Margean Gladysz Papers

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Upon completion of her college studies, Margean Gladysz was employed as a Company Inspector by the Great Lakes Greyhound Company from the years 1946-1949. Gladysz was from Kalamazoo, Michigan and took up the job to earn money for graduate school. During the period that Gladysz worked for the company, buses could be hailed from the road, and passengers paid their cash fare to the bus driver. Bus companies were concerned that drivers were not issuing cash-fare tickets and were pocketing the money. Companies were also concerned about road safety, and the handling of expensive equipment. Employing inspectors helped the companies combat these issues and make sure their employed drivers were honest and safe on the road. During the years of her employment, Gladysz sent back reports to the company, as well as letters home, detailing her experiences on the road. These letters often included a wealth of information about 1940’s American transportation, including hotel prices and the attitudes of locals Gladysz may have come across on her travels. At the end of three years on the road, Gladysz decided to return home and settle down; she married, and had two children. When her children were old enough, she returned to her alma mater, Western Michigan University, to complete a graduate degree in school librarianship.

The papers of Margean Gladysz are predominantly typed copies of letters home that extensively document her experiences on the road from 1946-1949. Also included are reports she sent back to the company and materials outlining her role as a company inspector. Gladysz used these materials to write her book, A Spy on the Bus, which is also in the collection.

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