Stewart Letter #30

                                                                                                                         25 March 19461

Dear Mom:

I just got your Valentine and note of the 12 of Feb. Of course I have already received your letter of the 27, and Larry's of the 10 of March. I believe that my letters should come through regularly now, and my address won't change when I transfer to the Medics,2 because their mail comes in at H/S Co orderly room anyway. Thanks for the Daily Devotions3. I can get copies of the Link4 through the chaplain.

We sent fifteen men out today to other units preparing to ship home. Men with 40 points or more, or 30 months service or more. Two-year men will be eligible for redeployment before 30 June 1946. After that, two-year men will continue to be discharged, and if enlistments in the regular army and draftees permit, the length of service will be shortened. My service in the reserve doesn't count except for longevity pay, which means that if I am still in the army on 27 Oct 1947, I will get five percent (5%) more pay every month. However, I hope to be out before then.

You might send my Kodak, but I doubt that I could get any film for it. About all the film that I have seen has been 120. One can get film developed here quick enough at one of the local photographer's shops.

I got your letter of the 25 of Feb two days ago but it seems that the one of the 27 beat it and the one of the twelfth.

1 I'm not sure exactly where this letter was sent. Were mother and I back in Minneapolis or were we still in Morganfield, KY or were we in transit? This was a chaotic time. Dad was discharged about this time, and we did go back to Minneapolis - we still owned a home there - but Dad almost immediately went to Chicago to take courses in Sociology at the U of C under the GI bill.

2 I don't know what this refers to. Maybe in his boredom, Stewart decided to request a transfer to a unit where there was more activity..If so, I don't think it ever happened.

3 This was a little booklet published by the Congregational - Christian denomination. It consisted of a daily scripture reading, a short meditation and a prayer. It was authored by various clergy and others. Dad had a few of his published in it one year in the early 1950s.

4 This must refer to some other religious publication. If so, it has left no trace on the internet.

I drew a watch in the PX last Saturday. It cost $9.25, has a sweep second hand, radial dial, luminous hand and Roman Numeral figures. The trade name is Minerva5, and it says on the face that it is waterproof, shock absorbent and antimagnetic. Just for curiosity's sake, I would like to know if any watches with that description are being sold, and for what price. Don't go to any special trouble, however. I don't know whether it has any jewels or not. My watch that dad gave me is still running and keeping good time.

A Minerva watch of about the same vintage as Stewart's

We have had a different chaplain for the third Sunday in a row, and we are expecting to lose the present one. It seems that as soon as we get a new one, he ships out for home. Anyway, we get a variety of ideas in the sermons.

I am following all events in the newspaper with interest, especially concerning the draft and its continuance. I don't want to stay in the army too long, although there isn't much danger of that for some time yet. I don't want the US to have to give up any of its promises concerning occupation, and yet I want the draft managed fairly, so that fathers and older men who have been in the service for some time can get out. Also, I do not really believe that 18-year-olds should continue to be drafted. The Russian disputes are also interesting, for we are about 25 miles from the Russian zone.

The thing that makes being in this unit really nice is the fact that we are not actually occupation troops, but merely serving the occupation troops.That does not mean, however, that we do not work, because a lot of supplies have to be hauled and some roads will have to be built this summer. We get good chow, however, and we lead a more informal life than if we had to do much guarding and policing.

I am trying to send two or three letters each week, and I am sending them all air mail, but nevertheless, they may not come through promptly, but never fear, for i am writing just the same.

                                                                Your loving son, 

                                                                            Stewart

P.S. Be sure to tell me in case Daddy goes to Chicago.

5 This was a Swiss watch company. Minerva watches are on sale on eBay today for $1000s but this was a mass market watch. $9.25 is about $120 in today's dollars. It would be interesting to know what this watch would sell for today on eBay. I have no idea whether it still exists.

Modest beginnings

With the arrival of vaccines and warmer weather, our social life has gone up a notch. We hosted John and Cynthia outside around the fire pit for tea on Sunday, and Katie, Savanna and Brendon for a hotdog roast  around the pit on Thursday. Still outside, still keeping distant, wearing masks when not eating. But definitely an uptick in activity!  I got my second shot on Tuesday, and Ellen is now almost at the two-week mark past the second shot. 

We will celebrate the Passover with the Feinlands in a Zoom Seder this afternoon. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. I remember last year all of this virtual worship seemed very new and strange, but now it seems "normal." How will it seem a year from now?

John and Cynthia having tea with us outside. 

As you can see, we still had snow last Sunday. It's mostly gone now.

Our fire pit

Roasting "dogs."

My lunch tray on Friday

I thought it looked "photo-worthy"

Spring!

I'm sitting in the parking  lot of Brown & Roberts hardware and it's 54 degrees and sunny. Not sure when spring begins officially, but it feels good. Yay!

A couple of days ago, I got a cortisone shot in my left shoulder. The one in my right shoulder has been only marginally helpful, but even a little bit of improvement is good. Not a magic bullet, but still better. I think the left will be similar. But with exercises, icing, anti-inflammatory salve, etc., maybe I can live with it. Dr. McLarney says a Reverse Shoulder Replacement is an option. I'm not eager to go that route. She gave me the name and # of someone my age who is happy with it that I can call. We'll see. 

 Tuesday I get my second COVID vaccine shot. Bit by bit!

A "packed" letter

A few days ago, I received a large envelope from Jerry and Maggie Hochberger. It turned out to be a packet of letters - written by either me or Shirley to our parents, back in 1953-56. The Hochbergers didn't explain where they had found them, but I assume they were among the many things left to sort through when my brother, Stewart, died in 2013. I have many letters from that era in my own archive, but these were new to me. One of them, the earliest, dated April 30, 1953, is packed with a lot of information of interest me. Here  is the letter:

                                                                                April 30, 1953

Dear Folks,

Strange things are happening at Drury College. For example, I was elected president of the senior class. This came as something of a shock -- for I had made no campaign whatsoever. I had been away at a NISA convention at Purdue University when nominated, and when I came back, I made no effort to persuade anyone to vote for me.... all of which is, of course, very gratifying to me.

I mentioned the NISA (National Independent Student's Association) convention. It was wonderful! We took 17 from Drury in a chartered bus -- quite a trip to say the least. (Purdue is at Lafayette, Ind.) The convention had several highlights. 1) was the keynote speaker - - H. Roe Bartle of Kansas City. He spoke for an hour and twenty minutes and we were sorry when he stopped. He had a tremendous wit, a tremendous voice, and was a tremendous man - 350lbs!  2) another highlight was the Purdue Glee Club -- a real organization. The director-student relationship was a joy to see.  3) was the report of the NISA Philosophy Committee. For too long, ISA has been considered an organization of students who weren't able to get into Greek organizations. This committee struck a positive note with a sound philosophy of what an Independent believes. It is simply stated -- "Students who believe in freedom of organization, equality of opportunity, and responsibility in living." Pretty Christian, isn't it? I'll tell you more about the convention sometime (who knows when?).

This weekend is the retreat for that religious program that I have mentioned in the past. It promises to be really something. If those who are being introduced to it can catch the spirit of it, it will be the greatest thing to hit Drury.

I'll be seeing you.

Love,

  Larry

There are at least four items of interest to me in this letter: my election as Senior Class President; the NISA (and the local ISA chapter); the identity of "H. Roe Bartle";  and the "religious program" referred to in the last paragraph. 

My election as Senior Class President was sort of amazing. Drury's social/political life was dominated by the fraternities and sororities. I was a member of the ISA - the Independent Students Association - which was a social organization open to any student, unlike the "Greeks" which chose their members and had an elaborate initiation ritual. To be a BMOC (a "Big Man on Campus,"  like a Class President), it was usually presumed that you would have to be a "Greek." But I won the election, and with no campaign to boot. (I don'r remember how close the vote was). I was known to people mainly through the ISA and, even more, through my work with campus religious organizations. But that didn't necessarily make one popular. "I must have done something good," as the song says.

The local ISA was an active organization, but I would guess that most of its membership was drawn from out-of-state students. Drury had two distinct groups of students - those from Missouri (Drury was located in Springfield, MO), and those from out-of-state, New England in particular. It was founded by Congregationalists and had an historic connection with that denomination. That connection drew scores of students from Congregational churches in New England. I lived in Iowa, but I was at Drury because of its Congregational roots (my father was a Congregational minister). The fraternities drew mainly from the in-state group, and ISA mainly from out-of-state. Most of my friends were ISA members.  It's interesting that today, the NISA seems to have no footprint in the digital world. I've searched it from several angles - nothing. It is not to be confused with the NSA (National Student Association) which was an organization of college student governments - a completely different organization. This makes me wonder if local ISA's just don't exist any more. By the way, I have no memory of attending the NISA convention at Purdue. Ellen and I went to Lafayette, IN a few years ago with Kathy Leo and Tom Goldschmid,  to do a Hallowell workshop, and I don't think it occurred to me that I had been there before. 

Unlike "NISA," which as far as Google is concerned, never existed, "H. Roe Bartle" is HUGE  on-line (just as he himself was huge - he weighed 350lbs  - some say as many as 400lbs.).  He was a very colorful figure in Kansas City back in the 1950s. He was a well-known Boy Scout executive; he was Mayor for two terms; he was widely known as a public speaker (he got as much as $1000 for a speech!), but he is best known to this day as the one who lured the NFL team, the Chiefs, to Kansas City in 1963. And who knew this? His nickname was "Chief" - earned from his scouting work and his enthusiastic appropriation of indigenous people's culture into scouting culture (he spent two years in Wyoming and purportedly was made an honorary member of a Wind River tribe), and when the Dallas Texans came to Kansas City, they took his nickname as their own. All of  which - the Boy Scouts, the use of indigenous culture in the NFL, his obesity, etc,  - is highly problematic today! But not back then. Obviously, I was impressed.

The "religious program" referred to was a movement to "reform" campus religious life away from separate  denominational groups toward an all-inclusive, ecumenical, 'All-Campus Fellowship." I spear-headed this movement along with a newly appointed college chaplain, Dr. Laurence Smith, was one of the leaders of the retreat mentioned where a cross-section of campus leaders, 40 in all, were in attendance to hear this idea proposed, and became "chairman of the board"when it was implemented in the fall of 1953. It did prove to be quite successful (despite my hyperbole!). 

Senior Class Officers, 1954, Drury College

Barbara, Larry and Jane

H. Roe Bartle with a group of Boy Scouts

H. Roe Bartle, c. 1950

Orthopedics

Dr. Elizabeth McLarney

 Checking off my list of medical appointments - today it was Dr. Elizabeth McLarney, orthopedic surgeon, widely regarded as one of the best. Dr. McLarney did the quad tendon attachment about 12 years ago on my left knee. This time it was all about my shoulders. It was sort of shocking to see my right shoulder X-ray - I basically have no rotator cuff. The ball is out of the socket and grinding on the bone above it! No wonder it's painful! We decided on a cortisone shot. We'll see how it goes with the right shoulder and possibly do the left as well. I also am to ice my shoulders every evening, do basic exercises and use an anti-inflammatory cream, voltaren. It will be great if I can get back some use, have more strength, and have less pain!

Post-birthday

 Things have been busy since March 2nd! Wednesday, March 3rd, I had an Upper Endoscopy - basically a dilation of my esophagus by Dr.  Potash. That was done at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. It all went smoothly. It has helped my swallowing some, but not dramatically. 

I got a number of nice birthday cards:

From Phil McKean and his son, Tom (my godson). 

From John and Mary Carnahan

From Andy and Robin Davis

From Sue Miller

From Deborah Anderson

From Jerry and Gretchen Hochberger

Andy sent a "first draft" of Session I of our Hymnody course - an hour-long video. Here are two frames from that:

Two frames from "Intro to Hymnody"

Happy birthday to me!

Today  Is my 88th birthday! Wow! One year for every key on the piano.  It is a very cold and windy day. The wind blew hard all night long. But I’m cozy here in bed and Ellen just brought me tea and morning glory muffin. The cup is my favorite, made by Bennington Pottery. The blue bowl holds the pills I take in the morning.

Later:

I had a lovely breakfast in bed.

Birthday breakfast: walnut pancakes, sausage, egg and coffee.

I got lots of calls wishing me a Happy Birthday. Later in the day, we drove up to Walpole, NH and got a take-out bakery treat at Burdick's Restaurant. A nice day.