Mary Wilson

How It Was: a Humorous Look at Catholic Parenting in the 1950s Mary Wilson

Before 9/11. . . Before President's sex lives were talked about on the 6 pm news. . . Before the sexual and feminist revolutions. . . Way, way before Political Correctness. . . There was a simpler time. . .a time when large families were not unusual. . .a time when everyone read "The Smith Family" cartoon in the Boston Globe (and other newspapers across the country). In the mid 1950s, Elsie Jennings, writer, and George Smith, cartoonist, were collaborating on a book with her stories and his drawings. Elsie's stories, like George's cartoons, found humor in the everyday occurrences of large-family life. Elsie became quite ill and died before finishing the project, but her daughter, Mary, has kept the material for over 50 years. If you remember "Duck and Cover" Nuns with yardsticks used as weapons on knuckles and knees If you grew up Catholic in the 1950s or early 1960s, or if you know someone who did If you've seen the play "Late Nite Catechism" and it brought you back to your own parochial school days, and you laughed so hard you had a stomachache for days. . . If you remember How It Was. . .