Shirley Lucille Hardin, Lou For Short

963 Words2 Pages

II. LOU Her full name was Shirley Lucille Hardin, Lou for short. She was the daughter of Herbert Sidney Hardin and Shirley Lucille Jackson. Lou was born in 1919 in San Francisco, California. Lou’s childhood was very unstable due to the mother being only nineteen when she had Lou. Her mother, Shirley was known as a 1920s flapper girl, which at the time was similar to an exotic dancer. Flappers bobbed their hair, smoked, drank, and treated sex very casual. Herbert disappeared shortly after the birth of Lou and he mother gave her to her mother, Shirley Lucille Jackson, to look after her and raise her. Early reports of Lou’s first marriage with Cleon Morgan Cox II, or Red, said that Lou was a horrible mother, to her two son Cleon and George. Shortly after Lou’s divorce with Red is around the same time that she met Howard’s dad, Rodney. Within the next year, 1955, Rodney prosed to Lou and they all moved in together under one house. With Lou’s previous marriage, she was more financially stable than the Dully family which seems to bother Rodney. “A woman should not be the bread winner in the family.” Rodney soon took up multiple jobs in order to become more financially stable to support his family better. Beside from teaching at an elementary school, he worked as a motion picture processor at Eastman Kodak, a check at Whitecliff Market, and lastly as a crossing guard for the same elementary school that he teaches at. He also enlisted into the national guard and took military classes on weekends Rodney’s attitude and relationship with his children began to spiral downward. Rodney was never home and when he was home he didn’t want to be bother. If the children woke him up they would get punished for it. Lou also ran a tight ship and kept t... ... middle of paper ... ... very well. ON several account both brothers were caught fighting each other at school over petty drama. Howard also began to steal items from local convenience stores and he was caught a majority of the time. One of the deals he made with the cops and his parents was he was given a paper route and was to deliver the San Francisco Examiner, until he paid all of the money back he stole from the newspaper stand. Around 1958, Lou was determined to find out Howard’s problem. She started classes at Foothill College in Mountain View, where she became a medical assistant. Lou’s personal diagnose of Howard was that something was wrong with his brain. Lou took Howard to many psychiatrists that fall and all of them said that Howard’s behavior was normal. One psychiatrists told Lou that she could benefit from some medical treatment. Lou was later referred to Dr. Walter Freeman.

Show More
Related

  • Wait Till Next Year Sparknotes

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Doris Goodwin’s mother and father were a very important part of her life growing up her sisters were just as important. She talks about how while Charlotte, her oldest sister was not around as much as her other older sister, Jeanne she was still very important to her. She goes into detail about a shopping trip that was taken with the oldest and youngest siblings and how after the shopping trip to Sa...

    Read More

  • Book Report On The Other Wes Moore

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The path of Wes, the felon, was a life filled with drugs, anger, and reckless choices. His mother and brother were the major

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Lost Children of Wilder by Nina Bernstein

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Lost Children of Wilder” is a book about how the foster care system failed to give children of color the facilities that would help them lead a somewhat normal and protected life. The story of Shirley Wilder is a sad one once you find out what kind of life she had to live when she was a young girl. Having no mother and rejected by her father she has become a troubled girl.

    Read More

  • Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the young life of Essie Mae, she had a rough childhood. She went through beatings from her cousin, George Lee, and was blamed for burning down her house. Finally Essie Mae got the nerve to stand up for herself and her baby sister, Adline as her parents were coming in from their work. Her dad put a stop to the mistreatment by having her and her sister watched by their Uncle Ed. One day while Essie Mae's parents were having an argument, she noticed that her mothers belly was getting bigger and bigger and her mom kept crying more and more. Then her mother had a baby, Junior, while the kids were out with their Uncle Ed. Her uncle took her to meet her other two uncles and she was stunned to learn that they were white. She was confused by this but when she asked her mom, Toosweet, about it her mom would not give her an answer one way or the other. Once her mom had the baby, her father started staying out late more often. Toosweet found out that her dad was seeing a woman named Florence. Not long after this, her mother was left to support her and her siblings when her father left. Her mother ended up having to move in with family until she could obtain a better paying job in the city. As her childhood went on she started school and was very good at her studies. When she was in the fourth grade, her mom started seeing a soldier named Raymond. Not too long after this, her mother got pregnant and had James. Her mother and Raymond had a rocky relationship. When James was born, Raymond's mother came and took the baby to raise because she said that raising four children was too much of a burden for a single parent to handle. Raymond went back to the service for a while but then when he came back he and Toosweet had another baby. Raymond's brothers helped him build a new house for them to live in and they brought James back to live with them. During this time Essie Mae was working for the Claiborne family and she was starting to see a different point of view on a lot of things in life. The Claiborne's treated her almost as an equal and encouraged her to better herself.

    Read More

  • Susan Smith

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    Susan Leigh Vaughan Smith was born September 26, 1971 in Union, South Carolina to Linda and Harry Vaughan. She was born the third child in the Vaughan family, with two older brothers. Linda Vaughan divorced Harry when Susan turned 7, and five weeks later Harry committed suicide at 37 (Montaldo). Within weeks of Linda and Harry’s divorce, Linda got remarried to Beverly (Bev) Russell, a local successful businessman. Linda and the children moved from their home into Bev’s, a larger house located in an exclusive subdivision in Union, South Carolina. Susan grew to be a well-liked teenager, and even became president of her Junior Civitan Club and Friendliest Female in her senior year (Montaldo). Everyone liked her, and she put on a great show at school. But after the last bell rang, she had to look forward to seeing Bev at home, something she feared above anything else. Bev had taken to molesting Susan when she turned sixteen, and it was not long afterward that she sought help with the local Department of Social Services (Wiki). The Department of Social services did little to help Susan, only making Bev attend a few counseling sessions (Wiki). When he returned home, he chastised Susan heavily for “airing their dirty laundry in public” and continued with the molestation (Montaldo). I believe thi...

    Read More

  • The Maturation Process in Virginia Ewer Wolff´s True Believer

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    Verna La Vaughn was the main character and narrator. She narrated the story as though it were her diary, which she wrote in daily. Verna La Vaughn’s personal appearance was never discussed in the story; however the reader was informed about her family life. She lived with her mother in a small apartment where they had lived for her entire life. L Vaughn’s father had died when she was a small child and had always been heavily missed by La Vaughn and her mother. La Vaughn had much respect for her single mother for putting a roof over her head and for always showing her love even when it was not easy. La Vaughn also enjoyed taking care of children. Often, she would babysit for a single mother she knew named Jolly who had two teen pregnancies as well as working at the local children’s hospital folding sheets. Her desire to help children in need was quite commendable.

    Read More

  • Clear Springs, By Bobbie Ann Mason

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bobbie Ann Mason’s family faced the challenges of most southern families needing to adapt to changing times and cultures. Mason’s mom was able to adapt to the new idea of women’s role by leave the farm and working for a factory while maintaing her role as a caring mother and housewife. With new forms of entertainment and ideas by popular culture her family was able to stay in touch with changing times. And even though she left home for the big cities like a lot of people Bobbie Ann Mason never forgot her where she came from and her family.

    Read More

  • Robert Kraut Jazz And Language

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrator whose name is unknown finds out that his brother Sonny was incarcerated for the use of and dealing heroin, raised in a society where being afraid of fear is constantly affecting both of their life’s in turmoil. “He was frightening me a little” (Baldwin 19). Fear shaped the older brother in becoming an Algebra teacher, endeavoring to save his younger brother from a lifestyle of street habits, influence specifically on drug abuse. According to the narrator, he expects Sonny to follow his footsteps in finishing an education because “If you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t” (Baldwin 20), in addition the narrator describes the life of Sonny “weird and disordered” (Baldwin 21). The narrator uses his fear to form a communication with his brother, however Sonny’s decision of freedom in becoming a professional musician, and escaping misfortunate moments is not in communion. Thus, Sonny feels neglected by his older brother’s expectations and judgments based on his own future. “I think people ...

    Read More

  • Frances Perkins

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1840’s, the Perkins’ family worked in the brick-making factory, and they were wealthy for a short period of time. Many businesses collapsed and were bought out, so the wealth didn’t last long. In 1870, the Perkins’ turned to dairy farming to get their money. Shortly after, Frances’ father, Frederick married a woman by the name of Susan Bean. On April 10th, 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts Fannie Coralie Perkins was born. In 1884, when Fannie was four years old, Frederick and Susan had a second child, Ethel (Downey 7). Fannie was very close to her family her entire life. She often spoke of ancestors, she adored and their ways of thinking helped her when she had to make big decisions later on in her life.

    Read More

  • Gender Equality In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1775 Words  | 4 Pages

    When she stayed in Alabama, she lived with her sister who took care of her legal and financial affairs. Lee was very involved in her church and community and became famous for avoiding the press as a celebrity. She even went so far as to only donate to charitable causes if she was able to do so anonymously.

    Read More

  • Family Systems Theory

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Two families are referenced in the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The first family includes Melanie, her mother and her...

    Read More

  • Billie Holiday Essay

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    Billie Holiday’s childhood and early life proved to be just about as interesting and crime-ridden as her life during her singing career. Holiday, her given name being Eleanora Fagan, was born with music in her blood by her alleged birth father, Clarence Holiday, a musician in Baltimore, Maryland. Her mother, Sadie Fagan, was a single woman who was chased out of Baltimore because of her being pregnant with a child and not being married and to do maintenance at Philadelphia General Hospital “where she waited on patients and scru...

    Read More

  • How I Became Hettie Cohen: A Well-Known Poet

    453 Words  | 1 Pages

    They formed an intimate relationship and they moved in together. Hettie and LeRoi lived a bohemian lifestyle. Together, they created there own magazine called Yugen. Hettie got no credit for any of it. LeRoi was the only one recognized for both of their doings. LeRoi began to become a well-known poet. His main support was from his wife, Hettie. She went out to work just so he can stay home and write. The couple attended many jazz performances where the top jazz musicians performed. They went against their parent’s wishes and decided to get married after becoming pregnant for the second time. They experienced prejudice and violence against them and their marriage. When their daughters were born they had to protect them from everyone that was against their relationship. As LeRoi’s career began to grow and when he became more involved in the Black Nationalist movement he distanced himself from his family. He left them all alone and moved out of the house. He changed his name and continued to have a prosperous

    Read More

  • Essay About Alice Walker

    1908 Words  | 4 Pages

    After graduation, Walker worked in Jackson, Mississippi, where she met and, in 1967, married civil rights attorney Melvyn Leventhal. She became pregnant again in 1968, but lost the baby due to somw issues. This led Walker to depression, and the loss...

    Read More

  • Puppy by George Saunders

    1100 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marie, who is a product of an abusive family, is influenced by her past, as she perceives the relationship between Callie and her son, Bo. Saunders writes, describing Marie’s childhood experiences, “At least she’d [Marie] never locked on of them [her children] in a closet while entertaining a literal gravedigger in the parlor” (174). Marie’s mother did not embody the traditional traits of a maternal fig...

    Read More

More about Shirley Lucille Hardin, Lou For Short

Open Document