Re: Loretta Dillon is Stone Cold Guilty

by Walter Cronkite

Good evening.

And now, part two of a brief look at the past.

Last night we took you to the story of a young girl growing up in a
large family. The place was Pleasantville, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.
The time was the late 1960s and early 1970s. This was an era of
post-war boom. There was a revolution in almost every facet of life,
from communication to education, from fashion to entertainment, and
that is where we find the family of the girl whose life we will briefly
glimpse.

As a child growing up in affluent Pleasantville with neighbors who
owned lovely homes and second cars, the little girl had a mother who
cooked a full meal (salad, vegetable, potato, meat, and dessert) every
night and dressed her family like children in a magazine. One can look
back on a photo of the family where all the children have new coats,
hats, and gloves for Easter, and it resembles an ad for the local
department store. The predominant impression the children had as
youngsters was a persistent belief that there was always more. Not only
was there enough to go around, but all the children thought there was
no end to the toys, meals, clothing, and opportunity. They never felt
deprived. When they went to visit friendsâ?? homes and ate dinner,
they ended up with a meal that rarely compared to that of their own
mother. The girls father never traveled or stayed away from home, and
this also lent itself further to their feeling of security and
well-being.

As private school students, the children wore uniforms complete with
bobby socks, wool blazers, and the typical pair of white and black
saddle shoes. The girls father alwyas brought home the latest: a color
television set, expensive clothes from the swanky east side stores, air
hockey and sports games, new stereo equipment, a Kitchen-Aide mixer,
bags of fresh bakery bread and thick sirloin steaks from shops nearby,
the newest records, and lavish gifts for all. Her grandfather drove a
new Cadillac he traded in every two years and wintered in Fort Meyers,
Florida. Her other grandmother lived in Naples, Florida and traveled
the world on a whim.

While growing up, the girl had private music lessons, a membership to
the local swimming pool, a skating pass in the winter, new skates,
bikes, jewelry, clothes, and limitless opportunity to go to camp,
parties, and extra curricular activities. It was difficult later on
during various phases of her own personal poverty, when it occurred to
her that her own mentality of scarcity was artificial. There was plenty
of money, plenty of opportunity, and plenty of love, but the girl
seemed unable to enjoy any of it, or to even see it. Ironically, both
the girls mother and father, who had grown up in relatively affluent
homes, showed each other great affection, respect, and love regularly.
Not one of the children ever worried about food, divorce, or security
in their home. If anything, the spending habits of both parents made it
difficult to adjust somehow to spending money wisely when the children
were grown. Perhaps this is why the girl never seemed to know how to
manage her own money, resources, or talents with any degree of success.
While her siblings got jobs outside the home, the money that they made
was theirs to do with as they pleased. The girls older siblings worked
as babysitters, life guards, and in local stores as clerks. The girl
could not or did not acquire work easily, and was often let go quickly.
This would soon become a pattern for her life.

The dichotomy of feast or famine played out in all of her financial and
romantic relationships; which is no surprise, since she equated money
with love. While living at home, she had plenty. Once on her own, she
could not manage to keep herself in the style to which she was
accustomed and leaned on her parents for financial support. If her
parents were not around, she immediately manipulated her friends, or
boyfriends or boss to get what she wanted, a practice that ultimately
had dire consequences.

About the time that she was in high school, the girl made friends with
another classmate whose lifestyle reflected even more money than her
own family. This caused the girl to compare everything. Houses, cars,
travel, income, etc. All were under the scrutiny of this new friend,
and her caustic remarks caused the girl to feel inadequate and ashamed.
She didn't have the good sense to understand that what her new friend's
parents did with just one child, her own parents could never have done
with eight children. Still, it really bothered the girl, and she felt
cheated somehow that she didn't have her own room and a private
telephone line like her friend did. She vowed that she would someday be
rich and design her own home, create her own style, and show her family
how to really live.

And that's the way it was.

.

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