Jeanette Simon
Jeanette Simon graduated from Wellesley during the Great Depression with a degree in French literature and economics. She became a social worker, businesswoman, and realtor, and also volunteered for many organizations, such as the National Council of Jewish Women, for which she served two terms as vice president. Simon vividly describes her memories from childhood, such as sleep-away camp, Armistice Day parades, reading L. M. Alcott novels while sick in bed, performing Isadora Duncan-style interpretive dances, watching silent films in theatres, and getting her first washing machine and electric light bulbs. She remained equally active later in life, learning to navigate sailboats on the ocean and paint landscapes. She also participated in a remunerative women’s investment club for more than thirty years and describes its workings in detail.
Jeannette Simon describes her schooling and higher education during the Great Depression and how the stock market crash impacted her life and family. She attended Wellesley College and describes studying finance and economics during the run on banks in 1933. Jeannette talks about growing up in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and recalls her childhood home life, peers, pastimes, and the neighborhood. She vividly shares her memories from childhood, such as sleep-away camp, Armistice Day parades, reading L. M. Alcott novels while sick in bed, performing Isadora Duncan-style interpretive dances, watching silent films in theatres, and getting her first washing machine and electric light bulbs. Jeannette remained equally active later in life, learning to navigate sailboats on the ocean and paint landscapes. She also participated in a remunerative women's investment club for over thirty years and details its operation. Jeannette discusses her feelings about Judaism and Israel and reflects on her experience as a member of Temple Israel in Brookline, Massachusetts. She identified with the Reform movement of Judaism, though she grew up in a more conservative synagogue.
