April 18, 1892 - Miss Mamie Goodrell is the new telephone operator and her welcome "hello" is heard along the line. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 3)
May 1, 1899 - Miss Nora Palmer,
the "Hello Girl" at the telephone office is on the sick list and has
been obliged to go to her home in Tipton. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg
8)
Aug 21, 1899 - Miss Nora Palmer,
the "Hello" girl at the Iowa Telephone Station is back at her post of
duty after a two weeks visit with friends and relatives in Tipton, IA.
(Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 7)
Aug 30, 1899 - Miss Lizzie Fox,
of Muscatine, an old time "hello girl" of the Iowa Telephone Company,
was thrown from a buggy last evening and sustained some serious
injuries. Her lower limbs were broken and otherwise she was badly
bruised (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 8)
Feb
7, 1901 - Next week a new toll board will be installed (Johnson County
Telephone Company) in the local office and the chief operator, Miss Marie Huffman, will have charge of the same. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 3)
Jun 27, 1901 - B. P. Thornberry and Miss Norma Palmer
Made Husband and Wife - The bride has been connected for about 7 years
with the Iowa Telephone Company and during a large part of that time,
she was chief operator. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 4)
Jul 11, 1904 - Miss Mae Welch
who the past year has occupied the position of chief operator for the
Johnson County Telephone Company has been promoted to the position of
assistant bookkeeper. Miss Margie Lumsden assuming the duties of chief operator and Miss Gay Conklin, those of assistant chief. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 4)
Jan 3, 1905 - Miss Clara Rittenmeyer,
one of the efficient "hello" girls of the Johnson County Telephone
Company has resigned her position in the company's local office. (Iowa
City Press Citizen, pg 5)
May 10, 1905 - "Hello Girls" Win Promotion
Many changes were made today in the Johnson County Telephone Company's office. Miss Mae Welch, bookkeeper in the long distance office, resigned, temporarily at least, owing to the demands of her health, and Miss Mamie Hersher,
chief operator in the long distance office was promoted to her post. In
this change, a capable woman goes out and a most popular and efficient
employee receives a merited "raise". Miss Lottie Miller,
assistant chief operator in the main office, succeeds Miss Hersher,
another merited promotion, and to keep the good work going, Manager
Presson named Miss Frona Hellmer as Miss Hersher's successor. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 5)
Jun 29, 1905 - Miss Estelle Collier has
accepted a position here in the telephone office. She is night "hello"
girl and will work from 9 to 7 o'clock. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 6)
Jun
15, 1906 - Strikers Lose in "Helloville" - Telephone Operators Cannot
Win Case - Supt. C.E. Hall Decides in Favor of Local Manager and
Opposed Chief Operator Today
The "Hello Girls" of the Iowa City
Telephone Company "lost out" in their battle with the Bell management,
after their strike of yesterday, and the entire force is now out, with
little or no prospect of ever returning to the Bell exchange. The
decision of the arbitrator, Supt. C. E. Hall, of Des Moines, ruled in
favor of the chief operator, Mrs. Henry Weber and the manager, D. W. Coffey. There
upon the last operator remaining in the office yesterday went out
today, joining the rival company, the Johnson County Telephone Company
and thus the entire force has been replaced with an entirely new set of
workers at the switchboards. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 5)
March
4, 1908 - The operators for the Bell Telephone in this city were
pleasantly entertained at the home of the chief operator, Miss Madge Churchill,
last Monday evening at the latter's home on East Fairchild Street. The
evening was spent in varied amusements and in partaking in the very
delightful refreshments served. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 8)
May 1, 1908 - Madge Churchill has resigned as Chief Operator of the Iowa Telephone Co. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 1)
Oct 5, 1908 - Miss Marjorie Lumsden,
Chief Operator for the Johnson County Telephone Company leaves today
for Chicago to submit to a surgical operatrion. Her position will
be filled by Miss Frona Helmer. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 5)
Jan 25, 1909 - Mrs. F. Skubal spent Sunday at Iowa City with her daughter, Barbara Skubal, who is one of the "hello" girls in the Bell office. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 16)
Sept 24, 1909 - Miss Anna Cozine
and Mr. Robert N Whitley were married..... The bride is the engaging
assistant chief operator for the Johnson County Telephone Company in
this city. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 1)
Oct 25,
1909 - The young ladies of the Johnson County Telephone Company gave a
banquet Thursday evening at the Merchants restaurant in honor of Roy
Wertz and J. S. McGrann, the retiring and incoming managers. Miss Marjorie Lumsden called upon Miss Rose Rittenmeyer to express the sentiments of the occasion which she did in a very appropriate manner. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 5)
Feb 16, 1910 - Young Bride Seeks Divorce - Miss Adelaide Katzenmeyer,
was engaged in the mercantile world here as a bookkeeper, cashier and
other capacities and was also in the telephone field where she was
known as one of the prettiest and most engaging of the "hello" girls.
(Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 9)
May
20, 1910 - The Exchange Board is now being attended by twelve
operators, including the two at the toll board, all under the direction
of Miss Margaret Feeley as Chief Operator. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 6)
May 9, 1921 - Miss Hattie Goody,
the valued chief operator of the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company,
has returned from a beneficial school of instruction at Davenport.
(Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 3)
Nov 23, 1926 - HEALTH WILL BE STRESSED - Instructions in Habits and Proper Diet to be Given Telephone Operators
Instructions
in health habits, proper diet and care of the body is being given all
of the girls and women in the employ of the Northwestern Bell Telephone
company here, through a series of lectures and demonstrations by
especially trained teacher.
The course arranged for the feminine employees by company physicians, according to Mr. Carl Cone,
local manager, is designed to promote the health of the girls, thereby
increasing their efficiency and general welfare, both for their own
good and for the good of the concern they serve.
Each girl
receives instruction twice a week, either in the afternoon or in the
evening on the company's time, in a classroom fitted out at the rear of
the main office. The school is under the supervision of Miss Hattie Goody, the chief operator and is spread over 15 weeks.
Miss Sylvia Boone,
a supervisor in the local office, was given several weeks training at
Des Moines with representatives of other offices in the material to be
presented by company physicians and nurses.
She in turn imparts her knowledge to the staff here, aided by Miss Mildred Swearingen
of Des Moines who comes here to lecture once a week. Every
feminine employee of the company will have received the complete course
of instruction before the health school is finished. (Iowa City Press Citizen, pg 12)