A true tale of Grandma Keller
The response to an awful crime where a woman was killed -- women should self curfew, don't go out alone, etc ... got me thinking.
This is a true tale of Grandma Keller, all 5'2" of her, as told by a friend of my father at her memorial service back in 2007.
Circa 1960, he was a teenager walking home alone from a late night shift at a grocery store and had to go through the "bad" neighborhood of Havre, MT.
He felt a little nervous, but then he recognized the woman walking alone a block ahead of him. GK, who lived 3 houses down from him. He thought about catching up, but GK was a seriously fast walker and he was tired. He thought about calling her name, so they could walk together, but didn't want to disturb her after her long day at work (hospital).
He figured that if he walked fast enough to stay about a block behind, if somebody attacked him, GK would hear and get help. So he walked behind her for 3 blocks, when suddenly .... GK stops in the light of a street lamp, whirls around, and shouts, "Alright whoever you are, step into the light where I can see you! You don't scare me!"
He called out to her and they walked home together.
He said he learned two important lessons that night:
(1) GK was an incredibly brave person. "I wouldn't have had the courage to do that."
(2) If you see a woman walking alone at night and you are going the same way, for god's sake don't do what he did.
This is a true tale of Grandma Keller, all 5'2" of her, as told by a friend of my father at her memorial service back in 2007.
Circa 1960, he was a teenager walking home alone from a late night shift at a grocery store and had to go through the "bad" neighborhood of Havre, MT.
He felt a little nervous, but then he recognized the woman walking alone a block ahead of him. GK, who lived 3 houses down from him. He thought about catching up, but GK was a seriously fast walker and he was tired. He thought about calling her name, so they could walk together, but didn't want to disturb her after her long day at work (hospital).
He figured that if he walked fast enough to stay about a block behind, if somebody attacked him, GK would hear and get help. So he walked behind her for 3 blocks, when suddenly .... GK stops in the light of a street lamp, whirls around, and shouts, "Alright whoever you are, step into the light where I can see you! You don't scare me!"
He called out to her and they walked home together.
He said he learned two important lessons that night:
(1) GK was an incredibly brave person. "I wouldn't have had the courage to do that."
(2) If you see a woman walking alone at night and you are going the same way, for god's sake don't do what he did.