Lena Mack had many struggles in her life including a separation from her alcoholic husband and being a single mother to her son. The wires are representative of her first job following her separation, managing the switchboard for the Toledo Police Department at night. The twist and turns are also symbolic of the struggles she had faced in her personal life. She later became a matron of woman prisoners where “she got tough”. This phrase stood out most to me from this story. She not only had to be tough to work with the prisoners, but the challenges she faced in her personal life also made her tough in ways she probably never expected.

- Taylor Rupert, Artist