I suppose, if all the shoes I have ever owned were lined up, they would tell my life story; of physical growth, economic situation, career, and lifestyle, as well as signs of the times....

I was eight years old in 1945 when (World War II) shoe rationing ended. It had been in effect for two or three years. Under rationing, each person received stamps permitting the purchase of three pairs per year. In the 1940's, we could never afford to have more than a couple of pairs a year anyhow. We got school shoes in the fall and summer shoes in the spring, and hoped they would last the season. New shoes were better than a new toy. Shoes were handed down in the family if there was any wear left in them.

We bought shoes at Ben Radcliff's general store and ordered some by mail from the Sears Robuck or Montgomery Ward catalog. Mail-ordered shoes had to be returned if they didn't fit, so buying them could be a long process. During the war, it was not always easy to find just what you wanted. Substitutions were sometimes shipped if an item was sold out. For that reason, we often sent second and third choices. If the size was right, we usually kept the shoes, even if they were not the exact color or style preferred.