Josephine ‘Bessie’ Telban
Born: January 20, 1894 ~ Hackett, Pennsylvania
Death: April 14, 1992 ~ Hackett, Pennsylvania
Never Married
Josephine ‘Aunt Bessie” Telban was born January 20, 1894 in Hackett, Pennsylvania at the family homestead.
Bessie as we all knew her by never married or had children and lived at her family home her entire life.
Her first job was with Switch & Signal, Pittsburgh. She worked there during World War I, on cylinders built into motors. She stayed there until the war ended and the government closed the shop.
She then enrolled in Curry Business College, Pittsburgh until she became ill with the flu that kept her out of school for a year.
Her next job was with Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co. in 1923 and she remained with them for 36 years until her retirement in 1959. While there she attended night school to read drawings, etc. She held the position as Floor Lady for 32 years in the Power Division (Rotor & Stator) Generator Division. The Grand Coulee Dams’ generators and those from ships, etc. came from this division. During her years there, she was rewarded with many monetary rewards and percentage of earnings for many suggestions on the Liberty Ships. She was recognized by the company and the government for her many contributions, especially during World War II..
She has traveled extensively, through the United States, on both the east and west coast and across the states. She also visited Yugoslavia, England, Ireland, France, Manaco, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Switzerland.
She belonged to the St. Francis Church Ladies Guild in Finleyville, PA and the American Legion Auxiliary and the Peters Township Historical Society.
Memories of Aunt Bessie is her always wearing an apron and cooking something in the kitchen. There were always ham sandwiches on white bread with butter stacked on a plate. Another cousin remember having dark meat turkey with ketchup on white bread. She was kind to everyone and you would never go hungry if you stopped by the house. She was famous for baking her pie.
She worked for Westinghouse and has many patents in her name. She won a contest for a motor built for WWII. She received a citaion for money saving ideas as well.
