Eleanor Mora

Since my father George Reitmeyer was a state senator from 1924 till his death in 1946 I had the opportunity to meet a number of politicians while I was on the floor of the Senate. My dad use to let me sit on his lap and let me press the buttons to vote for or against bills that were being debated. My nick name was Duty. I got to meet Governor Leich and Earl Long also the Lieutenant Governors as well as all of the New Orleans Mayors let see there was Maestri, Walmsley and Morrisson. I also worked for Msgr. Bezou the Superintendant of Schools and Historian and know Joseph Cannizaro and General Raymond Hufft( Good Friend of Uncle George) Adjusnctant General in Army (Iwo Jima).

My father was George Reitmeyer, Vice President of the Victory Oil Company and Chairman of the Board of Delgado and fought to keep the school going. He was a member of the NOAX and the Choctaw Club.

I always lived in metro New Orleans, My father George Reitmeyer lived here all of his life but my grandfather came over from Germany (where he was born) as a child with his whole family right before World War I started. I don't think he spoke German, my Grandmother also came over as a child from Switzerland (where she was born) and they met here in New Orleans. Her name was Madeline Oschner (you know like Oschner Hospital) I'm not sure why they came over but there were a lot of people from Germany immagrating to New Orleans area probably because of the climate and the economy.

I went to Sacred Heart and Sacred Heart High School on Canal Street it was about 4 blocks from our house on Telemachus Street so I would walk to school. I worked at the Port of Embarcation for four years. It is still an active military installation right by Jack Dempsey's restaurant. I was a secretary there and General Hufft worked there for a while. They used to handle all of the military transportation , soldiers, supplies, etc.. during the war. There was a Colonel who lived across the street from us on "Telemachus Street and he used to give me a ride to work. I was also a secretary to Msgr. Bezou.

The war took my love away from me for a while. I remember rationing meat, butter, gasoline, just about everything. Oleo had just been invented. It was terrible.

I grew up on Telemachus Street with My Aunt Ella, Uncle Charlie Weems, Uncle Jim, Uncle Hub, and so many others. Mr. & Mrs. Felty (Jung Hotel) were good friends of Aunt Ellas and would come by the house all of the time.

Woolfred was our male maid and worked for Aunt Ella. He used to take Bobby and Tommy fishing to Bayou Saint John when they were about 10 year old.