Tag Archives: Roscoe S. Yegerlehner

The General Idea

Letter transcription:

12-12-66

Dear David and Bonnie: Haven’t written to you recently or heard from you. Seems I have been pretty busy, but this afternoon am in the process of defrosting the refrigerator and at present waiting for all the water to get from one side to the other and it seems to take just so much time for that, so while I am waiting will get a line or two to you. We have our tickets for the Rose Bowl Game. Those are hard to come by, but we managed through the Health Center at Purdue. We haven’t made any official announcements yet, but Dad says if it isn’t out by the time we get back from Calif., we will make an announcement. I think he plans to tell the Rotary Club – give a program for them and tell them in that way. He probably will make some kind of program about his years here. Floyd and Ruth were here yesterday on their way home from seeing Ruth M. I had stopped at Lebanon one day and told Ruth. Floyd was talking on the phone to Ruth M. and mentioned something to her and since we hadn’t said anything to her she was about to burst from curiosity. She called me one day last week and wanted to know all about it and I told her I couldn’t talk to her about it over the phone, but by giving her a few hints, she got the general idea. When R & F were here yesterday they said she still wanted to know more. Such as where we were going to live, etc. We don’t know that yet ourselves. I thought I was going to have to go to Lafayette to attend a Comm. Meeting this week (but found I don’t have to) and intended to go to a rental agency and see what is available. I think we will probably get an apartment for the present. One with the kitchen furnished.

[page 2] As yet we have had no indication that any MD is interested in coming here. Dad as a friend in Indianapolis who is going to post some notices on bulletin boards in several hospitals around Indianapolis where interns will see them. He is to write to Dad if he finds an intern or two interested in coming here. To look in the Medical Journal want ad sections, one gets a little discouraged about trying to find someone to come to a small place like Kentland. It seems there are opportunities in places with more to offer. I think one of the big problems is, not many people are willing to work like your Dad does. We were talking to Bob Batton about what a Dr. could make here if he is willing to work. Bob calls it a little gold mine. My answer was, “yes it is a gold mine, if a person is willing to work it.” Well, be that as it may Dad intends to go to Purdue March 1^st and I hope to have us a place to move to by then – or a little sooner. I may possibly go to Lafayette tomorrow. I do have some shopping I want to do. I did shopping for Mark and Shirley via Sears. We called them last night and only part of the order had been delivered. However, I sent them two packages from here Saturday and they should get them this week sometime. Dad has just finished a sewing cabinet for Lea and it is a beauty. I said I wanted one and when the family was home for Thanksgiving, in unison they said “what for, you never sew.” However, Lea stuck up for me and said she thought I should have one, so after Christmas Dad has promised to make one for me. He put the finish on hers last night – it is an oil and makes a beautiful finish. When she was staying with me after I

[page 3] come home from the hospital she was looking through a catalog of patterns for woodwork and found the sewing cabinet and said she would like to have one. Dad said if she would order the pattern he would make it. This year I am not going to gift wrap her present. I think you were home last year to help me. I have gotten Mrs. Myers Christmas gift – a Jansen sweater which I think is lovely and a small coin purse and billfold combination. She is to come out for Christmas Eve dinner and since there won’t be anyone around with chicken-pox, it should be safe.

Love Mother

P.S. Our Christmas cards haven’t come so I am using note paper form last year.

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/21/the-general-idea/

The Big News

2 Replies

Letter transcription:

November 9^th 1966

Dear Bonnie and David:

In the morning I am going to send y parcel post a package containing pills (you know the kind Dad said he would send) and the dress material which I purchased in Damascus. I do hope it will be enough for a dress. If not, perhaps you can buy some plain silk and make a two piece affair. Since that was the last of that bolt it would do no good to send back for more of that particular piece. The material is wrapped (for Christmas) and on top of the box. The box was so full of “that other stuff” I couldn’t get the package inside.

Tomorrow we are going to entertain Arvella and Edna at a dinner at Colonial Inn and come out here afterwards to break the news to them. We had Bob Batton come out Monday evening and told him. He said he didn’t blame Dad, but said he hated to see us go. When he first sat down and had his cigar going, Dad said “we are going to leave Kentland,” and his mouth dropped open (the cigar was saved) and he uttered something I won’t quote. We said it would be impossible for us to retire here and he agreed with us. He said he had been thinking about this, but just hadn’t done anything. He is going to start looking and see if it is possible to get someone to come in and take over the office. He even suggested that Sarah Shirk should buy this house. As to that – well she should, since she has been wanting a new modern house for years without going through the fuss of building one and Bob says she has the money – but – if she would spend the money is something else. I said she has the “nutty” idea – and that is just the phrase I used, that she has to sleep on the second floor because of her sinus trouble. He said, “if she would have an air conditioned house it wouldn’t make any difference which floor she slept on.”

It is 10:30 and I am getting a little tired, so am going to go to bed. Hope you get the box without too much delay.

Love Mother

P.S. Bonnie – I think this tag was on the coat.

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/20/the-big-news/

Mrs. Myers Fainted

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

Sun. Oct. 9, 1966

Dear David and Bonnie:

Will see that your applications gets to Clerk’s office. Will also send you the Enterprise. Last night Mrs. Myers fainted and was on the floor for some time—how long I have no way of knowing. I had taken her a dinner in a corning dish and told her she could reheat it on a burner with low heat. When I stepped into her apt. I could smell the dinner and could tell is had been on the heat too long. She had her coffee pot connected and asked me to disconnect it. That was the first thing I did and while on that side of the kitchen turned off the gas. She was lying on the kitchen floor with her head toward the living room. She has a telephone in her kitchen and I don’t know whether she called from that phone, but she must have. I didn’t have time to question here since the ambulance arrived shortly after I did and I was busy getting things ready for her to take with her to the hospital. She called here shortly before 10 o’clock and Dad asked me if I wanted to go down and help her get ready to go. He didn’t go because he said it wasn’t necessary. He called orders into the hospital and made a routine call on her this morning. She said she was nauseated and fainted. Earlier in the week she had an attack of asthma and he had given her a shot. He said this morning she didn’t have any asthma or trouble with breathing. She did say this morning she thinks she injured her hip when she fell, so he has ordered an x-ray for morning. That was one of the arguments I had against her staying along, but she was so opposed to giving up her apartment that I gave up trying to convince her she would be better off in a nursing home. I think perhaps it won’t take any arguments now. She should not stay along.

Mark and sons will be here for dinner. Mark will go on and the boys will stay. Shirley and Becky will come Thurs. evening and spend the night then go to Indpls. Fri.

Herewith returning the enclosures. No comments (will discuss when I see you). Have you saved me your sermons from this summer? Will be glad to attend S.S. with you. Also think it will be interesting to visit the Adams home and also visit with Dr. Beck. I think the idea of having tea with them is quite nice.

We will have to leave Boston on Sunday around 2 p.m. Will arrive on Wed. the 26 at 11:20 if plan is one time. Will let you know the flight no. when our tickets arrive, which should be around the 17^th.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/19/mrs-myers-fainted/

Missionary Required

2 Replies

Letter transcription:

Oct. 5-1966

Dear David & Bonnie –

Last Thurs. I went to Madison, Wisconsin, to attend a Jurisdictional meeting. Came home Sunday. I called Bonnie’s mother (your Dad wasn’t home) about meetings for next April. We need a missionary for 5 District meetings. I told the committee I knew a team. They have promised to speak, so don’t plan anything for them April 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7.

Mark got T.W.A. tickets for us (Wed. Oct. 26). We will have to fly to N.Y. and change planes there. We won’t arrive in Boston until about midnight, but that will give us Thurs., Fri., Sat., and part of Sun. I haven’t learned yet just when the return flight leaves Boston. We will be using Indianapolis as a terminal now instead of Chicago.

I have just been to see Ruth M. She was beginning to have an attack Monday. She is better now and I am going to take her some supper when I go to the office at 5. She didn’t want to go to the hospital and any way it is so full now there are beds in the hall. She is much better and I think won’t need the hospital.

Mark and Shirley are going to move to Indianapolis next week and I am going to keep the baby and maybe Kirk. Mark is going to bring them down as he goes back to Indpls. on Sunday. I am supposed to attend a committee meeting Monday & Tuesday at Battle Ground but won’t get to take in any of it unless I can get a sitter for one day. Could take the baby along. He is so good he wouldn’t mind, but if Kirk is here I think that would be a little too much. Will let you know later what develops.

[page 2] I think Dad has spent most of today in the hospital. He was over then when I went to get the mail this a.m. and the car was not by the office when I passed this afternoon.

Did you keep those sermon copies for me as you were supposed to do? I had loaned two of your sermons to Norma Z. and she just returned them.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/18/missionary-required/

Nobody Reads

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

Sept. 20, 1966

Dear David and Bonnie:

Here are your absentee ballots. Do you want me to send you a paper (Enterprise) with the names of candidates? I will pay your taxes and you can consider that another birthday gift for both of you. The reason I sent your card so early, I had it on my desk and thought it would be better early than late (like Bonnie’s).

Your comments about the S. S. class you teach makes me think of Bible Study Class at Trinity Methodist. It makes me wonder about people who go to church and Sunday school. I have tried since trying (I will say trying, because I am not sure I teach them anything) to teach that class to get them to read. Not just the Bible, but read, but it seems they have time for everything else. They—most of them at any rate—can’t even discuss topics of current interest. I will ask if they saw such and such on the news, or heard it on the news and usually the answer is “no.” Just blank stares most of the time. Once in a while someone will have read about something of interest. I am beginning to think that few people I know read. I am currently reading—have been intending to read it for a long time—the biography of David Ben-Gurion. It is most interesting and I hope Israel will be able to hold out against the Arabs. My sympathy is with Israel. Although I do not believe the way they do, I still admire them for what they are doing in the way of developing a land. There is such a contrast from what one sees in the Arab countries and Israel.

There is a Club meeting (Woman’s Club) this afternoon (4 p.m.) with dinner at the Colonial Inn at 6 p.m. Tonight there is a Sunday school (ABC) Class party and I am to give a program. I am going to show some slides of Switzerland. If you have a projector or can get one, we will bring our slides along, but since we will be flying, I think it would be a little cumbersome to try to bring the projector.

Since we won’t have a car, we will be at your disposal, so you will have to plan our time for us.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/17/nobody-reads/

Switzerland

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

9-13-66

Dear David (and Bonnie) I was cleaning my desk and thought I would get your card in the mail—10 days early. I attended a committee meeting at the hospital and stopped to see Mrs. Myers on way home. I think she is feeling pretty good. She has an appointment with Dad Friday and I have promised to take her. We are still planning to visit you the last weekend in Oct. If you don’t have room for us get us a room at a hotel or motel. We will fly because that would be too much driving for a weekend. We will leave Chicago of Indianapolis Thurs. and come back Sunday. So far Mark hasn’t found a place to live in Indpls. but he may have made some progress since we talked to him last night. He didn’t go home last weekend but plans to go Friday so we hope he will have found something by then. A dividend check came for you and I forwarded it. I am saving the second and third class mail to bring when we come. We are (or I am) still sorting our slides. We have some beautiful pictures from Switzerland. We bought some slide of Sistine Chapel ceiling for you and will bring them when we come. We haven’t sorted the Rome pictures yet – we (just) took 12 rolls. I have to store some we took 2 years ago to make room for the new pictures. We have some excellent pictures of the relatives and I have ordered some prints – will bring those along. I told Art when I left the slides to have the prints made to be very careful with them – I don’t want to lose any. We really enjoyed our trip to Switzerland and I would like to go back again. While we were away the church here took a vote on whether to continue with church first or Sunday school. From the information I have gathered the popular vote was to remain on the new schedule but at the Board meeting it seems some of the conservatives wanted to go back to Sunday school first, so regardless of the vote it was changed back. I am not concerned enough about it as far as it effects me, but the attendance in church was much better with church service first. The news isn’t very good this

[page 2] evening about racial disturbances. I told Dad the people in the South (and So. Africa) are probably saying “we told you so” when things happen, like in Atlanta, Ga. From all we can read and hear the Mayor there was trying to help the colored people but things seemed to get out of control. I attended a meeting at Battle Ground last Fri. & Sat. – Christian Social Concerns Committee (conference) and the thinking was that Dr. M. L. King was going to order a march in Indpls. soon. One of the men on the committee called Bishop Raines about the matter and he said he had no information about it. Things seem to have quieted down somewhat in Chicago.

Will let you know when we get our reservations – Oct. 27,
Love Mother

Did Bonnie get her birthday $. I put it in the card. Let me know. How are you getting along with your Sunday school class? They may not like some of your ideas – no?

Roscoe and Gladys in Bern, Switzerland

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/16/switzerland/

Belated Birthday

3 Replies

Letter transcription:

Dear Bonnie (and David)

As of now our plans are to visit you the last weekend in Oct. We will probably fly to Boston Thurs. the 28th and come home on Sun. I hope that won’t conflict with your schedule. Since it is this far away, let us know in case we would need to change our plans. Sorry I am so late with your greeting but Sept. 1 seemed to slip upon me. I wonder why.

Love Mother

©2017 copyright owned and transcribed by Deborah Sweeney
Post originally found: https://genealogylady.net/2017/03/15/belated-birthday/

Back from Vacation

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

8-29-66

Dear David and Bonnie:

This card came for you and since cads can’t be forwarded, thought I would write a few lines and enclose it. Dad is attending Rotary and then the Club is going to the new high school building on an inspection tour. From what we have heard it is really a fine building with excellent equipment. I stopped to see Mrs. Myers today. She seems to be in good condition. I took her to the office Saturday afternoon for a check-up. Dad wasn’t working full schedule and I thought that would be a good time for her to go. He had a full day today and will have the rest of this week (and next, and next, etc.) Mark went to Indianapolis yesterday to report in on his new job today. He is with Jefferson National Life Ins. Co. The Wards brought Mary Lou and her four children here yesterday on their way to see Shirley. I had invited them to come for lunch. They live in San Diego and Wednesday they will go back to S.D. on the train from Chicago. Since Mark is in Indpls., Shirley will have to take them to the train. The Wards had intended to stay with them so they could take them to the train, but they had a death in the family and went back to Indpls. today. Now Mark has to house hunt and also get rid of their house in Hoffman. They have a renter, but would like to sell. Virginia Zell Gale and Betty Zell Gordy both live in Indpls. so I think Mark is going to see if they can give him some help in finding a house. We really had a wonderful vacation and I think it did Dad a world of good to get away six weeks. I would like to go back to Switzerland again. It is really a picture book land. Since the relatives were so hospitable, we probably will return. Our trip into Israel was most interesting. We saw a well in a church in Nazareth that legend—oral tradition—or what have you—claims it was the place where the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary she would be mother of Jesus. There is a painting depicting the announcement which shows Mary with babe inside. We also visited three places where the Jews go for pilgrimages—tombs of David and famous Rabbis. One of the places where there are two tombs—we were a little puzzled about the whole thing—I asked our guide later about it and he said people from that area go there all the time on pilgrimages. He said they stay several days. It was quite dirty and some of the Jews who were with us making the tour didn’t seem to know much more about it than we did and were not too impressed. We were on a 3 day bus tour of Galilee and some of the people didn’t get out of the bus. We were told we had to cover our arms and when we were back on the bus a nice little Jewish lady said to me, “and to think they asked us to cover our arms for that.”

[page 2] I have an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Beuerman (eye specialist). He just wants to check to see how I am getting along with my contacts. (Just fine so far, I hope) I was trying to get some book work done, but decided I had to write some letters. John was home for the weekend. He didn’t do much this summer, but did make a trip to see the Georges in Miss. Dr. George has gone to Lebanon to work in a University for a year. Mrs. George will go a little later to join him. He went to Beirut just two days after we left. Will let you know later when we will plan a trip to Boston.

Love Mother

New Stationary

1 Reply

Letter transcription:

June 1, 1966

Dear David and Bonnie,

Thought I would try out some new type stationary with a note to you.

I am still taking therapy—at Home Hospital and here. Mrs. Dorothy Tanquary with Mrs. Neal Tanquary, drove to Lafayette today and invited me to go along. I have to go again Friday and every time I can get a chance to go and not drive I take it. Next week should finish my trips.

Dad is back to work but not taking as many patients a day. He has retired and is asleep—was about the minute he went to bed. I wasn’t so sleepy, so thought I would do some more work at my desk—and here I get off on another track.

Our check for the intangible tax came back with the May statement, so you should be getting yours.

We are getting the new sewer connection. It makes quite a deep hole—or rather trench across the back yard.

See you the 12^th –
Love Mother

Long Cold, Slow Spring

1 Reply

1966-04-29 (GRY), p. 1 Letter transcription:

April 29, 1966

Dear David and Bonnie:

Yours received. In spite of all you have to say in defense of the magazine and the man behind it all, I still think you could spend your leisure time in a better way than with that sort of thing. It just doesn’t fit into my pattern of thinking. Somehow I can’t quite see it as a part of your way of life. There are many other ways in which I would rather spend my time. This weekend we have planned to spend with John. Two baby cases are in Dad’s way, so he has told me to go without him, which I am planning to do. He got a baby this morning, but for Dr. K who is out of town. John has tickets to “Little Me,” a production of U. of I., and we are going to have dinner at the Lincoln Hotel. Bob and Lea are going to be with us also.

Wednesday I went to Indianapolis with Norma and two other women to attend the Conference meeting and installation for Conference Officers. The Bishop was there and gave the afternoon address and officiated at the installation. I told Sharon Howe yesterday that I got to shake hands with the Bishop and she grabbed my hand and said she wanted to touch the hand that had touched the Bishop’s hand. As a matter of fact, I shook hands more than once. He was in the church office, and I started to use the telephone (I wanted to call Thelma) and we met. I was sure he wouldn’t remember me from last June, but I said I was Mrs. Yegerlehner, Rev. Yegerlehner’s mother. He very graciously acted as if he knew who I was. Since there is only one Rev. David Yegerlehner in the Methodist Church, maybe he did know me.

After a long cold, slow spring, today seems like warm weather is here. The grass is so green—and has been mowed several times. The redbud trees are in bloom and the magnolia is still pretty. Where the digger went along the south side of our lot—I mean outside our lot limbs were broken on our trees and some of the scotch pines look like they may not make it. I think I could be safe in saying millions of violas are coming up. I had a border along the west side of the garage last summer and there are so many new plants, it looks like an impossible task to thin them out. I probably will decide it is too much work and just let them go.

The high school produced South Pacific. We went to see it last Thursday. It ran 3 nights. We thought they did a very good job, but also thought it was too much work for a group of high school students. Margaret Eva Funk, who has had voice training, and who has been with a singing group from Purdue (they traveled to Europe one summer on a singing tour) had the lead. However, the entire cast did a very good job we thought and the scenery and all the props were very good, but they had many people besides high school girls and boys working on it.

The book on Theology came and I am in the process of reading it. Thanks for sending it. I will try to decided before you come home what I want for the rest of my $. The missionaries we visited in H.K. are going to be here June 12^th to see us and on June 13^th in the morning I have to go to Evanston to attend a School for Conference Officers. I think your schedule called for you to be home June 13^th. Do you suppose you could manage to come home a day early, or stop and see me at Kendall College in Evanston? I would much rather see you here at home and I am sorry my time is working out that way, but it is something I can’t help. I will have to be in Evanston from 13^th to 17^th.

We are getting a new amplifier (again) and we are going to try it to see if it will be better than the one we have now. The new one is made by Fisher (supposed to be the best in Stereo). It should be here this week. However, if it doesn’t come today, it won’t matter too much, because if I have to go to Champaign alone, I am going to leave in the middle of the afternoon, and won’t have time to listen to it. Tonight we are having the Funks come. We have some slides of them to use (at a program Arlene is in charge of) at the Catholic School Thursday (I had promised to give the program for her, but then discovered that was our day to go to Chicago) and we are going to show them how to use the projector. I sent for slides of the Rose parade and also the records—which I taped—with the background sounds and commentary on each float. I have used it several times for programs and when Arlene knew we had the program wanted to use it.

We have to get our passports renewed, because they run out Aug. 9^th and we won’t be back in USA until Aug. 22^nd and thought it would be a good idea to get them renewed. We had some pictures taken. For once Dad got a good picture. We will save one for you. We have tickets to Hello Dolly and also want to go see the children. We intend to take the entire day off next Thursday.

1966-04-29 (GRY), p. 2 Last Tuesday evening I attended a Tea given by Jr. Women’s Club. Miss Lenore Winters was sitting by and I told the Presbyterian Minister’s wife that Miss Winters had both you and Mark in first grade. She told Mrs. Watson she thought you were one of the most beautiful children she had ever known. That was saying a lot—because she taught quite a few children before she retired.

Love Mother

(over)

I have quit taking books from Book-of-the-Month, but had one coupon left, so got Dead Sea Scrolls by M. Burrows. Do you think it is worth reading? I know you had said at one time, it would be years before the Scrolls could be evaluated.