Historian's Craft Timeline- Betty Shope

  • Birth

    She was born in Cole, Oklahoma
  • Stock Market Crash

    She was seven years old when the stock market crashed. This profoundly impacted her family.
  • Moved to Blevins, AR

    She moved from Cole, Oklahoma to Blevins, AR after the stock market crash so her father could work for the WPA.
  • Great Depression Began

    She worked throughout the Great Depression. Her first job was passing out fliers for Franklin Roosevelt's campaign for $.10 per day.
  • Employment During the Depression

    Employment During the Depression
    She worked as a farm keeper for no pay at her family farm. Because she was working she did not attend past 7th grade.
  • Marriage

    Marriage
    She married William Lether Shope in Arkadelphia, AR. She was 19 when they married, he was 26.
  • Pearl Harbor Attack

    Pearl Harbor Attack
    The Pearl Harbor attack happened the day after she was married. Her husband was enlisted in the army April 1st, 1942.
  • Birth of Her First Son

    Her first son William Shope Jr. was born in Okolona, AR.
  • Discharge of Her Husband

    Her husband was discharged from the war and returned home.
  • Birth of Her Second Son

    Birth of Her Second Son
    Her second son, Calvin Jackson Shope, was born in Okolona, AR.
  • Birth of Her Third Son

    Her third son, Joe Shope was born in Okolona, AR.
  • Death of Her Son

    Her third son, Joe Shope, died due to Blue Baby Syndrome. A surgery was developed for this in 1944, but she did not have access to it.
  • Her Mother Died

    Her mother was 67 years old when she died of cancer.
  • Her Father Died

    Her Father Died
    Her father was 80 when he died of natural causes.
  • Assassination of JFK

    She was 41 when John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX. She was living in Texarkana, TX at the time.
  • Death of her Husband

    She was 61 when her husband died of complications of diabetes.
  • Death of Her Second Son

    Her second son, Calvin Jackson Shope, died when she was 83. He died of natural causes.
  • Death

    Death
    She was 92 when she died of natural causes in Texarkana, TX.