Holiday Week report

Katie and I have come up to the Dummerston Church to use WiFi. She is uploading photos she took on the Putney Craft Tour with the Panasonic Lumix SiH camera she has on loan from AbelCine which she is going to enter in the Craft Tour photo competition. Grand Prize is a $50 gift certificate and a night at the fancy Four Columns Inn! Fingers crossed!

Today, Saturday, we slept fairly late,  had a bit of breakfast, and then I made a trip to the landfill in anticipation of a big storm tomorrow and Monday. Our recycle bin was overflowing and it would be that much harder to get done with a foot of snow on the ground. So I did it. When I got back we sort of got organized and then went to Chelsea Royal Diner for brunch. That is always a treat. After brunch, Michael and Amy went for a hike on Wantastiquet Mtn. across the river from Brattleboro, and Ellen, Katie, Gertie and I made a shorter hike, but still a considerable one for me, to the top of Black Mountain. I used ski poles, and made it fine. It was cold - my fingers got really cold on the poles. It was about 27 degrees and very windy.But it was a nice hike.

Here is a photo album of things this week:

Katie, Michael and Amy at Chelsea Royal

Katie working at the sink before Thanksgiving dinner

Katie with her beautiful Lumix camera

One of Katie's Craft Tour Photo Competition entries

A second entry

At the top of Black Mountain

Cynthia, John, Katie and Angelina at our vegetarian, gluten-free, Thanksgiving dinner (and a little bit of Ellen)

River Singers rehearsal Tuesday evening with band, Mary Cay at piano

Day after Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day! More on that when I get a chance to download photos. Today we are on the Putney Craft Tour with Katie, Michael and Amy, and Katie, Savanna and Brendon - having soup at the Westminster-West Church.

Michael's fingers, Kate, Katie and Brendon, Ellen's fingers

Thanksgiving plans

It is Thanksgiving Eve. Katie arrives by train late this evening - actually, early tomorrow morning - 12:30am in Greenfield. We will meet her. John and Cynthia will join us for dinner and they are bringing a friend, Angelina. That will be late afternoon. Then Katie's cousin, Michael, and Amy, arrive at 11pm Thursday night.  We'll meet Katie and Savanna for the Putney Craft tour Friday. I think Saturday is open. Lots going on! 

Stewart Letter #17

Letter #17
Nov. 27, 1944 (to dad, in Normandy, France, from Lincoln, NE) 

Dear Dad, 

Yesterday I had a little relaxation from the routine I have been following for the past few weeks. Mrs. Pomeroy1 wrote to some of her relatives here in Lincoln, telling them that I was here. Since they go to the First Plymouth Congregational Church,2 they contacted me after the service yesterday, invited me and a friend, Charles Bruning,3 a Congregationalist from Salem, North Dakota, to dinner, and another family invited us to Thanksgiving dinner. We had a nice dinner, played ping-pong, had our pictures taken, and records made of our voices to send home. They invited us to come as often as we want to, but both our manners and our limited time will prevent us from going many times. 

I'm not having any trouble with English, Math or History, but in Physics and Chemistry, I am bothered by my lack of concentration. Since from about June 1 to November 6, I had no studying to do, I am slightly out of condition in more ways than one. I haven't done much exer- cising since March, when I broke my leg, but now we have an hour of stiff calisthenics and then we may swim, play handball or basketball. The meals are sufficient, the sleep regular, but short. Lights are out at 22:00, but absolute quiet is not maintained usually until later. Also, if one needs to wash socks in the middle of the week, it has to be done after 21:00, and therefore one would probably have to get undressed in the dark. Bedcheck is at 11:15, but that is not hard to make for me. 

Notes: 1 I remember the name Pomeroy, but I don't remember whether the connection is with Marshall High, First Congregational, or possibly Como Church (or just someone in the neighborhood). I have a copy of. the Marshall High Yearbook for 1945 (the year after Stewart graduated - my seventh grade) and there is no Pomeroy mentioned there on the faculty, but that is not conclusive as to whether there was a Mrs. Pomeroy there when Stewart was a student. 

2 First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln is one of the largest (if not the largest) Congregational Churches in Nebraska. The building it occupied in 1944 (and still does) was then fairly new. It is impres- sive! 

3 My ears pricked up when I saw this name because I knew a Charles Breunig on the faculty at Lawrence, who would be the right age, and who also just happens to be a cousin to Fred Breunig who we know in the Guilford Church. I asked Fred if his cousin was from North Dakota, but he wasn't - he was from Indiana. Then I realized that Breunig is not the same name as Bruning (although Stewart might be spelling his friend's name wrong, but probably not). The town Charles Bruning was from in North Dakota is actually New Salem, about 30 miles west of Bismarck. 

                            Page 2
I shall set down my schedule here in case you might be interested. 
     

Hour     Mon     Tues.    Wed      Thu.    Fri     Sat.    Sun
0800      Phys       Phys    Phys      Phys   Study Phys.   0800-0900 Bfst
0900      Lab.       Stdy.     Hist       Stdy    Hist    Trig
1000        "             "          PT         "          PT       PT  
1100     Stdy.        Chem.    "       Chem.     "           "
1200   Lunch ----------------------------------------------        1230-1330 Lunch 
1300      Alg         Trig       Alg      Trig     Alg       MT = Military Training 
1400      Eng.        Hist      Chem    Hist     Eng      MT
1500      Hist        Stdy       Lab       Stdy    Stdy     MT 
1600      Stdy.       Eng         "            "          "

1715 Retreat --------------------------------------

1720 Supper --------------------------------------- 

1900 Study ------------------------------------------ 

2200 Lights Out ---------------------------               2300 LO 

2315 Bed Check ---------------------------

0130                                                                      Bed Check 


In Military Training, we have learned the ? and loop slings for a rifle, and the correct prone, squatting, sitting and standing positions. Eventually everyone will get to shoot .30 caliber rifles on a range in the basement of one of the campus buildings. 

There are about 350 fellows here, including the ASTP premeds. About a year ago there were three thousand stationed on this campus, indicating, perhaps, that the Army's needs are grow- ing very small, since only replacements are needed. 

All the rooms in the library are lighted with fluorescent lamps, and I never fail to wake up about six o' clock with the combined noise and brightness. frequently I wake up thinking I am home, and suddenly I realize I shall not be home for two months yet. There is a boy here who was a classmate of mine at M. H. S., and graduated at the same time. He is in the Air Corps Enlisted Reserve, as are most of the fellows in my platoon. He, however, started in September, and gets a furlough at the end of this week. 

Raymond Flynn4 and Charles Bruning were at Fort Leavenworth at the same time as I was, to get their uniforms. The rest of our platoon came to Lincoln on Nov. 2, the day before we did, so I know Ray and Chuck a little bit better, and pal around with them more, since they are pretty nice fellows, than I do with the rest. But, however, the rest are also buddies now, because it is very nearly impossible to live so close together all the time and not become close friends. Much discussion is carried on as to the relative merits of the various home states, the food, the mail, the classes, and so forth. It is a rapidly moving life, although at times February 1, my first furlough, looks rather far away. Having to become adjusted to a regular schedule, severe phys- ical workouts, college studies, and army discipline all at once is not too much for any of us, I believe, but it is not the easiest thing to overcome, considering that as seventeen-year-olds, we are not completely mature physically, spiritually and mentally. 

Rev. Hyslop of Boston, younger brother of Fred Hyslop,5 preached a sermon at First Church last year and he had a bull session for the Protestant boys here at Love Library recently. 

The personnel here consists of seven platoons, two companies, or one battalion. A captain is in command of the post since the colonel formerly presiding was promoted to a position at Omaha. 

Notes:
4 Ancestry has records on over 54,000 Raymond Flynns! Nevertheless, in Letter #18, Stewart mentions that Raymond Flynn is from Chelsea, Iowa, and I found a Raymond James Flynn, born in 1895, who is buried in Chelsea, IA - that could well be the father of Stewart's friend (dad was born in 1896- same generation). Chelsea is located in central Iowa not far from Grinnell. Stewart had no way of knowing that a few years later he would be in college in Grinnell.
5 Fred Hyslop was a Congregational minister who was a friend of dad's. I believe they met at Chicago Theological Seminary, where Hyslop was a senior when dad entered in 1930. He served churches in Wisconsin, Colorado and Hawaii. His younger brother, Ralph Hyslop, was on the staff of the Congrega- tional Board of Home Missions in Boston at the time of this letter. He later taught at both Pacific School of Religion and Union Theological Seminary. 

                                        Page 3

The capital building6 is a unique structure, having a wide base and tall tower in the middle, al- most as much a landmark as the Foshay Tower.7 

 

Study hall is almost over now. I must get my sleep tonight because I am having a four weeks (test) in Physics tomorrow, and tonight is shower night so I must close. 


                                                     With love, 
                                                            Stewart 

Notes

6 The Nebraska State Capital building was completed in 1932 and includes a 400-foot tower, the first state capital to incorporate a tower into its design. 

7 The Foshay Tower was an iconic structure when we lived in Minneapolis. It has an interesting story be- hind it: It's tower is a bit higher than the Nebraska capital tower.
"Inspired by a visit to the Washington Monument, Wilbur B. Foshay returned to Minneapolis with a vision for a grandiose office tower. Amassing his $22 million fortune from the utility business in less than ten years, Foshay dreamed of building a tower that would not only promote his business, but display his enormous suc- cess. In 1927 construction on the 32-story tower with a gradually tapering obelisk pyramidal roof began. The tower, standing on a two-story base, rose 447 feet above the street level, making it the tallest building in Min- neapolis. The structure, made from fabricated steel and reinforced concrete, dominated the skyline for several decades. After construction was complete in 1929, the doors were opened to the public for a three-day cele- bration. For the first time the public was able to see the main lobby arcade with Italian marble walls, terrazzo floors, ornamental bronze wrought iron grillework, and elaborate light fixtures. High-speed elevators, travel- ing 750 feet per minute, carried passengers up to the 31 st floor observation deck. The 27 th and 28 th floors were not open to the public; instead, they housed Foshay’s personal office and living quarters. No expense was spared in his suite – African mahogany wood, Italian marble and engravings of Foshay’s personal crest. Less than two months after the grand opening of the Foshay Tower, the stock market crashed, spiraling the country into the Great Depression. The crash left Foshay broke and charged with 15 counts of fraud. He lost his tower and was sentenced to 15 years in Leavenworth Prison. Released from prison in 1947, he returned to Minnesota until his death in 1957. While many interior design elements were altered and the interior court- yard has been filled in, the Foshay Tower remains an expression of "conspicuous consumption" that swept through the United States during the economic boom of the 1920s. While Foshay himself did not benefit from the construction of the Tower, it has remained a distinctive architectural statement, bringing prestige to the City of Minneapolis" 

First Congregational Church, Lincoln, NE

State Capitol, Nebraska

Foshay Tower, Minneapolis, MN

Catching up again

For some reason, I have not been able to post things very much lately. Right at the moment, I am at the Guilford Church, using WiFi here while Ellen is upstairs at a prayer-shawl knitting session. So this is a chance to catch up a bit.

Last Friday, we  had an unwanted "adventure" - we went about 20 hours without our cell phone, having left it somewhere, we knew not where. That might seem pretty minor, but our cell phone has become a lifeline. It is our only phone - we have not had a landline for years - and so it is our only link with the outside world. Being without it makes one feel vulnerable, especially in case of an emergency. Obviously, for much of the history of the human race, people did not have this convenience, but it has come to feel like a necessity. Also, people text us, send emails or leave voice mail messages, expecting a response. So we feel sort of an obligation to have it handy.

At first, Ellen and I were not sure who had the phone last. Ellen thought she probably had it last and had a mental image of its being on the dining table. It wasn't there. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed likely that it was I. I took Ellen to Eliza's house at 1pm on Friday, and she met up with Eliza and Robin there for an excursion to the King Arthur  Flour outlet up in Norwich, VT - sort of  a baker's paradise trip. She did not have the phone with her. I came home briefly after dropping her off, and then went to a Hallowell sing at the Valley Cares Assisted Living Facility up in Townshend, VT. I did not use the phone during that time. But as I thought about it, I remembered calling Keene Gas to find out when we were going to get a propane gas delivery, and that was just before I took Ellen to Eliza's. So that made it seem likely that I had it. But it wasn't in any pocket, or any place it usually is. So that was our situation Friday into Saturday morning. We spent quite a bit of time checking again and again in places it might be, but no luck. So we had to go to bed without it. I did do one thing, though - I went up to the church in Dummerston Center, where there is WiFi,  and sent John an email with the computer just to let him know our situation. While I was there, I went to the Consumer Cellular website, and found our call record. That confirmed a call to Keene Gas at 12:42pm on Friday- indeed just before we left for Eliza's. But, it also recorded two calls after that! One was a 4-minute call at about 3:50pm. It took a while for that to register, but I finally remembered that I had talked with Nancy T about the Women's Chorus she wanted us to come to. And then I remembered that I was up in the "museum" at the church (where choir music is stored) when that call happened. So maybe that is where the phone was, and Saturday morning, first thing, I checked that out and sure-'nuf there it was. It's discouraging to realize that I had forgotten that, but there it is. We also have decided that we need to get a second phone.

Yesterday, we had choir at the Dummerston Church, and I was leading. We had a rehearsal Friday evening and it went well. Sunday morning, it snowed and then turned to freezing rain, and I wondered if I would have a choir. But they all came, and three more besides, making a choir of twelve! It was great. The congregation was not much bigger than the choir, because of weather, but we sang well and were much appreciated. The theme for the service was based on I Corinthians 12 - the famous "one body and many members," passage, with the additional theme of a series Shawn has been doing on the UCC "Love Your Neighbor .. no matter their ......." program (fill in the blank - faith, nationality, gender, sexual preference, etc.). This week it was "race." "Love your neighbor, no matter their race." I chose music which reflected both the "one body" theme, plus a variety of sources: Scotland, Korea and African American.  It all went really well.

The Dummerston Choir, Sunday morning

Aunt Hazel

We learned this morning that Gretchen's Aunt Hazel died yesterday morning. She was 111 years old! She has been living in a retirement home up near Lake Sunapee, NH for the last several years. We have enjoyed two or three visits with her and members of her family there. She was an amazing person, always so positive and upbeat in her attitude. She was blessed with an active mind right up to the end, so far as I know. Back in 2016,  she had a moment of fame because when the Chicago Cubs (her team!) were contending in the World Series, they were seeking their first championship since 1908, the year Aunt Hazel was born. It was unusual to have a 108-year-old fan rooting for you who had been alive the last time you won the Series, and Aunt Hazel got quite a bit of publicity. One day we were listening to the New Hampshire news round-up on NPR and the announcer said, "And now for some happy news" and went on to talk about Aunt Hazel!  I don't have a picture of Aunt Hazel on the computer I'm using right now, but I'll post one from the other computer when I get a chance.

Rest in Peace, Aunt Hazel!

Aunt Hazel at her 108th birthday

Monday news

Today, Brendon went to school, Katie had Tales and Tunes at the Shutesbury Library in the morning, and Savanna had a drawing class in Florence in the afternoon, and I stayed home all day. I slept late (making up for a poor night's sleep Saturday night), had a late breakfast of smoothie and cereal, checked email, and then got started on a project I brought with me - updating my "end of life" plans. I have a file on the computer titled, "When I Die" - which lists all the things Ellen and/or John will need to do after my death, where things are located, etc. Sort of a comprehensive check-list, including an Executor of Estate check-list. All of this was last done in 2015, so four years later, there is a need to update information. I have been procrastinating this for some time (not a favorite task) so I decided this would be a good time to get a start, and I did. I have a new "To Do" list. Now that I am off dead center, I feel I have some momentum.

Last night before trying to go to sleep, I read the first two chapters of Lamb in his bosom, which I now have twelve chapters of on my computer. I can tell I will like it. I found I can buy a copy from Abe Books for $4.00 plus shipping. But that book led me to another. It reminded me of a book I have known about for decades, a book which I think my parents also liked, titled The Shepherd of the Hills, by Harold Bell Wright. This book, and Wright himself, have quite a story. Wright, who started out as a Disciple of Christ minister, later became an extremely popular author who is hardly known today. The Shepherd of the Hills sold a million copies, the first American novel to do so. Wright is one of the top-selling American authors of all time. Four movies were made of The Shepherd of the Hills, and it is performed annually as a stage play at Branson, MO.  Indeed, the novel helped put Branson on the map, long before its fame as a country music mecca. The novel is set near Branson, in the Ozark mountains. I found an audio version of the novel on Librivox (a free, online, amateur audio book app), and I've been listening to that. It is pretty gripping, actually.

Author, Harold Bell Wright

Poster from 1941 film of The Shepherd of the Hills

Later:
Ellen has returned safe and sound! Yay! No adverse driving conditions. We will spend the  night here and return home tomorrow so we can get the house warm again before going to River Singers.

Sunday in Amherst

I just had breakfast and in a few minutes I will go to church with Katie & Savanna at First Congregational Church in Amherst. Katie & Savanna are singing a song at the beginning of the service during announcements that advertises the upcoming Cranberry Fair, which is a big fundraiser for the  church, coming  up this Saturday. I've been listening to them rehearse - they sound good!

After church I will walk to Amherst College and spend some time in the Frost Library while Katie spends time as a volunteer at the church and Savanna and Brendon go to the movies. I'll rejoin them at 3p.m. Then I guess we will come home.

One of my goals at the Frost Library will be to find a book my father refers to as one he enjoyed very much reading. He refers to it in a letter to his friend, George Drew, written in 1934 from Grays Lake, IL. The book is Caroline Miller, Lamb In His Bosom. It had been published a year to two earlier at that time, and it had won the author the Pulitzer Prize. It is about life in South Georgia just before the Civil War. Dad says he found its description of everyday life very familiar to him and his experience growing up in rural Georgia. The Amherst College Library catalogue online says it has a copy, so I'm hopeful that I will find it (you never know). I would like to make a photocopy, but my iPod has developed problems with the charge cord, so is not working. There may be options.

Later;
I found the book! The good news is that the Library Cafè has a charging station where there is a charge cord that fits my iPod. The bad news is that my iPod won't charge! So the problem may be with the iPod, not the cord. I know it needs a new battery but it has worked for some time if it is always plugged in. But that is no longer the case. It is a  very old iPod - maybe as much as 15 years old or even more. So I guess I can't be too surprised. But I intended to use it to photograph pages of the book. Now I'll have to see if there is a scanner somewhere here.

Got it! 

Later still:
There was a scanner at the library, but unlike other scanners I've used, which save to a thumb drive, this one saved to an email address. It was free, and I entered my email address and got a .pdf file of what I scanned.  I could do an assembled job which allowed me to scan, e.g., 40 pages (= 80 book pages), and send it as a unit to my email. I did that in two batches and scanned 12 chapters, or about 170 pages in all - maybe half the book. So that wasn't too bad - better than I feared when I discovered the iPod was not working.


Now I'm back at Katie and Savanna's and just had a snack.

And yet later on Sunday...
We had supper on a card table in the TV room while we watched the Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-10 I think it was. It was sort of a strange game; e.g., Tom Brady couldn't connect on his passing and the Patriots were forced to kick three field-goals in the first half after the Eagles got ahead by 10 points. Savanna is trying out YouTubeTV which is a streamed  TV service that has quite a bit on it and is only $45 a month. Not bad. She went to a meeting yesterday about new TV options in Shutesbury and came back quite informed. Meanwhile, I have been working on the Spelling Bee puzzle, and I think I have achieved "genius" status.

Oh- yesterday evening, K,S, B and I played "O Hell" - the bidding card game where you start out with a 10-card hand, go down to a one-card hand and back up to 10. It's actually a fun game. A nice mix of skill and luck.

My three-card hand. I think Clubs were trump, which meant no trump cards in my hand.  I bid 0.  If you make your bid (i.e., in this case take no tricks) you get ten points.  I got 10 points. If I had inadvertently taken one trick with the Queen of spades (it can happen), I would have gotten only 1 point for this round. Winning your bid earns 10 points plus number of tricks taken. Katie won handily; I came in last, but just three points behind Brendon.

The Frost Library Cafè area

This was an archival photo hanging by the elevator in the Library showing Amherst College seniors in 1910 playing leapfrog on commencement day!

Final note:
My iPod seems to be working fine now! If it had been working earlier the way it is now, I could have used it to photograph the book. Hmmm. What is that all about? I could go back tomorrow and finish the job. But actually, scanning it  produces much better quality, and is only a bit slower. Main advantage in using the iPod? I can sit down while doing it. Scanning entails standing. But if I scan in 10-15 minute segments, it's ok. But why was it totally useless this afternoon and is ok tonight - with my charge cord to boot ?!  I don't get it. 

Stewart Letter #16

Note: This letter was written by Stewart to mother five days after the one written to dad. It covers a lot of the same ground because he is telling mother about his new situation at Lincoln, just as he had earlier told dad, but he includes here information he didn't mention in the letter to dad, and it has a different tone.

Letter #16
Nov. 19, 1944 

Dear Mother, 

I have received the hangers and the tennis shoes.1  Such conveniences as hangers and drawers now mean a lot to me, since anything that is not hung up must be kept in the barracks bag. 

Our barracks hold approximately 350 young men, some ASTRP, but some ASTP premeds. The building is new, built as a library, but not yet used as one. The basement is filled almost completely with the latrine. My room is on the second floor, and that is where we have two ping-pong tables, a billiard table, a pool table, and a nice radio which tunes in on four stations. There are phone booths on the first floor, so the only thing that would be inconvenient about it would be the possible delay. I have no trouble getting to sleep on account of any noise caused by anyone in the barracks; in fact, someone woke me up once and told me to stop snoring. 
 
The B-60 curriculum is a basic engineering course accelerated slightly, with no review as in the N-30, which does not include Chemistry. One or two times each day we have a study period, and from 1900 to 2100 we are required to study on all nights except Saturday, so therefore I cannot attend the evening program at the church, unless I want to go after 9, since activities continue at the church until 10:30. 

I listened to election returns too, but I was so tired that night that I didn't care to stay awake any longer. By the way, I don't think that I should call at Thanksgiving, since I would have less chance of getting my call through in any reasonable length of time then. 

Notes: 
1 Evidently, Stewart had been in touch with mother, probably by phone, and asked for some things to be sent to him. 

                                                                                   -2-

We are awakened at 6:00a.m. by the lights being turned on. They are fluorescent lamps, and invariably they wake me up. Chow is ready from 6:30 to 7:30. At 6:15 we fall out in front of the building for reveille which is reporting of absences. Class formation is at 7:45, and then the different sections march off to class. Noon chow is from 11:30 to 12:30, and supper is from 5:20 to 6:20p.m. On Sunday, breakfast is from 8 to 9, and dinner is from 12:30 t0 13:30. 

I could use my bathrobe and also a couple of our ping-pong paddles and a ball, since the playing equipment is not furnished. I was "broke" for some time until yesterday when I finally got my travel check. It came to $26.15, so I am well-fixed for anything but a very drastic emergency. Right away I bought a pair of slippers built like this: , a money belt, an engineer's metal insignia to go on my left lapel (since I am not in the Air Corps Reserve) and then I went to a show, In the Meantime, Darling, with Jeanne Crain of Home In Indiana.2 Also I took several pieces of clothing to the USO to have AST insignia sewed on. 

The third floor is composed mainly of large halls with tables and chairs for studying, and different teachers are present to help. At one time, about a year ago, there were 2700 students in the AST here, but now there are only about 350. We are fairly centrally located on the campus, so we do not have far to go from class to class. Our physical training takes place inside the stadium, under the stadium seats, and in the Coliseum, which is like the Minnesota Fieldhouse. There is a swimming pool in the basement, and handball courts. 

Notes:
2 This film is available on YouTube and I watched it in its entirety. Directed by Otto Preminger, it was released in 1944 and is very typical of WW 2 films - it is almost a propaganda film in its depiction of the military life. But it also has some interesting features. Jeanne Crain plays a war bride (Maggie) , and the film opens with her arrival at the train station near the post where her husband-to-be (Danny), a lieutenant in the army, is stationed. They go immediately to a Justice of the Peace and are married in a very rushed ceremony because it is late and the Justice wants to go to bed. She is from a prominent Philadelphia family and has a very hard time adjusting to living conditions at the post and in relating to her fellow military wives. In many ways, the film is about her "growing up" and coming to accept her situation. The men in the film are almost ciphers - sort of stock characters - but a couple of women are more sensitively drawn: one, the owner of the hotel where the newlyweds have a room, is a war widow, and she plays an important role in "educating" the new bride. The other woman (Shirley), is the wife of Danny's best friend, "Red," (played by Stanley Prager* - see below). Shirley is more "working class"and down-to-earth, and gives Maggie a different perspective. The hotel porter, Henry (played by African-American actor Clarence Muse) is also a "wise elder" who helps Maggie "grow up." The film ends when all the men are suddenly shipped overseas and Maggie and Shirley decide to go to work in a defense plant (Maggie could have gone back to live with her parents - but this is the more independent, "mature" option). Jeanne Crain and Frank Latimore (who plays Danny) were only 19 years old when this film was made. Home in Indiana (a horse film released earlier in 1944) was Jeanne Crain's first film and had brought her fame. 

*An anecdote is widely circulated about Otto Preminger and Stanley Prager. During the filming of In the Meantime, Darling, Preminger is said to have put his face in Prager's face and scream, "RELAX, RELAX, RELAX!" - evidently Prager was just the first of many to get this treatment from Preminger. 


                                                                            -3-

I went on sick call on Tuesday because my throat was sore. On Tuesday and three consecutive days, my throat was swabbed, and on the last two, my tonsils were sprayed also. With some sulfadiazine tablets to help, I'm all right now. 

On Nov. 11th, Armistice Day, the seven platoons of Love Library went to the Nebraska-Iowa State game for free. Our platoon, the seventh and new one, did not have to march during the half, but the taller part acted as MP's at the gates leading to the track to prevent people from coming down on to the field. The Minnesota-Iowa U. game was watched with interest also, since most of those that are in the seventh platoon come from Iowa. 

Dec. 25th might be a holiday for us, and in that case, if I could make good connections, I could be home for twenty-four hours; but then I could come home for seven days a month later, and I don't know whether or not you think that it would be worth paying for two round-trips in that short a time.
I will write as often as possible, but I do not have much time for my own affairs except on Saturday and Sunday. 

                                                                         Your loving son, 
                                                                                   Stewart3 

 Notes:
3 It's interesting that this letter to mother is much chattier about daily life, dress, etc.., than the one to dad, which is a bit more formal, has more detail about Stewart's course work and doesn't mention things like the movie. 

Poster for the film, In the Meantime, Darling

Stewart Letter #15

Note: This is a 4-page letter, originally hand-written in ink, seventy-five years ago yesterday, to dad. Whereas previous letters had been written from our home in Minneapolis, Stewart has now entered the Army, is in the ASTRP Program, and is located at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE. This is his first letter to dad from this new situation. He mailed a letter very similar in content to this one five days later - to mother - Letter #16. However, that letter gives some details and has an emphasis missing from this one. I will post them at roughly the same time.

Letter #15  
Nov. 14, 1944 

Dear Dad, 

Yesterday the tallest half of the 7th platoon acted as "MP's" at the Iowa State-Nebraska game. The shorter half moved the players' benches off the field so the first six platoons could parade with no obstructions. That was the way we managed to be admitted free.1 

The A.S.T.U. 3709 is stationed in the Love Memorial Library, a new building, not yet having been used as a library. Therefore, the rooms are slightly large, for instance, one hundred boys are in one such great hall with me. That does not bother me, however, because lights are out at 22:00, in fact, I have been getting to sleep more promptly since coming here than before. 

Two curriculums are offered to the new reservist, the N-30 and the B-60. Tests are given here to determine which the reservist is best fitted for. N-30 does not have Chemistry and the math and Physics have more review. 

                                                                      
Notes:
1 Iowa State won this game 19-6. The Omaha World-Herald wrote, A pesky little 164- pounder named Gene Phelps personally conducted Iowa State to a 19-6 football victory over Nebraska’s hard-trying but outclassed Cornhuskers Saturday afternoon. Phelps had been understudy quarterback in all previous Cyclone games, but moved up when the Navy whisked Joe Noble away after last week’s game. So all frisky young Phelps did was score all three of his team’s touchdowns to gain the admiration of 9,500 fans. 

                                                                                -2- 

The B-60 curriculum includes 7 hours of Physics, 6 of History, 6 of Math (both Alg. and Trig.), 5 Chem., and 3 of English. Also we have six hours of Physical Training and 3 of military training per week. I had no trouble getting into B-60, but it is not going to be easy to stay in, not because I don't get enough time to study, for we are required to study from 1900 to 2100 every night except Saturday, and several other times during the day. 

Another fellow was included in the same orders that I received, who is from Iowa. I met him when I got off the train at Leavenworth, Kansas on Nov. 2, when we got our uniforms. He and another boy whom we met at Ft. Leavenworth, are all in the ERC, while most of the reservists training here are ACER. 

I really don't have much time to write letters, since I do not like to start one and finish it at another time, but I have to, because usually we are free only from 12:00 to 1:00, and we have to eat lunch then, and from 6:00 to 7:00, and supper then. Only on Saturdays and Sundays do I have much time outside of studies.

                                                                               -3-

Writing letters, though, is an effective way of combatting homesickness. I would not think of home so much if it were not that I know that I shall not be home for three months, and then only for about 5 days. Also, the conveniences of home, such as having the bathroom close to the bedroom, and the freeedom (comparative) of retiring and working are very desirable. I know now (don't tell this to any of my superior officers) that I shall not enjoy anything in the army except the marching, the free food, clothing, shelter, and schooling itself. If I can gain a few pounds and improve my general physical tone, also I shall have gained something out of my experience in the army. If I do enter some kind of social work, then, too, I will be better able to cope with problems involving veterans.
Now I am getting only a brief description of the news by way of my history teacher. At the beginning of the period he summarizes current events. The slogan, "The way Maine goes, so goes the nation" seems to have backfired again, since that was the first state to go to Dewey. 

                                                                            -4- 

I will get three twelve-week terms in the A.S.T.R.P., although probably they will not all be here at the U.. of N., at least I hope not, because if I have to be away from home, I would like to see more than one place. At any rate, I shall work hard so that I will be offered the best in my next two terms. 

                                                                        Your eldest son, 
                                                                                   Stewart 

Love Memorial Library, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln,  NE

 

Another view of the Don L. Love Library. Don Love was the mayor of Lincoln on two separate occasions. He died in 1940 and a posthumous gift to the University made possible the building of this Library, which was named in his honor. As Stewart indicates, the building was used as a dormitory for Army students in the ASTRP before it was used as a library. I have to imagine that it required some renovation to make it fit for a library after its use as a dormitory! It would be interesting to visit it today and get a sense of what it would have been like for Stewart to live there.

Don Lathrop Love
Born: Janesville, WI, Mar. 7, 1863
Party Affiliation: Republican
Died: Lincoln, NE, Sept. 12, 1940
Claremont, IA

Back with my sisters

I'm back with Kate & Savanna for the next 4-5 days. Ellen is on a visit to Swarthmore (or to be more accurate, the Philadelphia area, since none of her close friends actually live in Swarthmore any more with Wallace's move to Kendal) and she dropped me here about an hour and a half ago. We got up early to get ready this morning. It is going to be pretty frigid the next few days - in the single digits - so we had to take steps to keep the pipes from freezing in the house, though I think the likelihood of that happening is slim if we left the house unheated, but I don't want to take the chance. So we did what we do when we take longer trips - we put up blankets to close off the kitchen and bathroom area where the pipes are and left the electric heat on in that area only at 40 degrees. Today is Ellen's birthday, so we started the day with  a short "celebration" - i.e., I gave her a birthday card and a gift. Ellen herself would be happy to have her birthday totally ignored, but I always feel better doing something; I just keep it simple. Things went pretty smoothly getting ready to leave and we started out just as the impeachment hearing got underway with Amb. Yovonovich testifying, so we listened to that on the radio as we drove down to Shutesbury. I think the sisters may be out this afternoon and I'll either just stay here and do things here, or have them drop me at the Amherst Library and work there. At the moment, I'm leaning toward staying here.

Concert choir

It's Wednesday evening and I'm at the Concert Choir rehearsal. Ellen had to be here early for an Alto sectional, so I have a little time to do work on the computer. Others are gathering however, so my chance to work is short.

I'm still coughing a lot - much to my dismay.

We watched the impeachment hearings today. Disturbing at many levels.

We are getting a good dose of winter weather! It does not make me happy.

Friday, Ellen will drop me off at Katie and Savanna's while she goes to Swarthmore.

Signing off!

At Katie & Savanna's

Here it is, Saturday, and here we are at K&S's in Shutesbury. Ellen brought a pot of finnan haddie chowder (made with frozen smoked haddock we bought in Maine our last visit), which is delicious, and we'll have supper here and maybe play cards. (Btw, today did not end up working for everyone going to Metanoia,vt - cf. previous post) - so we are looking for a new date).

Yesterday, the new (2011) Impreza (which I think I mentioned earlier had an erratic brake "squeeel" almost as soon as we bought it)  had developed an almost constant scraping noise, and I thought this was ridiculous, so I decided spontaneously to take it to Subaru for service without an appointment. They in fact took me in, road-tested it with me in the car, immediately heard the sound, and got to work - and replaced a caliper, a rotor and pads in the right rear wheel. No charge. So that was good of them, but no more than what was right under the circumstances. I was glad I didn't have to argue about it.

Yesterday evening, we went a pot-luck supper and singing party at Mary Cay and Manny's. It snowed pretty hard for a few minutes just before we left, but it only amounted to a dusting. I felt pretty good, health-wise, and had a good time.

In the morning, we went to a Hallowell sing for a family where a sweet little four-year-old boy is dying of brain cancer, and his mother is fighting breast cancer. I've known the grandparents, and the mother, since she was a girl back in the 1970s. This sounds unutterably sad, but the house was so full of love that it was a beautiful experience. Peter and Mary Alice Amidon brought their instruments and we sang a lot of children's songs, including the boy's favorite, I've Been Workin' on the Railroad. This was the first time - after almost 17 years of existence -  that Hallowell has been asked to sing for a dying child. They made very clear that they want us to come back, and I'm sure we will.

Peter and Mary Alice Amidon

Tomorrow we are singing in the choir at Dummerston (under Mary Westbrook-Geha's direction), and there will be a Music Committee meeting after church, to plan for services after the New Year. Then in the afternoon, we will go to the Fall meeting of the Windham-Union Association which will be held in W. Dover, VT (about 35-minute drive). I think the weather will be OK, but Monday and Tuesday they are forecasting very cold weather with sleet, freezing rain, snow, etc., pretty much the full catastrophe. I am not ready. I have many pre-winter chores to do: draining the water out of the garden hose, banging in our awning-type windows so they are tight, getting the deck furniture put away, getting the lawn mower ready to sit all winter by running gas stabilizer through it, getting all the firewood under cover, etc. Oh well! We'll do the best we can.

Later:
We had supper and it was delicious: chowder and corn bread.  I just loaded the dishwasher. Ellen brought felting materials and acorn tops with her and she and Brendon and Katie are doing crafts - felt acorns with real acorn caps. 

Craft time
 Below: Brendon's felt acorn with cap

Out & about

Well, I made it to the pool, which is where I am writing this. I just had a lovely time in the hot tub, which dissolves all aches and pains, for a while at least. I am expecting to go to Concert Choir rehearsal this evening which starts at 6:15p.m.. with a bass section rehearsal. I think I will be able to bring my bass voice, though maybe not the high notes. This is a full week: tomorrow evening, Ellen and I have a Hallowell event at a Hospice training session. We will both sing and talk about what Hallowell does with a new group of Hospice volunteers. We've done it several times before, and it is always enjoyable. Then Friday, we are going to a supper and singing party at Mary Cay's. That will be fun too. Saturday is open at this point, but we are talking with John and Cynthia about visiting Mark Kutolowski, the man who was the presenter at the Centering Prayer retreat we went to last Saturday at the Guilford Church. Turns out that John had met him years ago at the Weston Priory.  That could happen Saturday, if all parties agree that that is a good day. Mark and his wife, Lisa, run a retreat center called Metanoia (Greek = "repentance," or better, "a decisive turning-about resulting in significant life transformation").

Mark Kutolowski of Metanoia.vt

Better

I'm feeling a bit better this Tuesday night. I did make it to the Osher lecture and it was a very interesting one on Henry v. Tonight I decided not to go to River singers rehearsal. I feel that I was still just coldy enough to be a possible danger to others so I decided to stay home.  But Ellen went.  We have a bass section rehearsal tomorrow evening in the concert choir, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to do that. While Ellen was at rehearsal this evening, I listened to a LibriVox reading of Richard iii, which is our next and actually final play in the Osher Shakespeare series. The parallels between this play and our own time are pretty sobering.

Under the weather

I wonder what the origin of the phrase "under the weather" is? In any case, that's where I am. I am dealing with a cold; it started out as a sore throat and now is chest congestion. So I didn't go to a movie last night with John and Cynthia, and also didn't go church this morning; stayed in bed and am keeping warm. Did the Spelling Bee puzzle; Ellen is feeding me good food; I'm dozing. We're reading Henry V out loud; that is really enjoyable! Not sure if I'll be up for going to the Osher lecture tomorrow or not. But maybe I will.

Spooked!

Last evening we went to a performance of The Secret Garden with John and Cynthia. We had supper with them at Athens Pizza in Bellows Falls first and then went to the Opera House in Bellows Falls for the play - actually, it was a musical based on the book, The Secret Garden. It was a huge production with a large cast, elaborate costumes and a fantastic set. The singing was mixed, some very good. The principles were mostly good. The downside was the amplification of the sound, which was harsh. But we were far enough back so that was not a major irritant, it just detracted from the beauty of the singing. But we enjoyed the performance overall.

A scene from The Secret Garden

 

 

We came home and lit a jack-o-lantern that Ellen had made earlier in the day and brought it into the bedroom to enjoy while we watched the PBS Newshour on the cell phone (by then it was raining hard, which means we were not able to get TV reception on our antenna). Then we settled in to sleep, but soon, the wind really came up pretty ferociously. When I got up to blow out the candle in the jack-o-lantern, I discovered we had lost power. It was still off when we got up this morning, and now, at 5pm, it is still out. We've been coping ok with wood stove for both heat and cooking, but the pump isn't running for the pressure tank, so even though our spring is up nicely, we have no water. So we have come out - Ellen to get drinking water at the store and me to wash dishes at the Dummerston Church (which does have power) and to charge the cell phone and do work on the computer. Green Mountain Power says this was a major, state-wide event and has no estimate on when power will be restored. Maybe that jack-o-lantern spooked us!

Our jack-o-lantern