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Washington Women’s Heritage Project records, 1900-2000 
University of Washington Libraries Special Collections 
Anna Frye Cox 
December 16, 1980 
Cassette 2, Side 1 
 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:02 
So this gentleman, in San Francisco? 
 
Anna Cox  00:04 
His little girl was so afraid of green grass that she'd never gone barefoot or even seen grass 
before. And so he said that he wasn't [inaudible] [?child at home?], take her back to Sandy City 
where she could see grass every once in a while. And so that was the only way we got 
[inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:22 
That was during the war? 
 
Anna Cox  00:23 
That was during the war, uh-huh. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:26 
What was it like living in San Francisco during the war [inaudible]? 
 
Anna Cox  00:38 
Oh, it was thrilling, really thrilling. 
 
Bonita Corliss  00:41 
How come? 
 
Anna Cox  00:38 
Well, [?there was a lot of activity going on?]. [Inaudible] hospital [inaudible], we were right on 
the route that the ambulance would go. And this one day, in particular, the mercy ships were 
coming in and for about six hours that day, there was just nothing but ambulance [inaudible] to 
the hospital from this ship [inaudible]. My husband was working on that boat, he [inaudible]. 
And there was the other boats coming in there [inaudible] Japanese suicide planes, would dive 
right into the boats with people in them. [Inaudible]. Then there was the [inaudible], we would 
visit the men. 
 
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Bonita Corliss  01:27 
In hospitals? 
 
Anna Cox  01:27 
Uh-huh, [inaudible].  
 
Bonita Corliss  01:28 
Is that volunteering that you did? 
 
Anna Cox  02:06 
Well, well, I wasn't with anybody, I was just, wasn't affiliated with anybody, I just [inaudible]. 
So we would go to that hospital and visit with them [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  02:18 
What kinds of experiences did you hear about? 
 
Anna Cox  02:20 
Oh, funny ones and tragic ones. They'd start crying and, it was just, it was just sad, all of it. 
 
Bonita Corliss  02:27 
How long did you do that? 
 
Anna Cox  02:23 
Oh, about three months. And I just [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  02:31 
So, what other kinds of things did you do while you lived in San Francisco?  
 
Anna Cox  02:58 
Oh, I'd gotten a job down there. My husband didn't seem to object to that. And I worked at a little 
cafe right around the corner, a little, sort of a malted milk shop. And I worked [inaudible]. And I 
thought [?I would be on?] days and instead of that, he put the young girl on days and he put me 
on nights. [Inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:12 
How long did you live in San Francisco? 
 
Anna Cox  03:15 
Nine months. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:16 
And then you came back to Seattle? 
 
Anna Cox  03:18 
Portland. 
 
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Bonita Corliss  03:43 
Portland? 
 
Anna Cox  03:18 
Yeah, we kept our apartment in Portland. [Inaudible] here, [?we would've found a place?]. 
Because we knew it was a, not a permanent thing. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:43 
Temporary? 
 
Anna Cox  03:43 
Uh-huh. But I liked it when we were in San Francisco. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:38 
What was it like after the war ended? Did you [inaudible] change [inaudible]? Other than your 
move back to Portland. 
 
Anna Cox  03:54 
Oh, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:54 
Your husband continued to work? 
 
Anna Cox  03:56 
Mm-hmm. [?Life just resumed the same way?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  03:59 
Were products more available that hadn't been available during the war? 
 
Anna Cox  04:26 
Well, I was thinking about that the other day. They said there was going to be a lot more new 
things, you know? And I can't [inaudible] that was better, but I don't know, [inaudible]. TVs 
came out [?to the coast?], I know that. But that was about the only new thing that I [?remember?] 
was the TV. 
 
Bonita Corliss  04:38 
When was that? 
 
Anna Cox  04:24 
Oh, dear. I don't know when it was. I know they had them back in the Midwest, and they had 
them down in Los Angeles, we didn't have TVs up here-- I couldn't tell you about the date. [?But 
they were fresh on my mind, I remember?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  04:47 
What kind, did you watch lots of television when you first got it? 
 
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Anna Cox  04:57 
I watched wrestling most.  
 
Bonita Corliss  04:57 
Oh yeah? 
 
Anna Cox  04:57 
[She laughs], yeah. I was always quite a wrestling fan. Watched it all [inaudible], because I don't 
believe soap operas were in like they are now. I don't know, I never watched much TV anyway. 
 
Bonita Corliss  04:57 
Did you have any favorite programs other than wrestling? 
 
Anna Cox  05:10 
As the World Turns came on I believe. And I remember there was something that night would go 
into day, the moon would come out or something and that was some show [inaudible], I would 
watch that once in a while. But I never made a [inaudible] of watching it [inaudible]. So I guess I 
just watched [inaudible]. I was better at washing my curtains anyway. 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:23 
Lots of housework? 
 
Anna Cox  05:26 
Yeah, I love to do housework. 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:33 
What kinds of things do you like about doing housework? 
 
Anna Cox  05:44 
Everything, everything. I don't like to get [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  05:53 
What's your favorite thing to do? 
 
Anna Cox  06:01 
Well, [inaudible], but anyway, I don't like to do housework that [inaudible]. The grocery man 
always says, "I just love to pass your house when it's possible, your curtains are always so nice 
and white." And after our daughter got married, we sold our house and [?moved to a little 
apartment?]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  06:45 
Do you have any other memories about your mother's life, other than raising children? Did she 
ever work? 
 
Anna Cox  04:57 
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No, [inaudible]. And then we were the only ones who had a phone in the neighborhood. With 
that phone, the doctor would, [?they'd come up for?] Mrs. Fryes, [?they'd call her the 
receptionist, she'd call the doctor, and he'd tell her to go down, what to do?] [inaudible], and that 
was the only way that some of the people [?got word from the doctor?]. And there was one 
family that, they had two daughters [inaudible] with men. And they, men would call at nine 
o'clock at night and wanted to talk to [inaudible]. Mom answered the phone, she'd [inaudible] 
down through the block, over to their house and [?pick them up to talk to them?]. And there was 
one time my dad answered the phone, [inaudible], he said, "I'm sorry, the night messenger's out." 
My mother was so mad about it. She was so obliging, she'd just do anything. [?She's just run all 
the way down?]. [Inaudible] childhood. It was a good one, not very eventful one, but it was a 
good one. I guess it was normal for the time, [inaudible]. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:45 
Well, it sounds to me like you've had a pretty eventful life in some ways. 
 
Anna Cox  08:26 
I haven't done anything spectacular, but it's been all fun what I have done. I've got some 
enjoyment out of it. 
 
Bonita Corliss  07:45 
That's really nice. Well, I think that should be the end of this [?thing?]. 
 
Anna Cox  07:45 
Yeah. 
 
Bonita Corliss  08:40 
Thanks so much. 
 
Anna Cox  08:40 
Oh, thank you, I've just enjoyed talking to you.  
 
Bonita Corliss  08:41 
Okay, this is the end of the interview with Mrs. Anna Cox, done December 16, 1980, in Seattle, 
Washington, by Bonita Corliss. 