Eilene Peterson
Biography
Neighborhood playmate. Attended White Eagle 4-H Camp with Carol and Dee. Carol's mother made halter tops for all three. Signed the autograph-book verse about seeing a sweet pea and thinking of Carol. Told Carol that Floyd helped her start the mower after her parents died and Ethel helped with her 4-H sewing projects. Close friend of Carol since they were pre-schoolers. They played together as children and later rode to work together daily; they remained close through the years.
Timeline
date not given
Camping at White Eagle 4-H Camp
A week of rustic camping with tents, river swimming, crafts, campfire songs, and S’mores. It rained all week.
Carol's ChapterFifth and sixth grade
Carol keeps a class autograph book
Class autograph books were popular during these grades. Carol's surviving book contains verses from family and friends.
Carol's ChapterAfter graduation until December 1966
Carol's first full-time job
Vendla helped Carol obtain subscription work starting at one dollar an hour. Carol and Eilene commuted together.
Carol's Chapter
Stories mentioning Eilene
- Imaginations, Paper Dolls, and the Warmth of HomeCarol remembers childhood games with her sisters and neighborhood friends when store-bought toys were scarce. They played House on an army blanket, dressed in cast-off clothes, played in a canvas tent and a deserted trailer, and enjoyed paper dolls. Quiet play in the kitchen while Mom ironed and listened to the radio gave Carol a lasting sense of security. The children made newspaper kites, Kleenex flowers, and Kool-Aid stands, played street games, and sledded through steep wooded hills before warming themselves at the brass heat register.
- A First Job and a Friendship That LastedAfter graduating from Moline High, Carol obtained her first full-time job through church friend Vendla Solmonson at Augustana Book Concern. She handled Sunday School material subscriptions for Lutheran churches throughout the United States, starting at a dollar an hour. She commuted with lifelong friend Eilene Peterson, whose family had been close neighbors, and stayed until December 1966.
- Rainy Days and Sunset Campfires at White EagleCarol attended White Eagle 4-H Camp with Dee and Eilene Peterson, wearing halter tops her mother made for the three of them. They slept in tents, ate in a communal dining room, and used latrines down a long wooded path. Swimming in the river, making crafts, singing around sunset campfires, and making S’mores kept the week enjoyable despite constant rain.
- Names and Verses Tucked AwayCarol invites comparison of family signatures and recalls Bernie's report that Dad's birth certificate spelled his name Floyde, leaving the reason uncertain. She still keeps her grade-school autograph book and shares playful verses and coded messages written by family and friends.
- A Roller-Skating Beginning and a Legacy of CareMary Hill arranged Ethel and Floyd's blind date, and they went roller-skating. They married in Moline on November 6, 1928, with Elva and Frank Melton standing up with them, then celebrated with dinner and a movie rather than a honeymoon. Carol remembers their independent household responsibilities, relentless work in the Forties, kindness to neighbors, and family values demonstrated through everyday actions.
Referenced in
Family corrections
Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.
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