Thelma Coral Ratliff b. 1909 in Oklahoma, d. 1950 in Washington state. She was the daughter of Joe and Elsie Ratliff. Another day I will say why we called her Susie.. When Thelma was born the weather was hot. Too hot for living much less having a baby and a hard birth at that. She was born with what was called a "club foot". That is where the foot is turned around wrong. That foot is what gave her such a problem coming into this world. She almost didn't make it. The doctor, Doc Newman, said after Elsie had been in labor for far too long and appeared to slipping away, it was either her life or the child's. He was preparing to take the baby in a way I will not describe, but Thelma would not have survived the ordeal. It was not for any other reason than to save Elsie's life. Elsie said "NO", she would die first and let her child live instead. Doc was afraid he would loose them both, but let Elsie have her way. I guess God looked on her and decided that he would let them both live, as within a short time after her decision Thelma was a bawling in the doctor's arms. Only her foot was odd looking, but she was alive and so was Elsie, although she was none to spry. Elsie named Thelma after a book she had read. Some where I have that book and I have never read it. I do not know why either. Mama said it was kind of a Romance Novel of sorts, but I can't say for sure. I have a picture postcard of Thelma and her dad, Joe. Thelma is a sittin' on the back of a mule. Her little dress is situated so as you can not see that turned foot. On the back of the postcard Elsie wrote her mother Rachel and told her the doctor wanted to cut that foot and do surgery on it soon. She was nervous about her baby going under the knife. Doc Newman, if ya'll know who he is, was a fine doctor and well worth his salt in the medical field. He would be performing the operation on Thelma's foot. His reputation and the fact he was a family friend gave Elsie some confidence that maybe would not have been there if he had been another doctor. Chances are if the situation had been different Thelma would have had that club foot all her life. The operation was the first of its kind for Doc Newman, oh, he had operated before of course, but not this type of operation. He did a fine job, one of the best any one had ever seen. In fact years later when Thelma was an adult woman living in Denver, Colorado doctors there were highly impressed with the work that had been done on her foot. After the operation she wore a brace. Had it for seven years. It kept her one leg from growing as fast as the other so she always had a slight limp. She managed a way of walking to compensate and it really wasn't that noticeable. Because of the brace she could not run and play like her sisters and was more of a home body. She learned how to cook and sew, while the other girls were out chasing around the country trying to find fun things to do. She also got very close to her mother, almost like a sister would be. Thelma, when you asked her sister's what she was like, they could only say she was the sweetest thing and the smartest girl they ever knew. None of them ever fought or argued with Thelma, not like they did with each other. They seemed to admire Thelma in a way that even they could not describe. I think from listening to them most of my life that they felt she had been short changed in hers and they were not about to make it any more difficult for her. They loved her, seems maybe, BEST. Thelma was smart too. She could work math problems that stumped the teacher. Him being a man and all back then, he did not like the fact that a snot nose girl could out figure him. He made it hard on Thelma, I guess trying to prove he was better in some way. Thelma left school for awhile. She went and taught at a country school further out away from town. She was only about 13 my Mama said. A little one room place, with all ages of kids, whose parents were farmers. They were thankful for her teaching because farming required hands to work, and children were built in employees. With out the school being close to home they would not have received any education because they could not be spared for the time it would take for them to walk into town and then back home again. Eventually Thelma went back to school herself and graduated. Her graduating class was the first and the largest to graduate from the New School. In those days entertainment was hard to find and graduation night was a social event for every one, whether they had children getting diplomas or not. Now Elsie, Thelma's mother had devised a plan to continue Thelma's education. That plan was bootlegging. The money Elsie got from bootlegging was not for herself. With that money she sent Thelma to a business college in Oklahoma City. Now don't take my spelling of the name of that institution as gospel, as I can't seem to find an envelope tonight with the name written out. I think it was Draughan's. Thelma was not the only one blessed with an education with her Mama's bootlegging money. A girl named Pearl Moody who had been a orphan and was Thelma's best friend was able to go as well. The girls nearly finished too. It was Elsie's untimely death that brought them home and they were never able to go back again. There is more to Thelma, but much more and too much for tonight. I have tried to find Pearl, hoping maybe she would still be alive, but I have had no luck. Maybe some one will recognize her name and know if she is still around or could put me in contact with some of her kinfolk. I would be grateful. Kelly ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. 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