Thursday
February 1, 1968
3:30 P.M.
Dear Larry:
Well, another day and no mail from you. It is exactly 4 weeks today that you left home and we have had only one letter from you. Dad is really mad because we haven’t been getting mail. In fact, I am beginning to wonder if we ever will get any mail. I don’t mind you calling us some Sundays but you can’t tell us much on the phone like you can in a letter. There are lots of things you could write about and all of us could read it. But when you phone you forget what you said and I can’t remember everything you said. So, Larry, will you make it an effort to write to us? We are really anxious to get some mail, even if is a short letter. What are you going to do with the book of stamps Dad sent you? So there is no excuse for you not writing and if you want to get letters, you had better get on the ball and write some.
Boy, we have been having some lousy weather here. Every day this week has been gloomy and foggy and today we are having rain. It is not very cold out, in fact, the weather man said we will probably have thunder showers. Kinda sounds like spring weather. It won’t be long till spring.
Today was Dad’s day off. We had to go pick Tresa up from school. She had an upset stomach. Karl had to go practice basketball, but Dad went to the club and got lost again. I called there and Steve S—– said he left with Whitey. So I guess Karl won’t go to practice. How are you doing? Write and let us know.
Carol got her report card yesterday and she got on the honor roll, she got A’s and B’s. We were all kind of proud of her.
Carol is out with the papers and Karl is getting ready to collect (out in the rain).
Joanna gets off at 6 as usual. She sure was a grouch last night. She spent the night at home, that’s probably why she was grouchy.
Robert R—– was just here and wanted Joanna. He wanted to know if we heard from you and I told him you didn’t write us but one letter and a few telephone calls. He said he wrote you a letter. Have you been getting any other mail besides mine? I feel like I could write to you every day, but I get disgusted when I don’t get mail myself. Aunt Mary was here the other night and she said she wrote to you.
How far did you say you had to hike (I forgot)?
Well, it is 4:30 right now so I have to start supper. So I will sign off till the next time.
Love
Mom.
Write and tell us the news.
This clipping was in tonights paper so, I thought I would put it in this letter.
8 Comments
Amelia sure does want some letters FROM Larry. She pretty much mentions that in every paragraph. I have never been to boot camp so I have no idea how much time there is for letter writing.
I’m surprised she uses the term “sign off” when saying goodbye. I thought that was created during the mid 90′s with the ICQ, PowWow, and AOL instant messaging craze, but apparently the term came along much earlier than that.
I don’t blame Grandma for wanting a letter. Now-a-days we have so much technology what with skype, email, facebook, cell phones (with free long-distance), text messaging. All she had was an occasional phone call which was probably kept short because of the cost, and … letters. To have a child do what he was doing, so far away from home, she just wanted to know that he was okay, that he was eating, making friends, and later when he was in Vietnam … alive. But in Larry’s defense, I’m sure he was busy and tired in his boot camp.
And Daddy, scold you for “getting lost” and not getting Karl to basketball practice!
Seems like Charlie loved that Polish Club!
The neighborhood where we grew up was referred to as the “Polish Acre” as a lot of the Polish immigrants congregated there years before. The Polish Club actually had members and was affiliated with the Polish National Alliance in Chicago. Daddy was the treasurer, and he was in charge of getting all the members life insurance through the PNA. Daddy may have even helped build the place. Back in it’s heyday it hosted lots of parties for it’s members, and bands and dances for the public all the time. There used to be a park next to it for the kids, and on the weekends they would mark off the basketball court and the teenagers would dance to popular music. The adults, and us kids that were too little, would stand around the sides and watch. It was just like “American Bandstand”. Daddy had a spot at the kitchen table in our house where he would keep an eye on the clubs “comings and goings” and he bartended there for some time. And yes, it was his hangout where many a night he staggered home in the wee hours of the morningafter a night of drinking Falstaff!
I still have PNA life insurance! Just paid my yearly premium recently.
I remember that park next to it. Whenever grandma would babysit us she would take us over there. It was an old park that would be condemned nowadays because of the rusty slides and whatnot.
saw about this in the church bulletin. had to check it out. brings back a lot of memories . i grew up down the street from the club on forest terrace and was good friends with karl. actually considered myself friends wiyh the entire Rudolf family. seems like i spent a lot of time over there . perception of time changes as we get older so i dont really know exactly. anyway, good to see all these familiar names, especially larry, who i also considered a good friend. thanks for the website it is nice. p.s. falstaff is horrible beer [ my opinion]]
Zag, I agree, Falstaff was horrible beer, but when you’re 13 years old and you get to split a can or two with your mom on a special occasion, it’s not that bad. Better yet, remember the Polish picnics? Lots of free Falstaff for us underage drinkers! I doubt any of us turned our noses up at it back then.
One Trackback
[...] From Tresa “The neighborhood where we grew up was referred to as the “Polish Acre” as a lot of the [...]