Charlotte Watson

Her friends saw Charlotte Waston as happy and comfortable in her recently purchased home. Marty was back from the war, employed, and brought in enough that Charlotte didn't have to enter the workforce to make ends meet. Besides, in the late forties and early fifties two income families were not common. However, Charlotte was not quite what she seemed. The picture above is indicative of her situation, a vacuum cleaner behind the chair, a bottle of beer next to it, and a proper white dress to entertain her female neighbors. One Saturday afternoon in June, Charlotte disappeared. Two weeks later she was found, sitting in a train station, crying, disheveled, and despondent. She spent the next six months being treated with the newly developed Miltown tranquilizer. Another year later Marty and Charlotte had a child and Charlotte found baby Lucille was the therapy she needed. The Watson's lived to see their grandchildren born.

Jane's Husband

Jane, the woman in the middle with the young lad in front of her, was married to Arthur McKinney. Arthur was a route salesman for a candy distributor in Waukesha county, Wisconsin. At the Ladies of Waukesha annual picnic, Arthur arrived with cartons of Fleer's Double Bubble, and before you knew it, the bubble blowing contest began. Jane of course had the advantage because there was always Double Bubble around the house, and she liked the comic wrapper. But though it looks from this photo that she will be the winner, the prize actually went to Sandy Harper, front left. Sandy took home the cartons of Double Bubble and O'Henry bars. Her dentist was probably very happy.

Kiko Matsumi

Kiko, her parents and husband, lived in Southern California. This picture was taken early in 1942, two weeks before her husband was visited by California immigration. At the end of the day, Kiko, her husband and both parents were told they were being transported to the internment camp at Tule Lake, Ca. It was there they met over 18,000 "campers". Another 90,000 Japanese Americans were housed in nine other sites. After release in 1945, Kiko worked at an army hospital, treating wounded GIs.

Arthur Floyd

Coach Gilliland was so frustrated after the team lost in the regional finals, he took the team picture out of the frame on his wall and threw it into his wastebasket. Not the best example to set for the squad. However, Arthur, one of the team's guards and the record keeper, went into coach's office and retrieved it. The following year, while the team was on a travel bus to play rival Edgerton High, a tire blew and coach and three of the boys died. Arthur kept the picture as best he could, but it wasn't easy, what with his riding the rails looking for work. It went from knapsack to grip to small suitcase, but survived to be framed on Arthur's wall when finally got steady work as an assistant gym teacher in Albany, NY.

Francine and Maria Torrini

Twins Francine and Maria did everything together. Unlike other twins, who are outwardly identical, but have their own personality quirks, the girls were singular in every way. They had the same thoughts, liked the same things, ate the same food, and had the same friends. This wasn't a problem...until they discovered boys. If Francine met a boy she liked, Maria liked him as well. They only way they dealt with the issue was to end the relationship. In 1951 the Torrini's moved to Cleveland and the girls began their senior year in a new high school.
It was there they met Mark and John Armato, identical twins in every way. A double wedding took place December 22, 1953.