Claire Meltzer oral history interview, November 7, 1997

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: M149_MeltzerC

Staff Only

Claire Meltzer oral history interview

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Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Chris Paton. At the beginning of this interview, Ms. Meltzer speaks about her sisters, her mother, and her father, giving information about her mother's birthplace, her parents' names, their immigration to the United States from Russia, and her early life in Brooklyn with her sisters, Debbie and Ginger. She talks at some length about her sister Ginger's early stage career, and about Ginger's early relationship with and marriage to Johnny Mercer. Ms. Meltzer then speaks briefly of the period after Ginger and Johnny Mercer moved to Hollywood, and of Mandy and Jeff, the Mercers' two children. She also touches on Ginger's gifts as a pianist as a young girl. The conversation turns to a discussion of some family pictures from the Mercer archives, copies of which were available for the interview. Ms. Meltzer then talks about her own career in the U.S. Post Office and about her sister Debbie and her family. She mentions Mandy and Jeff Mercer again at the end of the interview.

Dates

Creation: November 7, 1997

Creator

Meltzer, Claire Meehan, -2001 (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

Claire Meltzer, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, was the older sister of Elizabeth ("Ginger") Meehan Mercer, the wife of Johnny Mercer. During her professional life, Ms. Meltzer worked as an accountant for the Post Office Department for thirty-five years, first in Washington, DC, and later in North Carolina and New York. After retirement, she lived in Florida and, later, in Georgia.