Transcribed Interview with: Gloria Smith Scricco

By: Sandra Kelly

4/22/02 at the Worcester Senior Center

Ok, what’s your name?

My name is Gloria Smith Scricco.

How do you spell that?

That’s S-C-R-I-C-C-O.

Ok, and you lived here during World War II?

Yup.

Where’d you live?

On, uh…the west side of the city on South Flag Street and Hollywood Street, at that time…

Ok…

…does that matter?

No, no.

I was newly married during World War II, and my husband went overseas, in…uh, Italy.

Uh-huh.

And while he was gone, I had a baby, while he was gone. And when he came back, two years later, she was a year old, when he arrived back home. That was the first time he ever saw her.

Aww…

So, uh, ya’ know, and he went back to work, and we continued with our lives.

Did he come back when the war ended?

He came back when the war ended.

Yeah.

…World War II ended. And he served….all through Italy…and, I don’t really remember if he went to any other countries or not, but he was over there for two years.

Yeah…was it hard for you?

Well, I was living…I was living with my mother-in law at the time, and she was, of course, helping me with the baby. I never worked…

Ok.

And, uh, when he came back, ya’ know, we bought a house and we started our family.

Yeah?

And then we had, uh, three more children, and, uh, we went on, and were successful, and he died when my youngest daughter was six years old.

Really?

So, that’s what happened all during that time. And we had the, ya’ know, the food rationing, the rationing of the gasoline. But we didn’t have a car anyway, so that didn’t matter to us because, ya’ know, we were just living on, uh, the income that he got from the service.

Oh yeah. But the rationing wasn’t that bad?

It wasn’t really all that bad. The reason being, I was the only one. It wasn’t like I was supporting a whole family.

Right.

Because I was a newlywed, ya’ know, I was only in my twenties. It wasn’t really a hardship and I didn’t have a car…

Right.

…so there was no gas rationing for me.

Yeah.

So that, uh, and I didn’t work, I just stayed home and took care of my baby, and, uh, visited with my relatives and friends.

Yeah. And was the public transportation system good during that time…like buses and…

(she nods)

Yeah?

That was all we used. And, uh, because everybody that was around our age was gone and they were in the service. There was really nobody that was driving around…they were all gone.

Yeah.

So that, uh, but I didn’t consider it such a hardship really, when I think about it now.

Yeah?

Because we corresponded by E mail, they used to have those little E mail letters…

Ok…

And, uh, when I went in to the hospital to deliver my baby, he was wounded in action over in Italy.

Oh, ok.

And he was in the hospital when I was in the hospital. And we didn’t get the notification until after I came home from the hospital, and I thought it was a notification that he had been killed in action, but it was a notification that he hadn’t gotten the, from the Red Cross, that he hadn’t gotten the, uh, telegram that the baby was born.

Oh, that must have been a relief.

Yeah. They were trying to locate him to tell him that the baby was born, and they couldn’t find him because he was in a field hospital someplace.

Oh, no.

So, then they notified me that he was in a field hospital, and the whole thing kinda’ got straightened out after awhile…but it was confusing.

Yeah.

Because he didn’t know…

Right.

And, uh, so, it, now that I think bad on it, I don’t think it was a terrible hardship for me.

Yeah.

And, uh, because, this is what, I got $25 a month from the service.

And that went straight to you?

Yeah, I got a check for $25 a month. And that was my monthly income.

Yeah.

From the government, and I think he got, I don’t remember how much he got…he probably got $50, he had to share, what did they call it then? Do you know?

Ummm…

It was, uh…their allowance, or whatever it was. He got, I think he got 75.

Ok

And I got 25 of the 75. So he got 50 and I got 25

Wow, that’s pretty good.

That’s what we lived on.

I guess it’s a different time (laugh)…$75 a month.

I guess…(laugh)…I guess. And ya’ know, when I think about it now, I don’t even know what I did with the 25.

Wow.

So…

What…how’d you feel when you heard about Pearl Harbor? Do you remember when you first heard about it?

Yes, I do remember when I heard about it, but uh, of course, I was amazed like everybody else.

Yeah.

But, uh, I don’t know, I can’t think about that now. I don’t really remember how it was.

But it was a shock?

Oh yes, it was a shock. Definitely was. And then all the boys started to go, ya’ know, in the service and everybody was gone.

Right.

So, uh, it was not a good time, but we all survived it…most of us.

Did you like FDR as president?

Yes I did. I liked him very much.

Better than Truman, or did you like Truman too?

I liked Truman, I liked Truman. I thought Truman was a fair man.

Yeah?

I wasn’t terribly political, but I liked FDR because of the way he spoke and, uh, ya’ know, he had those…I liked her too.

You liked Eleanor?

Yeah. I liked his wife too. I thought she was a wonderful woman. So, and, uh, I liked Truman because he was so laid back, ya’ know, he was…what, uh…I can’t think of who else I really was…I was…when you’re at home taking care of kids you’re not thinking about politics.

Yeah.

I never was.

Right.

Ya’ know, when it was time to vote, I voted. But I wasn’t too…I was too busy.

What about all the propaganda? The government tried to get everyone rallied around them to support them, right?

I was never involved in any of that, no.

No?

I was just a mother and a homemaker.

Yeah.

So, I was not ever politically involved in anything.

Yeah. What’d you think about the atom bomb when they dropped that?

Well, the only thing about the atom bomb was that it ended the war…

Yeah…

That was the good part.

Um-hm.

I never really…ya’ know, I felt badly for the people, but the fact that it ended the war was fine with me.

Right.

I was happy about that, because then everybody was able to come home and start living a normal life again.

Were you surprised that they had something like that?

Was I surprised that they had the atom bomb?

Yeah.

Yeah, I guess that I must’ve been.

What else…um, so most of your friends were overseas?
Oh, all of our friends were overseas.

Even the women?

No, I didn’t have any women friends that went in the service, but, uh, all of the couples that were of our age that we used to socialize with, all the men went overseas.

Yeah.

They were all gone…it was mostly women. And mostly women with babies, cause we all had babies. I was probably, I don’t know maybe 22, 23.

Really?

And I had my first child, and, uh, that takes up a lot of your time.

Definitely

SO, I was not, ya’ know, I was not socializing too much.

Uh-huh.

I was just staying home, taking care of my kid. So, that’s really as much as I can tell you. I can’t tell you anything else.

Well, how about before you had your child, what did you…where did you go socialize around Worcester?

We used to go to the Bancroft Hotel: dining and dancing.

Yeah.

My husband was a horse enthusiast, we used to go to horse shows.

Oh yeah?

And, uh…of course we used to go to the movies. Ya’ know, there wasn’t all that much really...

Uh-huh…

…socially to do. So..

But you liked Worcester enough to stay here?

Oh yeah. Well, I was born here and I stayed here. The other thing that I did, that was very important, and I don’t know if you know that, the Auditorium? Do you know where the Worcester Memorial Auditorium is?

I think so.

In there, that building was dedicated to the Veterans of WWI, not WWII. That was why the building was built…dedicated to the Veterans of WWI. And in that building there is a mural on the wall, up in the Memorial Chamber of the building, and I think probably somebody from your school should go look at it.

Yeah?

Because it’s bigger than this whole wall.

Really?

And it’s beautiful. And I was a model in the Memorial Chamber Mural.

Really?

Yes.

So you’re in there?

I’m in there for posterity…two or three times in the mural.

Oh wow.

It was a very famous artist who did the mural. Who came from, I think Paris. And his name was Leon Kraul. And he painted that mural, and it took him two years to do it.

When did he finish it?

He finished it in about…uh, let’s see it was…well I was still in high school, so it was probably ’39 or ’40…1940 it was finished.

Yeah?

And dedicated.

So right before we entered the war?

(she nods) It’s a very beautiful thing. And unfortunately, it’s…the room isn’t open now, because they’re supposed to be refurbishing the Auditorium, and it hasn’t been done yet. And it’s been a long time doing it.

Right.

So that, if you want to see the mural, you have to call and someone has to open the door for you to go in and look at it.

Oh really? Ok

So, I’ve been working, trying to get the city to do something about it, so that the schools can go in to see the mural because it’s so beautiful. And…nothing has happened yet.

Really?

So, it’s for WWI. And it shows the city of Worcester during WWI and what the panorama was of the city…

Yeah…

…and the people that lived here.

Yeah…

You’ll have to go and look at it.

I will. One more question…did you know anything about the USO involvement in Worcester?

(she shakes her head)

No? Ok. Well I think they were located in Union Station, but..

No…I was too busy just raising my baby to do any of that, ya’ know?

Yeah. Alright. And before you had your baby, did you ever go to White City?

Oh yes. I used to go to White City all the time.

Yeah.

We used to go roller skating at White City, they had a skating rink down there.

Oh really?

Yup.

And they had a dance hall too right?

Yup.

Ok. Alright, thank you very much.

Ok, give me your name so that I’ll know who you are.

Sure…