November 17, 2012

Idarene Glick

Idarene Glick's family had deep Texas and immigrant roots. Her mother grew up in Nacogdoches, where her grandfather ran a store, first in a stone building with a dirt floor and later on the square, dealing in work clothing for farmers as well as wool, hides, and furs. Her mother's family had come from Poland, settling in Henderson, Texas. Her father's family came from Frankfurt, Germany, by way of Mobile, Alabama, and lived in Weatherford, where they raised six children. Both of her grandmothers died at age 54, so the only grandmother she knew was Jenny, her grandfather's second wife, whom the family adored. Idarene was born in Marlow, Oklahoma, on March 4, 1924, where her parents ran a store for 35 years.

Idarene described a happy childhood in Marlow, playing with neighborhood friends, riding bicycles, dancing on the family's large front porch, and going to the picture show for ten cents. She was valedictorian of her junior high class and president of her senior class. Her father was active in civic life as president of the Chamber of Commerce, commander of the American Legion, and president of the school board. As a teenager she took part in Jewish gatherings, including B'nai B'rith meetings across the region and Passover Seders held with a handful of Jewish families and soldiers from Fort Sill. After graduation she came to Dallas, attended Metropolitan Business College, and worked several jobs, including as secretary to a rabbi at Temple Emanu-El and in sales downtown.

Idarene met Lou Glick at a beauty shop, and they married on July 4, 1944, during World War Two, at the Baker Hotel. They built a home at Preston Road and Joyce Way and raised two daughters, Olga and Carol. Lou ran a millinery and later a wholesale hat business, where Idarene worked alongside him. After Lou died in 1959, she continued running the store for about eight years, raising her daughters as a single mother. She belonged to Temple Emanu-El, the National Council of Jewish Women, and sisterhood, and taught Sunday school for thirteen years. She took pride in her family, including six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, and treasured a return visit to her childhood home in Marlow.

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