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  • Good Old Days Magazine

    The Shoe War

    Aug 02, 2022 5 minutes
    By April Knight

    In 1949, I was starting the first grade. In Kansas, most of the kids went barefoot all summer, and we had one pair of shoes for school. Some kids had Sunday shoes they wore to church and birthday parties, but my family was poor, so I only had one pair of shoes for school plus some worn-out shoes that were castoffs from an older cousin.

    I had my heart set on a beautiful pair of patent leather Mary Jane shoes with a thin strap. I wanted anklets with lace on them too. I imagined I might even learn to tap dance while I walked to school every day, and then I would amaze the other kids at recess.

    Getting new shoes was a big occasion. Mother and I would walk

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