Carrie Geraghty
Circa 1907-January 10, 2003
Carrie Willback was born around 1907 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was raised on Aiken Street and attended St. John’s Parochial School when she was a child. She did not like school and therefore applied to work at the Hochschild Kohn tearoom at 16 years old where she started in 1920. She and her sister, Loretta Tarbert, remained working there until it closed. She also had another sister, Mary A. Willback, who did not work at the Exchange.
In the summer of 1972, Carrie was asked to fill in for two weeks at the Woman’s Industrial Exchange. Those two weeks turned into 25 years, as she stayed on and continued to work for the Exchange into the 1990s. She retired only two months before her 90th birthday. Loretta also worked at the Exchange as a waitress throughout the 1980s and 90s after Carrie referred her to the job.
Outside of waitressing, Carrie enjoyed watching baseball. She was a lifelong Orioles fan and had even followed the team since its days in the International League. Carrie once drove to Washington, D.C., to see Babe Ruth play against the Washington Senators.
Carrie was Catholic and married to Richard J. Geraghty Sr. He was a Domino Sugar employee and longtime usher in Section 5 behind the Oriole dugout at Memorial Stadium. Together they had five sons: Richard J. Jr., Martin T., William P., Timothy A., and Jerome G. Geraghty. She had 17 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. She died at the age of 95 on January 10, 2003, in Baltimore, Maryland. A funeral mass was held at St. Francis of Assisi Church, and contributions were made to the Woman’s Industrial Exchange.
“She had a great memory and loved talking about the stores [the Woman’s Industrial Exchange and Hochschild Kohn]. She waited on all three of its founders; Max Hochschild and Louis and Benny Kohn. I think the reason she kept working for so long was that she made it so much fun.”
“She was a gracious person and a delight to be around. She was a downtown Baltimore institution known for her fine manners and many courtesies. I’ll never forget her.”
“She was cheerful and competent, a very easygoing lady. She was extremely well groomed. She loved the Woman’s Exchange and always said it was the best job she ever had. She had many returning customers and she made sure everything was just so for them—silverware, the water glasses, and she’d slip them an extra roll.”
“Carrie was always happy. She did her job well and she was always on time.”
“She was loyal and interested in how the Exchange was doing. Even after she retired, she would call and ask about us.”
Sources:
“Carrie M. Geraghty.” Baltimore Sun, January 11, 2003.
“Carrie Geraghty, 95, Waitress at Tearoom, Industrial Exchange.” Baltimore Sun, January 14, 2003.
“Maryland’s Vanishing Lives.” JHU Press, 1994.
“From Patrons to Chefs, a History of Women in Restaurants.” Boston Hospitality Review, August 21, 2015.