Mom's Story
I was born in a small town in Northwest Tennessee; its name is Obion, by the Obion River, in the county of Obion. My parents were middle class. Their names were Clifford R. Sullivan and Esther F. Sullivan (maiden name Esther Fox). I had one brother named Ralf Neil Sullivan. All in all I had a happy childhood and teenage years, even though we didn't have much money because it was during the depression era.
My first job was with Ma Bell as an operator, making $21.00 dollars a week. I worked there eleven years and was happy there. While working as an operator, I got married to a local boy named John Brandon. We were happy together and in two years we had a son that we named John Michael. Michael was a beautiful child but was awful mischievous but we loved him with all our hearts. Unfortunately my husband passed away at the early age of thirty-five (1962).
Now I was thirty-two with a ten-year-old child to take care of and raise. I had quit my job with Ma Bell so I could spend time with Michael and now I couldn't find a job. In 1963 we moved to Memphis, Tennessee so I could find work to support us. Michael hated Memphis at first and spent almost every weekend with his Grandparents in Obion, so I found myself having to make a two hundred-mile trip each week. Finally Michael came to love Memphis after three or four years.
My first jobs in Memphis were as a PBX operator, sales clerk, and receptionist. I then found a job at the Holiday Inn Rivermount as a PBX operator but after two years I was promoted to Reservation Manager. The Rivermount was the flag ship hotel for Holiday Inns and had five hundred and fifty rooms. I loved working at the Rivermount and was happy there. I worked there for thirteen years, I guess some of the happiest years I can remember. It was exciting working at a convention hotel and I got to meet many people of interest like four Presidents (Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan). I also got to meet some stars like Bill Cosby, Luciano Pavarotti, Dion Warwick, and Danny Thomas. In 1984 the Rivermount was sold and turned into apartments but I continued to work for Holiday Inns.
In 1985 Holiday Inn opened a new hotel in Memphis, the Crowne Plaza and I when to work there in the same position (Reservation Manager). The Crowne Plaza was a very nice hotel with four hundred rooms and almost as exciting as the Rivermount but I wasn't as happy there. After working five years, I injured my back on the job and had to have three different surgeries on my back. Because of this I had to retire from Holiday Inns and couldn't work any longer.
My Mother was eighty-five and had cancer so I moved back to Obion with my son Michael to take care of her. Michael also worked for Holiday Inns, the company was sold to a British company, they moved to Atlanta Georgia and Michael chose not to move with the company to go with me because he knew that I needed help taking care of her. Four years later she passed away.
Now it is just Michael and I. He was a troubled child and was hard to raise but turned out to be a wonderful man. Now he is taking very good care of me. I love him more than anything in the world. That takes you to the present (1999) and Michael is making this web page for me. That's my story.
Peggy S. Brandon