Oral history interview with Barbara Allen Gard
Williams J. Oral history interview with Barbara Allen Gard
Barbara Allen Gard was born and raised in Independence as a next-door neighbor of the Truman family. Along with her three sisters, Gard was a childhood friend of Margaret Truman. The Allen sisters were also a part of the neighborhood group ―Hen House Hicks.‖ Gard explains the mentality of the native Independence residents as they adjusted to having a president of the United States living within their midst, and the impact of a next-door neighbor becoming president. Gard‘s interview provides the reader with a glimpses of a child‘s life in the 1930s and a good understanding of Independence during the 1940s and 1950s, as well as some of the changes since then.