Carol Mayer

Author

Julie M. Luker, Concordia University, St. PaulFollow

Files

Interviewee

Carol Mayer

Interviewer

Cole Steinberg

Transcriber

Charlene Botones

Generation

Baby Boom Generation (1946-1964)

Neighborhood

Como Park

Document Type

Oral History

Date of Interview

8-1-2022

Keywords

Como Park, Saint Paul, 1950

Disciplines

Oral History | Psychology

Abstract

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Carol Mayer is a Caucasian female born on March 18, 1950. She lived with her parents and two older sisters in Como Park. Mayer’s father was a jeweler. Her mother was a housewife who later worked in retail. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mayer shares memories of her extended and immediate family. Mayer goes on to describe her family's religious practices growing up, fondly recalling Easter and Christmas, and appreciating the beauty of the church decorations. She discusses her current relationship with religion, expressing her reservations about organized religion but maintaining her faith in a higher power. Mayer shares some traumatic experiences involving the suicide of a neighbor and the death of a friend having a lasting impact. Mayer describes leisure time and playing with neighborhood kids, hosting square dancing, and enjoying car rides around Lake Salem. She talks about taking vacations to places like Deer Pass Resort on the Whitefish chain of lakes, and the memories of pine tree-lined roads. Mayer reminisces about their experiences in elementary and junior high school, including walking or biking to school, participating in winter carnivals, and feeling compared to their academically successful sisters. They also mention their involvement in activities like marching in parades, being in the band and theater. Lastly, Mayer reflects on various local and global issues that impacted her neighborhood while she was growing up. These issues include the Cold War, sonic booms, the Korean War, communism, the UNIVAC computer, the Rosenberg case, Queen Elizabeth's coronation, segregation, Castro and Cuba, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Walmart's origins, JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King Jr., women's liberation, the Beatles, Malcolm X, the Vietnam War, and local events such as mayors, school trips, and a notable murder case.

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Concordia University Library or Julie Luker, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, St. Paul.

Recommended Citation

Luker, Julie M., "Carol Mayer" (2022). Saint Paul and Surrounding Area. 45.
https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/tc-ohp_interviews_stp/45