2003 Interview of Beverly Frances Monk Spohr

This is an interview I did of my Grandma Bev for one of my class assignments at BYU. In that class at the time we were focusing on social history and what affect society, religion, education, careers, etc. had on people at different times in history.

Name: Beverly Frances Monk Spohr
Today’s Date: 23 November 2003
Birth Date and Place: 20 October 1932 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri
Current Residence: 709 N.E. Balboa Avenue, Lee’s Summit, Missouri

"1. What were the names of your parents and grandparents?
Robert Wilson Monk and Frances Olive Dick. Paternal grandparents: William Monk and Mary Maude Wilson. Maternal grandparents: Courtland Oliver Dick and Lillie Margaret Conners.

2. Can you please describe your parents’ and grandparents’ ethnic backgrounds?
Father’s family: never spoke of his parents’ background, were Caucasian. Mother’s family: Caucasian, grandmother’s grandparents from Scotland.

3. What were your parents’ occupation(s)?
My father was a salesman. My mother worked in a large insurance agency until I was born.

4. How many siblings did you have? Please give names, birth dates.
One brother: Robert Wilson Monk Jr. August 8, 1938.

5. Please describe where you lived as a child.
I was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived there until I was married. I lived in the SE part of Kansas City through half of my grade school. We moved to S. Kansas City and attended grade through my jr. year in high school. Moved to S.W. part of Kansas City where my parents purchased their first home. I lived here through college and one year of teaching in downtown Kansas City.

6. How much schooling did you receive? Where? Was that common for women of your time?
I attended Kansas City University for two years. I transferred to the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. I graduated with a Bachelor in Education. It was not as common as today.

7. What was your religious background?
As a child I attended an evangelical church with my neighbors. My father traveled a lot and so my parents did not attend any church on a regular basis. In late grade school my parents became active in the Christian church. I became active and sang in the church choir. I was married in this church. My husband and I joined the Latter-day Saint church 31 years ago. We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple one year after baptism and have been active since our baptism.

8. How and when did you meet your spouse?
I met my husband at the University of Missouri. He dated one of my sorority sisters and I was dating one of his fraternity brothers. My roommate set up a date for me with Carl and a wonderful relationship developed. We were married almost 49 years when he passed away.

9. How much education did he receive? Where?
Carl had a Navy scholarship to the University of Missouri. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in electronics. He later worked on his masters at Colorado University, but did not complete it.

10. Did you and your spouse belong to the same church? How active were you in your religion?
As stated earlier, we had different religious backgrounds but when the missionaries were sent to our home by new neighbors, we listened and studied -- Carl more than me. I held out because I was concerned how this change would affect them. They had made up their minds and 5 of us were baptized. (I was pregnant with my youngest at the time). I had been active in choir at the Christian church.

11. What was your spouse’s ethnic background?
Carl’s great grandparents on both sides were from Germany.

12. What were your spouse’s occupations?
Carl’s occupation: He served on a destroyer after graduation from college to fulfill his obligation for his navy scholarship. He then got a job in St. Louis with McDonnel Aircraft. He took a position in Denver, Colorado working on the Titan missile. We moved to Kansas City about 1961.

13. How long did you know each other before you were married?
We knew each other in college a year and we were engaged. After graduation his ship took a world cruise. Since I could not follow, we waited until he returned the next summer. I stayed with my parents and took a position as a kindergarten teacher. We were married August 22, 1954.

14. How old were each of you when you got married?
Carl was 24 and I was 22.

15. When were each of your children born?
Paul was born April 5 1956. Amy was born Sept.1, 1957. John was born March16 ,1964. David born Sept. 7 1972.

16. Why did you have the number of children you did? Why did you have them when you did?
No answer.

17. Where have you lived since you were married? Why did you move when you did?
We had lived in Norfolk, Virginia and Carl left the navy as he felt he would not have family time if he signed up again. He took a job in his field in St. Louis, Missouri. Our next move (about 3 years) was to Denver Colorado for 3 years to work on the Titan missile. My mother had cancer and a position opened up in K.C. where she lived. We lived in Prairie Village, Kansas (a suburb of Kansas City) for 20 years. Carl wanted a little land and I found an old Victorian farmhouse so off to Harrisonville, Missouri for 20 years. One and a half years ago we found a brick ranch home in Lees Summit, Missouri. My husband passed away suddenly on May31, 2003.

18. What do you remember about the Depression? How did it influence your family? How did it influence your parents’ family?
I remember only what my parents talked about. My dad was lucky to have a job and both of my grandpas worked part time.

19. What do you remember about World War II? How did it influence your family? How did it influence your parents’ family?
I remember as a child being upset and wondering what would happen to our country.

20. When and where were your children married?
Paul married Krista in the Los Angeles Temple. Amy married Steve in the Provo Temple. John married Megumi in the Tokyo Ward and was later sealed in the Tokyo Temple. David married Amanda April 2002.

21. Do you know how and where each of your children met their spouses?
Paul met at BYU, Amy met at BYU, John met Megumi while on his mission in Japan, David worked at McDonalds with Amanda.

22. Did any of your children get divorced? Could you describe why you think they chose to do so?
Paul’s wife Krista lost a baby girl after 13 years of marriage and left him. He immediately married a girl of different religion, they had a son and she decided she needed her own space and moved with the baby. Paul met a lady at the singles group and they were married in June. He is active in church again. Hope this one makes it.

23. How many children were born to each of your children?
Paul has 3 boys and lost 1 girl at 6 months. Amy has 3 girls and 2 boys. John has 3 boys and 2 girls and lost a boy at 9 months. David does not have children yet.

24. What do your children and their spouses do for a living?
Paul was just laid off as a supervisor at Gateway. Debbie is a nurse. Amy is a stay at home Mom. Steve is a lawyer. John owns several companies dealing in printer cartridges. Megumi does books for their Tokyo office. David works for Gateway in customer service and Amanda is at McDonalds.

25. Are each of your children married to someone with the same religious and educational backgrounds as themselves?
Pauls 1st and 3rd wives are LDS. He graduated from BYU. Amy and Steve are both active in the LDS church and both graduated from BYU. John and Megumi were married in the Tokyo ward and she joined the church after a year and they have been sealed in the Temple. David is inactive – his wife doesn’t attend church. He has not completed his college and she has no college education.

26. What is your opinion about women voting? Have you always voted when you had the opportunity?
I think it is important for women to vote if they study the candidates and the issues. I have not always practiced what I preach.

27. What are your opinions about men’s and women’s employment?
I feel women should prepare themselves for a career and the educational background of the mates should be similar. But, when children come along, motherhood should become their career. It is a strain on the entire family if the woman has to work and their time together is too short."