Loretta " Little Iodine" Behrens - Derby Memoirs

 

 

Mary Lou Palermo

MARY LOU PALERMO

I cannot remember when I put on my first pair of roller skates.  They were street skates with clamps and I had to use a skate key to tighten them around my shoes.  I had so many scrapes and bruises.  I loved to skate, so I didn't mind the bruises.

For my 12th birthday, I got a pair of shoe skates.  I was allowed to go to the roller rink on Sunday afternoons.  After a while, I was also allowed to go on Friday and Saturday night.  I was so happy when I was allowed to go three time a week.  I wasn't much of a dance skater, but I sure loved racing.  One evening my folks took me to see a Roller Derby game.  I knew at that moment that it was something I wanted to do.  I got to see great skaters, such as Johnny Kobush, Oneda Reynolds, Kitty Neils and Margie Blake.

In December of 1944 my mother and I took a train to Chattanooga, Tennessee.  They were having tryouts for the Derby at that time.  Also trying out were Rita Bush, Bobbie Burns, and Betty Boyd.  My greatest fondness for them was after we were accepted.  We all went to Fort Worth.  I was on my way at the tender age of 15.  It wasn't long before I was in uniform.  My first race was in Houston, Texas.  We travelled by train.  Some of the trains looked liked the trains that Jesse James had robbed.

This was during the war, so the service men got on the trains first.  We were next.  We also had our own baggage car.  This was my start into the Derby lifestyle.  During the late 40's we came into New York and we were also on TV.  My pigtails were a hit.  I spent most of my time in New York and New Jersey.  I travelled a few times to Florida, and also to California.

Many stories can be told about the days of training and travelling.  It was fun, but it was also hard work to skate every night and then travel from one place to another.  Some went by train.  Others had cars and some were able to fly.  All in all, it was a great life while it lasted.

In 1952, I tied for Most Valuable Player with Carol Seifert.  She got the trophy and I got to go to Europe.  After spending several months in England, Spain and France, we returned back to New York.  Later on I was sent to California to skate on a new team called the Hollywood Ravens.  After skating in California, I was then returned to the east coast.  In 1953, I left the Derby to get married and I returned to Chicago.  After nine years and two daughters, I got divorced.  I was now a single mom.

One day I received a phone call from a dear friend.  She was more like my sister, actually.  It was Loretta Behrens, and she told me to come out to the west coast and skate for the T-Birds team.  I did this for 3 summers.  While Loretta travelled, I stayed in California.  I took care of my kids, her kids, her home and her husband.  That is, we trusted the husband.  Hahahahaha.  The following year, I went to Hawaii.  I skated there for a year.

All the travelling after that was to cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and finally Houston, Texas.  I finally retired in 1967.  I returned back to my home town of Chicago.

The teams that I skated on were the New York Chiefs, the Jersey Jolters, the Chicago Westerners, and also the American team in England.  With a little help from others, I could probably remember a few more teams that I was on during my wonderful days in Roller Derby.

In Roller Derby, we were a family.  We had our likes and dislikes, our ups and downs, but what family doesn't??  I love and miss all my Has-Been friends and family.  As Booth Tarkington said, "Cherish all your happy moments.  They make a fine cushion for your old age."

MARY LOU PALERMO

 

 

To top of Page