Bette Johns
Keywords: Great Depression, WWII, US Marines, St. Louis, Cranberry Lake.
Interviewed by Kayt Gochenaur on 07/19/2018 as part of the Oral History Project at Will Rogers.
Bette Johns was born in 1921 and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Even as a child she knew that she didn’t want to go to the private schools her peers and her parents expected her to attend. She convinced her parents to let her go to the public elementary, middle and high school. She excelled in school and loved ice skating, and riding horses. When she entered her teen years, Bette and two of her friends started smoking in secret; it was a small act of rebellion, for the otherwise well behaved children. Bette went to Stephens College for Women in Missouri. She knew she wanted to attend a women’s college, and she had a horse near Stephens College, so she was able to ride often. Bette was greatly influenced by her mother who was a social worker. During the Great Depression Bette’s mother worked hard to get clothing and shoes for those affected. When Bette went to college she majored in Social Work. But during her time their WWII broke out. She wanted to drop out to join the war effort but was told she had to finish her degree first. She did and then she joined the Marines. She spent much of her time in the service stationed at Cherry Point, NC where it was her job to arrange shows for the base. Although she was adept at putting on the shows, she suffered from terrible stage fright. At the base Bette realized she wanted to be a pilot. At the time, Marines didn’t train women to be pilots so Bette pursued this goal after leaving the service. When she did attend flight school she was the only woman. She said it was terrible, because the men would do their best to frighten her into dropping out, sometimes by tampering with the plane. When she was thirty, Bette married Donald Johns, who she met while working for Johns Manville. Together they adopted two children, three years apart. Donald passed away while the kids were still young and Bette had to raise them on her own. As a child, Bette had visited Cranberry Lake every summer, and she kept up this tradition with her children. Bette has lived in the area for maybe 20 years (some of that at Cranberry Lake). She loves living at Will Rogers, and is an avid reader.
Interview audio may be edited or redacted for clarity and/or privacy. Audio is part of the Oral History Collection at Historic Saranac Lake.
Interviewed by Kayt Gochenaur on 07/19/2018 as part of the Oral History Project at Will Rogers.
Bette Johns was born in 1921 and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Even as a child she knew that she didn’t want to go to the private schools her peers and her parents expected her to attend. She convinced her parents to let her go to the public elementary, middle and high school. She excelled in school and loved ice skating, and riding horses. When she entered her teen years, Bette and two of her friends started smoking in secret; it was a small act of rebellion, for the otherwise well behaved children. Bette went to Stephens College for Women in Missouri. She knew she wanted to attend a women’s college, and she had a horse near Stephens College, so she was able to ride often. Bette was greatly influenced by her mother who was a social worker. During the Great Depression Bette’s mother worked hard to get clothing and shoes for those affected. When Bette went to college she majored in Social Work. But during her time their WWII broke out. She wanted to drop out to join the war effort but was told she had to finish her degree first. She did and then she joined the Marines. She spent much of her time in the service stationed at Cherry Point, NC where it was her job to arrange shows for the base. Although she was adept at putting on the shows, she suffered from terrible stage fright. At the base Bette realized she wanted to be a pilot. At the time, Marines didn’t train women to be pilots so Bette pursued this goal after leaving the service. When she did attend flight school she was the only woman. She said it was terrible, because the men would do their best to frighten her into dropping out, sometimes by tampering with the plane. When she was thirty, Bette married Donald Johns, who she met while working for Johns Manville. Together they adopted two children, three years apart. Donald passed away while the kids were still young and Bette had to raise them on her own. As a child, Bette had visited Cranberry Lake every summer, and she kept up this tradition with her children. Bette has lived in the area for maybe 20 years (some of that at Cranberry Lake). She loves living at Will Rogers, and is an avid reader.
Interview audio may be edited or redacted for clarity and/or privacy. Audio is part of the Oral History Collection at Historic Saranac Lake.