2007

clothes wrong side out and backwards and probably walked barefoot - I real– ly don't remember." she laughed. "We also had to parade downtown to Decatur in our ' Freshman Day' anire." Flint said she remembered making her first speech in Mrs. Stella New– some's speech class. When she com– pleted it, Mrs. Newsome's critique was that Flint "did not know enough about anything to make a speech." "That was the most eye-opening thing anyone had ever said to me," Flint remarked. "So prior to my neltt

speech, I did a Jot more research on my topic and dtd much better" Flmt completed her coursework at EC in 15 months, attending two sum– mer terms in addition to a fall and spring semester Teachers she remembers who made an impact on her besides Mrs. New some were Mis\ Una Harris, Wallace Bedwej), Mr. and Mrs. WA. Walker. Mrs. Gladys Darby Pennmgton, Mrs. Janie Sullivan, L. D. Ferguson and Dr L. 0 Todd. ''After one semester in Dr. Todd's htstory cla~s. I found a conflict to avotd taking his second semester cla-;s!" she admitted. Three days after being awarded her AA degree in August 1948, Flint began employment as a junior stenog– rapher for the Neshoba County Wel– fare Department. She srud there wa'> a seven-month typing baddog of wel– fare cases when she started the job. Her work day oilidally hi.·L•,m at R 10 a.m.; ho\wwr, !'he rode Ill \\'Oil: \)ll l• \\Ill~ lluck I rom thr countt) '' tth those who began work at 6:30 a.ttl. Withtn four months, Flint said she completed the baeiJog, using an old manual "Underwood'' typewriter and on her own time. Hint worked a six-d:ly. 44-hour week. She was patd $125 per month, and contributed enough to the fan1ily budget to allow her mother to get off the welfare role A year later, she left the welfare depat1menr and went to work as inter– viewing clerk in the Tupelo office of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission. In 1953, a reduction in force transferred her to the Jackson office where she became a princtpal clerk. She was wtth the commission from October 1949 to June 1956. It was in Ja~.:kson that she met her future husband. Paul Woodward from lndtanola. After they were married •n June 1956 and moved to Greenville. she began working for the federal government. firsL with Untted State~ Army Corps of Engineer-. Wben their olTtce closed, she began a career with the United Stale!> Air Force that lasted from 1957-93 At Green\ille Air Force

for jus.tifying manpower and wartime Base. she became a reporting stcnog-

.

planmng. Her last a<;!.tgnment , h . the b

ho ·t· 1 In th ase spt a . she . 'ar'hed . u·rrenlent t'>

years and was a three-year member of

w·

. I d

'd' d

d d r th ap er tn

tl AI b

mvo ve prov1 mg ata nee e 10r c . t'

1e

a ama est Florida UMW

C 1.

. h' th post JOn, . rcsc c

n:q

'

. .

k'

(' 0 .

1

re?rgantntton ~~ .m~ p ~ce ~tt m e and kept minutes and records of the

. on crence a met. In addition, she served a ~nc _year term on the Pen S~lc.:ola Dtstnct United Methodist . One ol ~he acttVttJes she was tn~·olved wtth as a member of the Sh.tluuar UMW was \Uppon for the \~ork. With the Okaloosa County C hun.h Board . . .

Arr Force an~ CJvtl Engmeermg

. boards and committees to assist in the

Also, dunng the lt 12 years ol ·hospital becoming accr~lhted by the em~loyment. sh~ had collater

CE.

.

hccauseofbascclosure.

She related that_~hen she went mto At Eglin, \he was employed as a ( o:lltllon on till' l lnrncless. the upward mobtltty posttton. she secretary in the Ci\tlian Per onncl . , . ~welv~ gmup homes '"':e~e made returned ~o the clas~room an~ com- Office. the Armament Dniston Test a\,lllahlc lor hnmele:'s famrhcs unttl pleted Vat10~~ coursework reqUire~ for Center Command Post, and the Civil ~!~~·y muld get on ,thetr ICct," she said. the new pos1110n and collateral duttC.\. E . eering Squadron In the , 0111 • • Snl'tal J>l'npll~ 111 our church werl' "Th h . d f h .ngtn ··t I . I . at w~ ! e peno o c ange mand post from 1966 . 68 . shl con· tns ntllll' fll;t llll omg the legal work to w~en tmnont1es and women were tributed to writing war and conlln· rst11hhsh the homl~.~. and 1 was fnrtu bemg.allowed IntO tb~.Eghn work- gency plans. One Air rorec Colonrl !~all' Cllllllgh to Sl'l'ur~· a 'P'iOO grant pia~ tn blue collar postllons and non- supervisor 10 the CE "(Juadron wrote ,lrom the Wnllll'll ' Dt\ .,ton oLr~~c: tradtltonal roles. These changes 10 a letter of commendation that Flint .Global Board of Mt~tons o( tlJt:'Unu– allo~.cd m~ ~o ~~ into. the upward "was the hest ~ccrctary" who had ed Meth9di~t Chur~~ to help with mohtltty posttton, she saul k d r 1 . lumhng spec1alneeds. . . . wor e 101 11111 . . . . '\lw 1n allulth.tl not n•·• v•m~ wd · 1 "·· 1 Ie ec · . . • c11mcd ch.mgc, d f . 1 . · t 'l't .. _. 1. _ 1\labama Wt~st · l · lortdn Conference , 1 1 • 1. 11 c or an upwat\ 11111111 y post tun U' 1 \V . 1 . 1 . .. . ·Om. man nwt ~ t H; cununent, . 1 . 1 . . 1 1 ..· 1• 111 Ultt tliiSIIIl:l ~It nils wlnunat- . . as an IIH usttta englltt'l'ttng ec llltl't•!ll . . . . · · . , never have a women worktng m my 1 1 1 • (' I. 111g 111 hutldtng tWI• llahtt-411 lor . hall d