Judith E. Cooper

I was born in 1928 in Quissett, a short hike down the road from Woods Hole, and grew up there. My first memory of Woods Hole was when my sister and I were taken by our parents to see the seals in the outside holding tanks in front of the old Fisheries building. These tanks were all washed out in either 1938 or 1944 -- I have forgotten which hurricane it was.

When we were a little older, my mother would take us on the steamer from Woods hole to New Bedford early in the morning, to go shopping at the Star Store and Cherry's. We had to sit for what seemed forever and watch her try on hats and shoes. We were rewarded by lunch at the counter in the Star Store. I am sure also that the boat ride across the Bay was a big attraction.

Later on in my early teens, we had friends whose father was a lighthouse keeper and they lived in one of the houses on the road to the Coast Guard Base. We spent lots of time playing basketball at the base. Everything was very informal there in those days.

During the early 40's and while the war was on, we walked to Woods Hole from Quissett and hung out at the old Lowey's drug store which was about where the Captain Kidd is today. We also walked home in the dark and had only the light from the sky showing though the tops of the trees to help us home.

When I was sixteen, in 1944, I worked (as most of us did at that time) for Mary Lyons at the James Grille, located where the Leeside is now. We all worked part-time and earned about $7 a week. The village was full of Navy men who were on the Crash boats and stationed in Woods Hole, so the James Grille was a busy and fun place to work. In our spare time we swam at the beaches and had lunch down by the sundial on Water Street.

The WHOI ketch, ATLANTIS, was an important part of my life because my husband-to-be came from upper New York State in 1944, at seventeen years old, to join her crew as an ordinary seaman. I believe those four years aboard her were the best of his life and he never tired of writing or talking about his experiences and the men who were his "shipmates."

In the 70's and 80's, I worked at the bank in Woods Hole which was then a branch of the Falmouth National Bank. I felt very fortunate to be hired to work in Woods Hole.

As I look back over my life I realize that Woods Hole has played a large part in it and I am glad that it worked out that I never had to leave this little corner of the world.