Identifier,913023
Interviewee,Mary Susan Davis
Date,11/8/2013
Interviewer,Terre Maher
Abstract,"Oxford native and current Judson resident, Mary Susan Davis, discusses how she had to balance raising a family and advancing her career. She talks about how difficult it was to raise her son while being a single mother. She spends a good deal of time describing the timult surrounding the Hough Riots, and she relates a touching story about a little girl whose house was turned into a outpost. She also talks about her job and the various studies she was a part of over the course of her career. Finally, she concludes by talking about her daughter and the joys of aging."
Tags,"University Hospitals, Chardon, East Cleveland, JFK Assassination, Charity Hosptial, New Orleans, LSU, chauvanism, feminism, Oxford Ohio, National Guard, Hough Riots, integration, Shaker Heights, Lee Road School, Akron Child Guidence, City Club, Russia, Alan Davis, Volgograd Initiative, Hough Cakes, Electric Company, Anti-Vietnam, PFLAG,"
Special Notes,
0,"Introduction, spells name,  born in 1932 in Greenville Ohio"
1,Job brought her to Cleveland working for University Hospitals; interested in living in the area because she had family here
2,Oldest sister lived in Parma (then mentor) and her middle sister lived on an estate in Chardon; she moved to East Cleveladn Nov 1963 right after JFK assassination
3,She was working at Charity Hospital in New Orleans when she found out JFK was killed; when she moved she lived in a carrage house in East Cleveland she did not think the area was too bad
4,Not integrated but the schools were
5,Knew her landlord; knew the head of the PTA; Davis was working but kids had to go home for lunch so her kid went to a restaurant before he went to the head of the PTA's house
6,She was a single mom; master's from LSU did coursework for her PhD but never got it-thinks there was chauvanism involved
7,Describes her work history begining in New Orleans-had an NIH Study
8,Describes the NIH longitudinal study to find the origins of cerebral palsy; at University Hospital she had more scope and was allowed to do more interpretive studies
9,started at UH in 1963; by Jr High her son was in the distinct minority
10,relates a story about her son and a bodyguard friend; Also talks about a gun she had stolen
11,"From Oxford, Ohio where she liked to target shoot with rifles"
12,She used to go mushroom hunting with her father in Oxford; she repeats that she sent her son to a restaurant for lunch was she was at work then the head of the PTA's house
13,Describes what happened with the PTA woman's son and husband; Davis describes her experience as a single woman and how men used to make comments at restaurants
14,Made rules for herself and her family her son had to be involved
15,"Remarried a dentist, Mac, in 1970; people said to stay away from Euclid and Mayfield"
16,National Guardsman or other solders patrolling down there
17,Had to take care of young kids during the Hough Riots-she tells a story of a four year old who was asking questions about why they had to tear down her mother's curtains
18,"Another story about a woman who came in because she was battered, but she managed to kill the man with sissors in self-defense"
19,Social Groups tried to make an effort to integrate by having dinners at houses
20,The host was black and there was a mutual desire to have these events; in New Orleans she says that she got to know African Americans more regularly
21,In Charity a doctor passed a black worker who had fallen and passed out and did not help him because he was black
22,"Story of telling her cleaning lady, who lived in hough, to stay at her house while she was away; her father sold real estate"
23,Got her tolerance from her parents; moved to Van Akin in Shaker Heights
24,"Moved after she remarried; her husband brought 2 kids, she brought one, and then they had one together"
25,"Son wen to Lee Road school, which was integrated eventually became a community center"
26,Moved into an apartment couldn't put up for sale signs and the building was not integrated
27,Worked as a social worker and a psychologist tells about 2 people who were residents of judson but were also world class doctors
28,
29,Thinks her pay was lower then men's; thought at the med school - infant development
30,After she remarried she worked a day a week then worked for Akron Child Guidence part time
31,Describes her job there
32,Did community work as well; describes what people assessed kids for went from bitten fingernails to sexual assault
33,Thinks the break up of marriages is to blame; large amount of child molestations
34,continues to talk about child molestation; cusp of feminist movement
35,Mother and both of her sisters worked; although all of her dates would pay- things like bicycling and tennis at forest hills park
36,Dates would also include going out for dinner or cooking at her house in order to include her son
37,They then moved to a house in Shaker heights and they bought it from a realtor named Renee Scheckter; Davis's husband was county co-chair for McGovern in 1970s
38,Would often get togeher with cousins and her sisters especially the one in chardon
39,Husband was close with Alan Davis of the City Club he went to Russia with him
40,Very involved with Volgograd initiative-tried to make it a sister city partnership
41,She learned a great deal about russian culture started at her chrch the universalist church in Shaker Heights
42,People aren't very different from each other; describes her russian visitor
43,Continuest to talk about the Russian visitor there for the Volgograd intiative 
44,Reasons why he came; showed him Hough and there are some interesting comparisions to Russian cities
45,Talks about Hough Cakes-best in cleveland; bought a century house in Shaker Heights; loved the house but it was put together room by room over the years
46,Dining room used for Quadrilles; insulation was made of old newspapers
47,Volunteered for the library-delivered to shut ins
48,Daughter learned how to read from the Electric Company on tv as a kindergartener - high level
49,she then bought a home on Put-in-bay island; the fourth grade for her daughter is when black and white kids were being segregated-for example the black families wouldn't let their kids go up to put-in-bay for long weekends
50,When her daughter was in college she came out as a lesbian; so Davis became involved in Gay Rights
51,Involved in Anti-Vietnam movements; PFLAG involvement which meets in trinity cathedral
52,Upset that so may states can fire someone for being gay; Daughter got married in California last weekend
53,Talks about the day of the dead which was the theme of the wedding
54,Discusses her mother in law
55,She has 9 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren
56,People are nicer to you as you age
57,she can sleep late; how much loss is no good
58,Complains
59,surprsed at how much energy loss but its not all that bad
60,Thanks and End of Interview