I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I always loved New York and went on a high school trip to visit in the mid-fifties. When the opportunity to live in New York came to me, I jumped at the chance because I could go and see all the Broadway musicals I wanted.

In 1962, I boarded a train from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to New York City as a single, young lady looking for a job and an exciting life in the Big Apple. Who knew that approximately 46 years later my experiences would become a hit television series entitled “Mad Men”. Though I worked for a big company in mid-town Manhattan, it was not an ad agency, but the building housed several ad agencies. Every time I was in the lobby, on an elevator, or at the local bar and restaurants, I was surrounded by the ‘Don Drapers’ of the world. The smoking, drinking, flirting, etc. were abundant everywhere you went.

Additionally, along with my co-workers in New York, we put $5.00 per paycheck in a kitty jar and every few months we had enough to go to the theatre and out to dinner. I saw Carol Channing in “Hello Dolly”, Mary Martin in “Peter Pan”, and Zero Mostel in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and Robert Morse (who co-stars in “Mad Men”) in “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”. It was the most interesting and exciting period in my life. Who knew that in the 21st century it would return, in the form of a hit TV series? Memories do live on forever.

My husband and I are diehard fans of “Mad Men” and can’t wait for the next season.

Judy Eglash (Michael’s mom)

Anydate.com’s original newspaper’s can be seen on various episodes of the Mad Men Series.