Tag Archives: Rev. Watson

Exploding Coke Bottles

Letter transcription:

July 20, 1965

Dear Bonnie & David

I hope Bonnie has overcome her indisposition of Sunday evening—also that David didn’t sustain any extensive damage from the exploding coke bottles. Same thing happened to a woman here in Kentland yesterday. Here is a page from a Sears Catalogue. I suppose you would have to place a sheet of plywood on the frame for a support for the foam rubber. What

[page 2] Dad has been thinking about would be how low your bed would be unless you had something the width of the springs to bring it up—but that is something for you to figure out.

Last Friday night we had one of those electrical storms that really tears things apart. I didn’t hear a thing—since that was the day we (Norma & I) had returned from School of Mission and I was tired enough to sleep thru anything—since the storm didn’t awaken me. Dad said when the lightning struck the light pole

[page 3] on the corner it really came thru on the intercom. Our telephone was put out of order and also elec. sec’y, but both have been repaired.

I taped the lectures on Acts at School of Mission. I have borrowed Rev. Watson’s recorder and have made one copy and working on another. When some people learned what I was doing, they wanted copies. I told anyone wanting one to pay for the tape and I would make a copy. I am getting to be somewhat of a mechanic (not really). I really enjoyed my week at Greencastle.

[page 4] We are deep in plans for our trip west. We have all the books and maps we need. I will be glad to get Dad away again. The county at present just had 4 M.D.’s. The Dr. from Morocco is in Mercy Hospital (in Chicago area) (psychiatric case).

We missed seeing the pictures Lord Him when it played in the loop in Chicago. It has been in Indpls. But tonight is the last night. We have missed it again it seems. Dad says maybe it will be on T.V. sometime, but we should find it somewhere in our travels.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/02/06/exploding-coke-bottles/

The Minister’s Raise

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

April 7, 1965

Dear David and Bonnie:

We have been looking for that letter. At last spring has arrived, and we hope to stay. Two weeks ago the ground was covered with snow, but Dad got the lawnmower ready just in case and after rolling the yard today thinks it will be ready for mowing next Thurs. That is going to make a long summer.

The town is being torn up for the new sewer system and I suppose it will be a year or more before we recover from the torn up streets—that is, get the repairing all taken care of. The digger is at present travelling down North Second Street and from the rate of progress being made, we figure they will either be in front of the Church Easter Sunday or maybe in front of the office. At least the town is catching up with the times a little. We have been giving programs again. We are to go to Indianapolis tomorrow to give a program for Uncle Jim and Aunt Thelma—I think it is their S.S. class. Since Indianapolis is on Eastern Time and we are on Central Time, we will have to leave here by 2:30 to get to Jim’s by 5:30. If I have to go alone, I will spend the night with them, but Dad is planning to go with me. He has surgery scheduled for Friday AM, so we plan to come back Friday night. Of course, we gain an hour coming back.

We received a magazine from Malacca today. It is all about the school and I suppose Bonnie knows what I am referring to. I presume they are not too upset over the situation. We heard the Foundations had to leave Indonesia. John was afraid of that, from all the news he had received from his friends still there. All the news we get about invasion attempts seems to indicate they haven’t been successful. (Indonesia into Malaysia)

For about two weeks I was having a little battle with a flu bug. I finally got over it, but the day we had quarterly conference here (which was held at 2 PM following a carry-in dinner) I came home after church and after a light lunch, went to bed for the rest of the afternoon. Dad had been up all night at the hospital and didn’t feel like going, so we gave in to our feelings and stayed home. The Finance Committee and Pastoral Relations Committee didn’t quite get together before the meeting and have things worked out like it is the custom to do and the minister wasn’t offered a raise and I am told that amounts to asking him not to return. At a Board Meeting this last Monday evening (Dad and I went to the Hospital to give a program for the Nurse Association) the raise was brought up and a vote was taken, 10 for and six against. Joan was in our office and told Dad she wasn’t sure they would be back. She indicated they weren’t sure, so I don’t know where the matter, or rather how it stands at present. Since I am not on any of the committees I had nothing to do with it one way or another. There are a lot of opinions on the matter. One group wants a change and another group thinks we could do a lot worse. I was with a group of women Tuesday and after hearing their tale of woe about the minister they have, I think we could do worse. Well, come June we will know. I have been going to the Presbyterian Church on Thurs. mornings to attend a Lenten series prepared and presented by Rev. Watson. I have been recording the lessons and will have to use at some future time if I need them. In appreciation we are going to have the Watsons come to dinner one evening. I had promised Joan we would have them come some evening for Rock Cornish Hens and Wild Rice, so I think we will have them come the same evening. I used the tapes in my S.S. class and several of my members liked Rev. Watson’s lessons. They seemed to think he was

[page 2] easy to listen to. Today was the last session and several of the Presbyterian ladies told me they think he is extra special and they know they won’t be able to keep him. I agreed with them. He hasn’t been out of Seminary very long and I imagine after a year or two more here he will be invited to a larger church.

John is coming home next Thursday for Easter vacation. Mark and Shirley and the children are coming for the day, Easter, that is. Aunt Ruth may come if she doesn’t go to Des Moines. I haven’t heard from Lea, but I told John to call her and invite them to come. We will probably stop at Floyd’s tomorrow for a minute or two and will ask them to come also. Wish you could be here, but I know that isn’t practical, but will expect to see you several times this coming summer.

Dad is finishing the job of separating the chest of drawers he took out of our bedroom. He is fixing it for Shirley to use in her bedroom. She thought it would be better in two small chests than in the one large one.

I have several letters to answer. Had a letter from my little friend in Kyoto today. I had sent her a Christmas card and she thanked me for that and wants us to come back to Kyoto. We plan to go in 1966, and I am sure we will stay at the hotel where she works. We are going to the west coast in Sept. Had a letter from a friend of Dad’s who lives in Reno and he wants us to stop there for a visit with him and his family. Aileen wrote from L.A. that she has made arrangements for a place for us to stay when we visit her. Also had a letter from friends in Hong Kong one day last week. They had been living in a house which belonged to a minister from United Church of Christ (Duane’s church). Seems United minister was away on furlough. He must have returned, because the Bylers said they were in an apt. building and their apt. is on the 17^th floor. They also said with a view like that who needs trees, (or for that matter grass).

Love Mother

Lenten Season

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Letter transcription:

Kentland, Indiana
March 16, 1965

Dear David and Bonnie:

We hope David is over his infection. Since we didn’t hear any more about it, we presume you have recovered.

The weather is fair this morning, but we keep having some snow. Yesterday morning there was a fresh fall and the ground was well covered, but by mid afternoon most of it was gone. However, we still have some of the drifts that the blizzard left two or three weeks ago. Everyone seems to be anxious for spring to come and the weather forecasters keep telling us spring will be here March 20^th. I remember last year spring wasn’t quite here March 29. I have been attending a class Rev. Watson is conducting at the Presbyterian Church—a series of lessons for the Lenten Season. I took the tape recorder last Thurs. and got about 30 minutes. I didn’t think about getting a larger tape until after the session. I did take along an extra tape the hospital administrator had given Dad, but unfortunately I had it wound the wrong way and I didn’t get much sound. I went to Sears and ordered a 7” tape which records 4 hours, so I am ready for the rest of the sessions. Yesterday I used a part of the tape for my SS class. Rev. Watson, I think, is a very good teacher. We were all so interested in what he had to say we didn’t ask any questions. At any rate I didn’t. I wanted to hear him and not some of the other class members. When I saw in the paper that a class was going to be conducted I called the Watsons and asked if they had a study book, but Rev. said it was something he had put together. I took the Gospel parallels along and saw that he also had a copy. His, he had used in Seminary and had it marked (or underscored) with colored pencils (for source). I am planning to take the recorded to Mrs. Myers and let her hear it. I think if Rev. Fields ever gets the recorder, he is supposed to use, repaired, I will try and take his sermons to her like you used to do. She complained of trouble with her lame leg the last time I saw her. She says it keeps giving her more trouble, which is to be expected, in view of the condition of her bones. She went to see Dr. Stahl last year while we were away and he told her there was deterioration going on where he had put the pin.

I called Aunt Ruth M. last week. She is staying home. Romaine had asked her to come back to Des Moines for a visit, but she decided she would rather stay home. She is wanting to sell her house, but so far hasn’t had much luck. I told her to come and visit us, but she didn’t indicate that she would in the near future. Dad is tied up with baby cases and duty at present, so we won’t get away for a while. Dr. Kresler, Dr. Schoonveld, and Dr. Gary are going to be away from March 21 to 28, so Dad feels he has to stay around while they are on vacation. We would like to go to Chicago some time this spring and see Lord Him. That was being made when we were in Cambodia. It opens March 24.

Shirley as a job working at the library in Hoffman Est. She works Saturdays and evenings, so they can’t come down like they used to do on Friday evenings. We haven’t seen them since the weekend of Feb. 6^th. I sent the children their Easter gifts (maybe a little early) from Sears. When I ordered the tape for the recorder I saw some things for children in the catalogue, so decided to take care of them a little early.

Our TV isn’t performing to suit Dad, so he had Bun pick it up this morning. I asked Bun to get a new needle for the record player. The one I had to put in the record player when you were home was in the cabinet and Bun put it in and we played a record and it was OK. It must not have been put in correctly the first time.

Love Mother