Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

John Tuttle Miller (1921-2012) oral history

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Track 7: Track 7
Transcription: TRACK 7 JTM: We have four grandchildren, all boys., The oldest one is ten and the youngest one is three. RA: Oh, for goodness sakes. JTM: We, um, getting back to Wilmette, I have some very happy memories of the, we went to the First Presbyterian Church, the corner Ninth and Greenleaf and that church burned down. And then we, services were held for at least a couple of years, I remember, in the Woman's Club while they were rebuilding the church. And the old church used to have a bowling alley down in the basement. As a little boy, I used to set pins in the bowling alley. RA:Oh, yes. JTM:Wilmette's bowling league. But when they built the new church to replace the one that was burned down, they didn't put a bowling alley in. RA: They pretty much use the whole of that building today. The basement is very much, I've attended a number of John T. Miller, cont. 18 things over there. JTM: I remember my father used to go out to West End Florist every Sunday morning to bring my mother a flower to wear to church. A little flower to put on her lapel, or on her dress, and I'd go out with him and it seemed like West End Florist was so far away from the corner of Sixth and Isabella. In reality it was probably two miles, two and a half miles, but you really didn't see that much traffic going out. If you'd see three or four cars, that would be about it. RA: And what was most of the traffic? Were there lots of horse and buggies during. JTM: They were delivering ice in buggies, but most people that had cars either had an electric car, there were a few of those around, or a gasoline driven car, but the streets certainly weren't crowded at all. RA: And were they all paved? JTM: Ah, no. Oh, no, they weren't all paved. And, in fact, some of the better streets are still what are now the brick streets that haven't been covered over by asphalt yet, but I'll never forget some of those brick streets during The Depression. The WPA had people they put to work. They would take these bricks up one by one and put a new sand base on to level them off and then re-set the bricks. It was a make work project, but it gave John T. Miller, cont. 19 people something to do who didn't otherwise not have a job. RA: Now you're talking about the thirties. The early thirties. JTM: The early thirties. RA: During The Depression. And this is quite memorable in my life, too, because I was raising a family at that point and not many people were. As they were getting out of college, it took a great deal of courage and nerve to try to surmount the Depression years. So I often think about Studs Turkel and his articles, that he was a single man and so I didn't, don't feel he has a great deal to offer me. All he had to do was keep clothing on his back and food in his mouth.; Miller, John Tuttle, 1921-2012
, Interviewee; Adler, Rhea Saul, 1906-1990
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Text
Item Type: Audiocassettes
Description: ABSTRACT
Interviewee: John Tuttle Miller
Interviewer: Rhea Adler
Date of interview: Winter, 1977

Early memories of Wilmette - Death of father 1929 - Laurel, Stolp, New Trier schooling Pony, Sunshine...Cart and sleigh, Delivery service for Consumer's Grocery Store, Grandfather moved in from farm in Iowa in 1929 Northwestern athletic field before Dyche Stadium - Fire in bleachers, Built barn for pony from lumber salvaged from fire Mother establishes Sunshine Corner after refresher course at National College of Education Manual training course from Lester, Pete Ball, Treasure chest Grinnell College - Marine Corps - First child was walking when he first came home - Back to Wilmette 1945 Buys a home from Robert M. Johnston (Johnston Brothers Real Estate) Blacksmith shop where Janaes Laundry is, Had pony sharp-shod there for ice shoes red hot iron pounded into pony hooves Building of Bahai Temple from tar paper covered foundation to present - Beauty of building and gardens Sports in school, Tenure of teachers longer then, More women than men, Pete Ball, Square dancing, East side/West side, Schools combined at junior high level help to break down barrier Marine Corps volunteer - finished Grinnell College Parris Island, N.C. for boot camp - Officer's training at Quantico, Va. , 2nd Lieutenant Commission - Marriage --Millers met at Grinnell. She a minister's daughter from Iowa Dated for three years prior to marriage - Then moved to Duneden, Florida - Assigned to amphibian/tractor battalion. Sent to California then to Guadacanal, Okinawa, Guam. Preparation to invade Japan. U.S. bombs Japan - Return to San Francisco via LST, relaxed, Home for Christmas to wife and daughter Jobs - Discussion of advertising field. Children, grandchildren History of Wilmette Presbyterian Church - Early church-Fire Florist-Sunday traffic - Electric cars - Gasoline cars Depression - Brick streets - WPA Wilmette Beach a fun place - Discussion of beach in 1930 s - Sand and water clear- No alewives -Toonerville trolley along Central Street, Evanston to forest preserve New Trier West/East, Locust, Highcrest Schools attended by children of Millers -Discussion of early No Man's Land-and its development
Date of Original: 1977
Subject(s): Oral histories
No Man's Land, Wilmette (Ill.)
Wilmette (Ill.)--History
Bahá'í Temple (Wilmette, Ill.)
Presbyterian Church
Wilmette (Ill.) -- Residents
Personal Name(s): Miller, John Tuttle
Local identifier: R 977.31 MI
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: 1977
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Public Library
Copyright Holder Contact Information: 1242 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette, IL 60091
U.S.A.
Recommended Citation: Miller, John Tuttle, and Rhea Saul Adler. John T. Miller. Wilmette, Ill: Wilmette Public Library District, 1977.
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
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