Ford, Lucille


Object Type
Oral history
Object ID
15310
Date
December 11 2007
creator
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, Brooklyn Historical Society
Description
Lucille Butler Ford (1922- ) is an African American woman who grew up in Harlem and the Bronx. Soon after graduating from Wadleigh High School, Lucille Ford looked for work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard with a friend who was also from the Bronx. Two of Ford's brothers served during WWII. After leaving the Navy Yard in 1945, Ford began working for New York Telephone (now Verizon) and now lives in Long Island, New York. Ford began working as a messenger at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and was soon trained as a clerk typist in Building 77. The interview focuses on social life at the Navy Yard and the close friendships that Ford formed during the three years she worked there. She also discusses the ethnic backgrounds and interaction between the female workers in Building 77, sharing a story about a Jewish friend wanting to visit Harlem and how her mother made greens when she visited.
Related Collection
Brooklyn Navy Yard Oral History Project
Subject
Office Workers and Personnel
Building
Buildings → Building 77 - Administrative Offices, Storehouse
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