Managing editor Mark Graczyk has a great story in Saturday's edition of The Daily News.
Batavia is a city with a rich history and Graczyk takes a fascinating look at the Depression era and looks at how people that survived those times remember them. Some of the people interviewed by Graczyk remember things being a little more positive than the history books tell us.
"I don't ever recall it feeling like a hardship," 86-year old Francis Guppenberger says. "We may not have ever had a lot of money because the pay wasn't that high, but we didn't think we were poor ... I don't remember any hard times, even when my dad was out of work."
Others remember things being very tight.
"When I got married, we knew that there was a certain amount we could spend for heat, food and rent," Virginia Temple says. "If there was something left you could do something special. Otherwise you didn't do it. Very seldom did you have extra."
Later in the story, Temple says that she thinks right now are pretty bad, stating "It's probably a little worse now, with people losing their money."
The story is a great look back at a time many people are talking about because of the current state of the economy. The only problem with the story would be the run-over. At the end of the story it says you can find the rest of the story on page A-8. I looked, it wasn't there. You should make sure to just turn the page and find the rest on A-2.
The piece continues on B-1 as 14 readers submit memories of the Great Depression in their own words.
If any members of The Batavian family has any memories of the Depression, or remembers any stories they may have heard from parents or grandparents, please post them in comments section. It is always fun to look back in history and we would love to hear your stories.
We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.
