INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA—New Graduates Size Up Potential Employers
New graduates of the Wartime Secretarial Pool and Military Academy of Indianapolis have been matched with potential employers today in the Academy's first-ever "draft day."
Graduating students were auctioned off the to the highest local bidders, many of them desperate for labor due to the war. The new workers' wages are federally regulated, but employers offered many perks, such as free hair waving, Friday movies, and company-supplied dickies.
Employer Sam Hardin, a local wholesale distributor, approved of the school's novel idea for matching employers and graduates. "These girls have had real good secretarial training," he agreed, "Plus, if we're invaded and Jerry gets this far, any one of them could take three or four down with a nail file. I've seen their drills." Jewel Harris, of Menckenville, who graduated with an advanced stenography certificate and the school's sharpshooting medal, was also happy with process. "Typing bills of lading and close-order drill sure beats washing dishes at home," she said.
Today's pattern is brought to us by Lisa, of Vintage Pattern Library. Her dog was hit by a car last week (he's fine, but there are vet bills!) so she's running a sale — use code GODOGGO for 20% off, in honor of Boo, the magical bouncing dog. (And since Lisa and her family are huge Butler basketball fans, also in honor of the Butler Bulldogs!) Good though 4/11.
A Dress A Day 
Funny, as usual, but not a bad idea for getting jobs or employees.Hmmmm, I actually love this dress. It would be very slimming to most figures. Made with brighter colors and/or different type fabrics, it could be a real stunner.
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Im always intrigued by dickies. Presumably they were a throwback to rationing and restrictions during the war. Did they actually exist before the war? And are there any modern seamstresses who still make/wear them?
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Oh that was a funny story. Nice job!
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Dickeys are an old idea, they were definately around in the 30s and probably before that int he form of collars and cuffs, the idea being that they were easy to wash at home in the days before universal washing-machine ownership. Normally you would have sent your dress to the laundry to be cleaned so detatchable bits were a great money saver.
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I can see the brown version on a Brownie Troop leader. And to Lisa: Good luck with your pooch!!
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WOO! Go Bulldogs!(Butler grad, class of 01. Just had to throw that out there. Did you know that during World War Two, Hinkle Fieldhouse was used as a Navy barracks?)
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I dont know if you knew this but the Armys school for secretaries and other human resources and personnel specialists used to be at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, outside of Indianapolis. Those schools are now located at Fort Jackson SC…so its funny you chose Indiana!
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I just have to tune in and hear what the pattern woemn are saying. Imagaine what these women could have done to get us a helath care plan ages ago!My mother loved dickies, and my sister and I had them in all colors and styles and wore them until about 1964 when everything changed.
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Nathalie: One could make a good argument for the Elizabethan partlet being a proto-dickey. It filled in the open square neck but ended below the arms. Later on, the fichu did the same function and could also be considered an early form of dickey. –Karen
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