YOUR NUMBER PLEASE!

 WRITERS’ CHAPTER STORY-OF-THE-MONTH – FEBRUARY 2018

YOUR NUMBER PLEASE

By: Helen Griffin

Recently I was thinking how different today’s telephone is from the one I grew

with. My first telephone number had both letters and numbers. Mine was Mott

Haven 5 or dialed as MO 5. The instrument had a rotary dial, no buttons. It was

used for direct dialing to local numbers. All other calls had to be put through by

dialing O for the Operator. Dialing 411 would connect you to Information to find a

number you were not familiar with. You gave her (yes almost all operators were

women) the name and address and voila she came up with a phone number, but

only if it were listed. If you questioned your monthly bill, the business office could

be reached by dialing 811 and 611 was for reporting equipment problems. There

was no 911 in those days, as emergencies were handled through the Operator. As a

bonus, if you dialed WE 6 1212 you heard a weather report and ME 7 1212 gave you

the correct time. However today’s phones are quite different, operated by pushing a

series of buttons or icons. The instrument, hand held, is truly portable, not attached

to the wall by a long coiled wire.

I do like the convenience of a cell phone, that is texting, emails, and

not having to carry a little book with friends and family phone numbers. Never

would have imagined that those numbers could be stored in the phone and so easily

accessed by pressing a button. There was a time when our neighborhoods had

numerous phone booths. Now there almost all gone. Poor Superman.

I decided to put pen to paper about my original phone as a history lesson for the

grandchildren.

Why is it that I selected the development of the telephone for the subject matter?

My first job was with the NY Telephone Company, during my junior and senior

years in high school. as a long distance operator for the Manhattan, Judson 6

exchange. I was paid $52.00 a week when I worked full time those summers. I liked

the job, I liked manipulating the large phone chords around the big board but most

of all (this will be our secret) I liked listening in on the customer calls.

Mike Todd, show business entrepreneur and husband at the time to movie star

Elizabeth Taylor was my favorite customer. Such interesting conversations and

sometimes so spicy. Ah well.

Now, will the grandchildren be interested in my memories? Possibly.