Mabel Fairbanks

An Oral History MABEL FAIRBANKS - Figure Skating - © 2018 LA84 Foundation All rights reserved. This oral history may not, in whole or in part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or converted to any electronic or machine-readable form without prior written consent of the LA84 Foundation MABEL FAIRBANKS (November 14, 1915 – September 29, 2001) January 7, 1999 Today is January 7, 1999, and I am in Burbank, California. I am Sharon Donnan and I have the pleasure of interviewing Mabel Fairbanks, a figure skating legend in her own time. Q: Mabel, I thought today we would start off with some of the very basic details in the beginning of your life, and if you could just tell me about your place of birth and your childhood, and we could spend a few minutes there. A: Well, I only know what I was told. I was there but I wasn't there (Laughter) because I do not remember any of those things like some kids are smart in the womb and they can remember, but I was never that smart. (Laughter) But I was born in the Florida Everglades, and Seminole Indian grandmother and English grandfather. My father was an African. I was in the Everglades until I was about maybe 3 years old, and naturally, I don't remember anything about it. So I only know that I was born there because an older sister told me that I was. I came out and I lived with my mother and father and all of my sisters and brothers, and then I'm like Topsy, I wasn't born; I just grew. (Laughter) Because when my older sister called and sent an application to Washington they said that they did not have any record of my birth, which meant my grandparents did not report my birth, because my grandmother really brought me into the world. So, then I just said, well, I guess I'm a very unique person. That's when I realized that I was very special, that I was most interesting, the most important individual in the world. And then I decided during, well, I went to school really, during kindergarten and I went to beginner’s school the same as all kids did, and then I went to high school, because my parents passed away of course. Q: How old were you when they passed away? A: I don't know. I went to live with my sister, [who] adopted me out with a schoolteacher and principal. … [Then] I wrote my brothers in New York and asked them if they would send for me, that I could take care of myself. So they said, "OK and told the people to "send the kid to us." So I went to New York and lived with my brothers. Q: Could we back up just a little bit, Mabel? Could you tell me, do you remember how many brothers and sisters you had? A: There were 14 in all. Q: Fourteen in all? A: Right. That's what they tell me but I don't remember 14. In fact, there were so many kids around, because my mother took in everybody – every kid off the street – and gave them a place to 1 stay and something to eat. So I never knew who were my real sisters and brothers, but my older sister told me there were 14. Q: Fourteen? A: Um-huh. Q: Do you remember where you lived in the Everglades? A: No. Q: And you said when you were 3 and a half that you moved out of the Everglades. A: Yeah. Q: Did you move into another town in Florida? A: Yeah, someplace in Florida. I never thought of anything like that, I just know that I'm here... Q: Right. A: And this is it. Q: Right. With your parents, do you remember when they died or how or... A: Well, my father, I guess he got tired of taking care of such a large family, although there wasn't 14 of them when I came along because some of them had passed on. I guess he got tired of it and he took off. I don't know what state he went to, but he took off and left my mother with the children. And there didn't seem to be too many then, there were about just four sisters and two brothers that I remember during that time. Q: And they were older than you? A: No. I had a younger brother and a sister two years younger than I was. Then I decided that, gee, if I go to New York I can maybe become a secretary or something. So, I went to New York to live with my brothers. My brother had a fish market; this was on 8th Avenue in Harlem. I lived with him for a while and I had to pay for my board and my food. I had to help in the fish market, which was OK. I loved it. The parents, they would come in and bring their children and buy fish. They always picked the least expensive fish and maybe one fish. I said, now, how is she going to feed all of those kids – three kids – and herself with one fish. So I always gave her more than what she bought, and then her change … I would always give more than she gave me. That went on for a couple of weeks and then my brother noticed that I was giving away the fish and the money. (Laughter) So he says, "I don't think you're going to be able to live here. You'd better go live at the Y." So, I said, "Well, that's OK because I can become a secretary, maybe." Then I stayed there and I got my room and board there. They said, "You can come in and still wrap fish but you can't bother the cash box." So, I said, "OK. I still gave people more fish. (Laughter) So finally, his wife says, "Look, we're going to the poor house if she keeps hanging around." (Laughter) "Put her out." So they did, and I stayed at the Y, the YW. I started taking shorthand and typing, and then I was bored. I said, "I can't sit down that long, I've 2 got to move around." So, after a couple of months, I said that's not for me. So I finally got a job babysitting, and this woman she was just passing by one ... Oh, I got a room in an apartment with a girl I met on the street. I told her about my brother putting me out, so she said, "That's OK, come live with us." So, I went to live with her and my brother gave me $5 and her mother wanted $3 per month for the rent. So I said, "OK, so I have five so I'll have two left." I didn't think about eating or anything like that, I just know I have $2 left over. Finally, the girl and I had a lovely relationship. And then when the month was up the mother said, "OK, you owe $3 again." I said, "Well, I don't have $3, I only have a dollar," because I had spent the rest of it for food. So she said, "Then you can't stay here." So I decided, well, I'll go sleep on the roof. I took some newspaper and went on the roof to sleep. Then the girl came one day and says, "You know, my mother has found us out. She knows you're sleeping on the roof." Because when she goes to work I would go in and take a shower or a bath or whatever, and eat. Then she said, "Tonight she's going to come up there because she has a big stick and she's going to beat your butt until you won't be able to sit or sleep." (Laughter) So, I said, "OK." So I left the roof and then I decided to sleep on the stoop. I slept on the stoop for three or four nights, and then people, you know, they had to walk across me in order to get into their apartment, so finally they said, you know, "You can't sleep on this stoop because we have to get in and out of our apartments so you have to go someplace else." Then I decided, well, I'll take my newspaper and move to Central Park. So, I moved over into Central Park. (Laughter) I was there for a few weeks. You know, nobody bothered you during that time. And a lot of people were sleeping in the park; it didn't mean a thing. One day this lady was passing by with her baby in a carriage, and she said, "Why are you sleeping in the park?" I said, "Because this is the only home I have." She said, "Well, you can't sleep out here." She said, "You're going to die out here when it becomes winter." So I said, "Oh, but I'll get more newspapers to cover up with." She said, "That won't do any good because there'll be snow on the ground." (Laughter) So anyway, she said, "I'll tell you what, I live right across the street and you can come work with me and babysit." So I said, "OK, I'll come babysit." Then I was about ..

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