Polly

Aunt Polly was the aunt I probably saw most in my childhood. During the school year she taught music or was a school administrator in the Cleveland area, but she came to my grandparents' home, just 3 doors down from my house, every few weekends, for the longer holidays, and spent a good part of the summers with us in the Ridge.

Whenever she came home it seemed that she brought some treat or toy or gift for me -- and possibly also for my brother and sister, too, though I don't remember.

Though her name was Pauline she insisted on being called Polly. She never liked the name Pauline, refused to respond to it, and corrected anyone who called her by that name.

She was the youngest daughter of William Carl Robert and Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen. She was born December 27, 1927.

Aunt Polly enjoyed travelling and photography. When she came home from trips she put together slide shows and we all sat and watched them. It seemed like a pretty big deal to me, in the mid-1950s, to see color slides of Hawaii and hear about her experiences there. At that time, in little Mineral Ridge, it was very unusual to know people who travelled to such exotic places.

It is probably because of her that we have so many photographs of my siblings, my cousins, and me when we were children. I am grateful for those photographs.