Telephone Operators of Bradley County, Arkansas and their mothers, 1954

Front Row (seated left to right):

• Vivian Chambers
• Jimmie Reynolds Wright Castleberry (sister of Marcelle Reynolds Clanton)
• Lela Moore (mother of Ann Moore)
• Cleo Blankinship (sister of Audrey Lipton)
• Audrey Lipton
• Willie Belle Gorman Koehler
• Beatrice Koehler (mother-in-law of Willie Belle Gorman Koehler)
• Abbie Gibb Richardson (guest)

Second Row (seated left to right):

• Thelma Moseley (mother of Claudine Moseley Stedman)
• Willie Jeanette Veazey (mother of Mary Ellen Veazey James)
• Willie Young (mother-in-law of Veta Bob Brown Young)
• Tommie Brown (mother of Veta Bob Brown Young)
• Myrtle Totty Adams (mother of Ila Dean Adams Miller)
• Mattie Lou Wentz (mother of Isabelle Wentz)
• Zell Rhodes (mother of Helen Rhodes Robertson)

Third Row (standing left to right):

• Claudine Moseley Stedman
• Marcelle Reynolds Clanton
• Lucy Williams (mother-in-law of Mary Ellen Veazey James)
• Mary Ellen Veazey James
• Mary Peek (mother of Mary Frances Peek Taylor)
• Mary Frances Peek Taylor
• Doris Taylor (mother-in-law of Mary Frances Peek Taylor)
• Veta Bob Brown Young
• Ila Dean Adams Miller
• Susie Grider Hairston (mother of Sue Hairston Garrison)
• Sue Hairston Garrison
• Ora Lyon (mother-in-law of Edna Lyon)
• Edna Lyon
• Helen Rhodes Robertson
• Rev. Quincy Mathis (guest)

These identifications came from the website Saline River Chronicle from Mrs. Harriett Brazeel and Mrs. Patsy Waldrop.

"Thank you for the enjoyment you provided to several of Bradley County's former “Sarahs” (telephone operators Jimmie Sue Sims Waldrop, Pauline Harris Harrelson Grissom, Shirley Pennington Ashcraft, and Willie Belle Gorman Koehler) who recently gathered to reminisce and identify those pictured at the Mother-Daughter event held at the old Southwestern Bell Telephone Company office (located on North Myrtle at the present site of Key Realty). Only Mrs. Koehler is pictured at the event as the others were likely at work at the switchboard!"

"The telephone operators of Bradley County and their mothers, in 1954. I am assuming it was all the operators from all over the county. Maybe just Warren.
My Aunt Ila Dean Adams Miller is standing in the middle of the back row (from left to right, #9) in a sleeveless dress) She is turned to her right. Her left arm hangs next to the side of her mother's face, (my Grandmother,) Myrtle Totty Adams who is seated in the middle row, #5 from left to right, wearing a black dress with a flower." ~~Ann Ragsdale

"Left to right on the back row, # 10 is my grandmother Mrs. Aubert Lewis Hairston (Susie Hairston), my mother #11 is Mrs. James Brown Garrison (Mary Sue (Hairston) Garrison. My parents married in 1953. Mother has this same photo and is pretty good at documenting everyones names. I will check it and let you know." ~~Jim Garrison, Haskell, Oklahoma

This photograph appears courtesy of Ann Ragsdale .