The reasons for closing his shop and going to work for Clarksville Foundry in 1934 are a mystery. At the foundry, he did metal heat treating, tool sharpening, tool room management, and machining.
The next year, John B graduated from high school. John B attended the Lincoln Welding School in Cleveland, Ohio, and then went to work for Modern Welding in Owensboro, KY. He stayed there until the 1963.
Martha Jane graduated from high school in 1938. She worked as a secretary in town for awhile. But the next year, John B convinced her to move to Owensboro and take a secretary position at Modern Welding. In Kentucky, Martha met Gordon. They were married in 1940.
James graduated in 1941 and went to work for the newspaper.
In 1942, John left the foundry and went to work in Nashville. The reasons for leaving are a mystery. John may have simply wanted to support the effort during World War II. But for whatever reason, in 1942 he went to work in Rayon City, near Nashville, doing machine/metal work. Most likely he worked at the Old Hickory DuPont Plant, which had converted its nylon works to making parachutes.
John lived at Rayon City during the week and commuted each weekend back to Clarksville. Martha’s husband was deployed overseas for the war, and so Martha returned to Clarksville during that time.
At the same time, Callie went to work for a retail shop name Lee’s. They sold ready-to-wear garments. Callie did the alterations.
In March of the next year, 1943, James left his job as a printer’s helper at the newspaper and joined the Marine Corps. He left for basic training in San Diego, and then to air mechanic school in Memphis.