Judy Miller, May 31, 2016

Judy Miller, May 31, 2016

Judy Miller talks about growing up in New York and New Jersey then later attending Cedar Crest College in Allentown. While there, she met Mort. Many years later, when their children were older, Judy opened a small outlet store at the family factory.

Muhlenberg College Special Collections and College Archives

Muhlenberg College Special Collections and College Archives

2016-05-31

Copyright remains with the interview subject and their heirs.

video

LVTNT-05

Susan Clemens-Bruder

Judy Miller

00:23:34

5.4 May 31, 2016 Judy Miller, May 31, 2016 LVTNT-05 23:35 LVTNT Lehigh Valley Textile and Needlework Trades Muhlenberg College: Trexler Library Oral History Repository trexlerlibrarymuhlenberg Judy Miller Susan Clemens-Bruder Gail Eisenberg video/mp4 MillerJudy_20160531.mp4 1.0:|25(2)|48(16)|69(13)|90(6)|111(12)|130(18)|151(11)|168(13)|187(6)|210(2)|229(11)|258(14)|299(6)|324(4)|347(16)|372(3)|397(16)|432(6)|455(14)|482(16)|513(18)|534(12)|563(9)|572(12) 0 https://youtu.be/ZsV2nCZa3Mc YouTube video 0 Introduction—Judith Miller nee Farmer SC: Okay. Yes. Would you say your full name, when you were born, and where you were born?&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Okay. Judith Rose Miller — at that time, I was Rose Miller. Now I'm Judith Farmer Miller. &#13 ; &#13 ; SC: So your maiden name was Farmer?&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Right, right. I was born in, coincidentally, Borough Park, Brooklyn. My mother and father lived in Brooklyn at that time, at the same hospital that Mort [Miller]’s brother and sister were born — same hospital, which is no longer there, of course. It was a maternity hospital. I was born February 19th, 1931. That’s- And shortly after I was born, my parents moved to Manhattan on West 79th Street. I think it was 181. 0 75 Family History SC: But can you talk about your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents on both sides as much as you know?&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Well, I do not know my maternal great-grandparents- well. I don't really know them. No, my grandmother came to the United States from probably Russia or Poland, wherever the borders were at the time, to Newark, New Jersey, at 15 and worked in the cigar factory. I don't really know anything about my paternal grandfather. I don't know where he came from, but he was also an immigrant. They- when they married — which I don't know when that was either — they were in the shoe business. My grandfather had a shoe store. That's- and that's probably goes back to the ‘30s because then I was born and I was more aware of what was going on there. He had a- just a general shoe store and they owned the building that had, I think- was a three storey building, and I think they had apartments there. And- and my grandfather had this shoe store and they were very active in the Workmen's Circle at the time. We won’t say what that was, right? And they lived in- and that was in Newark, New Jersey. That's my- my maternal side. 0 417 Judith Miller's Childhood and Early Education in New Jersey JM: My mother- in the 40s, we then moved from Manhattan. I do not remember where I went to school, to kindergarten. I don't know why I have no memory of this. I was not happy to move to New Jersey. We had to move to my grandparents’ house and I went to an elementary school, probably I think- I know it was third grade, maybe second half of second grade. At that time, we had half, half years. Then we moved to Hillside, New Jersey, from Newark, because my mother went into business. She had a children's shoe store, and that's why we moved. 0 482 Mother's Children's Shoe Store in Newark, NJ JM: My mother was working. It was pre-and post-war, post-war, World War II, and she worked every night. I think the store was open until seven o'clock at night. And I had a very happy, successful time in Hillside. I never really knew that things were not too good when the big bands failed. I never felt deprived. And because of my mother, we both were sent to college and my brother is a physician.&#13 ; &#13 ; SC: So did you live near the store or above the store? &#13 ; &#13 ; JM: We lived- we lived in Hillside and she worked- The store was in Newark. It was- we lived very close. I guess it was maybe four or five, maybe six blocks away. 0 563 Attending Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA JM: I graduated from Hillside High School and I am go- I was one of four of us. We were all Home EC majors because we had a wonderful teacher. One of us became a designer, she was an artist. Two of us- three of us were education majors. Anyhow, I applied to the University of Maryland. It was post-war, I was there twice. They did not give me housing because women had to live in approved housing. The veterans were all coming back. It is June. I have nowhere to go to college because I really wanted to go to the University of Maryland. And my mother said, oh one of her friends had a daughter who went to the school in Allentown. And I said, “Where's Allentown?” She said, “That's where the Meislins come from, who you may have- Yeah, that’s Ruth!” Well, it was Ira, her husband. His mother spent summer at camp where my brother and I went, and my mother met her. So I came to Allentown for an interview and I was accepted and I never left Allentown. 0 684 Meeting Mort Miller JM: At the time, the Lehigh Valley Railroad went from Allentown to Newark. And I, of course, was at- where? Well, it went to New York, but I got off at Newark. And I was on a return trip to Allentown and I sat with this lady, was a very nice lady, and we started to talk. And when we got off the train in Allentown, her son was picking her up and she said, “You told me there are no nice Jewish girls in Allentown, at Cedar Crest. Here is one.” So the next Sunday-&#13 ; &#13 ; MM: I tell you that the- this woman was the mother of my very, very-&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Oh, that’s right. He- Mort’s best friend. &#13 ; &#13 ; MM: We were almost like brothers. 0 842 Identity as a Homemaker and Volunteer for the Jewish Community Center SC: So how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as the homework maker, do you see yourself as-&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Yes. I was a homemaker. We have two children. Do we do that, do you want that? &#13 ; &#13 ; SC: Yes.&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Andrew, who was born in 1953, and Nancy, who was born three years later, 1956, both of them in October, one in the beginning and one at the end. I was home with the children. I did a lot of volunteer work. I started the blood bank here, which is no longer- not the blood bank, the Jewish Community Center had a drive. I visited my grandmother at the Princeton Hospital and did a double take because on the wall it said something about blood — “It is never necessary to replace blood here.” And I went back in and then I said, why? And they said, because we have enough donors from the college. And I came back and I went to the Center and they- we started it. As a matter of fact, the woman who started it with me was Miller, Lois Miller, Stanley's wife. She was very organized. And then after the first year, she left for her career. In any case, I did that, I guess, for twenty-four or five years. And now you don't have to do that because they replaced blood or your insurance pays for it. So that was what I did. 0 935 The Hole in the Wall Outlet Store JM: And then I guess Nancy was in high school, maybe before- yeah, maybe high school, I'm not sure. And I had an outlet store at the factory. I sold overruns and peace goods and lace and elastic, in a little shop that was called the Hole in the Wall. &#13 ; &#13 ; MM: [inaudible]&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Yes, yes it was. And my showcases were tables that my father-In-law made out of doors. He was a collector of wooden doors, do you remember that? Yes. So that's about it, I guess. I don't think, you know, I was never a president, but I was always involved in the organization.&#13 ; &#13 ; SC: That’s important.&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: I read to two blind children, that's right. &#13 ; &#13 ; SC: So you do see your role as wife and mother as being the primary, and this was after the fact-&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Yeah, when they were grown up. Probably made a mistake, I should probably have done something more of a- But that was the ‘50s! The ‘50s. I might not have gotten married so young either.&#13 ; &#13 ; GE: Was that the ‘70s and ‘80s when you were running that store? &#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Yes, I think so. 0 1054 Father's Career as a Musician GE: When your family moved from Manhattan to New Jersey, can you just tell us what was the impetus, why did they have to move? &#13 ; &#13 ; JM: I think there was no more business for my father. And also, I think he was involved in some- trying to sell- I don't know, he always had a get rich scheme, like he was doing importing pasta machines. It didn't work. And something happened with a recording company, I don't- it was, what was it? RCA Victor, it was a big one and the guy was crooked. My father was the sweetest, nicest man, but people-&#13 ; &#13 ; MM: He was not a businessman.&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: He was not a businessman, although he was very, very active in the Musician's Union. 0 1210 Home Addresses SC: Do you know where you lived, what street you were on in Manhattan? &#13 ; &#13 ; JM: Yes, West 79th Street, 181. And in New York? forget what street I lived on, but I know where I lived in Hillside. &#13 ; &#13 ; SC: Good.&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: You want to know that?&#13 ; &#13 ; SC: Yes.&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: I lived on Williamson Avenue in Hillside, New Jersey. &#13 ; &#13 ; SC: Okay. And where did you live in Allentown?&#13 ; &#13 ; JM: We lived- oh! We lived at the Highland Apartments when we were first married on the third floor. 0 1310 Elizabethtown Gas Company JM: You want to know what I did as a home service representative? They don't do that anymore. When you bought a stove, a hot water heater, a dryer because they had gas dryers, they would send me out with a car and I would come to your house and show you how to use it. And I would adjust thermostats, which I can't do anymore. But now it's too digital, and that's about it. And that's why I knew what was being built in the neighborhood. And it was Elizabeth, New Jersey, which was the next town from Hillside. 0 MovingImage Judy Miller talks about growing up in New York and New Jersey then later attending Cedar Crest College in Allentown. While there, she met Mort. Many years later, when their children were older, Judy opened a small outlet store at the family factory. Interview with Judy Miller, May 31, 2016 GAIL EISENBERG: Ready? SUSAN CLEMENS-BRUDER: Okay. Yes. Would you say your full name, when you were born, and where you were born? JUDITH MILLER: Okay. Judith Rose Miller -- at that time, I was Rose Miller. Now I'm Judith Farmer Miller. SC: So your maiden name was Farmer? JM: Right, right. I was born in, coincidentally, Borough Park, Brooklyn. My mother and father lived in Brooklyn at that time, at the same hospital that Mort [Miller]'s brother and sister were born -- same hospital, which is no longer there, of course. It was a maternity hospital. I was born February 19th, 1931. That's- And shortly after I was born, my parents moved to Manhattan on West 79th Street. I think it was 181. I'm not sure. What else do we want here? SC: Okay, and- JM: I'm sorry. SC: No, that's fine. And so, when you were small, we'll come back to that. But can you talk about your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents on both sides as much as you know? JM: Well, I do not know my maternal great-grandparents- well. I don't really know them. No, my grandmother came to the United States from probably Russia or Poland, wherever the borders were at the time, to Newark, New Jersey, at 15 and worked in the cigar factory. I don't really know anything about my paternal grandfather. I don't know where he came from, but he was also an immigrant. They- when they married -- which I don't know when that was either -- they were in the shoe business. My grandfather had a shoe store. That's- and that's probably goes back to the '30s because then I was born and I was more aware of what was going on there. He had a- just a general shoe store and they owned the building that had, I think- was a three storey building, and I think they had apartments there. And- and my grandfather had this shoe store and they were very active in the Workmen's Circle at the time. We won't say what that was, right? And they lived in- and that was in Newark, New Jersey. That's my- my maternal side. You want my grandparents now? GE: Yes. JM: On the other side? My grandfather, whom I never knew, died at forty-five of cancer. But he was from this long line of barber men, musicians. There all the men are musicians, the women, no talent. I being one of no talent. And my father had a sister also who was not a musician. There were three- yes, three boys and the grandfather and they lived- also lived in Borough Park, Brooklyn. They did not know each other, our families -- although I think so? Somebody knew your uncle, but that's okay. SC: So the types of musicians that they were? JM: Yes, okay. I think the great-grandfather was a violinist and he- I think played in Warsaw somewhere. The whole family came to the States. I think one of my father's oldest brothers was born in Europe. One, the oldest- the second oldest one was a very, very successful musician, played with- want to know that? The A&amp ; P Gypsies, which was the first radio program on early radio. And he was responsible for getting my father into the music business. My father was thirteen years old and my uncle was asked to go on tour, on the road with- I don't know which band of all these bands. And they said, well, what instrument does he play? Well, what instrument do you need? And at that point, my father, who I think was playing the violin, became a drummer because they needed a drum. That's- what'd I forget here? Nothing, huh? SC: So- JM: But everybody else- ah, the other uncle, what it is, what did he do? He was a musician, and then there's a cousin from that side of the family, are all musicians as well, but one of them is a Juilliard graduate and a composer and a timpanist player. He was the youngest- one of the youngest members with the Boston Symphony until he retired. But my brother, on the other hand, he plays instruments, his children play instruments, and his grandchildren. So it only goes down on the men's side, although one is a little girl, one of the grandchildren, who is very, very talented. That's about it. I mean, they lived in Brooklyn all that time until my father married my mother. I don't know where they met. Huh? Oh and my father had a big band! I forgot that. In the 30s. SC: In New York? JM: In New York City, and as I have written in that book, that he- the only time I saw him [perform], I was five years old. He was on the radio also. I was taken to Rockefeller Center and- for lunch, and his band was playing, I guess, a tea dance or something. So that was the first time, and then I never heard his band again until we went to a wedding, after our wedding, of a friend. And I think I've said that to you before, that he was- he looks so happy. And I said, you're having a good time. You always said you hated the music business. He said, that's right. I hated the business. But look, everybody is having a good time and I'm the reason. So that was my father. My mother- in the 40s, we then moved from Manhattan. I do not remember where I went to school, to kindergarten. I don't know why I have no memory of this. I was not happy to move to New Jersey. We had to move to my grandparents' house and I went to an elementary school, probably I think- I know it was third grade, maybe second half of second grade. At that time, we had half, half years. Then we moved to Hillside, New Jersey, from Newark, because my mother went into business. She had a children's shoe store, and that's why we moved. And oh! I have a brother, forgot my brother. He's four years younger, and I was ten, and he was six. No! Yeah, right, that's right.. And I pretty much took care of him. My mother was working. It was pre-and post-war, post-war, World War II, and she worked every night. I think the store was open until seven o'clock at night. And I had a very happy, successful time in Hillside. I never really knew that things were not too good when the big bands failed. I never felt deprived. And because of my mother, we both were sent to college and my brother is a physician. SC: So did you live near the store or above the store? JM: We lived- we lived in Hillside and she worked- The store was in Newark. It was- we lived very close. I guess it was maybe four or five, maybe six blocks away. And coincidentally, Philip Roth was a customer of my mother's. And when she read that book, Portnoy's Complaint, "I never knew Philip was- knew those things!" That's just an aside. I guess that- did I miss anything? I don't know when she went out of business. Okay, then it's time for me to go to college. We want that? I graduated from Hillside High School and I am go- I was one of four of us. We were all Home EC majors because we had a wonderful teacher. One of us became a designer, she was an artist. Two of us- three of us were education majors. Anyhow, I applied to the University of Maryland. It was post-war, I was there twice. They did not give me housing because women had to live in approved housing. The veterans were all coming back. It is June. I have nowhere to go to college because I really wanted to go to the University of Maryland. And my mother said, oh one of her friends had a daughter who went to the school in Allentown. And I said, "Where's Allentown?" She said, "That's where the Meislins come from, who you may have- Yeah, that's Ruth!" Well, it was Ira, her husband. His mother spent summer at camp where my brother and I went, and my mother met her. So I came to Allentown for an interview and I was accepted and I never left Allentown. I met Mort in the second half of my senior year, probably just around the time of our birthdays, and that was it. We were married in December, Christmas Eve. My father played the wedding, his band in New York City at the Ambassador Hotel, which is probably no longer there. It isn't. And that's our story. Did I miss anything? SC: And what college did you go to in Allentown? JM: Oh I forgot! Cedar Crest College. MORT MILLER: It was my luck that she couldn't get into, to Maryland. JM: Yeah well, you know how we met. Isn't that on the second half of that--? GE: I think so, but why don't you just tell us. JM: You want that again? SC: I think so. I'm not sure if it was. I didn't see it. JM: At the time- right. At the time, the Lehigh Valley Railroad went from Allentown to Newark. And I, of course, was at- where? Well, it went to New York, but I got off at Newark. And I was on a return trip to Allentown and I sat with this lady, was a very nice lady, and we started to talk. And when we got off the train in Allentown, her son was picking her up and she said, "You told me there are no nice Jewish girls in Allentown, at Cedar Crest. Here is one." So the next Sunday- MM: I tell you that the- this woman was the mother of my very, very- JM: Oh, that's right. He- Mort's best friend. MM: We were almost like brothers. JM: No no! She never traveled alone, my mother-in-law. GE: Lanethea's father-in-law, I assume. Is that who it was? MM: What's that? GE: Lanethea's. Was it her father-in-law -- Schultz? MM: Yes. JM: Yes! Who are you saying? GE: Lanethea JM: Oh of course, yes! John. SC: John's father. JM: John's Pappa, John 's father. Right. Mort and Murray were like this, from day one. And then they ended up at college together after the war. Everything together. We- in fact, we introduced them. MM: What's that? JM: We introduced them. SC: Lanethea and Jonathan? JM: No, Murray and Elaine, Jonathan's mother. I mean, that's a small world. Anyhow, so the next weekend, Murray called me for a date. Mort called my roommate for a date. She couldn't go, she had a French exam. And by the end of the evening. Mort and I were- MM: Well Murray said come along. JM: Come along anyhow. So he joined us. MM: And by the end of the evening, Murray was out of the picture. JM: And had gone back to his house, his mother gave us dessert. I still remember what she did it -- in little compote dishes, she gave us ice cream with creme de mints on them, and that was pretty something. So that's the story of Allentown, and then by Christmas Eve, we were married. After graduation, we were engaged. We weren't engaged until the end of October because his mother and father were just coming back from El Paso. And then they- they stayed. They stayed, at that point. We waited for them to come home. SC: So how do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as the homework maker, do you see yourself as- JM: Yes. I was a homemaker. We have two children. Do we do that, do you want that? SC: Yes. JM: Andrew, who was born in 1953, and Nancy, who was born three years later, 1956, both of them in October, one in the beginning and one at the end. I was home with the children. I did a lot of volunteer work. I started the blood bank here, which is no longer- not the blood bank, the Jewish Community Center had a drive. I visited my grandmother at the Princeton Hospital and did a double take because on the wall it said something about blood -- "It is never necessary to replace blood here." And I went back in and then I said, why? And they said, because we have enough donors from the college. And I came back and I went to the Center and they- we started it. As a matter of fact, the woman who started it with me was Miller, Lois Miller, Stanley's wife. She was very organized. And then after the first year, she left for her career. In any case, I did that, I guess, for twenty-four or five years. And now you don't have to do that because they replaced blood or your insurance pays for it. So that was what I did. And then I guess Nancy was in high school, maybe before- yeah, maybe high school, I'm not sure. And I had an outlet store at the factory. I sold overruns and peace goods and lace and elastic, in a little shop that was called the Hole in the Wall. MM: [inaudible] JM: Yes, yes it was. And my showcases were tables that my father-In-law made out of doors. He was a collector of wooden doors, do you remember that? Yes. So that's about it, I guess. I don't think, you know, I was never a president, but I was always involved in the organization. SC: That's important. JM: I read to two blind children, that's right. SC: So you do see your role as wife and mother as being the primary, and this was after the fact- JM: Yeah, when they were grown up. Probably made a mistake, I should probably have done something more of a- But that was the '50s! The '50s. I might not have gotten married so young either. GE: Was that the '70s and '80s when you were running that store? JM: Yes, I think so. When was Nancy-- Yeah. No, wait. She was born in '53. GE: So she was in high school in the later '60s. JM: Well yeah, '60s and '70s, I guess. MM: Well she graduated from high school- I mean from college in 1979, I know that. JM: Right. GE: So therefore '75. JM: Or maybe even before that. Yeah, you're right, the '70s -- until Mort retired. GE: And then may I ask you a quick question? JM: Go ahead. SC: Sure. Yes. GE: So when your family moved from Manhattan to New Jersey- JM: No. I'm sorry, yes, yes. GE: When your family moved from Manhattan to New Jersey, can you just tell us what was the impetus, why did they have to move? JM: I think there was no more business for my father. And also, I think he was involved in some- trying to sell- I don't know, he always had a get rich scheme, like he was doing importing pasta machines. It didn't work. And something happened with a recording company, I don't- it was, what was it? RCA Victor, it was a big one and the guy was crooked. My father was the sweetest, nicest man, but people- MM: He was not a businessman. JM: He was not a businessman, although he was very, very active in the Musician's Union. And that was part of the business, I think, where he didn't like, I mean, because things were tough then. And that was about the time -- no, it was later. When you had to have live musicians on the stage in spite of the fact there was recording music, recorded music. So they used to have to have- depending on the size of the house, he did play some shows. He did do something with Mike Todd. With that, I have pictures of that. But it's- that's- that was it. And I was miserable, I have to tell you, in New Jersey. But I think my mother was miserable. I think everything was not good then, but I don't know. And I never felt deprived. So, isn't that interesting? [cross chatter] GE: So when you went to New Jersey, your father continued to work in the music industry. JM: Oh yeah, he went to New York. GE: It was just there, it was much cheaper the living. JM: I think my grandparents weren't charging them rent. GE: Oh they were living with- you were living with your grandparents? JM: No, not with them. This was a multi- I think there were maybe five or six apartments. It was a three-story walk up and the store was below. I used to play dominoes with my grandfather in the back. And it was also- well no, during the Depression, my father made a very big living because like the movie business, people who had any money wanted to be entertained. It was so terrible. And they were, and he was really making a lot of money, which is, I guess, why they moved to Manhattan. GE: Right. JM: So that's it. SC: Do you know where you lived, what street you were on in Manhattan? JM: Yes, West 79th Street, 181. And in New York? forget what street I lived on, but I know where I lived in Hillside. SC: Good. JM: You want to know that? SC: Yes. JM: I lived on Williamson Avenue in Hillside, New Jersey. SC: Okay. And where did you live in Allentown? JM: We lived- oh! We lived at the Highland Apartments when we were first married on the third floor. And then we had Andy, and we bought a lot. And we didn't think we were going to build right away, but we built a house right away. We built a split level- Oh I forgot! I did have a career. I forgot. I was a home service representative for the Elizabethtown Gas Company after graduation. Not very long because we got engaged and after I graduate- before I graduated, I got the job. And that was 1952, and everybody was building split levels. Well, when it came time for us to build a house, Mort wanted a two story. No, you wanted a ranch, and I always lived in apartments, I wanted steps. So we built this split level which is why we moved out of our house and we are now at an apartment. Okay, so that was pretty much- we built our house and I thought I knew everything. Okay. You want to know what I did as a home service representative? They don't do that anymore. When you bought a stove, a hot water heater, a dryer because they had gas dryers, they would send me out with a car and I would come to your house and show you how to use it. And I would adjust thermostats, which I can't do anymore. But now it's too digital, and that's about it. And that's why I knew what was being built in the neighborhood. And it was Elizabeth, New Jersey, which was the next town from Hillside. That's- I forgot about that, it was so short. Okay? We're done. SC: Yes. Okay, thank you. JM: You're getting out in time? GE: Yeah, yeah, no it's perfect. It's going to be fine anyway. Honestly, I remember, it's just- JM: You've got so many people. GE: We've had a lot of people. At this point, we've interviewed- JM: Are you almost done? GE: Yeah, we're going to continue to do this this year, this summer. We've been doing every summer for a while. This summer and next summer, and then at the end, is the collection. [cross chatter] JM: You've brought a lot of stuff back! Just not that. Copyright for this interview is held by Muhlenberg College. video This oral history is made available with a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). The public can access and share the interview for educational, research, and other noncommercial purposes as long as they identify the original source. 0 /render.php?cachefile=