Page 1 of 25 
 
Washington Women’s Heritage Project records, 1900-2000 
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections 
Anna Frye Cox 
December 16, 1980 
Cassette 1, Side 2 
 
 
Anna Cox  00:00 
[Tape begins mid-sentence]--to unwind yourself. [Inaudible] [?have a man friend?].  
 
Bonita Corliss  00:11 
What kinds of work does she do?  
 
Anna Cox  00:12 
She's a dietetic supervisor. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:14 
The same as you were?  
 
Anna Cox  00:15 
Well, she doesn't cook. She does all the book work for the nursing home and all that. Supervises 
the kitchen. [Inaudible] home. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:40 
In Seattle? 
 
Anna Cox  00:40 
In Seattle. [?She seems to be?] very happy, well, she gets mad, I think a complex personality 
[inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  00:48 
What kinds of things would you want her to do that she doesn't do?  
 
Anna Cox  00:58 
[Inaudible] [she laughs], no. I just wish that she would go out and see a little light and have a 
little fun. Do little things with [?the rest of the young people?]. She [?always had Bill?] and they 
didn't have no money after [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:58 
Is that her son? 
Page 2 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  01:24 
That's her son. But he's through college, married, and has his own little boy, [?they live in 
Monroe?]. [Inaudible], she says that she's perfectly happy though. So if she's happy, [inaudible]. 
When I look at her [?I don't know how I?] ever gave birth to a [inaudible]. [?Such a good person 
too?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  01:48 
Do you think that she's just shy? 
 
Anna Cox  01:50 
It might be partly that too. She says that her life, or her work over there fulfills all the needs that 
she has. [Inaudible] [?church work?]. [Inaudible], [?so I guess she's doing what she wants to?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  01:56 
If you could do anything you wanted to with your life differently than what you've done, what 
would it be? 
 
Anna Cox  02:00 
I can't even think, I know there's lots of them, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  02:04 
What are some of those things? 
 
Anna Cox  00:58 
Well, I'd like to have been more active when I was young, not been so afraid of everybody and 
everything, and I probably would have been a more considerate person [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  02:05 
What do, what do your children-- Trudy is your only daughter, and she works. Do you have 
family activities with the rest of your family? 
 
Anna Cox  02:57 
Yes, we have-- Every one of us, when we have birthdays, we have a dinner at our house and the 
whole family gathers. And [?it's getting bad?] because there's all little tiny children now, 
[inaudible]. But we all get together. And the ones down in California [inaudible] is Christmas 
time, that's the only contact we have is Christmas time because they won't [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:11 
Are you a grandmother? 
 
Anna Cox  03:12 
I'm a great grandmother. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:13 
Great grandmother, how many grandchildren and great grandchildren do you have? 
Page 3 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  04:02 
Well, just one grandchild. One daughter, and one grandchild, and one great grandchild, a boy. 
[Inaudible] man. 
 
Bonita Corliss  04:21 
What's his name? 
 
Anna Cox  04:22 
Robert [?Henry?] Myers. 
 
Bonita Corliss  04:32 
What kind of things do you do with him? 
 
Anna Cox  05:08 
His father [inaudible], put him in the playpen and my daughter won't take him out or anything. 
So I always ask, "Can I take him out?" [?He always comes to?] [inaudible]. And they all say, 
"Oh, yes [?Grandma?]." [Inaudible], I go, "Oh well I'm senile," they get mad at me.  
 
Bonita Corliss  05:08 
Do you really think you're senile? 
 
Anna Cox  05:09 
No. [She laughs]. But I just think [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:11 
Yeah. 
 
Anna Cox  05:11 
Poor little thing, he just had open heart surgery. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:22 
What kinds of expectations do your, does your relatives have for Robert? Do they-- 
 
Anna Cox  05:25 
You mean the mother and father? 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:27 
The mother and father, yeah. 
 
Anna Cox  05:08 
Oh, I don't know, they haven't said, but I pray [?every night that he'll?] [inaudible]. [?Guess?] 
he's like his daddy now. 
 
Bonita Corliss  06:14 
So do you, are you involved in church activities now?  
Page 4 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  06:17 
No. 
 
Bonita Corliss  06:17 
No. Were you ever?  
 
Anna Cox  06:18 
What?  
 
Bonita Corliss  06:18 
Were you ever involved in church activities?  
 
Anna Cox  05:28 
Oh, when I was young, I used to go to the group meetings they'd have when I go to church. And 
I taught Sunday school class until one day in church, they asked me if I could pray in front of the 
whole congregation and I never went back to church.  
 
Bonita Corliss  06:51 
Was that another instance of being afraid? 
 
Anna Cox  06:53 
Being afraid. I mumbled something, I don't think even I could hear what I was saying, anyway I 
said something. But I never went back, [?I just couldn't take that?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  06:59 
But it seems like now you're more comfortable with talking to people. 
 
Anna Cox  07:00 
Oh, yes, I should say. They asked me to speak, on the spur of the moment, at the different 
[inaudible] where all the different associations got together. And I [inaudible] up there to the 
Chamber of Commerce and [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:00 
What kinds of things did you talk about? 
 
Anna Cox  07:01 
Well I talked about the public [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:04 
For the American Association of Retired Persons? 
 
Anna Cox  07:00 
Yes. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:00 
Page 5 of 25 
 
How do you think you gained the confidence to do those kinds of things?  
 
Anna Cox  07:05 
I don't know. [?It's just sitting there and it's really?], I don't know what caused it, because I'm 
always very, I sit back and let everybody else do the talking, you know? And all of a sudden, 
well, I can talk. It's probably these courses I've done too and being out with other people. It's a 
wonderful release when I know that I can do these things.  
 
Bonita Corliss  07:33 
So would you say that you're definitely more confident now-- 
 
Anna Cox  07:35 
Oh, much more. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:36 
--than you've ever been in your life? 
 
Anna Cox  07:37 
Mm-hmm, that's one thing I would do if I could spend my life, [?redo everything?], I'd have 
more confidence in myself, but I never had the confidence. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:47 
Did anyone around you have confidence in you?  
 
Anna Cox  07:50 
My husband did, but I didn't believe him. I thought he was just trying to [?push?].  
 
Bonita Corliss  07:55 
What kinds of things would he say that would make you feel he had confidence in you?  
 
Anna Cox  08:23 
Well, he'd want me to join things, you know? He didn't mind that, he just didn't want me to 
work, that was it. So long as I'm home a quarter after two when Trudy got back from school, I 
could do anything I wanted to and go any place I wanted to, but I just wouldn't do it. Now that 
it's too late, I finally realize I have [?the abilities to?].  
 
Bonita Corliss  08:34 
Well, now that you're working on things that are-- 
 
Anna Cox  08:36 
Yeah I'll [inaudible] at them. 
 
Bonita Corliss  08:37 
Surely you [inaudible]. My feelings are that it's never too late. 
 
Anna Cox  09:01 
Page 6 of 25 
 
No, that's true. Because everybody starts [inaudible]. But my life has been very full [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  08:58 
I was very fascinated when I saw this picture, women sewing on the wings, and then you called 
and said you'd been one of those women, working at Boeing. 
 
Anna Cox  09:01 
Yeah, that is, that surprised [inaudible]. That just all happened in such a loud wave. A man from 
Boeing [inaudible], spoke out at AARP. [?We live in the?] [inaudible] planes and I had sewn an 
original wing. [?So he took my name and?] [inaudible] [?and said, "I'll call and get in touch with 
you"?] [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  09:08 
That sounds like it was a very good time in your life. 
 
Anna Cox  09:10 
Oh, it was. And [?it led to me getting on TV, that was fun?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  09:12 
Can you tell me a little bit about that? 
 
Anna Cox  10:00 
Oh, well they took me out to the old plant, the old barn to talk. And I sat in front of a blown up 
picture like of [inaudible] [?old station?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  10:08 
Had you ever been on television before?  
 
Anna Cox  10:11 
No. 
 
Bonita Corliss  10:13 
What was that like?  
 
Anna Cox  10:11 
It was fun, wasn't [inaudible] at all. [Inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  10:20 
Was it outside or inside? 
 
Anna Cox  10:43 
Inside the barn. 
 
Bonita Corliss  10:50 
Were there lots of people around? 
 
Page 7 of 25 
 
Anna Cox  10:51 
Oh, I imagine they'd tell the [inaudible]. [?They just told me where to stand and how to?] 
[inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:07 
What kinds of questions did they ask you? 
 
Anna Cox  10:40 
Well, just, just similar to what you've asked me. The man that came out to the house, I didn't tell 
him about [?how I'd been fired?], I told him I couldn't get married. [She laughs]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:16 
How come? 
 
Anna Cox  11:16 
Oh, I was [?ashamed I guess?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:17 
Were you sad thing to leave that job?  
 
Anna Cox  11:07 
I don't think so. [Inaudible]. Because it was a long way to go.  
 
Bonita Corliss  11:19 
How far was it? 
 
Anna Cox  11:20 
Well, I lived in University District and I'd have to go downtown and [inaudible], turnover some 
trestle, then I'd have to walk, it seemed, about two miles, over a bridge, into the place and on 
these early mornings, it was deadly. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:20 
How long did it take you to get there?  
 
Anna Cox  11:20 
It must have taken two hours. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:25 
So what time would you have to get up in the morning? 
 
Anna Cox  11:34 
Oh, I’d have to get up at the crack of dawn. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:41 
About five o'clock? 
 
Page 8 of 25 
 
Anna Cox  11:40 
About five o'clock, get going and be gone by six. 
 
Bonita Corliss  11:42 
What time did you have to be at work?  
 
Anna Cox  11:51 
Well, that [inaudible] [?eight?]. It was a long time traveling [?there and back from work?]. So I 
really wasn't really sad about leaving. 
 
Bonita Corliss  12:01 
How many hours a day would you be [?at your job?]? 
 
Anna Cox  12:12 
[?Eight?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  12:13 
What were the street cars like that you traveled on? 
 
Anna Cox  12:40 
[Inaudible] a little trolley. Well, they had hard seats, [inaudible], they were just hard seats and 
they [?ba-ba-ba-ba-ba?] over the things they run on. 
 
Bonita Corliss  12:45 
The tracks? 
 
Anna Cox  12:43 
Tracks, uh-huh. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  12:43 
How much was the [?fare?]? 
 
Anna Cox  12:45 
I don't have [inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  12:46 
Were there are other people that were up and about at that time? 
 
Anna Cox  12:52 
Mostly men. 
 
Bonita Corliss  12:52 
How did you feel about traveling to work with [?lots of other men?]? 
 
Anna Cox  13:00 
Really things like that didn't bother me, it was just [inaudible]. 
Page 9 of 25 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  13:08 
Did you talk with other people at work very much? 
 
Anna Cox  13:11 
No, just the ladies.  
 
Bonita Corliss  13:12 
Just the ladies?  
 
Anna Cox  13:14 
Mm-hmm, like I said, they were more involved in housework and, you know, things that older 
women are involved in. So I didn't [inaudible] what they were talking about. 
 
Bonita Corliss  13:41 
What kinds of things did you do after you were laid off the job? 
 
Anna Cox  13:32 
Well, I babysat and I just [inaudible]. I really hope that [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  14:33 
I don't think it will. What kinds of hobbies do you have now, aside from speaking for the 
American Association of Retired People and working at SPICE, do you have any things that you 
collect or favorite-- 
 
Anna Cox  14:44 
No, I don't think so. 
 
Bonita Corliss  14:44 
Favorite activities? 
 
Anna Cox  14:44 
Just going places and seeing people, doing things, [inaudible]. In this place, [?I feel small?], it's 
very limiting.  
 
Bonita Corliss  14:47 
Have you lived in the house, in this house a long time? 
 
Anna Cox  15:09 
25 years.  
 
Bonita Corliss  14:44 
Have things really changed in this neighborhood?  
 
Anna Cox  15:09 
Oh this place is [?nifty?], uh-huh. All these houses in the drag, [inaudible]. 
Page 10 of 25 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:09 
If you've lived here for 25 years, then you must remember when Northgate was first built, the 
shopping center? 
 
Anna Cox  15:09 
Now that was the shopping center. 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:09 
Really? 
 
Anna Cox  15:09 
Well, I guess it was at the time it was built, it was the nicest one on the coast. 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:09 
Was that very different for you compared to? 
 
Anna Cox  15:09 
Oh yes, because [inaudible]. Now you just hop on the bus and [?let the driver lead the way?]. Oh 
yes, I remember the Montlake, when they opened this bridge at the [?cutoff?], it used to be a 
swinging bridge over that [inaudible]. So you'd cross it [inaudible], and that was just a swinging 
bridge there. 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:37 
Oh really? 
 
Anna Cox  15:39 
[Inaudible], they'd start swinging it [?around hand to hand?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:48 
Oh really? 
 
Anna Cox  15:50 
[She laughs] Yes. 
 
Bonita Corliss  15:53 
So it would-- 
 
Anna Cox  15:56 
Yeah, it would swing like that.  
 
Bonita Corliss  16:00 
It would swing from side to side to side? 
 
Anna Cox  16:04 
[?Uh-huh, side to side?]. 
Page 11 of 25 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  16:02 
What was it made out of? The bridge. 
 
Anna Cox  16:07 
Well, wood, wood planking. 
 
Bonita Corliss  16:09 
Really? 
 
Anna Cox  16:09 
And the wires, heavy wires. 
 
Bonita Corliss  16:57 
Was it one lane or two lanes?  
 
Anna Cox  16:58 
One lane. 
 
Bonita Corliss  17:12 
So if one car was going-- 
 
Anna Cox  17:14 
Oh, no cars. 
 
Bonita Corliss  17:15 
This was just a walking bridge?  
 
Anna Cox  16:19 
Just a walking bridge. [?And the cars were all, I don't know how they got there?] [Inaudible]. 
The university district [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  16:37 
How many buildings or apartments were around when you grew up? 
 
Anna Cox  16:37 
Not very many, not when I was a little kid. 
 
Bonita Corliss  18:02 
Did you live in an apartment building? 
 
Anna Cox  18:02 
No, [inaudible] [?house?] [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  18:02 
Page 12 of 25 
 
Could you tell me a little bit more about your fathers job? He was not only a fuel pump owner 
but he was also-- 
 
Anna Cox  18:18 
A road builder and stuff. 
 
Bonita Corliss  18:23 
And a longshoreman too? 
 
Anna Cox  18:27 
Oh, longshoreman was my husband's. 
 
Bonita Corliss  18:32 
That was your husband, okay. What kinds of things did your husband do as a longshoreman? 
 
Anna Cox  18:02 
Well, he, I don't know [inaudible], but he was a winch driver. He'd sit up there on the little thing 
and hoist the loads into the holes. That is what he did, [inaudible] longshoreman. 
 
Bonita Corliss  18:48 
Was that hard work for him? Did he come home really tired a lot? 
 
Anna Cox  18:02 
[Inaudible] tired, he wasn't tired because he'd just sit there for 12 hours a day. But that's, that's 
hard work, that's tiring work, but he didn't do any physical work. He wasn't tired in that way, but 
he was tired.  
 
Bonita Corliss  18:16 
What kinds of activities did you and your husband do?  
 
Anna Cox  19:02 
Oh, we went on a lot of picnics and we did a lot of dancing because we both liked to dance.  
 
Bonita Corliss  19:23 
What kind of dancing? 
 
Anna Cox  19:59 
[Inaudible], not square dancing, just regular ballroom dancing. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:00 
Do you like to dance? 
 
Anna Cox  20:00 
[?I love it?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:01 
Page 13 of 25 
 
Do you dance now? 
 
Anna Cox  20:01 
Uh-uh, no, my heart can't [inaudible] if my activity's [inaudible]. I danced until I was about 
[?68?]. I had a cousin come up [inaudible] [?before?] my daughter came and we would drive 
down to Portland over the weekend [inaudible] and every night we'd go out and dance 
[inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:07 
Where did you dance [?downtown?]? 
 
Anna Cox  20:08 
Well, we went [inaudible] and I think that was it. [?She didn't know how to drive or park it or 
anything like that?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:11 
Did you dance with each other? 
 
Anna Cox  20:11 
Oh no, we [?you know, would dance with men?], but we'd go together and we'd come home 
together. If we [inaudible] called a sucker. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:15 
What's a sucker? 
 
Anna Cox  20:00 
Well, that would be someone who would stop for supper after the dance, but the other one would 
go with. And we'd always had her car there, so that was an excuse so they couldn't take her 
home. [?So we'd got two suppers and got to?] [inaudible] by ourselves. That was a great way to 
do [she laughs] and that's what we did. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:22 
How would you figure out who the sucker was going to be?  
 
Anna Cox  20:45 
Well, whoever got a man that was interested, and then we'd call the other one. [Inaudible] both 
got the sucker [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:45 
Did you used to do that a lot? 
 
Anna Cox  20:45 
Oh yes, every time we'd [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:45 
Did you ever have any unpleasant experiences with men getting angry? 
Page 14 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  20:45 
[Inaudible]. We would let them know that we were together, you know, but they would figure 
that one would go. [Inaudible] that I would go on home by myself, and then he would take her 
home. They didn't get that idea, we would tell them that we would come together and go home 
together, but still they were willing. So, that was their lookout. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:45 
What's a lookout? [?I've never used that expression?]. 
 
Anna Cox  20:45 
Oh, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:46 
Who is [?Liz?], is she-- 
 
Anna Cox  20:50 
That's my cousin. 
 
Bonita Corliss  20:52 
Your cousin. Do you still see each other? 
 
Anna Cox  20:59 
Yeah, she lives [?up there is Issaquah?] [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  21:05 
What kinds of things does she do? 
 
Anna Cox  21:11 
She's very [?scriptured?] and she goes to church all the time. But when she comes up to Puyallup 
with her [inaudible] and then [inaudible]. And then we go take them down to [inaudible]. She 
wants to go [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  21:41 
Do you drive anymore? 
 
Anna Cox  21:44 
No, not since I knocked down the mailbox. I've been [inaudible] to get rid of the car because my 
grandson has his car and Trudy has her car. And I think she had [?her two cars out at the 
junkyard?]. [Inaudible] at the grocery store all day and then back out and turned the vehicle 
[inaudible], knocked over our mailbox out there. Came back from [inaudible], [?half of the 
mailbox outside?] and told Trudy, "I've driven the car for the last time, I'm [inaudible]." That 
was that. 
 
Bonita Corliss  22:53 
Are you just as mobile now without a car? 
Page 15 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  23:00 
Oh, [inaudible]. I just sometimes [inaudible], not, not really. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  23:16 
When did you learn to drive? 
 
Anna Cox  23:29 
After [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  23:34 
How old were you? 
 
Anna Cox  23:43 
About 55. All, everything, anything [inaudible] I started when I was older. 
 
Bonita Corliss  24:11 
Really? 
 
Anna Cox  24:13 
Uh-huh. 
 
Bonita Corliss  24:15 
Why do you think that is? 
 
Anna Cox  24:29 
Well, I was on my own, I had to know, I didn't [?have anybody?]. [Inaudible] bought my first 
car, learned to drive. 
 
Bonita Corliss  24:33 
Who taught you to drive? 
 
Anna Cox  24:34 
Well, I went to a driver's school first. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  24:36 
Were you excited learning to drive? 
 
Anna Cox  24:38 
One time especially, [?I was real casual about it?]. This driver was [inaudible]. I decided [?I was 
going pretty fast?] [inaudible] and I was gonna roll down the window [inaudible]. And he was 
getting all ready to open up his door and getting ready to [?jump?] [inaudible]. But, [inaudible]. 
After that I realized that I couldn't be as casual as I wanted to be. And then my brother was down 
the street, he would take me out. He would roll down his window, and he had a red little cap that 
he'd bring up every time, and he had [inaudible] every time, take me out. He'd hang out the 
window, wave that cap, "Lady driver, lady driver, beware, beware."  
Page 16 of 25 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  25:26 
How'd you feel about that? 
 
Anna Cox  25:31 
Oh, I could have jumped him. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  25:40 
Did you ever tell him you didn't like it? 
 
Anna Cox  25:49 
Oh, yes, I was hollering at him all the time, but he would do it anyway. 
 
Bonita Corliss  27:02 
What would he say? 
 
Anna Cox  27:16 
He'd just laugh. [Inaudible] with two brothers, I learned to take a lot of [?heat?]. Older one and a 
younger one. 
 
Bonita Corliss  28:31 
So how often would you [inaudible] [?driving practice?]? 
 
Anna Cox  28:59 
[?I don't know?]. I'm mad that I mucked the thing [inaudible]. Because I bought the car and took 
the driver, driving lessons [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:33 
How did you feel when you went in to take the test? 
 
Anna Cox  29:35 
[Inaudible], I didn't pass the first time anyway. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:36 
How come? 
 
Anna Cox  29:36 
Because I couldn't park. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:36 
That's the same reason I didn't pass the first time. 
 
Anna Cox  29:38 
Really? 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:38 
Page 17 of 25 
 
Mm-hmm. I don't think [inaudible] the test. 
 
Anna Cox  29:39 
I don't think so either, sort of put you in your place. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:40 
Have you driven a lot on the freeways [inaudible]? 
 
Anna Cox  29:40 
Quite a bit. I didn't, I liked freeway driving, but it was just getting on and off that bothered me. 
Getting on was worse than driving off. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:41 
Do you remember when the freeways were put in? 
 
Anna Cox  29:41 
No, I don't remember. My husband and I got into [inaudible] freeway [inaudible]. Why did they 
build a highway clear down here [inaudible] a town way, way off [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:43 
Was that on a vacation that you took together? 
 
Anna Cox  29:43 
Mm-hmm, [?we did one about every three years?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:43 
What kinds of places did you go? 
 
Anna Cox  29:43 
All [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:44 
And he did all the driving? 
 
Anna Cox  29:44 
He did all the driving. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:44 
Did you take your daughter with you? 
 
Anna Cox  29:44 
No, she had to stay home. We waited until she was pretty well grown up. [Inaudible] her up. I 
miss those trips now, going to different [inaudible], I'd like to go someplace. Someplace far 
away. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:46 
Page 18 of 25 
 
What places would you go now if [inaudible]?  
 
Anna Cox  29:46 
California [inaudible]. I haven't [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:47 
It sounds to me though like you [inaudible] in person. 
 
Anna Cox  29:47 
I do, if I want to [inaudible], I just take the bus. [Inaudible] and I took the bus down and my 
grandson [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:48 
Have you ever flown on an airplane? 
 
Anna Cox  29:40 
No, way back [inaudible]. If I could travel, if I could afford it, I'd [inaudible]. So I go by bus, 
[?unless somebody drives me?]. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:49 
Well this has been a [inaudible] interview. 
 
Anna Cox  29:51 
I hope you got something out of it. You should be able to get something out of it. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:54 
Yeah, I think we will. [Inaudible], and I thank you very much. 
 
Anna Cox  29:57 
Well, I've enjoyed it tremendously. 
 
Bonita Corliss  29:49 
Thank you. [Tape stops and starts.] Mrs. Cox and I have discovered another subject that we'd 
like to talk about on this tape and that is her grandmother. Can you tell me a little bit about her? 
What was her name?  
 
Anna Cox  30:00 
Mildred Bailey and she had 13 children, my mother was the second of them. And grandpa was 
always away from home, he'd be home occasionally and [inaudible]. And so she'd run the farm 
up in Fall City. They were the second white people up in Fall City and living at a big farm in 
[inaudible]. And they make this garden and all that. And there was one time [inaudible], she 
knew that the Indians were taking stuff. [Inaudible]. She had a baby on her hip and [inaudible], 
she went down there with a shotgun, and made all the Indians take everything off their 
[inaudible] and put it back, down on the [?trail?]. [Inaudible]. So she raised all those kids and 
took care of that farm. [Inaudible] grandpa. 
 
Page 19 of 25 
 
Bonita Corliss  31:47 
What was he off to? 
 
Anna Cox  31:17 
Oh, he was off [inaudible], things like that because there wasn't enough work [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  31:47 
What other kinds of things would your grandmother do on this farm besides gardens and raise 
children? 
 
Anna Cox  31:24 
Well, she had cows that they had to milk and take care of, besides keeping the house up. A lot of 
labor [inaudible], of course [?when the kids got older?]. And then when the boys, one of the boys 
got older, as soon as he was old enough to help now, my grandpa took him to help him. So she 
lost him and, among her children, she had him, and my mother, they were the eldest, I would say 
they almost adopted the children. And they would [inaudible] other one, [inaudible]. So they 
would [inaudible], give grandma a little time in [?the mirror?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  33:06 
Did you ever visit this farm? 
 
Anna Cox  33:07 
Oh yes, uh-huh. 
 
Bonita Corliss  33:07 
What kinds of things did you do while you were there? 
 
Anna Cox  32:46 
Well, grandma still had the front room covered with newspapers. So I spent most of my time 
reading the newspapers. And oh, I can remember, especially early in the morning, [inaudible] 
and smell that coffee, we were never allowed to touch the coffee, but I could smell that coffee. 
That was one of the things I remember most. And going down to the barns [?with my aunt?], 
when she milked the cows, [?we'd open our mouths?] to try and [inaudible]. We'd just 
[inaudible] and there was a creek that went right through [inaudible]. And on Saturday nights, 
the Indians would all go to Redmond, I suppose, [?to drink?], get [inaudible]. You'd hear them 
coming, hooping and hollering. All the [?aunts?] and mother would [?run a tight ship, gather the 
kids in the house?]. They really were even afraid of them, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  33:58 
Did you have any friends that [inaudible]? 
 
Anna Cox  34:07 
No, although my mother [inaudible] an Eskimo. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  34:17 
What was her name? 
Page 20 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  34:23 
[Inaudible], she had a Russian father, Eskimo mother. She [inaudible], married one of my 
[inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  34:43 
Did you, have you seen her since? 
 
Anna Cox  34:53 
No, she's dead. 
 
Bonita Corliss  34:57 
What differences did you see between your life from [?the Indians house?] [inaudible] the farm? 
 
Anna Cox  35:16 
They were dirty, they were dirty physically. You would see them [inaudible]. Women would go 
get drunk, men would go get drunk. [?Four little kids hanging on?] [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  35:53 
What other kinds of activities went on on this farm, did you hunt and gather anything or? 
 
Anna Cox  36:09 
They had orchards and [inaudible]. We would [?go out and weed the gardens?], that was fun, but 
the cousins that lived in the [inaudible] farm, or other farms, that was work for them. 
 
Bonita Corliss  36:09 
How often did you go out there? 
 
Anna Cox  36:10 
Oh, every summer we'd go out there. [Inaudible]. My mom and Aunt Elvie, when they were 12 
and 10 years old, they went up to Preston and I don't know [inaudible], they ran a hotel for six 
weeks. [?Baked the bread?] and everything, mopped up, they had to stand on a box to knead the 
bread, and they kept the beds clean and the [inaudible]. But they kept that old hotel [inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  36:43 
Why did they decide to stop doing that? 
 
Anna Cox  36:47 
Well, I was told they got adults to do it. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  36:49 
What was, did your mom ever tell you about [?those kinds of experiences, other kinds of 
experiences that she had growing up?]?  
 
Anna Cox  36:54 
Page 21 of 25 
 
Oh yes, [inaudible] go out to the hop [?fields?]. She would pick hops [inaudible]. [?That was 
their vacation?]. She thought it was fun, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  37:59 
What kinds of [inaudible] activities did your family [inaudible] when you were growing up? 
 
Anna Cox  37:15 
Well there was-- oh, we'd go on family picnics, [inaudible], family dinners, [?and Sunday 
school?], [inaudible] [?banners?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:06 
[Inaudible]? 
 
Anna Cox  38:06 
Washington Women's Christian Temperance Union. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:09 
So you participated in those marches? 
 
Anna Cox  38:12 
Yes. 
 
Bonita Corliss  37:57 
Where were those marches? 
 
Anna Cox  38:12 
Well I believe that Wash-- Seattle, I think it must have been Seattle. It was either trying to get 
liquor or was going dry. It must have been trying to go dry because I can remember mom would 
take us downtown, and every time that we passed the saloon, she would make us go clear across 
the street. She wouldn't let us walk in front of it. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:42 
What was it like walking in those marches?  
 
Anna Cox  38:43 
Oh, we thought it was fun. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:44 
What did you do? 
 
Anna Cox  38:42 
Sang songs, you know, [?honored Christian soldiers?] and all that. And I'm happy [inaudible]. 
Women were afraid and they thought [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:45 
Why? 
Page 22 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  38:46 
Well, we [inaudible] dry and they'd go right down where the saloons were. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:48 
[?Do you know where that was?]? 
 
Anna Cox  38:50 
[?Oh, on 1st?] [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:52 
How many marches did you participate in? 
 
Anna Cox  38:59 
Two. 
 
Bonita Corliss  38:59 
How old were you? 
 
Anna Cox  39:01 
That I can't remember, but I must have been at least six years old or younger. 
 
Bonita Corliss  39:13 
So, did you have alcohol in your house when you were growing up? 
 
Anna Cox  39:38 
No. [Inaudible] [?friends to the house?]. Mom had the [?whiskey?] [inaudible], so crap, they did 
have it at one time. I don't know. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  39:46 
Do you remember when women got the vote in 1920? 
 
Anna Cox  39:49 
I should, but I can't remember.  
 
Bonita Corliss  39:52 
Do you remember the first time you voted? 
 
Anna Cox  39:53 
Yes, I think I was [?30 years old?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  39:59 
What election was it, do you remember? 
 
Anna Cox  40:22 
[Inaudible] I think it was for President Roosevelt. 
Page 23 of 25 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:25 
That was the first time you voted? 
 
Anna Cox  40:26 
The first time I ever voted. My husband [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:28 
How come? 
 
Anna Cox  40:28 
Well, I just wasn't interested in politics. 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:31 
Why would you [inaudible] vote? 
 
Anna Cox  40:32 
Well [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:32 
What? 
 
Anna Cox  40:32 
[Inaudible]. That was the first time I was ever registered to vote. 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:36 
How did you make your decision about who to vote for? 
 
Anna Cox  40:40 
Well, because that was who my husband was voting for, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  40:42 
Did that change after your husband died? Did you continue to vote? 
 
Anna Cox  40:53 
Yes, now I go down the list and pick the [inaudible] [?party?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  41:05 
What do you think about women getting involved in politics? 
 
Anna Cox  41:40 
Well [inaudible], that's okay for those women that like it. But I don't like [?politics?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  41:43 
Why not? 
 
Page 24 of 25 
 
Anna Cox  41:17 
That's the hangover I get from [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  41:17 
Why do you think that is? 
 
Anna Cox  41:17 
I don't know. My daughter thinks I'm a [inaudible], my attitude. 
 
Bonita Corliss  41:42 
Well, what, what do you mean by a hangover from when you were a kid?  
 
Anna Cox  42:19 
Well, men were supreme, you know? I mean, they were the head of the house, they were a part 
of the, every, every priority that you had. I mean, that's the person [?delegating?], and I don't 
want to [inaudible] hungover. And then having a husband who wouldn't let me go to work, be 
afraid to [inaudible]. He didn't care what I did, but I just [?couldn't work?].  
 
Bonita Corliss  42:44 
What made him decide that you were going to vote? 
 
Anna Cox  42:18 
Because he wanted Roosevelt in. [Inaudible], so he insisted that I register and vote. 
 
Bonita Corliss  42:48 
What-- You, you were alive during the first World War. 
 
Anna Cox  42:52 
Yeah, I was. 
 
Bonita Corliss  42:53 
And [inaudible] pressure, do you remember anything about what it was like during this time? 
 
Anna Cox  42:49 
Yes, in the first war, I hardly knew I had a father. He worked in the shipyards and [inaudible] 
just coming and going [inaudible]. He didn't have any close relatives in it, because the boys in 
the family were, [?must have been too old?]. [Inaudible] [?church?] to sell poppies. 
 
Bonita Corliss  43:45 
Sell poppies for? 
 
Anna Cox  43:15 
In remembrance of the first World War veterans, [inaudible] poppies. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  43:43 
What kinds of things do you remember about the depression era? 
Page 25 of 25 
 
 
Anna Cox  44:31 
Well, I was married right during the depression. And Earl was making 25 dollars a week, so we 
really didn't have an effect, on myself, but it was sad. We used to help my mother and father out 
[inaudible]. And then I remember Trudy asking, "Are we going to have pancakes again?" 
[Inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  44:44 
Did things really change for your family after the depression was over? 
 
Anna Cox  44:36 
No, we lived very frugally, we'd get into the habit of it. The depression didn't bother me. 
[Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  44:53 
Do you remember any of Roosevelt's programs? 
 
Anna Cox  45:18 
Oh, the WPA [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  45:19 
What was the WPA? 
 
Anna Cox  45:20 
Works Progress Administration, [inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  45:24 
Did you know anyone that was involved with it? 
 
Anna Cox  45:26 
No. But it did take a, help a lot of people. 
 
Bonita Corliss  45:25 
Do you remember what it was like when the second World War started, and when [?we got 
involved in that?], what were you doing? 
 
Anna Cox  45:57 
Nothing, just being a housewife. 
 
Bonita Corliss  46:04 
Was anyone that you were close to involved in the second World War? 
 
Anna Cox  45:34 
No, my daughter's friends, [inaudible], got involved. [Inaudible]. Plus my husband was 
[inaudible]. No, we were sent down to San Francisco [inaudible]. We lived in a hotel about a 
month, we couldn't find a [?house?] and finally, there was [inaudible]-- [Tape ends]. 