The Michigan Daily-Saturday, June 9, 1979-Page ] Area woman tells of social work, activism By ADRIENNE LYONS She has worked with everyone, from children with emotional problems to a U.S. president. She received a B.A., then a Master's degree, at a time when most women stayed home to raise families. After receiving her degrees, she began lobbying the government on issues relating to world peace. Marjory Poole, 77, the only child of a Flint merchant, was, in her own words, a "professional tramp." In her lifetime she was a visiting teacher (which today is called a school case worker), a social worker, and a Congressional lobbyist. TODAY POOLE resides in a one- room efficiency at Hillside Terrace Retirement Center on Jackson Road, a victim of "walking blindness." She ob- viously has done whatever possible to break up the antiseptic atmosphere of the room she calls "home." Remnants of her possessions abound, such as an antique rocking chair which was presented to her parents on their wed- ding day in 1894. An almost-antique set of china and numerous books grace the insides of curio cabinets. Yet in a curious mixture of the old and new, Poole owns a "Talking Book" machine from Michigan State Univer- sity (MSU), and a record player on which she can hear recordings of each issue of Newsweek and National Geographic. Her Canadian-born husband, the late Rev. Frederick Poole, was the state executive secretary for the Methodist Board of Education for 20 years. They met in 1939, while Poole was studying for her Master's degree in social work. POOLE BECAME a lobbyist after her marriage in 1941, the same year she received her Master's degree from the University's School of Social Work, which at that time was in Detroit. She began to work for the National Committee for Employed Women. One day, she said, several committee of- ficials asked her to lobby in Washington against the draft. "A lot of people were against developing the army by means of the draft. There was great conflict," she said, her hands fluttering nervously in the air. Her white cane is never far from her grasp, although she does not use it in her apartment; since she is as familiar with the room as she is with her memories. POOLE SAID SHE asked her colleagues for petitions she could show members of Congress. "I think that will talk," she told the other women, and it did. "You know, when I got up to the hotel, my mailbox was just stuffed with letters. I had 1,000 signatures," she sdid proudly. "This had been done in 10 days without organization. One Congressman said, 'This is the most significant thing I've heard.' It shows the feeling at that time was very much against drafting our boys." Poole explained that helping children was her lifelong ambition. "I wanted to go into social work," she said. "I had a feeling that every kid ought to have somebody they could talk to besides their family or besides their teacher. Somebody that would help them out with their troubles and could be trusted, but wouldn't beright in the know." Although she started her college career with an English Literature major, Poole switched to sociology when she was a senior. "IN THOSE DAYS hardly anyone knew what the training should be. But I only had my last year at the University, so everything was crowded into that year that could be," she said. After graduation in 1938, Poole went to work for the Flint school system. "At that time they taught guidance in the eighth grade to help kids get ready for their electives for high school. We in- troduced vocations to kids and then on the basis of that and personal coun- seling, they made their elections." Poole admired the Flint school system. Her field was "new, quite a pioneering field, not many high schools had elected to do that sort of thing," she said. "They knew when I was hired that I wanted to be a visiting teacher, but they didn't have a position for it. This was the nearest to it." TWO YEARS LATER, she finally became visiting teacher when the local school board created the position. "I was excited and thrilled," she recalled. "What I didn't know, was what I didn't know, how much I didn't know," she said, laughing. When the Depression hit, she was sent to work at a Flint high school. "I got baptized pretty well, in terms of what the kids' problems were." Poole worked with many children headed for court, she said. "I remember one day a kid came to my desk. He had been sent there because he was skipping school. I said, 'I'm disappointed to see you here. How are things at home?' and he said, 'Wor- se than ever.' You're heart just aches when you know the situation and there's so littleyou can do," Poole said. THAT EPISODE convinced Poole she didn't have enough education to be a social worker. She decided to study for her Masters degree in 1934. It took seven years. Poole said there was a great deal of discrimination toward women in the Flint school system. "Women were paid $200 or $300 less than men in com- parable positions. That made us angry, so we organized a Classroom Teachers Organization, which later became the union," Poole said. After receiving her Masters degree, she worked first at the Detroit Or- See LOCAL, Page 10 MARJORY POOLE recently talked to visitors in her apartment at the Hillside Terrace Rtirment C nt 4sop th draft Nowashe ispeinil Congress SC srrru lumuur. r ~ , acse wor er anu a me-long social activist, lobbied Congress in the 1940s to stop the draft. Now she is petitioning Congress to stop the current draft legislation. ONO" Iw O 5 Freighter fire victims Two burn victims of Tuesday's freighter fire on Lake Superior have been transferred to a less inten- sive care facility at the University Hospital Burn Center. The other two burn victims remain in critical condition, according to hospital officials. Jean-Claud Langlois, and Francis Chouinard were moved Thursday to the Chelsea Medical Center. The conditions of the other two patients, Paul Boisevert and Raymond Boudreau; have not changed since the accident. Last of the Lincolns Serial No. 99Y5763622 was born at 12:16 yester- day, the last of its species. The two-and-a-half ton "dinosaur" marks the extinction of a major portion of the "great American Dream"-the full-size Lin- coln automobile. The last Lincoln, a white two-door Lincoln Continental Town Coupe with a brown vinyl roof, was the last king-size personal car to be built in the U.S. The 19-foot, 5-inch model will shrink next year, a victim of the auto industry's trend toward "downsizing." The $11,467 car gets 12 miles per gallon in the city, the lowest of any American model. The sticker, that computer print-out pasted to the windows of new cars, concluded, ap- propriately: "The End." , Maybe this turtle can't swim Two Miami Beach, Fla. police officers tussled quite a while Thursday with a 300-pound, 4-foot sea turtle before they finally convinced it to take a dive. The officers, Sgt. Richard Izzo and Patron Officer Steve Groves, were called to investigate a strong flipper sticking out of a car trunk. The "monster," as Izzo called it, way lying on its back. The Florida Marine Patrol suggested the officers get the turtle to the ocean, just across the street. But after a rope was ties around the beastly neck, the animal refused to budge. After the stubborn turtle was dragged safely to the beach, it avoided the rolling waves. The officers finally picked the turtle up and tossed it out to sea. "It just had its mind made up not to takea swim," said Izzo. Happenings ... get off to a rousing start at noon when the Residential College Players' Harmonie Ensemble tours Kerrytown ... the Michigan Federation of Theosophical Societies, Inc. presents a seminar en- titled "Mantra: A Language of Occult Science," by Seetha Neelakantan at 2 p.m. in the Michigan League. More information available at 879- 1654. .-. Elias Ayoub, a Palestinian-Arab and an Israeli citizen who is faced with deportation, will speak at 6:30 p.m. in the Kuenzel Room in the Michigan Union ... FILMS: Ann Arbor Co- op-Wait Until Dark, 7 p.m.; The Seven Per Cent Solution, 9 p.m.; both in Aud. 3, MLB ... Cinema Guild-His Girl Friday, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in Old A and D Aud. ... Cinema II-The Turning Point, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in Aud. A, Angell Hall ... SUNDAY, The Washtenaw County Coun- cil on Aging will sponsor free blood clinics from 9 a.m. until noon, at the Stony Creek Methodist Chur- ch, 8699 Stony Creek Road in Augusta Townshi-, and at the Michigan Heart Association at 3800 Packard Road ... the Hiking Club will meet at the North Entrance of the Rackham Building at 1:30. p.m.... FILMS: Cinema II-The Baker's Wife, 7:30 p.m. and 9:40 p.m. in Aud. A, Angell Hall ... Cinema Guild-M, 8 p.m., Old A and D Aud. ... MONDAY,. the Extension Service will sponsor four courses in property assessment for the International Association of Assessing Officers School at 8 a.m. in Studios Five and Six in the Holiday Inn-West... that should keep you busy. On the outside ... Looks like the needle that controls the weather has been stuck for several days. It will be cloudy, warm, and humid today, with a high of 84, and lows in the high 60s.