Patrick Maddox: This is Patrick Maddox. I am interviewing Jean Wilder. We’re conducting this
interview at Park view Christian church in Springfield, Missouri. The date is 4/25/2010. This
interview’s for the Religious Lives of the Ozark Women: Intergenerational Storytelling from the
Older to the Younger, conducted through Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.
We’ll get started here.
Jean Wilder: Alright, Ok.
P: Doing a biographical data sheet. Let’s see, so the places we interviewed is at Parkview
Christian Church. Today’s date is the 25th. I am Patrick Maddox. Ok. I need your full name
including your maiden name. And how people refer to you here.
J: Alice Jean Vincent Wilder.
P: Is the first part Alice?
J: Alice.
P: Alice. Ok.
J: V-I-N-C-E-N-T , W-I-L-D-E-R
P: Wilder. Do you have any nicknames or anything?
J: Just Jean.
P: Just Jean, Ok. And your place of birth?
J: Alden, Kansas. A-L-D-E-N.
P: I lived in Kansas for a while in Pittsburg.
J: Well, this Alden is an itty bitty town. You blink your eyes and you never knew you went to it.
P: I went to place like that in Oklahoma, it had like 1600 people that lived there, it was this tiny
place. And your current place of residence?
J: 4033 West Farm Road 148.
P: That isJ: Springfield, MO 65807.
P: Alright. Let’s see. So, how many, can you just tell me about where you live and everything?
J: Well it was in the country now there’s building all around.
P: How long have you lived there?
J: Since, let me stop and think, since ‘64
P: That’s a long time, in the same house?
J: Yep. Same house. It had seven address and that house hasn’t moved a fraction of an inch since
we built it.
P: Wow. You’ve lived there since ’64. Wow.
J: That’s a long time.
P: That’s a long time, wow. That is a long time.
J: Yep. (laughter).
P: That’s 86 years.
J: No it wouldn’t be 86
P: Yeah, you’re right, 50, no, I can’t even do math today, 36 plus 10 is 46 years.
J: Yeah.
P: Wow, that’s amazing. And you said you had seven addresses there?
J: Uh huh.
P: Wow.
J: Well, we were on rural routes, and then they put us on the old west of sunshine road it split
and then it goes like this to go to Republic well they decided that was too confusing because we
had our west sunshine and then the west sunshine up here. People got confused, so know they
say we live on that farm road 150, then they changed it to farm road 148.
P: Wow. That’s pretty unique I never heard that before. And your current age you said that was?
J: 83.
P: 83.
J: April 5th I turned 83.
P: April 5th, your birthday’s April 5th
J: April 5th 1927.
P: Let’s see education, like what school?
J: High School. All in Kansas.
P: What year did you graduate?
J: In ’46, No wait a minute in ’45. It’s ’45, yeah.
P: In 1945. That’s amazing. No other like? No, ok. Now what kind of jobs or anything you’ve
held since?
J: I have worked at-can’t think of the name of it-Surplus City, And I worked at Cenus, for eight
or nine, eight years. And I worked at the garment factory.
P: The garment factory?
J: Yeah.
P: So just three jobs in all that time?
J: No, I had more. But I didn’t figure you wanted them all?
P: Current religion?
J: Parkview Christian Church.
P: Parkview Christian Church.
J: I think I’m the last charter church member, but they don’t have me listed on the books for
some reason. We joined when it was over on the north side, just south of Commercial. And they
didn’t get us listed. And then we joined, our son was born in March of ’54. And when we joined
he wasn’t even able to sit up by himself. And then we moved over here in December of ’54. So if
that doesn’t make me a charter member, I don’t know what does.
P: I think that would qualify you.
J: But somehow or another they either lost the records and didn’t get it down or something. So
we weren’t listed.
P: Yeah.
J: The first listing they have is when our oldest daughter was baptized.
P: Really, wow. That’s crazy. So they used to be over on Commercial?
J: Well, it was just off of Commercial, and there was another church that we met over there and
then we went real early so we would be out shortly after nine, so they could have their church
services. So they had started building Parkview and then we moved over here in December.
P: I didn’t know that we shared a church. That’s a first for me. Your spouse’s name?
J: It was Floyd Leonard.
P: Floyd Lenord.
J : F-L-O-Y-D, L-E-O-N-A-R-D
P : Occupations that he has?
J: He worked, in aeronautics, air plane factory in Wichita. He worked a short time for the rail
road in Wichita. And for V.A. in Wichita, and then he into the prison service and retired from
that here.
P: What was VA?
J: Veteran’s Administration.
P: Ok, and he worked with the prison?
J: Yeah, he-he started about Letter ward and was transferred he and he finished it out here and
the federal prison. He was a guard. When he retired they didn’t call him a guard they called him
correctional officer. To be real correct.
P: Children and their names?
J: Martha Diane.
P: What was the child’s name?
J: M-A-R-T-H-A, D-I-A-N-E
P: That’s a cool name.
J: And her name is shields now, she is married
P: Is that your only child?
J: P-A-M-E-L-A, K-A-Y her married name now is Tucker.
P: That’s my little brother’s first name.
J: David, A-L-A-N Wilder.
P: Don’t usually take on your name when you get married? Alright, so three children. Ok. So
we’re done with the biographical sheet, here. Ready to start on some questions.
J: Alright.
P: How long have you been a member of this church?
J: Hard to remember.
P: You said that you didn’t move her until-?
J: We moved in before Christmas, the church wasn’t even completed. We had no pews, we had
folding chairs—we took them to our classrooms and brought them back to the sanctuary. And we
moved in the Sunday before Christmas.
P: Wow. That’s incredible, how did you get involved with Parkview Christian Church?
J: We lived out by Barnes General Store, and a neighbor out there invited to go-I had had a bad
experience with another church and so they invited us to go, and we went.
P: That’s really cool. So like, the other church, was that like a-?
J: No, it was a Christian church, it was here in town.
P: Yeah, there’s too many bad experiences, I know. You shouldn’t be having bad experiences at
a church. Have you been involved in other churches or other religious organizations?
J: Methodist church in Alden. That’s where I was baptized.
P: How different is that from this kind of church?
J: Basically, there’s not a lot of difference. Since I was a kid then, I don’t remember as much
about it.
P: I grew up Baptist actually.
J: Yeah, my husband did, he grew up Baptist. But joined when-as I said we joined over there.
P: Yeah.
J: And Methodist and they believe in sprinkling and not immersing.
P: That’s kind of like a Catholic kind of thing. Ok, what was the role of the religion in your home
when you were growing up?
J: I don’t know how to describe that?
P: Was it like, the whole family went, or, really dedicated-?
J: My mother went all the time, and Dad, he was a farmer. And part of the time he’d go and part
of the time he didn’t and you just never going to go or not. And but my mother always went.
P: Cool.
J: And I went with her.
P: Yeah, did you get really involved with it?
J: Oh I was involved in the youth programs, you know. I can’t remember what they were called.
He had monthly meetings, stuff like that.
P: That’s really cool.
J: But, it’s been too long I can’t remember.
P: Ok, what’s your strongest childhood memory of related to God or religion?
J: Oh, gosh. I’ve know several times I’d walk to church. We only lived by a mile and a half from
church. But you’d cut across the field and it was just a mile-cut a half mile off.
P: Yeah. That’s awesome.
J: And dad would take me, and if Mother was sick and wasn’t able to go, he’d take me, and back
then I walked back home. Back then, it was safe to do that. Now it’s now.
P: Not as much now, I know. I live really close to the church, it seemed pretty safe neighborhood
around here. I haven’t had much problem with it. Yeah. And do you recall any times as a child
that things were different for you in your religious life because you were a girl and not a boy?
J: No, up there it didn’t make much difference.
P: Well that’s great. Is there any experiences you’ve had since then that have been different,
maybe because you’re a woman?
J: No, not that I can recall.
P: That’s good to hear. You’d think that back then there’d be a lot more of that, but that’s great!
J: Uh huh.
P: What challenges or struggles have you faced in your religious life?
J: Well, I can’t really recall I’ve faced any, major struggles.
P: Great, not any like questioning anything?
J: No.
P: That’s wonderful. That’s always a good thing to hear.
J: Yeah.
P: It’s been pretty easy.
J: I’ve just always just accepted it, that’s what it was
P: Well, yeah. Because, I mean, that’s the way it is. What person most influenced your religious
life and how?
J: I would say my mother.
P: Yeah?
J: So, yeah.
P: Was that any particular way?
J: No, just her own whole attitude. I mean, there was seven of us kids, and I was the youngest of
seven
P: Oh wow, that’, my mom had seven kids, I’m number five, not the youngest. Definitely a lot.
How do you think religious is different for kids today than it was for you back then?
J: There’s so many other things, they can get involved in, and they don’t think they have time at
church.
P: That’s, a lot of the cases, they think “oh, well.” I mean people my age are like, “I have work
and homework.” Really, it’s not that, I have a schedule.
J: It’s all about making up your mind to do it.
P: Absolutely, because, most jobs will work with your schedule there. I mean church is one or
two days a week, ask off those days and work all the other ones. How would you like this church
to remember you? In a big way, or just-?
J: Nah.
P: Nah?
J: I don’t think it’s that important. I do want to be listed as a charter member, since I really am.
P: Yeah, I bet you could talk to Debbie about that.
J: I’ve been talking to her, back six years ago when we had our fiftieth anniversaryP: Yeah.
J: At that time they told me they had taken care of it, well they didn’t, then I found out they
hadn’t taken care of it. Back then there was several people who could have vouched that I was
charter member, but they’re all gone now. Irene Rusher, Don Jordan. Oh gosh, I can’t think of
the others.
P: Were they all charter members themselves?
J: Yeah, Irene Rusher was. And they thought she was the last charter member, when she died
here a couple-three weeks ago. I said no, I am.
P: Known each other for a long time then?
J: Yeah.
P: Was it difficult whenever she passed away?
J: I don’t know. She was in a nursing home and I hadn’t seen her for several years, she wasn’t
able to come to church.
P: Yeah, we prayed a lot for her. Anything special you’d like to share?
J: Well. Years ago we were real active in the church. But as you get older you turn it over to the
young people. You just can’t do it anymore. So.
P: Get out and do as much as you used to.
J: No, nowhere near. And I really appreciate it when we had that store and men came out, that
storm in January and came out. Oh I have a lot, a lot of limbs down. And I have a nephew out in
Kansas that is a co-owner of a tree trimming service and he brought a crew down here and
brought a lot of his equipment down here and did a lot of my trimming that needed to be done on
my trees.
P: That’s really cool. That kind of thing is really awesome. People get inclived and help out.
J: Oh yeah, uh huh.
P: I like to see that kind of thing, there are definitely a lot more opportunities now there needs to
be, for sure there. So many different organizations and conventions for us to get to, it’s really
cool.
J: We’ve never been ones, my husband worked at a medical center, you name it, he worked it. So
midnight until 8 in the morning. From 2 in the morning until noon.
P: Wow.
J: From seven until 3. Four to midnight. From 10 until six.
P: Where did you say that was at?
J: [inaudible] Prison out here. He retired from out there.
P: Mmhmm. That’s cool.
J: There were just a lot of things we couldn’t do. Of course back then we only had one vehicle
and he had to have it to get back and forth to work.
P: So did you move here because it was a job transfer for Prison?
J: He started that in Liverworth and we wasn’t too fond of that town.
P: Yeah
J: And he had a chance transfer here, friends of ours had been transferred here. About month
before we got a transfer, they were transferred to Alaska. But we lived here, we lived here in ’53,
yeah, when we moved here and was born in 54.
P: So David’s is the oldest son?
J: He’s the youngest.
P: So you had other children before
J: Yeah, the two girls. ‘48’ ‘51’ and ‘54
P: That’s how old they are now?
J: No, that’s the years they were born. 48, 51, and 54 two years between each one of them.
P: So they’re like-about sixties?
J: Oh yeah, [Martha]’s the oldest and this fall she’ll be-let me see-she’ll be sixty one.
P: Yeah, because my mom was born in ’59.
J: Yeah
P: That’s incredible. Well, let’s see, anything else interesting we should know?
J: Well, not that I know of.
P: Yeah, so.I guess, that about wraps it up.
J: Ok
P: So. Thank you.
J: Yes. They’re about ready to break up back there in Sunday school so I’m not even going back
to class. I’ll just go out here and sit down.
Did you get your coffee?
P: Yeah, I’ve got it in my purse.
J: Alrighty.
P: I have to work just getting up.
J: Need any help?
P: No, I can make it. I get something in my knees. Every six months and one day they’ll put what
they call sin disk I in there so I don’t have to get knee replacements.
J: Oh yeah, my grandmaP: They’re due in the middle of May and they’re running out. So I’ve had to stand for a few
seconds then I can start walking again.
J: You have a good time in church.
P: Yeah.