Mildred Hill Bradford

Mildred was born at home on April 12, 1923 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the second child of Clyde and Archi Hill. Clyde had black hair and blue eyes. He was 5'9, the same height as her mother. He was a wholesale produce salesman for Schuster Produce Company. She remembered him as always being funny and full of jokes. He did "whatever Mother said." Archi was "pretty" with blue eyes and brown hair that she enhanced with henna. Mildred remembered her as wise ¬and giving. Archi loved to play bridge and was an excellent cook. Mildred's favorite was her Boston cream pie. Her mother was also an excellent seamstress who, along with her three sisters, loved to crochet and knit. Mildred inherited her mother's talents and made all her own and her daughters' dresses, even their wedding gowns. Mildred, like her mother, enjoyed cross stitch, embroidery, and even made quilts. Archi also had musical skills. She played the piano and sang, and along with her sisters, would perform at funerals.

Her mother was the disciplinarian in the family. Her dad never hit her. "Men shouldn't spank girls" was her mother's motto. Mildred was a "very good girl," but did get into trouble one time with her cousin, Bill, who lived next door. He was two years older, ten at the time, and they walked to the "picture show" which was "a good ways away" to see Frankenstein. No one knew where they were and everyone went looking for them. Needless to say, her parents were not pleased and she was given a spanking - by her mother!

She said she was "non descript" as a child, and didn't like sports. She was an avid reader, though, and remembered sitting on her porch reading many evenings till dark without even realizing it. Her two favorites were the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew. She remembered fondly vacations to Galveston with her mother and Aunt Ida Florence.

Because her dad was in the produce business, they always had plenty of food even during the Depression and the war. She was a picky eater, though, and would never taste the "exotic" foods he brought home and would never eat any fruit if it had even a tiny blemish.

Her paternal grandfather was a cotton broker who lived in the city. She remembered that her dad's side of the family would gather each Sunday and argue about politics. While in Monroe on business, he developed appendicitis. Because he distrusted doctors, he wouldn't let the local doctor treat him. Instead, he took a freight train back to Shreveport. His appendix ruptured and he died. Her grandmother then continued to live with her daughter Ida Florence and son-in-law. Her maternal grandparents had a plantation.

Her best friend as a child was Virginia MacDowell who lived close to her. Although they played dolls, they preferred to dress up and play "Lady." They would slide the pocket closet door and pretend it was an elevator. Janette Kraber was her closest friend when she was older. They spent most of their time engaged in church activities.Her first boyfriend was Wilbur at age 13 and she received her first kiss from Curtis when she was 16.

She had an older brother by seven years, Clyde Junior, who she called Buster and BoBo. He loved to fish and hunt. He weighed over 13 pounds at birth and was breach. Her mother said it took her seven years to get the courage to have another child. He died at age 21 in an auto accident. Mildred feels that her mother never got over the tragedy.

The family attended First Baptist Church of Shreveport and Mildred remained a member there her entire life until she moved to Lewisville. She was a member of the Ruth Sunday School Class with many of the same people with whom she went to high school. She was an active member and even served as the church librarian for many years.

Mildred attended South Highland and Barrett Elementary Schools and Byrd High School on Line Avenue in Shreveport. After graduation, she spent a year at Northeast Junior College in Monroe and lived with her childhood friend, Virginia.

At age 18 on a blind date, she met James "Kirk" Bradford. He was a 2" lieutenant in the Infantry. He was from Michigan and stationed at Camp Folk. He took her to nice places and made her feel special. She fell "madly in love" and they married in 1940. Being war time, the wedding was fairly small and held at her maternal Aunt Georgia's home. Mildred wore a blue suit, her favorite color, whose style and material made her feel beautiful. Kirk was away for 13 months during the war. She wrote to him daily and received mail from him, sometimes twice a day, all cut up from the censors. When he returned from the war, he worked as an accountant. They eventually divorced in 1980.

She was blessed with two daughters, Renda and Becky. Renda was over nine pounds at birth and born breach. In addition, she was RH negative. Mildred had to go to a hospital once a week while pregnant to be tested. She almost died giving birth. Becky's birth was much better. It was also the last time she was in the hospital until 2013!

The family belonged to the East Ridge Country Club and enjoyed its many activities. Mildred learned to swim there as an adult. Kirk golfed every Saturday he could. They had a boat and belonged to a family boating group. They would take overnight trips on the Ouachita. Once they even took the Schlafly River into Houston Bay. She thought that trip was "scary." The girls enjoyed the boat and the water. Mildred said that Renda was an excellent water skier. Mildred and Kirk also enjoyed dancing. They belonged to a dance club where a band would come and play. They loved to ballroom dance, especially the waltz. She remembers the ladies wore long dresses and she only drank tomato juice instead of cocktails.

She once worked as a secretary for two doctors, Birdwell and Quinn, and remembers how difficult it was to say their names each time she answered the phone. She also worked in the bookkeeping department of a shoe company. She eventually attended Centenary College, a Methodist school, and received a scholarship for the last year to become a teacher. She first taught grades 1-6 at Caddo High in Caddo, Louisiana and then 5" grade History at Eden Gardens followed by nine years as a Coordinator at Clayborn. During this time, she received her Master's degree in Natchitoches. She would attend 7:00 A.M. classes in the summer. She retired in 1988. In retrospect, she realized that teaching was not her calling. She wished she had become a librarian.

She loved to listen to Guiding Light on the radio when she was small and watched it on television along with her other favorite soap opera, All My Children. She didn't have a television till just before Becky was born and remembers how difficult it was to adjust the dials to get a picture. Mildred likes to "sleep in." She always was a late riser. Her mother liked this trait because she treasured her mornings alone. Problems arose, however, when her father would come home for lunch and find her still asleep. Her mother then had a firm and fast rule that Mildred was to waken by 11:30!

Her favorite movie star was Robert Redford and her favorite movies were The Way We Were and Sound of Music. She liked the Big Band sound and liked to listen to Perry Como, Bing Crosby, and Patti Paige's "Come on to My House." Her favorite song was "Amazing Grace." She loved going to the theater and went often. Her favorite musical was Jersey Boys. She met Eleanor Roosevelt, Janette MacDonald, and Doris Day in person. She enjoyed traveling and was pleased to have gone to Salt Lake City, Disneyworld, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, and Oxford, England, among others. She, along with her mother, collected souvenir spoons from her visits as well as magnets for the refrigerator. Her favorite foods were turnip greens with corn bread and pork chops. Her most frightening experience was riding the space ride at Six Flags when she was older next to New York taxicabs.

Mildred's ancestors were English-Scotch-Irish-French and she was able to trace them back to Pre-Revolutionary times. Due to her interests, she wrote three genealogy books and her book, Moses S. Curtis and Some of His Descendants was named an Honor Book by the New England Historical Society. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution for over twenty-five years.

She also belonged to the French Huguenot Society as well as several genealogy clubs.

The most wonderful person she ever knew, besides her two daughters, was Mary Goss, the mother of Renda's husband Tom. Mildred liked being independent and when asked, couldn't think of one person she didn't like. She disliked physical therapy and cold weather, though. Of all the things in her life, she was most proud of Renda and Becky as people and as daughters, especially because they received advanced degrees later in life like herself. Mildred was proud of her hard work at First Baptist in Shreveport and writing her books. Her one regret was not traveling more.

Her favorite Bible verse was 2Timothy 2: 15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." Her favorite hymns are "In the Garden," "How Great Thou Art," and "He Walks with Me."

Her advice to others is to do your best and not get upset about little things.