Tag Archives: Betty Joan Fields

Local News

Letter transcription:

[Wright 533 – handwritten by David]
Kentland, Indiana
April 7, 1962

Dear David:

A letter from Republican National Committee came for you and I am forwarding it. We have something new (besides the washing machine) in the family room. We have louvered shutters at the windows. Dad hung them to see if they fit and so far that is all that has been done – they need a coat of varnish.

The neighbors (Howard Good’s) are cleaning up the yard next door. It was needing a little attention. Several organizations, headed by the Woman’s Club, are planning a clean-up campaign for our town this month. We are going to try and get the littler off the streets and try to get people to put trash in the trash barrels, instead of on the streets.

The Mingles moved to Harry Dodd’s place south of Brook – you remember where you used to go skating? Dodds moved to the Mingle place. The Dodds have a short wave radio set and have put the extension on the tv aerial. When Mrs. Dodd was in the hospital recently she could talk to her family on the set she had with her.

Bill Corbin sr. is going to have an operation for hernia Tuesday.

Mr. Rinard is in the hospital – (the second time). He isn’t very strong and doesn’t seem to be able to improve much.

Dr. Kresler is away on vacation – is in New Jersey to play golf. We turned on TV Saturday evening to get the news and a golf tournament was being televised. Dad said that it where Dr. K. and Dr. Gery are. I thought he meant they were in the tournament, but he said no, just playing golf there. Dad is taking Dr. K.’s emergency duty while he is away. He was at the hospital last night taking the duty and Mrs. Omer Taylor called and said her husband was having another attack (he had been in the hospital recently). I told her to call Dad at the hospital. He had Mr. T. sent over in the ambulance, but he died shortly after reaching the hospital. His daughter Rozanne Sanders is in my S. S. class.

Rev. Fields announced this morning he is taking the membership classes into Church next Sunday, also having baptisms. Joan and Mark were both sick yesterday, so they didn’t get to Church this morning. Joan called last night after Dad went to the hospital. They were having stomach flu, so I told her to send out here and get some medicine – the old standby for that sort of thing. Rev. Fields said this morning they were both better.

Dad unearthed the rose tree yesterday. He was a little afraid it was too early. I am hoping we don’t have any severe weather for a few days, to give it a chance to get used to the atmosphere.

We have a new janitor at the office – the woman who cleans at the hotel. She helped me here at the house a couple of times. She is really digging out the corners at the office. The last janitor just spent an hour each evening and sometimes only 15 minutes. Her first night took six hours, and the place looks better.

W. Olson said he went campaigning in Rensselaer Saturday – said he called at every house and gave his cards out to anyone and everyone. He said Betty accompanied him. We are of the same opinion you were, why? I can’t see much future in that kind of job.

Dad has sprayed the trees twice. After the first time, we had a hard rain, so last Thurs. he thought he had better give them another treatment. He said last year he didn’t get started soon enough. He has the lawn mower all ready and has gone over the yard once. He had worked on the motor himself, but finally decided to have the repair man from Sears come out and go over it once. In spite of the cool weather, it is moving time again.

With our last water bills we received the Kentland Sewer System report. There is a meeting tomorrow night concerning the matter. The total cost will be about $610,000.00. It will be financed by 30 year Revenue Bonds. That is one thing I am glad to see progress being made on (bad grammar) and I suppose there will be some people opposed to it, but I am sure it is something that has to be done. When will you be coming home?

Love Mother

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/10/10/local-news/

John is OK

2 Replies

Letter transcription:

[to Wright Quad 513 – in David’s handwriting]
12-8-60

Dear David –

Just read your letter. Do you want me to send your jacket? You didn’t specify. I just called the bank and your balance is $0.33. Maybe I had better put some in for you. I will deposit $30.00 this morning. When we ate dinner at the Nu-Joy Sunday Cele gave me a menu they had made the day after election. I was going to send it to you but I am writing this at the office and the menu is out at the house. There were such items as roast rump of elephant, etc. The bags (3) were stolen out of Dad’s car, right by the office last Sat. afternoon. We did not have the kind of insurance to cover the theft. We estimate the loss at around $500.00.

I haven’t finished taking the pictures in the camera but Mark & Shirley are coming Sat. so I will finish the roll. I am as anxious to see Becky as you are. I finished the cap and sent

[page 2] it to her. I have knitted another and also have a sweater started. I dress the doll. I am wrapping Christmas gifts and will wrap the teddy bear if I can find a box to put it in.

I am having the neighbors in for coffee next Thurs. afternoon. Mrs. Fields is having a cookie party this afternoon. She & Rev. Fields are going to entertain my S.S. class Sunday nite at the parsonage.

We received a letter from John. He is OK. I think he just gets too busy to write – or maybe he feels like he doesn’t have anything to write about.

I also clipped an ad from the paper – “an abacus” – I thought if we can find one we would give it with the ad to Mark for Christmas.

Love Mother

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/09/11/john-is-ok/

Christmas Party Planning

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

[Kentland – to Wright Quad 513 – in David’s handwriting]
December 1, 1960

Dear David:

Thanks for the schedule – just what I needed. I suppose you will have a few days at home after examinations in January.

My S.S. Class (the girls) came out this afternoon to plan the Christmas party. Mrs. Fields invited us to have the party at the parsonage. I am in favor of that if it meets the pleasure of the rest of the class. Mrs. Fields is having a cookie party next Thursday, so she will have quite a gathering if everybody responds to her invitation. She had a chance to extend the invitation to all my class today. She didn’t bring Mark along, but most of the rest of the crowd brought their children along, so we had quite a meeting. Several of the children – the smaller ones – wanted to get between the tv set and the draperies. I should have shoved the set back a little further against the window, but didn’t think about it being such an inviting spot.

We received a letter from John Monday. He is having trouble with his cook. Says she has been taking things and that he is going to have to get another. He didn’t sound too happy about the whole thing. He had received the pictures we sent of Becky, so he can have some idea about her looks. I am going to send him some more when I get the next roll developed.

I have been rather busy this week. I made statements which took Monday evening, Tuesday evening and Thursday morning. Edna and Arvella helped me get them ready to mail. I didn’t run them on the adding machine (you remember you did that little chore one time), so have no idea how much my mailing list was worth. I told the girls we had to get those statements out this month so we can buy them a Christmas gift. They wanted me to tell them what to get for Dad. I told them I was having the same trouble. I brought Kathy Cheek a Christmas gift today – a charm bracelet. I bought it from LeBeau – a sterling chain with one little charm – the charm is a miniature bicycle.

I need to do some work on the books, so must wind them up.
Love Mother

©2016 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2016/09/10/christmas-party-planning/

Election Day

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

[Kentland Wright 521 – in David’s handwriting]
November 14, 1960

Dear David:

I have been intending to write since Election day, but somehow I didn’t get around to it. Mark and Shirley and Becky came Thursday evening and the rest of the week I was pretty busy. Had to attend Myra’s wedding Saturday and the reception in the afternoon. Mark and Shirley went home (also Becky) yesterday afternoon. Becky is certainly a well trained baby. About the only time she is taken up is when she has to be fed. She has gained and weighs 10 lbs. 15 ounces – with her clothes on – which would be about 10-8 without. We measured her and she is 23” long, which indicates she may grow up to be tall like her uncle David. I suppose you are a little unhappy over the election. Now they are talking about doing away with the electoral college. I think it is about time. I hope now that the election is over that you can get down to some very serious studying. Lucile and Ed came out to see the baby Saturday evening. They said Jim was home. He comes almost every weekend, but since it is so close I can’t blame him. Mark invited us to spend Thanksgiving with them, so you will get a chance to see the baby. We took several pictures of her. She has grown so much she has changed since the last pictures we took of her. The baby bed Phyllis gave us fits in the NW corner of your room. Of course, when they move into a house they will take the large (it is much larger bed than the one they have now) bed with them. Please excuse this letter, but I am so used to writing to John in this fashion, it seems to come naturally. – Just an afterthought- even though the Democrats had a full slate in Newton County, none of them won anything. Everything in the county still in the hands of the Republicans. I am going to make a trip out to the hospital this afternoon. I have taken over the job of seeing that the gift cart is supplied and I have to go out and check merchandise. I plan to take Mrs. Myers along. I haven’t talked to her since the election. I know she feels the same way we feel about things. Mrs. Fields came out to see Shirley and the baby Saturday and when Mrs. F. saw Shirley, she said “I know you.” They were at I.U. and worked in the dining hall at the same time. Mark said he could remember her also, since she was on campus when he was. Small world. Mark Fields is walking now, but he still would rather crawl. He had a ball crawling around in our living room.

Love Mother

Winter Came Today

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

[to Wright Quad 521 – written in David’s handwriting]
Kentland, Indiana, October 19, 1960

Dear David:

Winter came today. I suppose it has turned colder in Bloomington also. Since we will be leaving Saturday evening, I called Mark this evening just to talk to them and to know about Becky. Mark says she is growing and getting along fine. He took your telephone number and his address is 6107 N. Kenmore, Apt. 1-C, Chicago and telephone is Holleycourt (HO 5-4673), so in case you might need to talk to him while we are away. We told him we would be calling you from time to time and if they need to get in touch with us while we are gone, they can call you. We will call you Monday Oct. 24 evening at about 7 o’clock, so plan to be in your room when we call.

Yesterday was a full day. There was a club convention at the Church and I attended most of it. Last night I had the ABC class party. I was a little tired when the guests had all gone home, but my committee washed the dishes and helped me straighten the house, so when I went to bed everything had been taken care of. I slept a little late this morning, and didn’t feel any after effects. I have been getting some housecleaning done before we leave.

The open house at the parsonage Sunday was quite a success. They received 150 guests, so felt quite happy about everything. The Fields came to the party last night and brought Mark and his pen. He was good most of the evening, but by the time Miss Kitsmiller had finished her talk about her trip to Europe and had shown her pictures, Mark was getting pretty sleepy, so they didn’t stay for refreshments.

It has turned so cold I rather think Dad won’t have to mow the yard until spring. As cold as it has been all day I rather think all the flowers will be finished tonight. It has rained most of the day and those nasty worms are all over the front patio. I heard on the news that it had snowed in Chicago today. Since it has been such a warm fall this weather doesn’t seem to be right, but here it is the latter part of October so it must be time for it. It should be nice for us to head south now.

Did I tell you that Edna and her mother are going to stay here while we are away? We thought it would make it easier for her – so she won’t have to make that trip to Brook every day.

We will be leaving Saturday evening as soon as we can get away from the office and hope to get as far as Kentucky before stopping. If there is anything you need to talk to us about, call us before Saturday evening.

Love Mother