Oral History Program Judy Becky Interviewed by Sarah Storey 9 July 2019 Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Judy Becky Interviewed by Sarah Storey 9 July 2019 Copyright © 2022 by Weber State University, Stewart Library iii Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. The working files, original recording, and archival copies are housed in the University Archives. Project Description The Beyond Suffrage Project was initiated to examine the impact women have had on northern Utah. Weber State University explored and documented women past and present who have influenced the history of the community, the development of education, and are bringing the area forward for the next generation. The project looked at how the 19th Amendment gave women a voice and representation, and was the catalyst for the way women became involved in the progress of the local area. The project examines the 50 years (1870-1920) before the amendment, the decades to follow and how women are making history today. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management This work is the property of the Weber State University, Stewart Library Oral History Program. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Becky, Judy, an oral history by Sarah Storey, 9 July 2019, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. Judy Becky (center) and her sisters Circa 1985 Judy Becky (right) and her mother (left) Circa 2006 1 Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Judy Becky, conducted on July 9, 2019, by Sarah Storey. Judy discusses her life, her memories, and the impact of the 19th Amendment. Raegan Baird, the video technician, is also present during this interview. SS: Today is July 9th, 2019. It’s approximately 11 o’clock AM. And we are here with Judy Becky for our interview and I am Sarah Storey, I’m conducting the interview. And Raegan Baird is recording for us. So we’ll just kind of jump into things. When and where were you born? JB: Ogden. July 23rd, 1941 in McKay-Dee hospital. SS: That’s amazing. So have you been in Ogden your whole life? JB: Most of my life, yes. We moved to Durango, Colorado for a while but came back. SS: Interesting. Did you just miss it here? Where did you go to school? JB: Ben Lomond High. SS: So you’ve always lived more toward the north end of town? JB: Yes. SS: What activities did you enjoy or participate while you were in high school? JB: I was a cheerleader at Ben Lomond High. And just enjoyed going to school. SS: That’s wonderful. So, when you were a young girl, who were some of the women that you looked up to, like role models? JB: My mother, my grandmother. They were all good examples of the way to live. You know, being honest, being respectable, having good standards. Good 2 friends. You know, I had good friends, and those that weren’t, I stayed away from. SS: So your mother or your grandmother, were they involved in business or did they stay at home? JB: My father was overseas with World War II and my mother stayed home and worked and kept the family together and my grandmother would come over and be with us. My mother was a nurse, she was with the Red Cross and donated her time doing that. But nursing and cosmetology go hand in hand, they have the same skills that you would in nursing as you do in cosmetology. SS: So that’s kind of what inspired you to go with cosmetology, was your mom? JB: No, my mother would do hair at home. My mother had quite a few friends and my sister and I would wait for them to come and they would sit around the table and she would make coffee cake and if we were really good we got just a little taste of it. It had slivered almonds on top and... so they would have, they would wash their hair and they would put them in pin curls and then they would visit while they would dry. And we got to sit under the table and listen, and if we were very, very good, then we got some cake. And just... the enjoyment of seeing her do hair was so fun. And I learned how to braid hair very young, so did my sister and we always was trying to do the kids’ hair around the neighborhood. And we just loved that atmosphere. She put on such a wonderful atmosphere. And during World War II they really couldn’t afford much, so she had an empty ashtray in the middle of the table, so when she got through doing their hair, if they could afford it, they’d leave ten cents or a quarter or whatever. And there weren’t really salons 3 around at that time, so you depended on your friends, and that’s what my mother was. SS: That’s so sweet. What a story of community. Especially during World War II, what a tough time. And I love what a sweet memory that is for you. JB: Well, ever since then I’ve always loved doing hair and if I’d go anywhere, I’d find somebody to braid their hair or have fun with it. Every doll I had, I had cut their hair. SS: Well, it sounds like your mother was a wonderful woman, a great inspiration. JB: She was. I have a picture of her and I upstairs, I’ll show it to you. SS: That’s wonderful. It sounds like she was a wonderful lady. So how long was she a nurse for, your whole childhood? JB: Probably most of her life, she was in doctors’ offices, she worked for many doctors in our community. She would run their offices, she would give shots, she would do insurance for them, she was a nurse for most of the doctors she worked for. SS: How do you think the role of mothers has changed? JB: Oh my goodness, immensely. When I was a young mother, I... well... my mother was so attentive and we always had family dinners and we had evening dinners, we had lunch, we were a united family, and we did things together, we camped together, we went on rides together, everything was together, it really was. And as I raised my family, I did the same thing, we had family dinners every night and I sewed my children’s clothes. I really didn’t go to work until all my children were in school, so I was a stay-at-home mother for five children and carpooled and put 4 up fruit and through hard times, you made it. Because my husband was the only provider, so you just made it work. We had no credit cards, we had a checking account and cash and that’s all you used. And you better have money in that checking account before you wrote the check. Today’s mothers are really, I think, highly stressed. They are working mothers, they are providers, they have so many things that they involve their children with, and so after working, they’re either running them to dancing, ball, sports, and they use credit cards more than cash and that’s a concern I think in our nation and the family dinners I think are very rare. And we were a religious family, my mother and father were a religious family, and the young people are doing such a good job of trying to lend that philosophy among their children and it’s quite a job for these young people, it really is. I don’t know how they do it, I would be able to do that. I just think they have such a responsibility. And fathers are becoming wonderful fathers. My husband was a wonderful husband and father, he would change diapers, he would wash clothes, he would iron shirts if he had to. That was rare. Today’s fathers are as good of a mother as the mothers are. You see fathers taking children on walks, you see them taking them to church, you see their taking them to restaurants, they’re packing them on their backs, they’re changing their diapers, they are a unit today. They are a unit. And even though life is different, they are good families. They are changing, they are supporting the wife when she has to work, they are getting the children fed and bathed and into bed and 5 doing their homework and you know, I just give them credit for what they’re doing. SS: As a child, or in your youth, were you encouraged to pursue your education? JB: When I was a youth, it seems like the main thing was to graduate, get married and have a family. As far as having a profession, my profession was going to be a mother. And I really didn’t think about going to college, I didn’t think about furthering my education, I just wanted to be a mother. Have a “happily ever after,” husband and family. SS: Well, that’s good. Being a mother is hard. SS: Ok, so you weren’t encouraged as a child, so what made you decide to go into hair then? I know you always enjoyed it, but what made you take that leap to go to cosmetology? JB: Well, as my children got older, my older sister opened this salon and I came and I was her receptionist and I worked five years here, doing everything from scrubbing floors to answering phones to helping wrap perms, because I knew how to do it. And my sister said, “Why don’t you apprentice under me?” And I said, “Ok!” So I apprenticed and I got my license and I worked for her for quite a long time. SS: That’s amazing. So, you said that you did that when your children got into school, did you just do it kind of like, for extra money, to fill your time, did you want to do something else? JB: It was just an idea, it would be fun to be able to do hair. I enjoyed being at the salon, I enjoyed everything I did, even cleaning up the floors and filling the pop 6 machine or... whatever I did. I loved doing everything. So when she mentioned, “Why don’t you apprentice?” I thought, ‘Oh that would be fun, ‘cause I love doing hair.’ And so I got my license and then she moved on and she opened her school so I acquired the salon and I’ve learned many, many things from taking over the salon. SS: I’m so glad to hear that you just did it because you wanted to, that’s such an inspiring thing. I think that’s amazing. What were some of the challenges you faced while you were doing all this, while you were apprenticing and you had children, so were they any challenges that came up that made it difficult? JB: Well, this is another story. As we were purchasing the salon, my husband became ill. And he was a “director of operations in E-Systems” and he was an executive. He was a very distinguished man and he acquired a brain tumor. He lost his job because we didn’t know what was wrong with him, and he acquired another job at Thiokol. We went to the doctor and found out that he had a tumor on his pituitary gland and it was about the size of a large lemon in his head. So he had it removed and he had many, many, many operations. And he was in the hospital nine months and so I kept the salon open and I kept working and I kept doing the book work, which he did for me in the evening. And he was very, very ill. He had to learn how to walk again, talk again, shave himself, tie his shoes, dress himself, feed himself. Because the brain had been injured. And so doing hair kept us above water. He worked himself back into knowing how to do my book work. So I would work upstairs and he would work downstairs in an office, taking care of all my 7 book work. And when he didn’t feel good, we had a lounge chair and he would sleep in it during the day. But he was here with me. So from that time on, he was disabled and the tumor came back again and we went to Virginia, University of Virginia, and there was a “Doctor Laws” and he removed it again without complications. That’s why we went there, because that was his specialty. We didn’t figure we could handle another nine months in the hospital. And he not only was in the hospital nine months, but he had six months of therapy to gain his faculties back. So with those challenges, I kept the salon going and worked and attended him, so those were big, big challenges. Big challenges. And it came back a third time. This time he didn’t make it. But the salon continued and it provided us a living and has provided me a good living to continue my life. And it’s ok. And he couldn’t have stood having that out again. So it’s ok. It’s ok. But I kept the building up, I kept the salon up, and it’s been a joy, because I know he’s not far. SS: Yeah. You’re amazing. I’m so sorry for your loss. JB: But his spirit’s here and I love being here, I love keeping the building up. And you know what? The Lord has helped me so much. I just know that I’m taken care of and I can go on. I can go on. And I have, I’ve had three daughters work here, I’ve had two granddaughters work here and I mean... so it’s been a family business too. SS: That’s really wonderful. Oh my goodness. I think you’re just amazing, you’re such a strong person and to keep all this going, and it’s so wonderful. 8 JB: We’ve got a wonderful salon, wonderful girls. They are kind. There’s no back fighting, there’s no bad feelings. It’s just wonderful. SS: That’s wonderful. Ok, so, we’ll kind of go back a little bit. What was your first job? JB: I was a carhop for Veta’s ice cream place. It was on Washington Boulevard across from the old Weber High School, and I started working there when I was fifteen, I told them I was sixteen, but he knew I was only fifteen. I made fifty cents an hour, but loved doing that. I loved doing anything with people. SS: So, was there a time that you were brave at work? Where you had to stand up and be brave? While you were running your business, or before? JB: You mean, using my authority? Well, I have people that rent from me. I have to be firm, I have to make sure that they understand my rules and I’ve had them try to not do quite what is expected and I have to remind them that I’m in charge of this building, and it’s very difficult to face a man and set things straight. Being brave, when my husband was ill, I had to be very brave and have strength to handle problems. And sometimes employees... I have a certain standard that I have here and drugs or alcohol or tobacco is not allowed here. And when they abuse that, I have to use my power to get rid of it and that’s been a challenge periodically. And... yes, that’s very hard. SS: Well, it’s great that you have these standards and you follow through with them, that’s definitely brave. So being a female business owner, have you ever felt like you’ve had challenges because you were a female, like did you ever feel like you had trouble with licensing with the city? JB: Yes. Absolutely. 9 SS: Would you care to give some examples? JB: Yes. People do not respect a woman and it’s been hard to earn that respect and with time, I’ve learned how to be a little more forceful in my womanhood. There was a time that a North Ogden City employee came to me, and it was right after I had opened, and I had bought tanning beds and my money has always been something that I have enough of and I never went too much in debt, I’ve always made sure I have enough to run on. And when I had a wolf-bed tanning sign on the outside of my building, and it was tied down, so it was legal. I had a North Ogden city employee come and ask me if I would donate $200 to their magazine because it was going to go to everybody’s home in North Ogden. I said, “You know, right now, I don’t have that. I’ve just purchased some things, and I’ve got to be very careful of my money.” And he left irritated, and the next day he came back with a warrant that I needed to remove my sign or he would shut me down. SS: So what happened? JB: So I took my sign down and I put it on the inside. And I have found a lot of times, I have gone to the city and said, “You know, I’m concerned about this,” and they really don’t take into consideration what I’ve said. I have a water plate, well it’s a plate that’s outside in my parking lot. And it is a little bit lower, so when the cars run over it, you know. Well it was going lower and lower and lower so I contacted the city and I said, “This is your water line and it is sinking.” And they never, ever come over. And I tried to contact the mayor, I tried to contact people that would help me, and I was stopped. Absolutely stopped. So I thought, “Well, I’ve got to do something.” So I called the pavement company and said, “This is sinking 10 more and more, something’s wrong.” I said, “Will you just come and put some asphalt on there so it will be even, because my customers are going to have a problem with their cars.” Well they came and he says, “It’s not your problem, this is the city’s.” I says, “Well, will you help me?” And so he got in contact with the irrigation company and he got the ball rolling. But they did not listen to me. So I have been frustrated being a woman and not being listened to. Yes. Women are “not intelligent” enough to respect a man’s attention, until a man gets involved. But it did get fixed! And they paid for it! SS: So, as a woman, how would you define courage? JB: Courage... I think courage comes from experience. I do not think you have courage when you start a business. I had a desire to do hair, I had a desire to please people and I knew I could do that. I think courage comes in when you have problems. And courage comes from figuring out how to solve them and having the energy to solve them. Courage also comes with faith and hope, because you’re not alone in this world. You’re not. I have a very strong spiritual need and I feel it and I know, with the help of the Lord, that I can handle anything and with that, courage is just automatic. SS: Beautiful answer. That’s wonderful. You’re so inspiring, you’re wonderful. How did you balance your responsibilities between work and home? JB: Oh... when I first started working, I only was at the desk, and therefore I was home by 5 o’clock at the latest, and therefore I just acquired energy to continue doing what I had to do—washing, and laundering, and supporting the kids in their activities and my husband was so supportive. I had a supportive family. And as 11 my husband became ill, it took me away from my business, but then I had family members that worked for me, which supported me in the needs here. And, so I think family is what really helped me keep going. As far as the daily duties of home and family, that wasn’t a challenge, we just kept doing what we were doing and my husband filled in where he needed to and... but when he became ill that became a big challenge. And he was my number one responsibility there. And I would come to work at maybe 5:30 in the morning, work ‘til 9, 9:30, I’d shoot to the hospital and stay there ‘til 10, 10:30 at night. So I had to have everything organized before I left the salon, and then I had family members that helped. A good support system. SS: That’s really amazing. It’s nice to have that support and not be on your own. What would be your interpretation of what is considered “women’s work?” JB: What? Women’s work? SS: Everybody has their own interpretation, so we’re kind of interested to see how you would define that. JB: Well. My husband was ill for so long that I became everything. Yesterday, I was out cutting weeds down and putting them in the garbage and I do the yard. I do everything that needs to be done. I don’t think there’s “women’s work” or “men’s work.” And today I see men doing “women’s work,” which pleases me to death. And I see women out mowing the lawns and changing tires. I don’t do that, I call my insurance company. I have a backup of those things that I can’t do. You know, if I need some painting, I’ll get that done. I think just life is fun and full of doing everything. Vacuuming, doing dishes, doing yard work. I’ve got a garden, 12 I’ve got twelve tomato plants and cucumbers and zucchini, but I learned all this because my husband couldn’t. So I don’t know, I don’t think that there’s any men or women’s work. SS: There was a need and you filled it. JB: I did. If there’s a need, fill it. I don’t believe I would be able to purchase this building without my husband though. We purchased this building... I do not think they would have loaned me the money to buy this building. So I do think there is a lot of need for a man’s strength and luckily I had it at the time. And it fell into place. SS: Yeah. It’s unfortunate that we’re not valued enough as women, the strong women that we are. Unfortunately it’s not something that you would have been able to do on your own, because obviously you’re very strong willed and ambitious and... JB: I’ll tell you something that happened. That I made a man think really hard. The Fourth of July, we always put our chairs out for the parade, the city come and collected them because I put them out a few hours too early. And they were my chairs, they were on my property and so I marched over to the North Ogden Mayor’s office and I said, “Where are my chairs?” He says, “Well, we picked them up because they were out too early.” I says, “This is my property, they’re my chairs, I want them back and I want them now!” And he did! And he did! They brought them back! But that was one time I really used my authority. It was over some silly chairs! But he did listen to me. SS: Well, how could he argue with that? That was an excellent argument. That’s wonderful. Ok, I have one final question if you don’t mind. How do you think 13 women receiving the right to vote shaped or influenced history, yourself, and the community? JB: Well, I do think women shape the community. North Ogden civically, the historical center is founded by women and they play a big role in the community. I think there’s great influence with those women and I do think I have influenced women to become better. There’s a young girl that’s opening a salon down the street. She used to work for me and she had the courage to do that and that makes me proud to think she gained that courage from us. It wasn’t just me, it was everybody. And voting, I think women’s votes are very, very important. I think we listen. I think we sift things and I think women have power that they don’t realize they have. SS: I think that’s a great answer. Well, is there anything else that you’d like to add, that you’d like us to know about? Any stories? JB: I enjoy my work. I have a sweet daughter upstairs that’s my right-hand lady and I have a granddaughter upstairs that is so sweet, and every other person that works with me is just a delight and it makes my life enjoyable. And I love what I do. And someone said, “Well, when are you going to retire?” I said, “I don’t know! I love what I’m doing!” I don’t have a husband to divert my attention or worry about and I really enjoy my life. SS: That’s wonderful. That’s very inspirational to hear. Yeah, you should do it as long as you want to. JB: Yes! 14 SS: There’s nothing stopping you. You’re physically capable and you enjoy it. I think that’s wonderful. JB: I am. I’m strong. SS: You’re wonderful. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. It was an absolute pleasure to meet with you and have this time with you. I think you’re an amazing person— JB: I don’t. SS: You need to give yourself more credit. You’re a real pillar in the community and we appreciate you. JB: Well, just time... helps you learn so many things. And you can’t learn it in one or two years, it takes a lifetime to become that person that you are. It takes a lifetime.