Ruth Egan

Ruth worked for Roebling for thirty years and served as Secretary to the Chief Plant Engineer. She stayed through the closing of the Trenton Plant and retired while helping close the Roebling, N.J. plant.

On the family atmosphere: With all the women, you just seemed to know each other. Everything that happen, everybody knew it. If somebody got engaged they came down and congratulated you from all over the place. We did work, too, believe me. But it was just like a family atmosphere. It really was. We cared for each other. When somebody got sick everybody sent cards; everybody sent flowers. Whatever happened, happened to us too. It was really unique.

On work: When I started working for Roebling, I think I made $10 or $12 a week. Then I got a big raise of $3 and I thought I was on cloud nine. Gradually, because of the war, the salaries rose; we got bonuses at Christmas time. It kept going up. You got very good training in industy, believe me. It was a busy day, you know, it was busy all the time because of the war and if that phone rang twice there was somebody looking at you..how come you weren't picking it up? You really had to get to it. And we did it. If there was phone ringing we ran for it. A lot of people left the State and came here, especially after the war; salaries had started to rise but State salaries did not. The money was better and it was more interesting.

I can remember we used to wear white gloves to work during the summertime. I used to wear a hat, white gloves and high heels.

On her husband who also worked for Roebling: We both worked. He was an industrial engineer and would go to plant at Roebling, NJ; I would come to Trenton. He worked 36 years for them. When the plant closed, he was devastated. You're 55 and over-qualified. The story that everyone is hearing now, I heard twenty years ago. He went to work with the State. He never liked it. He'd come home every night and say: "It's not Roebling … not Roebling."

On the dining room: [Roebling had a dining room which provided free lunches to the office staff.] When you were hired they assigned you a number, a seat, and you had that seat forever. Half of the fourth floor was the kitchen and the dining room. We had cooks, most of them were women that came in every day. They served full course meals family-style. They had the best cherry pie in the world. They did all their own baking and it was a different meal every day. It was wonderful. You could smell it cooking during the morning. We all went in at once. It was fun.

On the plant closing: We called it the St. Valentine's Day massacre because St, Valentine's Day was our last clock-out here at the time clock. We moved the next morning to Roebling, N.J. It was a very sad day, believe me.

On her last day at work: But my last day in Roebling, N.J was even worse. It was really bad. The Trenton plant was closed and they had sold some of the Roebling plant to an outfit from Cleveland. I got to the point I just couldn't stand it. It was only going to be a matter of time anyway. I was left with a boss in charge of getting rid of the equipment, and he was impossible. I walked in one morning and I said : "I have had it." That was November of '74. I went out of there crying. My husband picked me up and tears were running down my face. That was it. I have never been back down there. If I go on the Roebling Highway, I don't even look over there. I can't, I just really can't.