Blanche Aldridge (left) poses with husband Elmer Aldridge (right). Blanche sacrificed many opportunities at a young age to begin the family she enjoys today. “It was kind of frowned on by (Elmer’s) family to marry a schoolgirl. He didn’t like that idea so I said, ‘Well then let’s have a baby,’” Blanche said. Photo courtesy of Ana Aldridge.
Update: The ODYSSEY Media Group will provide viewers with weekly stylized profiles that center on people in the Athens community telling their own stories.
By ANA ALDRIDGE – Staff Writer
Blanche Aldridge has a past foreign to many women today, in which she took care of her many younger siblings and gave up graduating high school and many carefree days to start a family with the man she loves.
Blanche Aldridge has always had a love for children. As the oldest girl in her family, Blanche was already like a mother to her four younger siblings.
Her days were spent doing chores on her family’s farm in South Georgia, watching the young children.
Blanche realizes she had a childhood much different than most, but she does not resent her youth because of that.
“I don’t look back and say ‘oh what a terrible childhood,’ I just know I had much more responsibility and much less freedom to always do what I wanted to do as opposed to what had to be done,” Blanche said.
Blanche Griffin met Elmer Aldridge at the age of 14, and the two began dating on and off. Elmer left to fight in the Korean War in 1951, and their communication was limited to writing letters back and forth.
Blanche and Elmer wrote each other nearly every day. Sometimes Blanche wouldn’t receive the letters for weeks, which left her with nothing but worry for her boyfriend’s safety in the war.
Elmer eventually returned, and one of the first things he did was slip a ring on Blanche’s finger. Three days and $50 later, they were married.
Where Blanche lived it was looked down upon to have a wife in high school. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Blanche dropped out. Dropping out of high school left her feeling unfulfilled, which influenced her decision to have children.
Only a few months into their marriage, Blanche was pregnant with her first child, a baby girl. Although she was only 17, Blanche was prepared to be a mother with years of experience from babysitting her younger siblings.
While her classmates graduated high school, Blanche changed diapers at home with her husband. It is sometimes hard for her to look back and think on the opportunities she could have had if she had stayed in school.
Blanche, however, doesn’t regret her life’s path. She eventually took the Graduate Record Examination and received her high school diploma. She takes pride in her family of two children and two grandchildren, and this coming April, she will be celebrating her 64th anniversary with the same man she fell for at 14.
