This is a Lester Betsy Ross Spinet piano that was my Great-Great Grandmother’s purchased new in 1936 for $780.  It was the most popular piano in America at this time.  This piano has traveled from Washington, D.C to Window Rock, Arizona to Louisiana, Missouri to its current location of North Carolina. My Great-Great Grandmother, Velma Carter, was a school teacher who loved teaching children and spreading the love of music. With her second husband, Frank Carter, they packed up and moved to Window Rock Arizona in 1944 to help run a sawmill for the Navajo Nation. While there, Velma taught the children of the tribal community how to play piano until 1960.  She loved her time there and the work they did to help the tribal community. Once they both retired, Velma and her husband returned to Missouri where she continued to give piano lessons.  My mother was her first great-grandchild and was willed the piano when she was born in 1977 and finally received the piano in 1993 when Velma moved to North Carolina. My mother never learned to play the piano, but has told my sister and I that it must remain in the family or be donated to the Navajo Nation. Velma Carter lived by the rule that everyone is created equal and that everyone should have the same opportunities.  At a time when Native Americans experienced extreme oppression and were deprived of basic opportunities, Velma had no prejudice against them. 

– VB

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more