by Lorna Harris

My dad was born in 1898. His name was Arthur Ritt. He was a wonderful father, but he had a very poor beginning. At 12 years old, he had to go out and work. He drove a cart for the butcher in Highland and went to the countryside in the summer selling meat. He could not afford to go to school, so he saved up for a correspondence course and studied it very well. He playedthe violin very well and he loved baseball. His first job was at the Moulten-Bartley shoe factory. He started as a cutter, cutting out the leather, and years later he became the supervisor. When the company was having trouble and they were just about bankrupt, Mr. Moulton did not know what to do and said that if my dad could help, he would make him superintendent. Dad said I will do all I can, and in two years it became a successful company and employed over 300 people in Highland.Mr. Moulten was very happy and gave him a bonus.

My father was very kind and made money by working very hard. I remember that he had a job all during the Depression and people would come to our house and ask for jobs. Usually they came during dinner hour and Mother would always have extra food there and my father would say, “Well, we are just having supper, would you like to come in and join us?” And they would.

To this day there are many people who remember my father because he was so kind, and that’s what I remember the most about him is his kindness and his love for his family. He was a good man, he loved God and he instilled in me the love of God and kindness. I would say it is my lucky day to be able to tell somebody about my father because I loved him so much.

Would you like to see a video of Lorna’s interview? Click HERE