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of Beers was a royally good place to work. She stayed with
company for 4.5 years.
One day when I was still a very new employee, Mr.
Anheuser came into the office. He recognized I was
new and took the time to make my acquaintance.
Each day Florence joined the hundreds of commuters
who rode on public transportation to and from work. For the
majority the bus ride home was a time to read the evening
newspaper, catch a short nap or gossip with bus friends
about the state of the world. Each evening that Florence
boarded the Cherokee bus for the ride home her heart held a
secret wish. Perhaps this would be a night when her dad
caught the bus she was on and they could ride home
together. On those lucky days they would disembark at
Frieda Avenue and walk home hand-in-hand. Those walks
are a truly special memory.
Blizzards in St. Louis might be rare but they do
happen. Florence remembers a storm in December 1948
when it began snowing in the early morning hours and didn’t
quit all day. There were no snow days in the 1940s. There
were no snow plows or snow routes. Workers were
expected at work. Students were expected at school.