Nana Biography

We, and my stepfather‘s father, was alive when my mother married, and I was crazy about him, and I think he was about me, and I had a nice relationship there, but that lasted until I was like 12. So then he died, Old daddy, believe it, or not, we called him. Southern, old daddy. And he was a horseman, and one of the great ones, he gave me my Shetland pony, and he encouraged riding and all that. So yeah, I can see a difference now in my family life now that I see my children’s families,, I think I can, although I think Leonard and Inger may have their own Dash Leonard’s father isn’t there and her mother is in Norway.

What kind of ethnic background were they – English?

They were white, middle-class Americans, maybe upper, upper middle, I’d say. They were, my mother and father had prejudice, which they did not – they’re not violent about them, but they certainly were prejudiced about Jews, and yet one of their best friends was Jewish, but they always sort of said, “well, you know, he’s a little different. “He owned the Fleishman company or something, so that was forgivable if he was rich. And I used to kick them about this, this was one of the things. They were, they were prejudiced about Chinese, Japanese, Orientals, because they all ran laundries, certainly about. My mother wasn’t so much, but my father was a true southern. He was – and I told you all about that. It was awful.

Had they been there many generations in this family?

Yes, the harvest family Shelby Harbison, Governor Harbison, was Governor of Kentucky, and they were descended from him, so my stepfather was really you know, they had prominent friends and all that business.

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