06259cgm a2200301 4500 71666394 TxAuBib 20110131120000.0 110131s2011||||||||||||||||||||||v|eng|u (OCoLC)731252316 TxAuBib Huber, Margaret, 1917- When we wore hats [DVD] / Dripping Springs Community Library. Dripping Springs, TX : Dripping Springs Community Library, 2011. 1 videodisc : digital ; 4 3/4 in. Historical Reference materials are archived apart from the general Collection, and available for Library use. Ask a Library staff member for assistance. "I believe the strong hat influence must have come from my mother," said Margaret Huber, a ninety-three-year-old Dripping Springs resident and a lover and collector of beautiful hats. Margaret recalls that her mother never left home without wearing an appropriate hat. Margaret now lives next door to her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Ken Wilson. She still loves hats and is rarely seen out in public without a hat that accents her clothing and the season. When asked about her life and fascination with hats, Mrs. Huber shared these memories. Margaret grew up as part of a ranching family on land located in both Blanco and Hays Counties near Flat Creek. Born on October 6, 1917, she was the fourth of the five children born to Lillie and Valentine Griffin. Her father had immigrated to the United States from England at the age of five and was next to the youngest of nine children. Two of his sisters became milliners, or hat designers and makers, who lived and worked in Austin. During their growing up years, Margaret and her siblings worked on the ranch every day. She remembers milking cows and gathering eggs daily. The diversified ranch raised many types of animals for market and for the products they produced, such as eggs. They also grew crops for animal feed as well as vegetables for themselves and for market. "All hands were needed when the corn was ready to harvest. None of us were ever allowed outside without a hat on our head, you wore either a bonnet or a straw hat. Tanned skin, especially on women or girls, was not a desired look in those days," said Miss Margaret. Her experiences with hats continued as Margaret moved into her teen and adult years. As a teen, Margaret remembers buying hats for a dollar or bit more. "Everyone wore a hat, both men and women," said Margaret. One of the popular hat styles was the cloche, a close fitting hat of felt, straw, or other material. There was no real brim but decorative accents were a fashion plus. "Toward the end of the '30s," Margaret said, "I worked at Zales Jewelers in Austin and made $10.50 a week. Nearly every week I bought a hat as a personal treat after paying for my living expenses." She recalled wearing hats with large brims and wearing high heels as she walked to work from her apartment on 19th Street and West Avenue. The White’s Drug Store on the corner of 6th and Congress provided a breakfast stop on the way to work at 7th and Congress. "That was a long walk even in the round-toed, more comfortable heels that were fashionable in those days," recalls Margaret. After marrying in 1939, her husband, John Paul Huber, worked on the Mansfield Dam project and earned $19 a week. Margaret stated that she was given $5 for groceries and for things she might need or want, maybe even a new hat now and then. The young couple was able to buy a new car. By providing fellow workers with transportation, the car was quickly paid off. The couple lived in several towns while following defense jobs. Margaret worked as well at various jobs that could sometimes be found. "You went where the work was if you wanted a job," said Margaret. A daughter, Nancy, was born in 1943 and five years later a son, Phil, now of Pflugerville, joined the family. Her husband volunteered for the Navy before being drafted and entered World War II as part of the Seabees, the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. Margaret and Nancy spent those war years with her family. Recalling her favorite hat from those days, Margaret said, "It was beautiful, green velvet with feathers. I wish I still had that hat." The '50s brought a divorce and a twenty-five year career with the Lower Colorado River Authority for Margaret. Women still wore hats but more for special social events and church, not as much for everyday. When asked what style of hats she usually wore, Margaret states that she always went with the "fashion of the day." She just liked hats. Both Margaret and her daughter Nancy agree that hairstyles have played a big part in the decline in the popularity of hats for everyday wear. Tight perms, beehives, and the teased look were not hat-friendly hairstyles. During the '60s, the customary hairdo was straight but teased. Smaller hats like pillbox hats and those with narrow brims, both worn by Jackie Kennedy, were the fashion. Most women Margaret knew only wore hats for church. "Everything in the '70s was large," said Margaret. "Hair, shoulder pads, and fashionable hats were larger also. Hats like those Queen Elizabeth II wears were in vogue. Wider, turned up brims that were off the face were quite stylish. More manlike styles were the thing to wear during the '80s. "Now that hair styles are reasonable once more," said Margaret's daughter Nancy, "there's no reason not to wear hats again, even with the casual clothing popular today.". DVD. 20110131. Local history. DO NOT WEED. Huber, Margaret 1917- Dripping Springs (Tex) Biography. Dripping Springs (Tex) History. Hays County (Tex) Biography. Hays County (Tex) History. TXDRI