Laurette Friedman - Wedding Dress
Interviewer: Where were you married?
Laurette: In New York, in Brooklyn, it was at temple, which I have no connection with. It was just a very beautiful place. It’s funny - my wedding gown, I liked it as a dress. It was an evening gown kind of look. After my wedding a little while later, I decided I was going to use it again. I took it in and had it shortened, full length, but shortened, and I dyed it green. And I have to tell you, I hate the color green! But it was a nice dress, and it looked good on me. It looked very feminine, and I kept it for years before I threw it out. I wore it I think once to a fraternity dance. That’s it. Here I was being so practical. I was going to have a formal dress. It was not lacey. It was silk – a pretty dress. I would wear that style today. I got rid of it because we were moving.
Laurette Friedman- Summer Camp
"My sister in law had a house – it was a community – it had a day camp. My brother-in-law was the Director of the day camp. That’s how I met Bernie. We used to go up to visit my sister and my sister-in-law. When we were ready to make any kind of investment – we rented one of the cottages there and we spent our summers there. When Bernie graduated from school, he would come up weekends. He was working then. That’s where we spent years, and years, and years. It was really like a second home for us. So, we rented a cottage on the grounds and I got very close to my sister-in-law – who I hated when I met her. I didn’t like her, but after I got to know her she became my best friend."
Laurette Friedman - Sister in Law
"Well, my sister-in-law had a house. It was a community that had a day camp. My brother-in-law was the director of the Day Camp. That’s how I met Bernie. We used to go up to visit my sister and my sister-in-law. When we were ready to make any kind of investment – we rented one of the cottages there. We spent our summers there. When Bernie graduated from school, he would come up weekends. He was working then. That’s when we spent years, and years, and years. It was really like a second home to us. So, we rented a cottage on the grounds, and I got very close to my sister-in law. I hated her when I met her. I didn’t like her. But after I got to know her, she became my best friend."
Laurette Friedman - Move to Florida
Laurette: We moved back to Florida when I was 9. My father died when I was 10. No, I was 9 ½. I have a very clear picture of him. He passed away and that’s when we moved to Florida. My mother got very ill, and my sister decided the cold weather was just going to kill her, so we moved to Florida
Interviewer: Must have been hard after she lost her husband.
Laurette: She got quite ill. But she lived to be 88 or 89. She said she had to live because she had to take care of me. My sister was 20 when I was born, and my brother 18 so I was like an only child. I had two mothers.
Laurette Friedman - Meeting Husband
"My sister-in-law had a house in the country, and there was a day camp attached to it. Her brother, my husband, used to spend a lot of time there. My brother-in-law, my sister’s husband ran the camp. My mother and I spent summers there. I met him on August 23, 1945. So that was a memorable day. They were having a party in the community, and we were introduced that night. He was 6 years older than I. He was a Dentist. He was not even part of my group of friends. But he used to come up and visit with his sister, and it happened we were both at that same party. We were introduced. Four months later we were married. January 6 1946."
Laurette Friedman - Honeymoon
"We were married on Sunday and Bernie had to go back to school on Monday. So the following weekend, my brother was living in Washington DC. We could ill-afford a honeymoon, so he said come to Washington, and I will show you. So we did that. we spent almost a week in Washington. Then we came back, and he took off a little time and we went looking for an apartment. We had more fun. That was a very good span of time in my life. I met one of his friends. We went to a dinner and sat next to a couple – friends of his. That girl, Carol, is my best friend today."
Laurette Friedman - Dad Immigrated to US
"My father had 5 or 6 brothers that were all wiped out during the war. He was the only one that survived and came to this country. All his brothers were killed. They were in the war and they never got here. They were Iranian, but they were living in France. My mother made him come here so he wouldn’t go into the army, so she would have a husband, and her children would have a father. So she was the most dynamic. A good woman!"
Laurette Friedman - Buttonholes
"My mother didn’t work but she helped my father. I guess in today’s world, you would call him a fashion designer. He made clothes. He designed them and made them. My mother used to help him. She made all the buttonholes on the clothes by hand. That was her job. She made buttonholes. She was fabulous. She was a great cook and baker, and anything to do with her hands. She was quite a lady. She was 4 ft 9, with the most beautiful hair you will ever find."
Laurette Friedman - Bernard Sorrel
"We were talking, and the next day he called me. There was something going on in the community and he asked me to go to whatever – it was like a party. That was it. We were married 4 months after we met. His name was Bernard – we called him Bernie. His middle name – don’t ask me what it means – Sorrel. I think it’s a horse…it had some significance which I never found out. I have no idea. I didn’t like it, so I never pursued it."
Laurette Friedman - 5 O'Clock Supper Club
Laurette: We just went out together. Both boys were in school, and we did not have much money, but we treated ourselves. One of my memories was that we treated ourselves, and we went to what was then – I don’t even know if it still exists - the 5 o’clock club in New York. We went out. We treated ourselves. We went out to dinner at this 5 o’clock club. We had a ball.
Interviewer: Did you like to Dance?
Laurette: Oh yes. We loved to go dancing!