The Dirty Dozen Plus Three

By G. Sue Sullivan Bales

This is a true story about fifteen girls who graduated from high school in 1950, kept in touch with each other, and have remained friends for life. It tells of their joys, sorrows, amazing achievements and sometimes their deaths. From Bloomington to Burma, from Texas to Thailand, each went their separate ways to become teachers, a nurse, ministers, homemakers, an actress, bookkeeper, councilor, personal assistant, and President of the International Womens Group in South East Asia. Their personal lives took incredible journeys as well. From marriage, to motherhood, from divorce or widowhood, and for some the personal discovery of self and sexual orientation, these amazing women have weather the changes of their lives with grace and poise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 24, 2008
• ISBN: 9781468569643

G. Sue Sullivan Bales

Sue Bales lives with her husband, Bud, in Bloomington, Indiana where they were both born and raised. They both attended Indiana University with Sue attaining a Masters Degree in Elementary Education. Both are retired. They raised three children, two living and have four grandchildren. Three of the grandchildren are married and the fourth is a three year old curly red-head that keeps them young in spirit. In November, 2008, they will become great grandparents.   This is her first effort at writing a book. After teaching 38 years in the public schools she retired and decided to write the history of a group of girls called “The Dirty Dozen”.

Book preview

The Dirty Dozen

Plus Three

G. Sue Sullivan Bales

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AuthorHouse™

1663 Liberty Drive, Suite 200       

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: [phone]

© 2008 G. Sue Sullivan Bales. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/17/2008

ISBN: 978-1-4389-0859-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-6964-3 (ebook)

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Forward

The Dirty Dozen

Plus Three

Our Individual Stories By Dates Of Our Marriage

Carolyn Ruth Jones Lettelleir (Pudge)

Mary Charlene Natalie Caito

Norma Lee Sipes Lentz

Martha Mahan Doub

Glenna Sue Sullivan Bales (Susie)

Mary Lou Martin Bryant

Martha Lou Herron Hastings

Donna Louise Bissey Keller – Heuer

Barbara Jo Cassner May (Bobby Jo)

Ruth Jeanine Carter Rae (Jeanine)

Shirley Bond Osborne

Gwendolyn Lucille Smith Justis (Gwen)

Phyllis Irene Goodall Craig (Phyll)

Joyce Ann Randall Mcnally ( Jody)

Janet Louise Turpin Mallett (Jan Or Turp)

Final Thoughts

The Dirty Dozen Plus Three – Dates Of Marriages

Dates of Deaths

Acknowledgements

This book could not have been published without the technical assistance of my daughter, Holly Bales/Hall, and the editorial work she and her partner Kareston Hall accomplished.

This is a true story about girls whose friendships started, some in grade school, others in high school and lasted a lifetime.

Forward

My Purpose in writing this book was to tell the true story of fifteen girls who became friends in childhood or high school and remained friends for life. It progresses from childhood or high school through marriages, the birth of children, aging parents, careers, ill health, and in some cases death.

The first section of this book is written by me, so unless it states otherwise, these are my memories. The following pages are about each individual member of the Dirty Dozen and are compiled from letters, conversations, research, and questionnaires. In some cases the information was shared by the original members of the "Dirty Dozen, in other cases it was provided by family members or from my memory.

It tells the story of life. I hope the families and remaining Dirty Dozen enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing this book.

Sue Sullivan Bales – Dirty Dozen member and author

Reunion_001.psd

The Dirty Dozen

In the late l940s to l950, twelve girls from Bloomington High School who were close friends, began calling themselves The Dirty Dozen. There was a movie by the same name, but it was not produced until the late 1960s and the group was established long before that. We think Joyce Randall might have suggested it, but no one is sure. There wasn’t anything dirty about the group, but we probably liked the risqué sound of it. We all came from middle-class, Christian homes and were serious about both academic and extra curricular activities at school.

Many of the girls had been friends in grade school; seven attended Elm Heights Elementary School, while four others went to Hunter School. My family moved into the Elm Heights district when I started sixth grade. Donna Bissey came to Elm Heights as an outsider in the fifth grade with Mrs. Wilson. Donna says, Norma Sipes, Jeanine Carter, Charlene Natalie and Martha Mahan (Martha M.) were already in a clique there. I can’t remember when Janet Turpin came in or perhaps she was already there. As Donna says about this part of the group, we all ‘jelled’ in the sixth grade with the marvelous teacher Mrs. Daisy Ashbacker.

In 1945 we all went to junior high at Bloomington High School (BHS) where we were put in classes by alphabetical order. All of the junior high students were in the lower floor of this multi-storied brick building. Donna thinks The Dirty Dozen was in its embryo stage then. She remembers giving a poem in the seventh grade about Christopher Columbus. All she can recall is: Sail On, Sail On, Sail On!

Many of us were in Job’s Daughters about this time and really became acquainted with each other. Job’s Daughters is a group for young women affiliated with the Masons. Masons is a secret organization for men, Eastern Star is the version of