When I graduated from Savannah High School in the 1940s at the age of 17, I decided to get a teacher’s degree from St. Joseph Junior College. As I lived on a farm, I didn’t have transportation. So with a lot of anxiety I got a room at the YWCA and moved in with Venita (Willeman) Lieffring. I couldn’t have had a better roommate and we became great friends. She worked at Western Tablet. We still keep in touch today; she lives in Prairie Village, Kan.

The whole top floor was full of young ladies, I think perhaps 40. Our rooms were very small, one window and of course no air conditioning. We did have the necessary furniture with beds, dresser, desk and chair, and a closet. The bathrooms were down the hall. This was quite wonderful to me, coming from a home with an outhouse and no running water. I’m sure I took many long baths!

There was a large kitchen in the basement where each room had a small area where we could put our cooking supplies. Also, we had a walk-in refrigerator where we each had a small wire section. Venita and I cooked many meals together. In other words, if we wanted to eat, we had to cook it.

Most of the girls were employed; only two of us were attending school. There was much visiting in each other’s rooms, and with my being in school it was sometimes hard for me to study. But I loved the Y. I swam in the basement pool and went roller skating weekly with friends. To save money, we walked to the rink, which at that time was where the Village Steakhouse on Frederick Avenue is today. It was a long walk but we didn’t mind; we were used to walking everywhere.

We did have a curfew, and if we missed it we had to ring the bell for the janitor to let us in. We needed a really good excuse if we missed curfew. I met my future husband at junior college. I stayed at the Y for more than two years, in the same room with Venita all this time, and started my first year of teaching. I moved out when I was married in November 1949.

I have a lot of fond memories of the Y. It was my first experience of living away from home. Without the Y, I probably would not have been able to leave home when I did.

Carol (Bowland) Jackson

St. Joseph