“I went to work in 1940 at the gas company. First I was secretary to the sales manager and then in 1955, after I’d been there for 15 years, I quit and had a daughter. And then about six years later they called, my job was open – would I come back? So I went back and worked another 23 years. When I went back, they had given me every raise they had had in the last six years so I started with a pretty good salary.”

Vera Mullikin, 90, resident of Muncie, Indiana, on what kept her employed for life.

“When I was first out of school [I worked] over in the city hall for what they call the WPA review office. And the funny thing, I had vacation coming from there and I went with a friend of mine to the employment office with her - cause she’d just graduated - to get her a job. And the fellow in there called me over and said, are you looking for a job? I said I will be, I’m on vacation. He says, well you should go and see Frank over at the gas company. So I weren’t looking for a job but I went there and that’s when they hired me.”

Mullikin, on the arduous process of securing that employment.