Zora Jenkins is 81 years old and her husband, William Grady Jenkins, is 82 years old. They both grew up in the same part of Virginia - Norfolk/Chesapeake area. They were high school sweethearts.
Can you tell me about your schooling and your work history?
Zora: I went to Madison College in Harrisonburg for two years and then University of Virginia for the second two years. Graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and I worked as a nurse off and on for 30 - 40 years. First I worked as a public health nurse in Virginia Beach, then at Wilmington General Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware in labor and delivery. I went to work at Stonewall Jackson Hospital in 1979 and I worked in labor and delivery primarily, though I did have a little experience in medical surgical unit and the Intensive Care Unit. Primarily most of my work was labor and delivery and the maternity unit at Stonewall Jackson Hospital where we took care of mothers and babies. I worked with John Harrelson for many years and he was one of the obstetricians that was at our hospital.
William: I went to Old Dominion University. Well, it was Old Dominion College then, and then it later became a university. I ran track and cross country. I graduated with a degree in chemistry so I went to work for Dupont in Wilmington, Delaware, in the dyes and chemicals division. After two years in Wilmington, we were transferred to Dalton - the carpet capital of the world. Spent a couple of years there and then transferred to Greenville, South Carolina. We had a desire to get back to Virginia, we got tired of moving all the time, so I left Dupont after six years and went to work for Burlington Industries Lee's Carpet which has the plant in Glasgow. So I was playing chemist in Georgia for a year and then we transferred to Virginia in 1974. I said 'that's it! We're not moving again!' So I spent my career with with Lee's. I was director of research and development and I received eight U.S patents in stain resistant technology for carpeting. I retired in 2002 and then we owned to a farm. I had 10 mama cows at that time and I increased the herd to 30. So I became a cattle farmer until, I guess, five years ago and I retired from my second career.
Can you tell me about your family background?
William: We grew up in what was Norfolk County, VA - later incorporated as Chesapeake. We've been residents of Rockbridge County for, soon be, 52 years. We moved to Dalton, Georgia and I worked in hospital there - Hamilton Memorial - for a while and our first son was born while we were living in Dalton. We ended up moving to Greenville South Carolina for a while and then back to Georgia, to Raven County Georgia, and lived in Clayton. Our second son was born in Raven Georgia. We moved to Lexington back in 1974 And I stayed home with the children until they were in both in school and I taught childbirth classes just as a volunteer for several years.
What was the most pivotal year of your life and why?
Zora: Oh, that's a tough one. Probably the year we got married.
William: I guess, in my case, the most pivotal was the year that I left Dupont and made the decision to go to work for Burlington and Lee's because we'd always been familiar with larger cities; to move to a small, one-stop-light town in northeastern corner of Georgia was quite a change. But at the same time, it really set my career path of what I was looking for. So I guess the change in 1972 was the pivotal moment in my life. And then, I guess, one other pivot point: we lost our younger son, Steve, in a bicycle accident in 1987. I'd been very active in scouting and anyway both of my sons were in scouting. Working with youth was a big milestone.
Do you have a family tradition that has special meaning to you?
William: Well I always really enjoyed family reunions and I have family that scattered all the way from Georgia to Virginia. I can remember going to family reunions when my grandparents were living. That tradition has sort of continued, although it's more with the immediate families. I'm gonna let Zora elaborate.
Zora: Our family used to have large family reunions. A hundred or more people get together for some of these gatherings. Both of my parents grew up in North Carolina and we would often make trips to North Carolina for family gatherings. Reunions in the summertime, where everybody brought a dish and you'd have it spread out in the shade of the trees, or on the riverbank of the Neuse River or the Elizabeth river. It was quite a undertaking. We've had smaller family reunions, just my siblings and their families, for the last 10 or 15 years up in Augusta County. They've had that every July for the last 10 or 15 years. Some of the cousins are in Connecticut, a lot of them are in Virginia, a few elsewhere. It's good, I think, for families to be connected.
Do you have a favorite family recipe that you feel should be preserved?
Zora: I know one of my sisters makes a chocolate dessert that was my mother's recipe. It's got whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and angel food cake all mixed together, and nuts sprinkled on top - chopped pecans.
William: One that I love is oyster stew. My mother always did that. My family came from Georgia, so oysters were something that we developed to taste for when my dad moved to Norfolk.
Zora: Oysters were more plentiful in Norfolk and Tidewater than they were in the western part of Georgia. So we used to have oyster roast when we were growing up.
William: You put the oysters on top of a steel plate on a barbecue pit, and of course the fire under it, cover it with a burlap sack, and the oysters would heat up. Then, with the moisture, they'd crack open and you just empty the oysters on a table and everybody stands around with the oyster knife, opened them, and down the hatch! So that was a Virginia tradition.
Is there a family heirloom that is precious to you?
William: Well I guess you can show her the bench. It belonged to my great-grandparents. My mother inherited that and I inherited it from my mom. We brought it with us and its sitting in the bathroom.
Zora: It's a nice place to sit down in the bathroom.
William: And put your socks on. Originally it was a bench that sat on the front porch of my great-grandparents' house. And then my grandmother had it sitting on her front porch in Georgia. I can remember her sitting in the swing and we children would sit in the bench and she would tell stories. That was a lifelong memory I'll have. Hopefully we'll pass it on to our son.
Zora: I have one portrait of my grandmother, it's in the next room. It's a beautiful portrait. She was maybe 78 or 79 in the portrait and she died when she was 84. I think I was about eight or nine years old when she died, so I knew her a little bit.
William: One thing about that portrait: Zora's dad had it hanging over the mantle in the living room and when we were dating, any place that you sat in that room her eyes followed you.
Zora: She was our chaperone. She was always watching!
Do you have any advice to give to people who want to live a long and happy life?
Zora: Communicate and be flexible. Pick the right mate, I guess that's ultimate.
William: And always realize that what she says, is right.
