Life Span

The subject for my paper is my mother, Sharon Marie Peterson. She was born April 21st, 1954 in Starkville, MS to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bell. Since her mother was her father’s second wife, she was his fourth child and her mother’s second since their first child was premature and did not live. She lived with her parents in Starkville, Mississippi for a short period of time. Since there were no jobs in the area her dad decided to move to Maywood, Illinois to pursue a better job career. Her dad is a military veteran. Let me just mention that her dad had only a third grade education. He moved to Maywood, Illinois enrolled in night classes and obtained his GED. Later he landed a great job with Armak Chemical Company where he worked until he retired.

During this time my mom was with her grandparents in Starkville, MS. She was raised by my grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Ellis Kennard. Her grandmother was a teacher and a seamstress and grandfather was a farmer. Her parent’s relationship did not work out and she remained with her grandparents until her mother settled in Gary, Indiana. By now, her grandparents had become attached to her and denied her mother’s request to bring her to Gary, Indiana and her mother did not argue. Her grandparents lived in the country with their own land, home, farm animals and garden.

She attended Beat One Elementary School until she was in seventh grade. Later she attended B. L. Moore High School where she graduated with honors. During high school she was a member of the track team. She also attended Mississippi State University for three years majoring in Business Education. She left school to move to another state and when that did not happen, she did not return to school. She later married and had ...

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...s assignment I learned that my mother’s father was not only in the military but he did not finish the third grade. It was even more interesting was that he went to night school and got his GED. I never thought about how discrimination and segregation affected my mom. This allowed me to really put into perspective that legal segregation was not that long ago. I learned a few things about myself by doing this project.

I learned that I really enjoy learning about my mother’s life. I learned interviewing is difficult when trying to work with a person schedule. However, the information I learned was very rewarding. I did enjoy making the question to ask my mother. The culture that I live in is very different and similar to my mothers. People today in general in more accepting to interracial relationships and teenage mothers than they were when my mother was my age.