Loraine Sumner’s career as a coach & referee began well before the passage of Title IX and before she graduated from high school and spanned almost 40 years. She played and coached AAU softball, bowling, Lacrosse, field hockey, basketball, taught physical education, and directed several summer camps. She was also a single lesbian mother. Her collection includes footage of her teams & their games; family events; and travels with friends and lovers. She edited the footage herself into six categories: Sports, Family, Camps, Schools, Travel. and Debbie (her daughter’s name). Her edits involved many splices and the compilations fell apart during a drug store transfer. LHMP has digitized both the full reels the drugstore returned to her and attempted to reproduce her original compilations. This one assembles clips of her daughter Debbie.
“Debbie”
"Debbie"
Video:
Identifier:
LS-012
Collection:
Loraine Sumner Collection
Date:
1955-1975
Original Format:
8mm, Super 8
Color:
Mix
Duration:
51:54
Abstract:
When Sumner found herself pregnant after a one-night stand, her family pressed her to marry the father. She resolved instead to go it alone and she gave birth to her daughter Debbie in April 1958 at a Florence Crittendon Home. She was 22. Her mother agreed she could come home when she left Crittendon as long as she and the baby stayed in her bedroom. She got a night job at the Walter Baker chocolate company to save up enough money for them to live on their own. Once she had managed that, she returned to sports, taking Debbie almost everywhere with her as this footage indicates.
Subject(s):
Lesbian mothers, Single Mothers
Place(s):
Milton, Massachusetts; Hingham, Massachusetts; Abington, Massachusetts
Rights:
Lesbian Home Movie Project (LHMP) holds all rights. Donor must approve all uses.
Source:
https://www.lesbianhomemovieproject.org/item/debbie/