worked for next. It has all been great.

Recorded at the Society’s 3rd annual Gathering, October 9, 2009.