Kate's Blog: Every Story has a Beginning
Written by Kate Mitchell
Before I was even born, long before my Coast Guard career, or my first little shop in Ketchikan, or the school bus in Homer…
1942
My dad was hurt badly in a car accident; there was no way of knowing how long he would be laid up. Mom became the breadwinner. It was wartime and industry was grudgingly hiring WOMEN to replace men being drafted into the war. My mother, Ruby, was looking for a job that paid enough to take care of herself and three kids. She applied for an Upholsterer’s Apprentice job. Yes, she could sew, and this job paid much more than the sewing positions women usually had.
The boss said, “Lady, if you can get that couch up on the sawhorses by yourself, I’ll give you a try.”
Stand by - a desperate woman can do anything! A couch was no match for Ruby.
Eighteen short months later, he recommended her for the Journeyman card in the Upholsterers’ Union. She was that good. During her Journeyman test, ten guys came out from the union hall and stood around all day, criticizing her profusely… but, in the end, they awarded her the card. My mother was the first woman in Washington State to get her Journeyman card in the Upholsterers’ Union. From that exposure to the business world, she learned a lot.
To me, she passed skills, work ethic and a saying: “You can do anything you set your mind to - you just have to outlast the SOB’s trying to stop you!”
Kate with her mother's tools.
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