When they were younger, Lana used to call her younger sister, Leanna a "tom boy." It was all because of Leanna's sole interest in softball. However, Lana gradually learned how to be very happy for her younger sister's successful softball career. Both of her brothers and Leanna made the United States baseball and softball Olympic teams!

While she was growing up it was the world of makeup, hair styles and fashions which were her very own forte. She had the assurance she would suffer no competition from her jock of a younger sister!

Their father Leonard Lee Long-ford was very supportive of his youngest daughter and his two sons. Le Roy Leon Long-ford was his oldest son's name. Lester Lyman Long-ford was his youngest son's name. Both of them had become major league baseball players on opposite teams. There was a great deal of rivalry between the two teams!

It was left entirely up to their mother to offer her support and encouragement to her eldest daughter. When she was in school she did the makeup jobs for their school plays. Lana also helped with the hair styling and costume designing. Lana excelled in her home economic classes with the sewing class being her specialty. Unlike most of her fellow classmates, Lana regarded her home economic classes as being very beneficial.

Both during the Spring and the Fall school's fashion home economics shows. Lana had an arrangement. She would be the announcer for their Spring fashion shows and one of the models for the Fall fashion's shows. Sometimes she would work as seamstress whenever alterations were deemed necessary.

After high school her mother enrolled her in a beauty school that offered full treatment training. All because her mother, Linda, believed it would be very beneficial not only for Lana, but for others as well. Even Lana learned a lot more about both finger nails and toe nails, the necessary class work, barber and beautification of her clients.

Her aunt had a home based beauty shop with only two chairs. During Lana's summer vacations, she would assist her Aunt Leslie Lea Long-ford at her place. Aunt Leslie was her paternal aunt on her father's side of their family tree. All of her knowledge she passed onward to Lana, and in turn, Lana would brief her on the latest techniques. Lana was learning at her beauty college.

Lana also did the nail work for her favorite auntie whenever she was available by appointment only. Upon graduation, Lana was able to find gainful employment at a full service beauty salon/barber shop. Her auntie Leslie gave her a glowing recommendation as did her high school and beauty college.

Lana had an auntie that was a tailor and Lana would first assist her. In helping her auntie with her alternations. Her name was Penny Lou Lester and she was Lana's auntie on her maternal side of their family tree. Lana passed on to her auntie Penny all of the latest information from her sewing classes and jobs for her former drama department.

Instead of paying Lana a regular salary she paid her way into a school that offered fashion merchandising. Auntie Leslie had already previously taken a course in fashion merchandising. As a direct result, she was able to save up her money that she earned. In order to help set up her own tailor and alterations home-based shop.

Lana learned part of the fashion industries operations. But Lana used her money she earned to take courses in fashion design. Instead, of working for a name brand firm and working for someone else. Watching totally helplessly! Unable to prevent her future employers from stealing all of her credit from her hard earned work!

Hence she decided to follow in her auntie's footsteps. She opened up her own consignment shop. She would send all of her necessary alternations to her auntie Leslie. She used her inborn sense of being a natural born fashionista to assist her in her consignment shop. Just like her aunties she registered her work and her trademark. She used her own labels and designed her own outfits.

Using her auntie's advice she never accepted clothing or accessories over two-years old and in excellent condition. Lana only accepted high quality merchandise. Lana's first cousin was her auntie Lester's oldest daughter. Beatrice Lynn Lester never went to beauty school, she took tailoring classes at their local community college instead.

It was Lana's job to style both her hair and her nails. Lana also helped her select her ensembles before any of her public appearances. It was Beatrice who also assisted Lana at her consignment shop. In addition to her mother, Penny Lou Lester. Lana sold her consignment shop to Beatrice's younger sister Frances Autumn Lester.

Lana went into a partnership agreement with Beatrice. It was Beatrice, who was a better tailor. And it was Lana, who was a better designer. Therefore it was Lana who opened up new labels along with Beatrice. They made an arrangement with Frances, that their own labels would also appear in her shop. They would take all of the unsold items and alter them.

Their aunties and their friends naturally wore their highest quality designer labels. And it is actually the very best form of courteous and effective form of free advertising. Lana still sometimes worked for her auntie Leslie and worked on her clients' nails, permanents, and hair styling and other beauty treatments.

They had a local community theater which is where all of them volunteered some of their spare times. Where all of them operated on an adversary capacity as well as some of the physical labor involved. After all it was their very own form of community civic spirited involvement!

All of them firmly believed the very best way to serve their local communities was to become actively involved in them. Their family owned and their family operated small business prevented any hostile take overs. Because none of them were listed as either public or private companies. Thus they had no hostile stock holders take overs!

All of them were not only accountable to God and themselves. But also to their costumers and to their family members. Thus all of them were bright and shining beacons of light and hopes in all of their surrounding areas! By setting exemplary examples to future unborn generations. On Sundays, all of them attended their local community churches and were born again believers in Jesus Christ!

Love in Christ Jesus!

Roxanne Lea Dubarry

Roxy Lea 1954/209

Roxy1954/October Country

July 26& 28, & August 02, 2021