Russell F. Siddall & Marie M. Siddall
I interviewed my friend Meme (MARIE) for her rubber industry stories. She’s 100 yrs old and so loves to tell the history she’s experienced. Her husband worked for $4 a week as a mechanic and got hired by Goodyear at the pay rate of $40 in 1940. She worked at Patch rubber along with her sister during the war; they handmade, pressed and vulcanized patches to send overseas to repair tires. She thinks (as does my husband) that Patch Rubber became Myers Industries. Can anyone verify this? Her stories were so detailed, there’s no room here to share them all. But I’ll end with the story she told me as I walked out the door. This picture, which I’ve always loved; I asked to use. As I was getting it ready to get a snapshot. She told me this was taken at Goodyear, I replied that they didn’t have a roller rink. She said no this was when they were in a war bond variety show on the Goodyear theater stage! She also told me her husband was swinging her so low due to the small size of the stage. He was making sure he did it safely!
by Miriam Ray