Mary Robinson Biography

Mary Robinson - Childhood
Mary Octavia Robinson (1905 - 1988)


My father, Charles Madison Robinson, was able to purchase 33 acres of land in Standardsville, Greene County, Virginia, which provided him with a building site for his home. Two springs fed a stream running across this property. The stream ran into a pond. In winter ice was cut from the pond and stored in an ice house for summer use. When the pond froze a second time students from the nearby school were allowed to skate on the ice at mid-day recess. The students would push me over the ice as I sat in a small low chair.
In summer I could wade in the stream and drink clear, cold water from the spring.

On several acres a chestnut orchard grew. My father sold chestnuts to earn extra money. We roasted these chestnuts around the fireplace on cold evenings. A young apple orchard grew on a few acres providing us delicious winesaps to eat in the evenings we spent around the family room fireplace.

My father married Ora Marshall -- a divorcee -- against the wishes of his family. He and his wife decided to move to Caymore, West Virginia, where he would work in the coal mine and she would run a boarding house. They remained there several years and returned to Standardsville when she became pregnant.

In West Virginia they acquired sufficient money to build their home on top of a sloping hill: an eight room house with front and back porches.

I was born October 14, 1905 before the house was completed. Finally the house was finished and my father hired two painters: Hunter Cox, about forty years old, and Finex, about twenty. As I toddled up and down the porch, they would talk to me and make a big fuss over me. I responded with smiles and laughter. They were the first men in my life and I always remembered their names.

School



The Standardsville school ruled that children born in October could enter school on the opening day in September. This allowed me to start to school before my sixth birthday. That morning as I set off to school my mother gave me a pencil and three sheets of legal paper (very expensive). That morning, after I was assigned a seat, I placed my paper and pencil on the desk and began scribbling a letter to my mother on the three sheets of paper. Upon arriving back home that afternoon I proudly presented her with the letter. That began my life-long habit of letter writing to friends, relatives, and pen-pals.

My teacher was Miss Irma Fletcher who lived nearby. She was forty years old, fat, and not pretty. One of my fond memories was sitting on her spacious, warm lap and being cuddled. At one period each day we sang. The most popular song was "Little Brown Jug." These songs were written on the blackboard.

Cousin Marvin Call and his brother Clay were in this class. The boy who sat in front of me was Max Moyers. I wore a signet ring with initials on it. Max offered to take it home on a weekend and shine it up. Naturally I was flattered and agreed. He placed it on his finger.

In the fourth grade I had a young and beautiful teacher fresh from Blackstone College. At this time I could write excellent stories after being assigned a picture. One afternoon I could not resist goosing the large dumb-looking boy sitting in front of me by sticking my pencil through the opening of his desk seat. He jumped several inches in the air. I was good in spelling and was always the first to be chosen in the spelling bee held on Fridays.

In three years of High School I listened carefully (eavesdropped) to whispered conversations at the desk behind me and profited by the mistakes of others. Standardsville cut off the fourth year of High School so my Uncle Walter Robinson in Birmingham sent me to Charlottesville for that year. I made the highest average in the class.

While there I met a University of Virginia student who worked in the book store. On Valentine Day he sent me an unsigned Valentine: "Mercy me am I in love? Pray tell me what's the matter. Every time I look at you my heart goes pitter patter. I asked his advice as to whether I should go to Howard College or Birmingham Southen, both in Birmingham, Alabama. He recommended Howard College. This was one of my lucky breaks.

On the first Sunday P.M. after moving into the dormitory I met a young man, Reginald Julius Wicke, a graduate of the University of Alabama who was an employee of the Alabama Power Company. We went to East Lake Park and after walking all over and exploring the grounds I took my first ride on the roller coaster. I remained at Howard College from September 1923 to August 1924. I returned to Virginia to complete my education at the University of Virginia School of Eduacation where I received a B.S. degree in Education in August of 1926. My last year of High School and three years of college was financed by my Uncle W.S. Robinson who operated a brokerage company in Birmingham.

Marriage


After teaching the sixth grade at Bassett, Virginia, September 1926 - June 1927, Wicke and I were married June 22, 1927 at the home of my cousin, Louise Van Lew [in Salem]. Her living room was repainted and decorated with field daises. Louise Van Lew was maid of honor and J. J. Van Lew best man. The minister was of Baptist faith: Dr. Owens of Roanoke. There were eight guests.

Wicke's friend drove him out to Salem about 10 A. M. I became so nervous waiting for him to arrive that I went upstairs to the bathroom, uncorked my bottle of Ferrum, Virginia, liquor, poured out one-third of a glass added water, and downed it. Immediately I said a prayer, "Please, dear God, do not let anything happen to Wicke enroute here."

When we got the marriage license in Salem I was so small (96 lbs.) and youthful that I was required to raise my right hand and swear that I was twenty-one years old.

After the ceremony we were driven to Norfolk where we spent the night. The next morning we went aboard the Merchant Miners ship "Chatam" bound for Boston on our honeymoon.

Upon our return we set up housekeeping in a second floor apartment on Carolina Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia. Our son Charles was born in nine months and twenty days: Friday the 13th of April 1928.


Surviving the Depression
Wicke was employed by the Virginia Bridge and Iron Company. In October 1932 they closed the doors and went out of business. Our only income was the rental of our first floor apartment. Fortunately I had a $2,000 insurance policy paid up and that took care of our monthly house payments.

The day Roosevelt closed the banks a man came along and rented our garage paying five dollars in advance. Our best friend was selling coal and he let us have our winter's supply of coal at his cost. Our neighbor, head of the Virginia Eastern Star sent us milk and eggs. We bought minced ham three punds for forty-five cents.Mary Coleman sent me at Christmas a packaged plum pudding and six cloth remnants for the baby.

When our best friend got a job with the Forest Service, Bristol, Tennessee. he secured a job for Wicke as a surveyer in July. When Wicke came home for Christmas he had a turkey under one arm and a spruce Christmas tree under the other.

In January, Virginia Bridge called Wicke back to work for three months. In the meantime, Wicke's friend, John Irving, secured a job with the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. He promptly sent Wicke a job application blank. Wicke filled it out, placed it in the envelope, and tossed it out ot the second story window to Charles, saying , "Take this down to the mail box. Stand there and wait until an adul comes along and ask him to put it in the mail box for you." Within ten days Wicke had a job with NNSB&DD CO. as a draftsman working on aeroplane carriers. At the age of 65 he retired from this company.

 

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