Genevieve Olson Hunerberg was born October 1, 1919, in Jamestown, North Dakota. She was the fourth child born to Harry and Sara Olson. Her father grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and later moved to Jamestown, North Dakota. Both her mother and father had to work to support the family. Her father was a shoe salesman and her mother would work late nights cleaning office buildings. Money was short, but they always seemed to find money to buy Christmas presents for their children. They wanted life to be as normal as possible. However, at the age of five, Genevieve went to live with her Aunt and cousin in North Minneapolis because money was getting more scarce. While living with her aunt and cousin she did many things that other kids at the time were doing. To pass the time they would play games like jacks and jump ropes; movies were out of the question because there was no money. As she grew up her role models included people like Robert Taylor and Runa Loy. She kept a diary, and looked at magazines with stars in them to make scrapbooks. Overall, she lived a typical life for a teenager of the time.
It was not easy for her growing up. The Great Depression caused many hard times and sacrifices. But despite all of that, she was able to accomplish many things in her life. She married when she was 21 and has been married for 60 years, and has successfully raised four children. She was able to give her children the things that she never had. She said that while growing up during the Depression was hard, she wouldnt take it back. It allowed for her to become the woman she is today, someone that we can all look up to and admire.
| Videos | Transcripts |
|---|---|
| The Depression(WMV) | The Depression |
| Role Models(WMV) | Role Models |
| Views on Pregnancy Before Marriage (WMV) | Views on Pregnancy Before Marriage |
| Puberty(WMV) | Puberty |
Note: Videos play best in Windows Media Player version 9 or newer.
Group Members Jami Drake, Rachel Borg, Emily Haas, Tiffany Elvebak, Jamie Edson
