Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Mary Reiter

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Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Mary Reiter

Saylor, Thomas

Reiter, Mary

Created: 04/24/2007

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Mary Reiter was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She attended Holy Angels High School in Richfield. In 1939, she moved to Richfield. She raised her family in Richfield and was active in the PTA, Democratic Party, and the Civil Service Commission. She married and her husband became the deputy registrar of motor vehicle licenses and ran Reiter Tax Service. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Richfield as a rural farm community and its suburban transition; descriptions of pre and postwar houses; buying houses with sweat equity and FHA loans; the local impact of the Works Progress Administration and other New Deal programs; transportation options; close-knit neighborhoods comprised of young families; installation of city utilities; impact of World War II on suburban life; increasing shopping options and convenience; postwar construction of housing developments; rapid school expansion; her husband's job as deputy registrar and changes in the organization of public services with the transition of Richfield from a village to a city; memories of the 1951 tornado and the shooting of Officer Babcock; postwar functions of the DFL in Richfield; contrast of urban delivery services with more rural waste services; tasks of the Civil Service Commission; benefits of the Richfield park system.

Minnesota Digital Library

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http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display.php?irn=10868659