Marion Guttentag
Marion Guttentag was born on January 10, 1900. Marion grew up in Dorchester and went to the Oliver Wendell Holmes School and then to the High School of Practical Arts. She became a stenographer in Boston when she finished school and worked as a bookkeeper for Fay, Spofford, and Thorndike for fifty years until she retired. Marion’s two brothers both married and had children, but Marion and her two sisters remained single and lived together. Marion enjoyed knitting and participated in a sewing group at her temple. That sewing group started before World War II. At the time of the interview, Marion was still knitting.
Marion shares stories from her childhood about her siblings, the schools she attended, her mother's meals, and learning needlework from her mother. She talks about the Jewish holidays her family celebrated and the synagogue they attended. Marion attended the Bryant and Stratton Business School. She describes her work as a stenographer and going by streetcar to the office of Fay, Spofford, and Thorndike. Marion remembers living through the Great Depression but explains that her family did not suffer any hardships during this era. When Marion moved out of her parent's home, she and her sisters, Jessie and Sadie, lived together in Brookline. Around this time, Marion also became involved in a sewing group at her temple. Marion explains her perspectives on World War II and when she became aware of the Holocaust. She also discusses the various holidays she and her sisters celebrated and the different customs and foods involved. Finally, Marion reflects on her long career at Fay, Spofford, and Thorndike and sharing her home and life with her two sisters.
