Donnie Thrower, 1994 October 4

Donnie Thrower describes her early life and career in the textile industry in McAdenville and Belmont, North Carolina. She recalls how she quit school at age sixteen in order to go to work at a nylon hosiery mill in Belmont, where she remained for the next twenty-two years. Mrs. Thrower later returned to school and then became a secretary at Fleissner, Inc., a textile machinery company owned by Germans. She notes that the company hired her even though she only spoke English, since they knew she would not divulge company secrets when performing her duties. Despite having a successful career, Mrs. Thrower explains that she left her job to care for her mother, who had Alzheimer's disease. Mrs. Thrower also describes how her own near-death experience with cancer strengthened her desire to care for family and loved ones, and also brought her closer to her faith.