Matt: When did you move to Greenbelt?
Lucille Howell: In '38. My husband and I moved there from Washington D.C in 1938. We lived there for ten years. We moved back in '65 and I'm still here.
M: Why did you want to live in Greenbelt?
L: Well, we were living in a frame house in D.C. My husband worked for Eleanor Roosevelt. Living in Washington wasn't the best. There was this dog that would bark all the time. After I visited Greenbelt I was amazed at how clean it was. We decided to apply. We went through the whole process: We filled out the application, went through the interview process, and, luckily were chosen to live here.
M: What was asked in the interview?
L: Where you were born, education, interests, work, religion... whole history basically.
M: When did you join the Women's Club?
L: I joined in 1941 at age 23. I was considerably younger than the others in the club. They were in their mid thirties and up. It mostly consisted of the city managers' wives at first.
M: What did you do in the early years?
L: Lots of community work. We tried to be as civic-minded as we could. During World War II some of us were airplane spotters. We worked with Red Cross. We were very very active during the War. My husband, Carson, was an air raid warden.
M: What was the most positive aspect of the Women's Club?
L: We had the power to do the things we wanted to. We were able to do a lot of things for a lot of people.
M: Why did you leave in '48?
L: I didn't want to leave, actually. My brother was visiting us and he became sick. In those days they had a rule that visitors could only stay for a month. So we either had to find my brother a place to live or move out ourselves. My husband didn't think we should leave him alone, so we left. But when the opportunity arose to return to Greenbelt, in 1965, I jumped at the chance. I've lived here ever since. My husband has since passed away.
M: What caused the Women's Club to disband in 1990?
L: Well, the members were getting older. The younger women eventually started working outside the home and didn't have the time for the Club. We didn't have the commitment anymore. Plus people started moving away to Chevy Chase, Rockville, or down south. At one time we had 60 members at a time, but eventually those numbers started to dwindle.
M: What do you think was the most noteworthy accomplishment by the Women's Club?
L: I was friends with the woman who made the sculpture in town, [Lenore Thomas], and she came up once and was outraged that the city councilmen had turned the statue into a bulletin board. We took it up with the council and they agreed with us. That's when we put up those plaques that have hung there ever since.
M: Is there anything that people have forgotten over the years about Greenbelt?
L: (Jokingly) I'm 83 years old. I can't remember everything.
M: Alright, my last question is why do you live in Greenbelt today?
L: Because it's a very friendly community. I've lived other places in my life, but I've never made as many friends than I've made here in Greenbelt. I feel loved and accepted here and am happy to spend the rest of my life here. The town is very beautiful. I love the lake. It's also a great place to raise youngsters...
M:Well, that's it, thank you very much, you've been a great help.
L:If you need anything else feel free to give me a call.