Back to Student Gallery
My Magnificent G-Ma

Written by: Mary Kate

        Rita McCaslin was born on September 26, 1926 in Monesson, PA.  She is a magnificent woman who loves children.  She has taken care of me a lot when my family is in need.  This magnificent woman is my Grandma Rita or as I call her, “G-ma”.
        G-ma had a little sister named Jane.  She was five years younger and lived in Florida.   G-ma and Jane were very close when they were older.   Sadly, she was killed two years ago in an automobile accident when someone in a hurry ran a red light.
When G-ma was growing up, her house was the neatest one on the street.  It was a two-story house with one bathroom, two bedrooms, a nice lawn, and a huge front porch.  The street she lived on was named Newcastle Street.  Her grandparents, who were both from Ireland, they lived down the street from her.  Since they were so close, they played a big part in her life while growing up.  For example, everyone went to her grandmother Reilley’s for Christmas dinner.
        Her family had a dog named Twerpy.  He was a dachshund.  G-ma and Jane would always dress Twerpy like a girl and put him in an old-fashioned stroller and take him for walks through the neighborhood.
        My G-ma was very lucky.  She never had any chores when she was younger.  Today my G-ma has to do a lot of chores form cleaning the house to taking out the trash. For her first years in elementary school she went to small Catholic school in Zelienople. She wasn’t involved in any after school activities when she was young but after elementary school, she was very active.
        G-ma had many many friends when a child.  She still keeps in touch with many today.  She doesn’t remember her favorite teacher but she knew she had many.
        G-ma has been wearing glasses since she was seven years old.  She had scarlet fever when she was young and it ruined her eyes.  She was quarantined in the house, which meant that no one was allowed in or out of the house.  The health department came and put a huge sign on her door saying “Quarantine” because Scarlet Fever is very contagious.
        Her favorite foods are spaghetti and chocolate.  She still loves them today.  She makes a spaghetti dinner very well.
        A funny story that my G-ma tells me all the time is a story about her life in Catholic elementary school when she kicked the nuns.  G-ma didn’t like them at all.  She didn’t like the way they dressed; their long black robes and the shadows that were cast over their faces.  They always slapped her knuckles with rulers and G-ma didn’t like it one bit.  G-ma got very fed up with the nuns. She had gotten into an argument with one of them and decided she was going to kick her in the shins. She was expelled from school.
        G-ma attended high school in Zelienople in 1940.   G-ma had many friends and thought that high school was cool.  There were many clubs and activities to take part in after school.  G-ma was very active:  she was a cheerleader for four years, a dancer, and she roller-skated every Friday night.

        Zelienople was a quiet little town with about 7,000 people.  Germans founded it.  It was a very strait-laced town.  That kind of town would never survive today.  There were no people of the Jewish faith, only German Lutherans.  G-ma was Roman Catholic and her church wasn’t allowed to be within the town limits.
Rita worked for her father’s company as a secretary.   She typed a lot.  Her father owned a steel foundry and made manhole covers.  The manhole covers say “Reilley Bros.” on them.
        After school, all the kids went and hung out at Camel’s drugstore.  They would play music on the jukebox, drink cherry cokes, and dance in the back room.  It was only a nickel to play a song on the jukebox.  G-ma’s high-school sweetheart was very cute.  His name was DJ Williamson.  She did not have her own car; the only car in G-ma’s family was her father’s Nash.
        The fashions in school were all mostly the same.  All of the girls wore pleated skirts everyday with long sweaters, short socks and saddle shoes.  The boys also wore long sweaters, but instead of skirts they wore khakis.
For vacations in her family, everyone would go to their cabin near a lake that was north of Pittsburgh.  It was called “Geneva on the Lake”.   It was a beautiful log cabin and she said that there were trees everywhere.
        My G-Ma did not have any obstacles to overcome, but she did have to take care of her little sister Jane a lot because her parents would go on trips and leave her in charge.  G-ma had to learn how to cook.  The worst thing about baby-sitting your sister is that she followed her around everywhere.
        G-ma doesn’t remember any embarrassing moments.  If she did have any embarrassing moments, she likes to keep them all in the back of her mind.
When G-ma was a teenager she wasn’t allowed to wear makeup at all until she was older.
        Both sides of her family were from Ireland.  She went back to Ireland in 1998; she got to see where her ancestors once lived.  My mom accompanied her.  The pictures they took were beautiful.  The grass was very green; it rained a lot so there wasn’t nearly any droughts.
        G-ma’s college years were the best of all.  She went to two colleges because she was transferred.  The first one was a small Catholic college in Greensburg.  Then G-ma transferred to Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh.  She had no problems with teachers or school.
        G-ma’s first house after college was in Neville Island, a small town outside of Pittsburgh over looking the Ohio River.
        G-ma got married in 1947 to a very special man, Delbert McCaslin.  They had three kids together, one girl and two boys.  Their names were Debbie (my Mom), Scott, and Todd.  Debbie was born first.  Todd and Scott came every three years after that.
        After having kids, she really didn’t have that much spare time.  She would always be taking care of the kids.  In those days, the women did not have jobs.  So one day out of the week she would hire a babysitter, which only cost 50¢ an hour.  G-ma would take the bus to Pittsburgh and maybe go alone or with friends.  She would go shopping, walk around or go to the local movies; she just wanted to get away.
        G-ma’s job that she retired from was an executive secretary. She retired when she was 63 years old because she said she was just to old for a job.
        G-ma has always wanted to go to China.  She has gone to Australia and when she came back, she said that was the best vacation she has every taken.  The people were very nice and considerate and she got to see a performance by the real ancient Aborigines.  G-ma brought me back a CD that the Aborigines made.  The music was very different then what we listen to today.
        G-ma now lives in a small community in Glen Mills, PA were she has met many new     friends who are mostly widows, like herself.  This community is very active.  She takes aerobics, swims in the pool, plays bingo, and goes to lots of parties at the community center and at her neighbor’s houses.
Delbert E. McCaslin died in 1995.  He died in his sleep from heart failure.  After his death, my G-ma is lonely sometimes and misses him very much.  He was the age of 72 when he died.
        Some of my most cherished memories of my G-ma are for instance, how she carries around the kitchen towel.  She always carries it over her right shoulder.  Sometimes she forgets it’s there.  My mom is just like her and she carries it on her shoulder too.   Also, how G-ma always dances when there is music on.  “When ever there is music,” she says, “ I’ll be dancing to it.”
         My G-ma is the best in the whole wide world and I love her very much.  No one can ever change that.

       Back to Student Gallery