CAROL BURBES DRUMM
Where do I begin? 53
years is a long time since we walked on stage to receive our diplomas. A lot of things have happened, some good,
some bad. I remember applying for three
jobs and having to make a choice of which one to take. They all wanted to hire me. I chose the one closest to home which was
Cross Country Clothes, with a starting salary of $1.00 per hour. Four years later I married my first
husband. Seven years later we divorced.
After thirteen years at Cross Country Clothes, I quit and went to work for Phoenix Clothes (The Grief Companies). I stayed at that job until 1994 when the NAFTA trade deal put me out of work. During my stint at Phoenix Clothes, I managed to take a few trips. I got hooked on cruise ships. I guess I had watched too many Love Boat shows! I became addicted after the first one. I had a lot of fun and met many nice people.
A few months after I came back from my last cruise, I met my second husband at an auction. We married and bought a house in 1991. After losing my job at The Grief Companies, I did some temp work for awhile until I got hired at Knoll Furniture. That job was great and it also paid well. However, 911 happened, and once again layoff time.
At that point I decided to start working from home doing ebay. It was a challenge. I sold records (45’s). I had a lot of inventory. Hubby had a used record shop at the Quakertown Farmer’s Market, which we later closed. Hubby was a collector of DooWop and Rockabilly. We went to many auctions and flea markets to find those gems. Now I have a house full of records. I still sell on ebay. Since my husband passed away in 2016, my pension is not enough to get by on. In fact, it is downright pitiful. However, I am determined to keep my house and live here as long as I am healthy. Hopefully I will suffer no more broken bones. But you never can tell. A broken ankle and a broken shoulder make me more careful.
Looking forward to the class reunion in 2019, and meanwhile reading our stories.