70 years ago, Mardi Gras 1950, my mother rode on the Krewe of Adonis float! She was a nurse in Charity Hospital, New Orleans, in the polio ward from July 1949 to April 1950. The debutantes who were supposed to ride on the float were worried about the polio epidemic, so the leaders asked nurses to ride the floats. This is the telegram she received with the news.
She worked extra shifts and sent enough money home so that her father was able to build a kitchen and bathroom on the back of the farm house. He and his brothers did the construction and carpentry. Carrie’s money paid for the materials, the plumber, and the electrician. The polio outbreak created an opportunity, and she risked her health to help her family. Here is a photo of her in her nurse's uniform.
