Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

Brenda Harmon Harris oral history

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Transcription: Patience Kramer 0:03 Today is June 23 2022. My name is Patience Kramer and today as part of the Wilmette Historical Museum's oral history project, I'm speaking with Brenda Harris. Brenda attended first business school in Wilmette during the 1970s, I believe. Brenda, can we start by you giving us a little idea of your background? Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Brenda Harmon 0:32 Okay. My name is Brenda Harmon. Here's actually my maiden name is Harmon and I grew up in Evanston, Illinois. I you know, I was born and educated there. And I come from a family of four of us. My mother, father and my brother Johnny. There are deceased now. And Johnny's sort of instrumental to my journey to Wilmette. I also I attended Evanston Township High School, I graduated in 1972. And which led me to going into the First School of Business [First Business & Professional School of Wilmette, 1150 Wilmette Ave. per 1971 telephone directory]. Patience Kramer 1:16 How did you how did you hear about the First School of Businesss? Brenda Harmon 1:19 Well, I was going to high school and at the time, when I was in high school, I wasn't really that into school, you know. And I kind of thought I was doing a favor for a teacher there. Mr. Emory Williams, who is deceased now, he helped me get through high school because I just felt like I don't really want to go to work. I don't want to go to high school. I don't want to fit I'm sick of school. And so when I finished high school, which I thought I was doing him a favor, which I was doing myself a big favor. He said, Brenda, when you finish high school, I want you to go to the First School of Business up in Wilmette, and you will be the first African American to go there. Well, I'm like, oh, oh, no, that's the more school that's what I'm thinking to myself some more school. So I said, Okay. Mr. Williams, I'll go. So I don't know exactly how he found out about the O'Garas or the school and maybe there's maybe the O'Garas contacted Evanston Township, but I, I decided to start going, and I would, I would go, Patience Kramer 2:31 Oh, my goodness. That sounds like you just didn't have a plan to go there. But you were encouraged you. Brenda Harmon 2:40 Yes. Yes, he did. Yeah. He also a teacher of vocational education at Evanston Township. Patience Kramer 2:47 Okay. So did you start right after graduation? Brenda Harmon 2:52 Yes, I did. Patience Kramer 2:55 What was this school like? What was your first impression when you walked in the door? Brenda Harmon 3:04 Well, I love those O'Garas. They were very Oh my goodness. They were very warm hearted people. And they and they were just very nice to me when I came in, you know, and, and Miss O'Gara. And I remember it was her husband, going back 50 years, was her husband, I think his name was Thomas O'Gara I'm not sure if, I believe his name was Thomas. And then it was Molly, her daughter, seemed like there was another daughter there, but I remember Molly and they were very nice to me warm, they gave me my books. And they sat me down in the classroom. And at that time, there was another student there and she sat me down with my shorthand and she was just really patient with me, you know, really encouraging me you know, that I look forward to going you know, Patience Kramer 3:54 where was the school located in Wilmette? Brenda Harmon 3:57 1150 Wilmette Avenue. It was a stone, it was a gray building, and it's set like right off of the alley, I remember. And I would, my brother would Johnny would take me, he would drive me to Davis Street. And I would get off at Wilmette, the Wilmette stop and I would walk from there to 1150 Wilmette Avenue. Patience Kramer 4:26 Okay, so you took the L up from Davis Street? Brenda Harmon 4:29 Yes. Patience Kramer 4:30 Yeah. Yeah. How many were in the class when you started? Brenda Harmon 4:34 It started with just as I remember, it was three of us. It was three of us at the time. And, you know, and we, you know, we were friendly with each other very friendly. Everybody was very friendly with me in the classroom. And we learned our shorthand because there was four courses. Okay. There was a shorthand, Gregg Shorthand, which I'll never forget, business law, business math, and business English. Patience Kramer 5:08 Okay, that's a pretty heavy Courseload Brenda Harmon 5:13 pretty heavy. Um, so, but everyday we had done that Gregg shorthand. And I don't know if you've ever taken Gregg but it's it's something. During those were in Miss O'Gara was always so patient with me with my curves. Brenda do it this way. No, Brenda, you did. That's good. But to try to sharpen it a little bit, you know, and, you know, she was just so patient with, you know, with me. Patience Kramer 5:41 How long did the curriculum last? Was it like a semester or a year or a couple of years? Brenda Harmon 5:48 I went in July of 1972. And it ended in February. So it didn't last long. But I went every single day. You know, during that time. Patience Kramer 6:06 Did you get like a certificate at the end? Or? Brenda Harmon 6:08 Yes, yes, I did. In fact, we got a certificate for each course that we completed. Also, remember that we also took business, you know, typing, of course, typing. And I already knew I was very good typist anyway, because I learned typing in eighth grade at Nichols school. So I knew how to type real well. And I found a certificate when I moved of word processing, and it said the First School of Business, and I was trying to find it for for you. But I'm going to have to keep looking in my box for that. So yes, we did get certificates. Yes. Patience Kramer 6:48 Did you have a sense of who the other students in your classes? Brenda Harmon 6:53 Um, I don't remember them very well, you know, but I just know that, you know, I don't remember their names. And I was trying to remember their names. The only thing is I probably did as I was instrumental in getting other people to go to that school. Patience Kramer 7:11 Oh, really? How did that happen? Brenda Harmon 7:13 Well, I had a good friend named Denise, who I believe she's also going to do her oral history, well she is going to her oral history. And I encouraged her to come to the school. She has a fantastic story about it. I encouraged her to come and she kind of heed and hawed a little bit. And then she said finally she went. And she was very amazed. She was very successful at the school and in her career from going to the First School of Business. Patience Kramer 7:43 What about you? How did it, what did it enable you to do after you got your certificate? Brenda Harmon 7:49 Well, Miss O'Gara, had me, you know, make up a resume. And from that resume, I was able to obtain a job at Rand McNally in Skokie, Illinois. And like I said, I was the type of person who didn't, I did not want to go back to school. I was finished with school, everybody was going off to college. I told my mother, I don't want no more of school. And believe me, Patience, I went on, I got to be about maybe 24 years old. I started going back to school, I mean, college. And, and I went to, you know, several different schools, but I ended up graduating from DePaul University with a bachelor's in science. And I have a master's from National Lewis. And I feel it was from that experience at the First School of Business that gave me that drive to finish my education. You know, and I went on and just did that because I didn't I tell you, I had no, in fact, I didn't want to even finish high school. I just like, leave me alone, I'll stay and work or I'll go to someplace and get a job, you know, and these kids are too young for me they're too immature. But I went on and finished high school and it critique, it made me go on and finish my education to an advanced education. Patience Kramer 9:13 It sounds like you just needed somebody to give you a bit of a push. Brenda Harmon 9:17 Yes, I did. And I did and, and the O'Garas felt I had it in me to go to college. And and that gave me the encouragement to continue. In fact, I'm still a learner. I still to this day, I'm a learner. Patience Kramer 9:33 What are you studying right now formally? Brenda Harmon 9:37 I'm studying a medical coding and billing right now. Because I'm trying to do a little side business with that, you know, because I'm retired now. You know, I'm a senior. So I'm trying to do that. But it's, it's been all very encouraging with me. The whole experience was very encouraging. Patience Kramer 9:58 Did you feel that your background what you learned in First Business School was particularly helpful? And when you moved on to traditional college and university? Brenda Harmon 10:10 Yes, it was because, of course, you know, the business English and business math was, so O'Gara always tried to encourage me with that math because I was always, I can't do this. I can't do it. But yeah, it helped greatly in my writing skills and doing my research papers and doing research period, and especially at DePaul University, where I have a degree in liberal arts. It helped me greatly with that, and it just inspired me to know that I could do it, you know, because I didn't think I could do it, but I did. Patience Kramer 10:46 When you first got out of First Business School, am I saying that correctly? First Business School or Business is that the correct name? Brenda Harmon 11:00 First School of Business, Patience Kramer 11:01 First School of Business. Thank you. Rand McNally. What were you doing at Rand McNally? Brenda Harmon 11:07 I was word processes, word processing typeist, and I also was a teletype typeist. I did the teletypes, you know, back in those days, you did teletypes, sending them over. Yes. So I was very good there. And the word processing was sort of new at that time. You know, you did them with tapes. So I was very, very good at that. And I did a little bit of Gregg on my own, you know, Gregg shorthand on my own, with for my own notes, which led me on to where I did my career at was at Kraft Foods, is where I ended up doing my career. I had to stop because I had an illness. And I had to stop my career early on at about 40 something 40, 41 42, I stopped my career. And I went on and completed my education, which has helped in other ways with helping others with the disease that I have. Patience Kramer 12:07 Okay, would you mind talking a little bit about that? Brenda Harmon 12:11 I have a disease. Yeah, I have a disease called pulmonary sarcoidosis. And it helped me to start a support group and a foundation for that, and also helping others with that disease. And I, to this day, I'm still helping others with that disease, starting conferences, and starting support groups. For people with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Patience Kramer 12:40 Brenda, that's amazing. Brenda Harmon 12:42 Thank you. Thank you very much. And, and I think those skills that I learned from the First School of Business, helped with all that, you know, helped me learn organization, because Miss O'Gara had to get me organized. She really did, you know, I kept, I just can't do this. I mess up here. She was so sweet. I mean, she really is, was I don't know if she's still alive or not, I'm not sure. But her and her daughters was nice. And Mr. O'Gara was so nice. And they encouraged me that you can do this, because I didn't have much confidence in it, you know, but then I learned and I went and I excelled. Patience Kramer 13:20 And what kind of advice would you give to a young person who's say 17 or 18 years old, and they really are not quite sure? Brenda Harmon 13:38 I have some advice for them. I would tell them to just, you know, don't look at just now, because I think I was looking at now this is what I want to do right now. I didn't look at what my future held for me. You know what the future could hold for me. I was just thinking about right now. And I will tell a young person, that you need to just go on to school, do it, get as much as you can out of that education and go on to higher education, I believe greatly in higher education, and go on and do that for your future. Because this is just an immediate thing that you're doing now. And I suppose how I was thinking, when I left high school is immediate. And I want to go to work. I you know, I'm didn't think about my future. But I'm glad I listened to Mr. Emory Williams. And I listened to Miss O'Gara, the O'Garas they told me I had a future, Patience Kramer 14:32 Are you in touch with anyone from the school you mentioned? Denise? Brenda Harmon 14:36 Yes. Yeah, we're very good friends. We've been friends now forabout 60 years since grade school, we've been friends and I've always encouraging Denise for a higher education. She always tells me that and I'm and I'm still encouraging her to get into this medical coding and billing that I'm in. I'm trying to get her into that. So, yes, I encouraged her and I encourage any young person or older person, you know, to do, you know, follow your dreams. You know, just follow your dreams. And, you know, there's plenty of life out here. You gotta live your life to the fullest. You know. Patience Kramer 15:22 Did you know what happened to the school? I moved to Wilmette in the 70s. And I don't recall hearing of the school at that time. Brenda Harmon 15:30 You know, I did a little research myself and I only thing I dug up was a picture of Mrs. O'Gara. I believe Molly, one of her daughters is giving her an award for a scholarship and her name. And it appears that Mrs. O'Gara is not with us anymore. But I seen her picture and I copied it. And I don't know, I know the school moved to Evanston. Maybe a few but maybe five years after I went, and I don't know what happened after that. You know, I don't know what why it disband. I'm trying to find some. I googled it and trying to see what happened. But I don't find much. Hopefully, the O'Garas because she had. She had a few children. Hopefully they can fill us in on that. What happened to that school. Patience Kramer 16:27 Is there anything that we haven't touched on that you want to share about your experience or your background? Brenda Harmon 16:36 Well, I'm, I'm a mother. I'm a grandmother. And my son is also, I've instilled education in him. He also has his bachelor's and master's, and he's Associate Director at Georgetown University. I am now living in Maryland, right outside of Washington, DC. I've been here for about eight months right now, and I am experiencing his success. And I'm also experiencing my three year old granddaughter whose name is [Yawah]. You know? Patience Kramer 17:17 Fantastic. Yes. Yes. No, it has just been wonderful speaking with you. Brenda Harmon 17:22 Yes. Is there any other questions you want to ask me? I mean, I hope I, you know, because 50 years is a long time to think back. Back, I'm getting ready to celebrate my 50th class reunion at Evanston Township High School. I can't believe it. I'm on the committee of all things. The person that didn't really care about education or even graduated from that school. I am now on the reunion committee. And we're meeting in September. And I'm coming back to Evanston to meet with them, you know. In fact we've got a meeting tonight. So it says this is a fact, just life is just, I got a lot of stories. I have a lot of stories. How life goes round and round. You know? Patience Kramer 18:11 You never know how it's gonna turn out. Brenda Harmon 18:14 You just never know. You just never know. Patience Kramer 18:16 No. Well, this has been fun. Brenda Harmon 18:20 Yeah, but thank you very, I'm glad you could hear my story. You know, I'm very glad and stretch my mind. You know, back to stretching my memory back, you know, but I just want everybody to know though O'Garas are wonderful people. The family is great. And they were helpful people and loving people. That's all I want people to remember them as. Patience Kramer 18:48 Thank you once again, Brenda. Brenda Harmon 18:50 But thank you very much Patience for talking to me. Patience Kramer 18:54 I enjoyed it thoroughly. Brenda Harmon 18:55 Okay, bye. Bye. great week. Bye bye. Thank you. Bye bye.
Creators: Harris, Brenda, Interviewee; Kramer, Patience
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Text
Item Type: Sound recordings
Description: Interview with Brenda Harmon Harris by Patience Kramer in Wilmette, Illinois, on June 23, 2022. Brenda discusses her experience as one of the first African American students at the First School of Business of Wilmette in July 1972.
Place of Publication: Wilmette, Illinois
Date of Original: 23 Jun 2022
Playing Time: 19:28
Subject(s): Oral histories
Wilmette (Ill.)--History
Personal Name(s): Harmon, Brenda ; Harris, Brenda ; Gause, Denise ; Williams, Emory ; O'Gara, Thomas ; O'Gara, Molly ; O'Gara, Eileen
Corporate Name(s): First School of Business of Wilmette ; First Business & Professional School of Wilmette ; Rand McNally
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Date: 2022
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Historical Museum and Wilmette Public Library
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
Email:refdesk@wilmettelibrary.info
Website:
https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/

Agency street/mail address:
1242 Wilmette Avenue
Wilmette, IL
60091-2558
U.S.A. Phone: 847-256-6930

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