Pictured above is Euleene Meisner on the left and Helen Chenes on the right.
Euleene Meisner - Euleene Recalls the Measles Outbreak
Interviewer: Euleene, tell me about a time in your life where you experienced what we’re experiencing these days with the COVID-19. Do you remember a time in your life?
Euleene: Very early childhood. Probably in the early 40s.
Interviewer: In the early 40s?
Euleene: All the kids got measles and that was Hard Measles. And we were quarantined and that wasn’t just a casual thing. You couldn’t just put a tag on your door yourself. There were inspectors and routines that they showed us. We also had regular inspections to check our blinds to be sure we weren’t letting out too much light at night because electricity was rationed.
Euleene Meisner - Tension
Euleene: I so remember the tension in the house. From Pearl Harbor on, it was just very tense and their ears were glued to the radio all the time.
Interviewer: Kinda like what we’re seeing today. Everybody watching the news and seeing what’s going on in the world. So was that worldwide or just a quarantine for your town?
Euleene: State wide.
Interviewer: State wide? And how long did that last?
Euleen: It seemed to me forever but I can’t really tell you. I know we didn’t have church on Sundays.
Interviewer: And what about getting food and stuff? How would you get your food?
Euleene: Well, that really wasn’t much of a problem because mother canned so much.
Interviewer: Oh, yes!
Euleene: And she had preserves. You know, reserves.
Interviewer: And nowadays hardly anybody does that!
Helen Chenes and Euleene Meisner Recall Being Quarantined
Interviewer: Helen do you remember a time where you had to be quarantined?
Helen: Not quarantine. Well I mean we just were because I had a big family. There were about seven of us. So one got something, we usually all got it and so yeah, then we were quarantined. And they had inspectors who came around and they, and they put signs on our front porch and so on, to warn people.
Euleene Meisner and Helen Chenes - Adviceles during this time Euleenee?
Euleene: Oh yes. I had the hard measles. We had whatever was going around.
Interviewer: So what's the difference between hard measles and just regular measles?
Euleene: Rubella.
Euleene Meisner and Helen Chenes - Advice
Interviewer: What would be your advice to give to us young ones that are going through this experience right now?
Euleene: To inform yourselves as much as you can. Don’t just listen to the panic stories.
Interviewer: Anything else you could think of?
Euleene: And follow common sense.
Interviewer: What was that Helen?
Helen: I said, you always pray.
Interviewer: Yes!
Transcription and Audio Edit by Ileana Chavez.
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