Miscellaneous letters from childhood

Undated letter, circa 1927

Dear Aunt Laurine

I am in second grade this year. I get 100 in numbers almost every day. I have to learn long poems by heart. My arm is alright now but it took a long time. I had to go to the doctor. I haven’t forgotten you yet.

Much love from

Carl

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Gowrie, Iowa

August 13 1929

Dear Mamma:

I wish you would come home soon. Tuesday I was going over to Roberts [sic]. But when I came over there, they were away. I waited a little bit and then I went home. Then I went over to Harris’s and he had [sic] out to the Golf Links so I couldn’t play with Harris. So I went home. When I got home I went upstairs to draw. But as soon as I got upstairs I was told I could get an ice rem cone.

With all my love

Carl

[Note in his mother’s handwriting: When I was at Mercy Hospice for Marold’s birth. This is a precious letter from “little Carl.”]

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Sept. 6, 1929

Gowrie Ia.

Dear Laurine:

I wish you a happy birthday. I am only writing a few lines. Friday I help baby Marold for the first time. Boy it was fun!

Today I made an airplane our of boxs [sic], boards, quilts, bricks and etc. Vivian cooked food and Vincent and me drove the airplane.

A happy brithday [sic] and many whichs [sic]

from Carl

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Gowrie, Iowa

Feb. 21, 1932

Dear Laurine,

Thank you very much for the Valentine. I think it is very cute.

I am in a Flag Drill in school. We to act [sic] it out before the P.T. A. on Tues. night. Miss Moffett is drilling us and some of the boys weren’t good and they got it.

Guess what happened Saturday night. Our house nearly caught on fire. We had just put in some new coal and daddy had shoved some baskets to [sic] close to the furnace. They caught on fire. Mamma smelt smoke and thought something was wrong with the draft. When she was pulling on the chain she saw something red thru a crack. She whizzed downstairs and grabbed a pail of water which daddy was going to give to the cow. She threw the water on it and nearly extinguished it. Daddy was in by this time and we got it out. The [sic] were near a door and is was so hot it nearly was on fire.

I am getting along O.K. in school. We are having history now instead of hygiene. It is ancient history. For a while I wasn’t getting along so good in arith. but I got a hundred which brough my grades up.

A 1,000 kisses &

” ” hugs to you from

Carl

Sunday, June 29, 1958

June 29, 1958

411 Bonnie Dr

El Cerrito, Calif.

Dear Brothers & Sisters

Since I wrote for the round robin the last time we have been down to San Diego to see Marold, Jeanne & Gregg in their new home and also to see various places and people along the way. We drove down in our new automobile — a yellow Plymouth — which we acquired early in May. As we were starting out on a Friday evening (we planned on driving to Merced the first evening so as to have less to drive the next day) I heard a funny noise when the car was in low but was not disposed to turning back at that point since all our plans for the trip had been made. The noise persister all the trip but didn’t give anu trouble — when I had the car in for a checkup when we got back, they found one gear with a tooth broken off and eventually they had to replace several gears before the transmission sounded all right, so I guess we were fortunate.

We stopped along the way to visit some of Jean’s friends & spent a couple of days in L.A. with Jean’s sister. Then we stayed in motels in various places while seeing Disneyland and Marineland, & visiting various people. We were at Howard Nelson’s for dinner one evening and Howard looked quite different than when I saw him last. He had lost a good part of his hair & looked rather different I thought. We also spent a few hours at Knott’s Berry Farm which I think the children enjoyed more than either Disneyland or Marineland. Muriel was frightened of several things Disneyland and of the whole, & other fishes too, at Marineland, so we feel that she was too young to really appreciate them.

We visited at Marold’s several days & visited the zoo & beach while we were there. The San Diego Zoo has a new part called the “Children’s Zoo” where they can pet animals etc & both M & P liked this — they didn’t want to leave as they were quite ready to do at the other places we say. We took two days to drive back so we arrived in time to unpack and relax a but before starting the work-a-day routine again.

As usual we keep busy in our every-day life. This summer I plan to paint the stucco on the house, maybe getting the first or conditioner coat on over the long 4th-of-July weekend. I started last weekend scraping off the old paint & still have some to do before I can start the painting. Jean has made herself a new outfit — which she plans to wear today when we go to the 50th wedding anniversary open house for the Gust Knocks.

Palma appears to be fairly well trained and has been increasing her vocabulary of late, but still is far behind Julie. Muriel measures her existence relative to the day, still more than a year off, when she can start kindergarten. This next week we will be at Roy & Beverly Milton’s for supper on Tuesday — we also saw David & his family on our trip.

All for now, till next the RR comes around

With love,

Carl

September 19, 1946

Sept 19, 1946

664 W 13th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father and Mother & the rest of the folks from home,

If it is ever going to rain in San Pedro during September tonite is the night when it should. Yesterday was the hottest day if the year & quite sultry. Today the wind has been blowing steadliy from the southeast all afternoon; and by evening has rolled up a thick overcast which ordinarily wouldn’t come in till after midnight. San Francisco & points north have been having rain & it seems to be moving down the coast. If it were any place else it would surely rain; perhaps even it will here.

Effective as of last Monday the P.E. revised its schedule to provide fewer trains & fewer cars on each train. The car I was on Monday morning was sadly overcrowded and I was “peeved” when I got to work. In fact I was peeved enough to dig up the individual I had noticed who commutes by car from San Pedro and so I am now riding to work with him. Tomorrow however he is having some work done on his car so I will again patronize the P.E.

I had a letter from Vivian today; she sounds as if she were getting acquainted with some people and that in general she likes it in Humboldt. I think a large part of her lonesome feeling was the contrast between her work there & in Lakota.

I called up my music teacher last nite and she thinks that she can arrange it so I can practice at the Norwegian Lutheran Church here in San Pedro, where she is organist. I sincerely hope so and I will know next Saturday. It would be a disappointment to have my interest stifled at the present time.

My work continues about as usual. Lately I have been doing some very interesting work in connection with the catalyst now being investigated here. There are so many interesting angles to work out that you can’t keep pace with your ideas. Every time you turn your head some new and fascinating fact (well, almost every time) springs into view. Sometimes I can’t help but compare my attitude towards experiments now and when I first went to work for Shell. It used to bother me when things didn’t work out the way I expected; now an unexpected end to an experiment is not a discouragement — it is rather an indication to new & different experiments each of which stimulates your imagination. I used to dislike it when a new variable entered the picture; now another variable is an intriguing new avenue of thought & action. What I can’t figure out sometimes is whether I am getting older or younger as my attitudes along this line develop.

My new book on psychology contains a section on psychoanalysis which I haven’t reached yet. Perhaps I shall try to analyze my thinking etc after I have read it.

With love

C.P.

June 27, 1946

June 27, 1946

664 W 13th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

It is a nice, quite evening tonite. The day started off rather drearily but this afternoon it has been quite clear altho not too warm. Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday were quite warm days while I was working up at Dominguez, and it is always warmer up there than at Wilmington. Also, since I was preparing a pilot plant batch of catalyst I was using my muscles more (yes, I still have some), therefore I was perspiring more and feeling correspondingly warmer. I am afraid that I am slowly achieving a disinclination to exert myself physically even if I have to.

Well, a week from today Vivian should have set foot (or feet) on the warm, dusty soil of Calif. I suppose there are places where you couldn’t shake the dust from your shoes as for example in the Arctic Circle, but Calif certainly isn’t one of them. Shell Development no doubt has Thursday off but I haven’t heard about Friday; I doubt very much that we get it off. It will be a lot of fun to see her again. By the way, I think that is is beneath her dignity as a school marm to allow one of her pupils to court her. She will get tired of it & he’ll be hurt and nobody will be happy over the situation (or so it says in the book where all pessimistic predictions originate).

Last night Mrs. Eldridge asked me up for supper & afterward I helped her write another letter to the Treasury dept truing to get them [to] reissue the bonds they lost. In the first letter, one form was required, which was filled out and sent in. Now, three more, plus a statement, certified, about the bonds must be made. I wonder iv they will want some more filled out. I would really laugh if she and a treasury dept official got together. He would certainly be adept at mixing up people ans she is the most mix-up-able person there ever was (of course, she had a head start in that she never thought a coherent series of thoughts ever in her life). She probably could get even the treasury dept official mixed up if he didn’t watch out. I asked her about Vivian’s being there for a couple of days & she said it was o.k. only to let her know as soon as possible.

I didn’t get to my room till nine o’clock, so I decided to sleep this morning instead of going down to church and practicing, so I did so. I have located another piano teacher (a better on than Mrs. Searcy) so I think I will restart taking lessons in the near future. Perhaps I am foolish in doing so, but I’ll see how it works out.

I neglected to get a card this evening, so I will have to take this opportunity of wishing for you, mother, a very happy birthday, and many happy returns of the day. Be sure and go into the big celebrationa nd really enjoy yourself!

With love

C.P.

June 2, 1946

June 2, 1946

664 W 13th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother, and the rest of the folks at home,

Today and yesterday have been “Chamber of Commerce” Calif days — except of course that the days started out cloudy. This cleared up tho by about ten or so and the rest of each day was very clear. Like the radio announcer I heard say, “Summer has come to Calif for sure at last.” It will be nice if he is right.

Friday evening the party for the Nyquists was held — it was rather dull but fortunately didn’t last very long. It was after ten tho when I got back to my room tho. Saturday I got up about six and went down to church and played on the piano till about 8:30; then went downtown for breakfast. Usually on Saturdays & Sundays I breakfast at Thrifty’s but they had shut down the restaurant part of the store on Saturday for some reason so I had to go elsewhere. This means that I will have to look around for another good palce to eat in the future. After breakfast I bought some lunch provisions for the next week’s lunches, went to the bank, bought some shorts (I got 5 pairs of knit shorts; this really surprised me) and a couple of T-shirts. I went to the library for awhile and then had dinner about the middle of the afternoon. In the evening I went up to My. Neiburg’s, the church treasurer, and helped him run down a discrepancy between his books & the bank balance. I didn’t get to bed till after eleven.

This morning I got up and read till time to breakfast & after church I played on the piano till after 2. I came back to my room, changed clothes, went downtown, had dinner, took a walk and came back about 5. Since then I have read etc till now, when of course, I am writing this. It is cooling off now so perhaps I’ll take a little walk and mail this.

That just about summarizes my activities to date. By the way, when is Vivian coming? if she wants to stay a couple of days down in San Pedro, she can stay at Mrs. Eldridge’s; she offered me to do so in church this morning. It might be nice since it is quite a ways by P.E. between Pasadena & San Pedro. Anyway, she can think about it.

This is all for now.

With love

C.P.

April 28, 1946

April 28, 1946

664 W 13th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother, “Hotspot” (our third baseman) and the rest of the folks at home,

I was very sorry to hear in your last letter that Marold had not been feeling well, mother, and I trust that by now he is feeling better. It would really be the cake if he did get the measles (and had one big measle in the middle of his back). Probably it was as you suggest only an attack of the flu, aggravated by an afternoon of picking up corn. From what I can remember of picking up corn it is second only to potato picking as a 1st class aggravator.

It is quiet and peaceful tonite but it has been rather cool all day. Yesterday it was much warmer and sunnier. Today the sun has been sort of half hidden by clouds all day. I took a walk in the afternoon and wishing I had worn more than the jacket I took along. It was nice walking along tho. I wandered out to the bluff overlooking the harbor at about 19th St and then walked down to the U where they were having a Vesper Service at 4:00 p.m. The Norwegian Luth. Church Chair gave a program. It was fairly good I thought. Afterward I stopped downtown for a hamburger and a cup of coffee before hastening home to hear Fred Allen, only to find out that he is off the air for the season or something because I couldn’t find him anyplace on the radio. So I sat down to write this letter home (after reading awhile).

As usual I didn’t get very much done yesterday. I got up about the same time as usual went downtown for breakfast and accomplished the errands I had to do, such as taking my dirty clothes to the laundry and going to the bank. In the afternoon I went to a show but it was so stinky that I left after an hour or so and went to the library and browsed around. After supper I came home and got to talking to a fellow who is also a roomer here and has a room next to mine. He is in the navy, but he is improving on his odd moments by enrolling for several music courses at the L.A. Conservatory of Music [part of CalArts since 1961]. He was quite an interesting fellow. Afterward I took a shower and went to bed.

My work is coming along pretty good. Friday night I felt rather happy. One of the catalysts I had made was turning out (at least on the basis of preliminary results) better than any other that had been made & tried on the current problem. What was best tho was that the opinion of the two groups who came down from Emeryville was the same as that I had in making the catalyst. This week should be a fairly busy one since the mechanical department should have the new catalyst manufacturing setup ready to Dominguez and the first preparations up there will get under way.

I wrote to Verner Sat. I got a letter form him, and I felt really ashamed at not having written to him sooner since he has sent a lot of letters to me that I haven’t got around to answering. He isn’t like Vivian. When you don’t write to her, she lets you know about it. It is almost fun to hold off writing to her so she will get her dander up and write a “huffy” letter telling you off.

I guess I’ll go down to church tonite. I don’t know why I go but it certainly isn’t to hear him talk. But then it is easy enough to think about something else and not listen to him. Sometimes I wonder how much of the time I have spent supposedly listening to sermons has been spent thinking entirely different from the subject under discussion. Probably the best excuse for a sermon is that it forcibly provides you with a period of time when you can’t do very much else than indulge in contemplation, as a means of self-defense.

With love

C.P.

March 24, 1946

March 24, 1946

1046 W 24th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

I got your card today, mama, saying that Vincent had written to say that he would be on his way home. It is certainly swell that he is finally getting to come home at last. Perhaps he will even have called you before you get this letter, if he gets to S.F. by April 1st as he expected to. I suppose it was indeed a happy week for you — first Robert Edward arriving and then this. Are you going to take a trip to Aurora to view the latest addition to the Strand relation?

From the sounds of things, spring has come to Iowa. Even here in Calif you can tell it’s spring (if you look hard enough). The most noticeable thing is the longer days — but it is also warmer in the mornings, and it is already starting to be less clear in the forenoons. Today it has rained off and on, but I think it is over for the time being. Again it obligingly let up as I went to work, altho it rained while I was on the train.

The package of butter came yesterday, in very good shape. Is it butter from the Gowrie creamery? It doesn’t have the usual package on it. I’ll send along a check for it next time, I’m too lazy to get up and dig up the checkbook right now. Mrs. Johnson asked me to come up again sometime so I’ll take her one of the pounds.

My work is coming along about as usual. There has been a considerable change in the last week or so in the work being done here, the emphasis being shifted to some work that Plant IV has been doing. One of the periodic veerings of work that occur every so often seems to have happened again. I guess that the reason was that they had let a $5 million contract for an ethylene purification plant in Housin, and didn’t know what to do with the ethylene. Incidentally, Shell Development is building a large new laboratory etc up at Emeryville costing $3½ million. I’ll have to bring home a copy of the “Shell News” and send it home so you can see what a progressive company I work for.

There seems to be a singular paucity of news so,

Good night

C.P.

P.S. Thank you for the letter, father.

P.P.S. Congratulations on your anniversary, even if the wish is a little late.

March 19, 1946

March 19, 1946

1046 W 24th

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

Today has been sort of a rainy day in Calif. Last night I woke up about 4:00 in the morning and it was raining then — not hard but quite steadily. I got up and closed the windows even if it wasn’t blowing. It had stopped by 6 tho so I got to work entirely dry. Something went wrong with the P.E. this morning so I was half an hour late to work; I think the power failed again (anyway, about 21 cars pulled into San Pedro all in one bunch — sounds more like a wreck someplace — but I overheard a couple of guys talking about it and they said it was the power). It was lucky I wasn’t later, because it started to rain shortly thereafter and kept on, off & on, all day. It is partly clear to-nite, and the forecast is for clear so I guess we should have some nice days ahead, they usually are after a rain. The rain was much needed around here, so I guess it was a blessing it came now as the rainy season will not last too much longer.

I got your letter today written last Thursday, mother. Thank you very much for it. Yes, I am saving all of Verner’s & Vincent’s letters. You told me not to send them home so I am keeping them and will cart them along when I come home next. By the way, did I tell you that I ask for my vacation in August this year, so I should be home to celebrate the August birthdays? Perhaps if Vivian comes out, I will postpone it, and come home later. If Vincent comes home via Los Angeles, maybe I will have a chance to see him en route, altho maybe it couldn’t be arranged. I am sorry to hear that his homecoming has been delayed again. I am also sorry that dad’s anemia is cropping up again and I hope that he will feel better when he gets his teeth again.

What kind of a stone did you order for Vivian? Synthetic rubies and sapphires are quite cheap (they shouldn’t cost more than $10/carat at the most and a carat stone is pretty good sized (look in the M.W. or S.R. catalog, they usually have a picture of various sized stones). I found a reference saying that they cost $3 to $5/carat but that was back in 1931. Yesterday I was talking to Zene Jasaitis, who is sort of an amateur jeweler and he said that you should be able to get a 5 carat synthetic ruby or sapphire mounted in a ring for $50 or so. The synthetic stones are artificial, and in fact, the synthetic gems are superior in quality to most natural stones. In fact, one way (one of the most important ways, incidentally) of detecting natural stones is by cracks, flaws, foreign matter in them that do not occur in the synthetic stones. If you are looking for pretty stones, a garnet is much prettier than a ruby or a sapphire. The latter two depend on color alone for appeal while the garnet has the power of dispersion of light so that it “glitters” more. In fact, in this respect, it is only slightly inferior to a diamond. Since garnets are relatively common, they are not highly regarded, but actually, for intrinsic beauty, they are one of the nicest of gems.

Davidson called up today & said that he had got another I-A classification advice regarding me and that he had notified the San Francisco office again as usual. When I got home, the notice to me personally was also awaiting me, which makes it about the umpteenth time I have got one. Well, we’ll see how it comes out this time. Personally, I don’t much care how it comes out, but I have an idea the company will yell loud enough to get me deferred again. In the case of one fellow here they have even appealed to the president for his deferment when the appeal board turned him down and secured his deferment that way, and I am (not bragging either) his mental superior, both as far as experience and quality of work is concerned. The truth of the matter is that whether you are very good or only mediocre they still want you, because the available supply is so limited.

Contrary to your very excellent advice, mother and yours too, Uncle Carl, I have no intention of getting myself emotionally involved now and probably not in the future. I must confess that Ann Marie caused a momentary wavering, but since then my reason has reasserted itself and I am back where I started. After all, life at best is only to be tolerated; to be complicated with responsibilities etc would make it unendurable. Somehow or other I feel that the only really sincere wish I’ve ever had was that I’d somehow managed never to be born. To embark on an adventure entailing the propagation of life feeling as I do about the undesirability of it would most certainly be wrong.

With love

C.P.

January 26, 1946

[2 letters from Verner]

January 26, 1946

Dear Mom, Dad, Marold and the Rest Home,

3 months ago today, I was drafted into the Army. It seems a lot longer than that. The last month has gone a lot faster than the first two. I just wonder what the next 3 will bring.

I am waiting for the mail to come in so I have a chance to write.

Last night the news broadcast a story about Truman’s thinking of resigning. The source of the rumor was supposed to be a usually true source. Anyway thats look sort of bad for him. He has never been the man for the job from the first.

There isn’t much to write about. I sent home my return fare on my old railroad ticket. See if you can get anything for it. if you can, just keep it or give it to Marold. I am far from broke and the less extra money the better. Did my bond for the month of December come thru. They took the money out. It better come through or I’ll know the reason why.

Love, Verner

January 26, 1946

Dear Mom,

It’s a cold Saturday morning here at J.B. And the forecast is for even colder — 0° by tomorrow morning.

I really hit the jackpot on mail yesterday. 4 letters and the Christian Herald. Thank you for the magazine — this was the first issue I have received. I finally heard from Russ yesterday. It was the first time since before I was drafted. He wrote a real interesting letter. he seems to be having things about as nice as possible in the Army except for the fact that he is on the water so much and his contact with home through the mail isn’t very good.

We are getting a new Separation Center C.O. He seems to be a pretty good man. The present one is all right also.

Last night I went up to the main post library. If Marold still likes to read, he would be thoroughly at home in the fiction section. There are more detective stories and fiction than I had previously anticipated. I spend most of my time over in the more “educational” room where the books on Literature, History, Science, Arts and etc. are kept. Last night I went into the “fiction” room and there are shelves upon shelves of books, but I suppose Marold doesn;t get much reading done with all his night life?

Well I have to get to work.

Love, Verner

June 3, 1945

June 3, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif.

Dear Mother, Father and the rest of the folks at home,

Vincent was down again this week-end, but he says he will be leaving Malibu Beach sometime this week, so he will not be down again for some time and then probably only if he gets a two-day pass. He arrived last night about seven o’clock, a little later than he had made it before from Santa Monica. Since he said that he didn’t particularly care to go anywhere we just sat around, read, took naps etc Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I had to go down to church this afternoon since the new pastor at Banning Homes was giving private Communion to an individual and didn’t have any bread or wine, but Vincent staid at Mrs. Johnson’s and slept instead. I took him out to Highway 101 after supper and I suppose he is on the way back to Santa Monica by now. Seeing him these weekends has certainly been wonderful and I know that you would have loved to have been here to see him. All I can say is, he seems to be much the same individual basically as ever — liking to sleep and meeting everything philosophically. He is certainly a brother to be proud of. Every time I see him I feel that it is wrong that he is in the army and I am not.

Today has been a fairly cloudy day most of the time, the clouds not clearing away till after dinner. I got fairly warm when I walked down to church this afternoon tho and I had only a light jacket on. This evening it is fairly chilly again tho.

This morning, Lester Jones preached down at church. He is a layman from Glendale who does this kind of thing fairly regularly. Our student should be coming this week, probably on the 6^th. He will be staying with the Neiburgs, altho the live rather far from the church. Nothing has been heard from the pastor who was called yet.

My work continues about as usual. Right now I regard it neither with enthusiasm or distaste. It’s just there mostly.

My cold seems to be a little better tonite but my stomach wasn;t feeling too good. Perhaps when the weather warms up, I will begin to feel better.

That’s all for now.

With love

C.P.

May 27, 1945

May 27, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

Vincent was down this weekend as I believe I wrote he might be in my last letter. Perhaps you know this already since he wrote a letter this morning and we mailed it before church. He got here about 6:45 last night or so just as I was leaving to go down to church to make the bulletin. He looked as brown and ruddy as ever. If he is not leaving a week from Monday he will be down next week-end also.

Mrs. Johnson had company today. Eric Johnson and his family was down from Monrovia. The reason for the visit was that Judith Ann had just had her 4^th birthday. One of Mrs. Johnson’s relatives from Pasadena was also down for the day. I wonder sometimes why Mr & Mrs Johnson don’t sell their home and move up there. It certainly would be more pleasant for them. Eric says that every time he come sto San Pedro his opinion of it falls.

Friday night I mowed the lawn as usual. This week I had some additional exercise in that Vincent and I walked out to the beach this afternoon. I am too lazy to exercise unless it is almost forced on me.

Shell Development gets a day of vacation this week on Memorial Day. I am not sure what I am going to do with it but I make take the spark pugs out of my car and clean them. Perhaps they are the reason I get rather poor mileage.

My work continues about as usual. I am doing some work again with silver salts, a resumption of the work I was doing previously. My hands, therefore, bear again the mark of my profession.

Tinberg called last week one night and said that an intern is definitely coming. His name is Roderick Johnson, of whom I have never heard till now. As yet no reply has come from the pastor who was called.

I bought a new pair of pants this week to wear to work. They are sort of a brown, so they won’t show dirt too quick. They cost only $7.90 and they look as if they were pretty good. I notice that the pants now have pleated fronts on them again. I also bought two neckties, which Vincent said he would have like to have worn so you can guess what they were like.

With love

C.P.

May 23, 1945

May 23, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

I am tired and disgusted tonite. I have been having a little cold and so I haven’t been feeling too good today. At work the lot was fairly crowded today mostly with people not doing much of anything except standing around. That of course in addition to arousing my dislike for people in general also lowered my opinion of Shell Development some more. Then on the way home tonite the shipyard traffic was more stupid and reckless than usual, if such a thing is impossible. Finally to cap it off I got so tired of waiting for a shiftless waitress to notice I was there at Thrifty’s that I left. I’ll have to get some supper after I have had my music lesson. I don’t feel in the mood for it — but I guess I’ll take it anyway. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. I hope so anyway.

Monday night there was a meeting of the Banning Homes committee out at Banning Homes. The committee was introduced to the new pastor in charge out there. He is a just ordained WLC pastor by the name of Hintz. The Clausons are leaving Sunday and are spending a couple of days at Yosemite enroute.

The weather has been fair the last couple of days here. Yesterday it was foggy in the morning but cleared off before 8 am. It has remained rather cool tho most of the time.

I got a letter from Tinberg the other day in which he says that maybe we won’t get a student after all. If we do not I certainly wonder what is going to happen here. Samuelson will not be able to be here during June since he will be alone at the Service Center and can’t leave to come down here on that account.

Vincent writes and says that he will be coming down this weekend again if he can get off. I certainly hope he does since it is so nice to see him.

This is all for now.

With love

C.P.

May 16, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

May 16, 1945

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

Please excuse the paper, but as usual I don’t realize I am running out until I have run out, and hen a makeshift will have to do till more can be obtained. [This letter was written on lined, three-hole notebook paper, rather than the usual unlined sheet.] I guess the paper shortage is reflected in more ways than one realizes even tho you can get all the typewriter paper you wish. Mrs. Johnson tells me that toilet paper is very hard to obtain and that the neighborhood stores usually don’t have any. I have been looking downtown occasionally and most of the time they don’t have any there either. This evening I did manage to get one roll tho. So much for that enlightening topic.

Yesterday and today have been really warm in this section of Calif. Both started out clear and got quite warm along in the afternoon. Yesterday afternoon eas very windy, much windier than it has been today. As soon as the sun goes down tho, it turns cool rapidly and the wind becomes positively chilly. Dwight says that even last Sunday afternoon which didn’t seem particularly warm, that the sun was warm down at Cabrillo Beach.

My car runs along about as usual. I think I will have to rise to work on the P.E. the way my gas is going, before the next coupon validation date comes around. Dwight says that he has about 50 gallons for his motor scooter and he said perhaps I could have some of that. If he does give me a couple I will manage to drive as usual. Yesterday I got my registration which the auto dealer applied for for me when I got the car. it has taken the State Dept of Vehicles about 2 months to get around to issuing it.

By the way, Mrs. Johnson says that she doesn’t think she could make a place for Vivian to stay here if she came to Calif., the reason being Mr. Johnson’s nervous condition. She said that if she could have she surely would have, but that as matters stand, she can’t. However, I’ll keep my eyes open for any other place around here where she could stay for awhile and if I locate one I shall let you know immediately.

I didn’t take a music lesson tonite since I didn’t feel I had practices enough to make it worthwhile.

Pastor Clauson is leaving Banning Homes in about 10 days. A new man has all ready been assigned and has been here about 3 weeks so there is no point in his remaining longer. I met him by accident on the street tonite and he told me about it. Previously he was to have stayed till in July sometime. He says that people are moving out of Banning Homes very rapidly and that soon, particularly after school stops it may be almost abandoned. He says that the shipyards are planning on cutting off the swing shift soon and cutting the day work to a 5-day week 8-hour-day schedule. That is the first I had heard about a 5 day week any place.

I have not heard anything yet if the pastor called here is coming or not, or if an intern has been secured for the summer.

I got t

April 1, 1945

April 1, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

I didn’t get around to writing this letter last night so it will probably be a day late getting home. This morning I didn’t have any spare time since I went to the early morning service out at Banning Homes. The rest of the day I haven’t felt very well, so I haven’t got around to writing it till now, about five o’clock.

Altho according to the radio, Easter Sunday was a nice day over most of the nation, it has been a drab and chilly one in southern Calif, the sun staying behind the clouds almost all day. Friday and Saturday were gorgeous and warm days (up to 85°F in Los Angeles). I think I got my headache at the service this morning. It was indeed cool and windy and I was certainly glad I wore my overcoat (I remembered the Easter sunrise service I went to in Dubuque the last spring I was in school when I nearly froze to death, and acted accordingly). Also Paster Clauson had forgotten his glasses and I loaned him mine, since he is also farsighted. Altho I can see just about as well without them, I sure find it out when I don’t wear them. There was a pretty fair attendance at church this morning and the offering was good — 65 or 70 dollars. I understand the Home Mission Board has someone in mind for the congregation here but they have not said anything yet to the church here.

The draft situation looks a trifle gloomy just now. The only bright side seems to be that the way the war is progressing there won’t be anything to do by the time any elementary training is completed. I got a letter from the draft board Thursday saying that my case was up for reclassification. The company has, of course, presented the necessary form and request for deferment. However, only 30% of the presently deferred individuals below 30 will be re-deferred. Since there are many older than I working as chemists etc in the petroleum industry I can’t see how I will fall into the 30% group. One of the fellows here has already been reclassified I-A and ordered to report for a pre-induction physical, in addition to the one I mentioned in my last letter. There is, of course, still the very real possibility that I shall try to be inducted back in Iowa. In that event, I shall try to drive home in my Ford, unwise as it may seem. Lugging my stuff home any other way is a virtually impossible task, since there is considerably more of it than when I came out here. I shall write immediately of any developments in the situation as they occur.

I had a letter from Vincent also on Thursday and I hope to be seeing him soon. It will be a real treat. I shall have to fight with him in bed as of old, discreetly of course so that Mrs. Johnson will not lower her estimation of me. I shall enclose his letter.

With love

C.P.

March 27, 1945: A letter from Vincent

March 27, 1945

Fresno, Calif.

Dear Carl,

I suppose Mom has told you that I was coming out here. Well I’m here, about 7 miles north of Fresno. We got in on Sunday morning about 10:00. Took the Santa Fe from Chicago.

It looks as if my chances for seeing you will be pretty good. I’m free every weekend from 5:30 Saturday till Monday morning and also have a chance for a three day pass. As soon as I find out definitely what we’re going to be doing here and about how long we’ll stay I’ll try to make arrangements to come down some week-end. I think it best I do the traveling since Fresno is packed on weekends.

I can see what you love about this lovely California weather. It’s rained two out of the three days we’ve been here. We haven’t done much yet but loaf around. As everywhere else in the army the general

trend is to keep you guessing as to what you’re going to do. It seems likely we’ll get some operational training from here. Don’t know how long I’ll be here either.

Thought I’d just drop you a note to let you know I’m here. Hope to be seeing you one of the coming weekends.

Love,

Vincent

March 24, 1945

March 24, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

I have finished taking a bath and feel in a nice, lazy, loafy mood, but I really should get this letter finished first. Then I shall read for awhile, listen to the news and go to bed. I think I sleep too much, but it is such an easy habit to form & adhere to.

Today has been a rather nice Calif day altho a trifle windy. Yesterday was really windy. Wednesday and Thursday were rainy days and the wind following them cleared the skies. Perhaps we are in for a clear spell now, following these unseasonal rains.

Last night I went over to Long Beach to hear Jose Iturbi, the pianist, who was giving a concern or recital, whatever you wish to call it, at the Long Beach municipal auditorium. It was scheduled to start at 8:15, but didn’t get underway till 8:30 or so. It was really wonderful I thought. He played about ten pieces, including three encore numbers. The one I liked best was a Sonata in A Minor or something like that by Beethoven, altho all of them were good I thought. Perhaps I was just too uneducated to detect his faults. I think that Vivian would have liked to have heard him. I am going to have to keep my eyes open so that when other people like him are performing in the vicinity of San Pedro, that I shall go to hear them.

My car is running along so so. I was going to get my driver’s license Thursday, but I had left the windshield wiper on (it is run by a small electric motor) and the battery was down so I had to have a garage man come up and get it and charge the battery. I was down this morning and got it and drove it to work. It is my opinion that the guys there didn’t know much what they were doing. They said they tried to charge the battery all night but it wouldn’t charge but after I drove it to work it had charged enough to start the engine easily tonite. Also they did a sloppy job of inspecting the wiring as I had asked them to do. They must not be keen about their work.

My work continues as usual. I am off on a new tack now for awhile. It seems as tho something new is always coming up that has to be given the once over to see if it will work and I am as often as not given that particular work to do.

It was nice that Vincent could get home for awhile. Marold & Verner much be growing enormous if he looks small beside them. I will be almost afraid to come home next vacation to see them.

Thank you for the interesting letters from home. I am glad that Vivian approves of the name “Cupcake” for Ann Marie.

With love

C.P.

March 20, 1945

March 20, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father, Mother and the rest of the folks at home,

Well spring is officially just around the corner now. Yesterday and today have been really nice days, but the forecast for tomorrow is for cloudy and rains. I guess it is making up for the dry spell in January. It is entirely light now when I walk down to the P.E. station, so soon it will be light when I get up. There is enough of a change as spring nears to make you wish you were back where spring really means a lot as far as nature is concerned. It should be very nice to be back in Iowa for a coupleof days and breathe in the good old fresh air.

Tomorrow I am planning on going over to Long Beach and take the examination for the driver’s license. I hope I don’t go thru a stop sign like I did the first time I took a driver’s license examination. I will leave from work a little early to do this. I made application for supplemental gas ration today and I should have them by Monday so I can take up driving to work then.

Sunday afternoon I went for a walk in the afternoon. I was out at Cabrillo Beach for awhile watching the waves break against the breakwater. Dwight says that it is really a sight when the wind is strong. I shall have to go out there some time when such is the case. Afterwards I went to a show. I got sort of a headache and afterwards my stomach began to feel sort of punk so I went to bed early. I didn’t feel any too spry on Monday but today I feel pretty good.

My work continues about as usual. I asked Davidson what the draft situation was and he said that everything was all right. I hope so, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

By the way, if Vincent has an opportunity to come to San Pedro when he is in Calif, he can certainly spend the nights etc here since I have a big bed and I am sure Mrs. Johnson would give him meals if he wanted to eat some home cooking. I think there is fair train service between Fresno and here so I could meet him in L.A. if he could come. It would be nice to see him again since he wasn’t home while I was home last summer.

I can’t think of much more to wrote about so I shall stop.

With love

C.P.

P.S. It was certainly too bad about Bud Patton. As you said in your letter, mama, there seemed to be something to him. [Bud Patton was the oldest son of the publisher of the Gowrie newspaper. He was killed in action in Germany.]

March 18, 1945

March 18, 1945

949 W 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Mother, Father and the rest of the folks at home,

Today is dawning very nice and clear after several days of sort of rainy weather. Thursday was very rainy in the morning but it began to blow hard and cleared up. This evidently stirred up a new rain since it began to rain Friday night and rained most of the night. Yesterday it was cloudy most of the day but cleared up about 5 o’clock. It is nice to have Sunday be a sunshiny day. I am glad to hear that you are having more clement weather in Iowa lately. I can just feel the tang of spring in the air and all around, which you mention in your letter, mother.

The big thing to write about is of course, my car. It runs pretty good, but I shall have to clean up the inside a little bit since it is not too clean. The battery wasn’t any good so I had to get another one. I sort of expected this sooner or later, but not quite so soon. Friday night, the insurance guy came around at my request and reinstated my insurance. Friday afternoon I left work early to get my A. book from the ration board. Next week I shall make supplementary application for gas to drive to work on. I shall not use it for that purpose till I actually have the gasoline. It takes about a week to get it. For awhile after I got it, I had a feeling or remorse at having bought it, but I feel now that I was entirely justified in getting it. The only possible fly in the ointment is that I really should have waited till after March 23 to get it. My deferment expires then and, of course, if it is changed, I shall have no use for the car and will have to dispose of it. I don’t know quite what to think of the draft situation just now. So far no one here at work in the 22–25 age group has been disturbed since the latest reversal or change of policy. One guy in the 26–29 group got his notice to appear for a physical examination soon. I guess time only will tell.

I still have not got around to looking for shorts in the stores here, but I shall try to do so in the near future.

So Marold weights 168 pounds. He must certainly be growing up! If you had had more children, mama, maybe the next one would have been like Warner Larson, say. It is only about 8 months now till vacationtime, barring other occurrences, and I can come home and see this latest Strand development.

Did you go up to hear Vivian direct her band etc on the 16th? I agree with you that she writes rather irregularly nowadays. The only communication to me since Christmas was a valentine. Don’t tell her this tho since she will counter with the charge that I haven’t been doing so well myself which is only too true (i.e. — one letter since Christmas).

I shall stop now.

With love

C.P.

November 19, 1943

Nov. 19, 1943

949 W. 12th St

San Pedro, Calif

Dear Father and Mother and the rest at home

This week has been a rather cloudy week with rain threatening several times, but with very little actually coming. Tuesday morning, or rather I guess it was Wednesday, it had rained some during the night but I went to work without my raincoat and was justified in so doing since it did not rain on the way to work. During the day it rained some however, enough to wet the ground about. Today started off clear, but clouded up in the late forenoon and after dinner the sky looked like it could produce a good thunder-storm had it been in Iowa, but the clouds slid off without doing anything. I guess that the rain would be desirable around here for the crop etc.

The four new men have arrived. That is they got as far as meeting Mr. Cole, but since they have to find a place to stay and more or less establish themselves, they have not been down to the lab yet, so I haven’t met them. They might show up tomorrow tho. If they do, I shall surely have my hands full inasmuch as I will be taking care of plant IV as Dwight is having his day off tomorrow. I suppose that after things get running smoothly I won’t have to do much more than tell people what to do.

Since our man-of-all-work, Pike was unable to do everything in his line that cropped up around the place, a nondescript female is now around, washing windows, sweeping floors etc. I think that when her work become routinized she will have time to wash all of the dirty dishes that are produced in the lab. We will also be doing a certain amount of work for Shell Oil, inasmuch as it has been decided not to let their workers use of Pulfrich refractometer, since they have been a trifle careless in the use of it. Therefore we will have to do the work for them. Zene was saying the other day that we may also be getting a spectro-photometer, which means that we would not have to use the Pulfrich for aromatic analysis as we have in the past.

I am now working only every third Sunday. Mel, Dwight and I have turns in working on Sunday and being responsible for Plant IV. When the new men become sufficiently well versed in what is going on, say in a month or so, it is probable that I will not have to work Sundays at all, since they will be able to take care of Plant IV. However it has been my experience in the past, that as soon as you think you have everything lines up the way you want it, something comes along to upset it. Even when I do work on Sundays tho, I have no difficulty in getting back to San Pedro in time for evening services, so it real[ly] is not too great an inconvenience.

I received a[n] Iowa Conference 75th anniversary booklet from the church in Gowrie. Do you know who was responsible for mailing these out?

Well, next week is Thanksgiving and it really does not seem so long since I was home last and saw you all. I guess that we shall have a holiday that day since the government has ruled that work on holidays shall be paid for at time and one-half. I like days when I do not have to work, since I can lay in bed till I feel like getting up. The worst of it is that when I have this opportunity, I feel like getting up instead. This invariably happens on Sundays when I am not working. I guess I was never meant to live according to a schedule, unless I made the schedule myself.

Mrs. Johnson has been having rheumatism in her right shoulder this week, but it is somewhat better today. It is brought on by the wet, cool weather we have been having she says.

I got a letter from Vivian last week. She tells all about her birthday etc. She also sent me some white hairs that she has pulled out of her head.

I seem to be running down so I shall stop.

With love

C.P.

January 7, 1943

Jan. 7, 1943

425 S. Cabrillo

San Pedro, Calif.

Dear Father, Mother and the folks at home,

Thank you so much for all the letters I have received lately. I am glad to see Marold that you really can write letters. I believe that this is about the first letter I ever received from you, Marold and you should keep it up. But what has happened to Snooty-Poot? Before Christmas I get about 1 page in one of mama’s letters and then nothing. After this I will have to send my Dubuque letters to Aunt Laurine. She write to me more often than Snooty. I am putting my nose in the air and not looking at her. Then when she is trying to look uppity too I will poke her in the ribs.

The California weather machine after the mess it produced last week has been doing a pretty good job of it this week. The weather has been clear and the days somewhat warmer. Last night you could see all of the stars in the sky, not just a bright one here and there. Yesterday, however, it was sort of blowey so I expected that it would cloud up today but nothing of the sort has occurred. I hope it continues nice for awhile now. I am thankful also that it is warmer this week. When it gets down below 45°F at night I feel so cold walking along, almost as if I would freeze.

That hole in the roof is where Verner left, folks. However, when it really does not get cold, I guess one picks out the coldest spot of the day and feels cold then. That is the only way I can explain it. My cold is not much improved which means that I am better but that the cold is absorbing a lot of punishment. I have bought myself a hat to wear to work so that if it rains again my hear won’t get wet like it did the last time. That I think may have helped the cold along. It is a cloth affair, tan and constructed like what my old blue corduroy hat theoretically should have looked like. It cost about $1.00 and I think is going to prove a good investment.

My talk at L.L. came off better than I thought it would but I am glad that it is over. The meeting was held Sunday afternoon after a lunch after Sunday morning services. The attendance was somewhat better than at previous meetings.

One day last week when I was coming back after my dinner or supper, whichever you choose to call it, I walked past a little cafe somewhere or other, I guess it was the corner of Grand and Eighth or Ninth and back of it some guys were playing a sort of funny game. The game consisted of trying to get close to a little ball with bigger balls, rolled from a distance of 75–100 feet. The fellows playing I think much have been very familiar with the place because they would roll their balls (about 4 or 5 inches in diameter) to take advantage of the slopes of the land that were not too much in evidence. Like many people around here they spoke a language I could understand but they did not look like they were Spanish or Mexican. They looked more to me like some Basque nationality. At any rate I got sort of a kick out of watching them.

I got two eggs for breakfast this morning — something which usually does not occur except on Sunday morning since the Shell Cafe usually does not get too many eggs. They were fried better than usual, so that the yolks were not runny like water but reasonably solid. How I wish I could have some of your fried eggs mama, over and with the yolks broken up. I think that if I tried to explain the way I like them out here they would think I was crazy. Their understanding is limited.

Oops! I almost forgot to write about a new experience I had one morning this week. When I was coming home from work, walking past McNerney’s Mortuary a guy comes up to me and asks, “Do you want to serve on a coroner’s jury?” I say yes because I believe that this should be interesting. A coroner’s jury, I think, decides mostly that somebody is dead. Its verdict means nothing all that happens is that the dead person can be buried which the Law will not allow otherwise.

Well anyway a guy had driven into two women while they were crossing the street. Pedestrians have the right of way in Calif at street intersections but these dames were drunk from the testimony given and the traffic expert investigating the accident said that the driver’s conduct (he looked scared, too) was what it should have been so [. . .] the verdict should be that the women [sic] was dead because the guy had unavoidably hit her. The rest of the jury agreed she was dead (amazing deduction) but thought mostly that the driver was to blame, especially one guy a most persistent fellow. In the end the verdict was that she was dead with negligence on the part of both but more on the driver’s part. Since the verdict didn’t mean anything and since I was getting sleepy I didn’t argue any more after that was agreed. I am enclosing a clipping I found in the paper about it. (Couldn’t find the paper)

Well I am getting hungry. I guess I will head down town and get something to eat.

With love

C.P.

P.S. I am enclosing some pictures. There are only 5 because the other three which I took of the interior of the church didn’t turn out so hot.