Helen writes about being a child and teenager

In The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre, Helen takes a moment to answer a few questions about herself.

What were you like as a child?

I was shy.  My Mother used to say I was afraid of my own shadow.  She said "You let people walk all over you!  God help you when I die!"  I guess I was a mope.  I always had lots of dreams but never fulfilled them.  My Mother always talked about how I would never cross a street without hanging on to my Father's hand; while my brother Tom would run head first into the traffic, and that's how he lived -- going right up the ladder to his highest potential.  I was the opposite. But next month I'm going to be 84.  Don't mess with me.  I'll tell anybody off!  My Mother would be PROUD!

What was your greatest fear when you were a teenager?

That I would never stop growing.  I was afraid I would be 6 feet 5. When my Mother's friends would see me every so often, they would always say "Helen I think you've grown a foot since the last time we saw you."  I didn't like to hear that at all

I thought I'd never have a boy friend or ever get married.  And, if my Mother and Father died, I'd be all alone.

To whom did you turn for advice?  Why that person?

I wasn't much for asking advice but my Mother always gave me advice anyway.  Tom would give me some advice too.  I remember I was going on my first date, Tom decided to talk to me.  He said never to let a boy take advantage of me; and not to let them touch me where they weren't supposed to.  Then he pointed to my breasts and said, don't let them touch your breasts.  I guess I said OK, turned red and walked away.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your teen years?

It was hard at first.  It seemed I was just a little girl and then all of a sudden I blossomed into a tall young lady.  I had lots of insecurities at first, but it all turned out OK.  When I think back it was a fun time.  No big worries, just what we were going to do for fun.  I went up to Long Lake a few times with Mary Alice (Hopkins).  Her folks had a cottage there.  I went up to Lake Lawn Lodge on Delevan Lake, Wisconsin, for the first time with Ruth Nott.  I loved it and went back again many times.  Mary Alice would borrow her brother Ish's car and she, Junadell and I would ride all over Chicago.  We had club meetings and a group of us would get together every few weeks.  We saw all the latest movies, ate many a hot fudge sundae, took long walks in the summer, usually down Madison St. or Washington Blvd.  In our late teens we wound up with Jim Moffett, Jim Cullen and Larry McIntyre.  We took rides in Jim Cullen's roadster.  Had parties at our houses.  Had my first drink! Never enjoyed myself.  My dates were nice, good looking, tall, but I just never could relax and was glad when the date was over.

Yet, when we got mixed up with Larry and the two Jims I enjoyed myself and when Larry first kissed me, I knew I loved him right away!  There never was anybody else.

Helen's likes, daydreams, happy memories as a child

From The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre, Helen records some of the things she enjoyed when she was young.

What games and activities did you enjoy?

I loved to swim.  I loved to read.  I liked to write poems.  I loved movies.  I liked to walk.

Who were your favorite radio and television shows?

Arthur Godfrey, Johnnie Carson, Laurel and Hardy Comedies, Amos and Andy, Jack Paar and Rosie O'Donnell - my latest favorite.

Did you ever have a special place where you went to be alone?

I don't think so -- maybe the BATHROOM!

What did you daydream about?

Being a Movie Star, writing a book, being a dancer, a singer, an artist, a model, a poet, being pretty, being popular, being shorter.

What were your favorite things to eat?  Are there any smells, flavors, sounds, songs, etc. that bring back memories of your childhood?

Ice cream, hot dogs, my Mother's home made cakes and cup cakes  I loved the smell of them as they baked in the kitchen.  I remember the organ grinder across Madison Street with his little money, playing nice songs.  If you gave him money in his tin cup, the monkey would tip his hat.   My Father playing "Moonlight and Roses" on our player piano.

How did you spend your summers?

Always at the beach, lake, pool, sitting in the sun -- swimming -- trying to dive, never learning.  Playing tag, jump rope, jacks, run sheep run, red light, blind man's bluff.

Where did your family go on vacations?  Which is your most memorable vacation?

Helen Sullivan, mother Nell Sullivan, and cousin Mary Collette Sullivan

Up to Lakewood, Michigan or Eagle Lake, Wisconsin.  I remember Eagle Lake because my cousin Mary Sullivan would come up with us. That's where we learned to swim.  We had lots of fun.   The cottage had a row boat and we'd go rowing everyday.

What birthday do your remember most? Why?

When I turned 11 my Mother had a party for me as usual.  I hadn't been feeling good for a few days.  The day of the party my face looked very fat.  My Aunt Mae said, "Helen, I think you are putting on a lot of weight".  I started to cry.  I didn't want to be fat.  Then I felt sick and went to bed.  The next morning I woke up with the mumps.

Thomas A. Sullivan 1908-1996

Thomas A. Sullivan was born July 7, 1908 in Chicago, Illinois, the first child of Al and Nell.  On his birth certificate he is named Aloysius Alexander but on his baptismal certificate from St. Agatha Church in Chicago, July 18, 1908, he is named Thomas Aloysius.  He graduated from St. Mel High School and married Margaret Mary Carmody (February 12, 1910-May 27, 1982) on Christmas Eve, 1929 at St. Mel's Church.  They had one child, Thomas D. Sullivan. After Margaret's death he married twice again: Dorothy Mae Sprafka (1914-1992) on December 23, 1985 and Lorraine Alice Cooper (1913-2007), December 5, 1992.  Tom died while undergoing heart surgery on July 11, 1996 in Venice, Florida.
Tom had a long career with A. O. Smith starting in 1950 and retiring in 1973 as Vice President and Division General Manager.  His undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering from the Armour Institute, now Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.  He received a masters degree in economics from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  See also the Sullivan/Carmody Blog

This is his high school photo c1926.