February 24, 1969
Monday, February 24, 1969
7:00 P.M.
Dear Larry:
I got home about a half hour ago from my driver’s training, so I though I would write you a few lines. We drove around the parking lot across the street from the High School Gym. I need a lot of practice on my turns, so I will have to have Dad take me out to practice. Mr. Carter said that next week we will go out on the road, so keep your fingers crossed.
February 16, 1969
Sunday 2130
2-16-69
Hi Larry,
Just sitting here watching the Smothers Brothers show and Liberace is playing the piano. Now there are 3 hippies making a lot of noise. Bonanza isn’t on tonight due to the Ice [Capades].
This has been a slow day. We woke up at 0900, went to mass at 1000, then to Pay Less and home at 1130. Carol came home from staying at Joanna’s all night. We had breakfast at 1230, bacon, sausage links, fried eggs, and chow chow. I took a three-hour nap this afternoon. We took a drive to Pendleton at 1800 and stopped at the new Burger Chef at Columbus and 67 and got home at 1900. Mother and the kids played some cards and I took a shave and bath. Tresa kept pestering me about bowling last night, but she got a touch of [pleurisy] and didn’t feel like it. Karl, Tresa, and I have been bowling now and then. Tresa gets around 40 and Karl gets around 90. Carol has been bowling with her Phys. Ed. class.
February 7, 1969
February 7, 1969
Friday 12 Noon
Dear Larry:
I just got through washing clothes and right now I have the T.V. on watching my stories, so I thought I would write you a few lines to let you know we are all ok and hope you are the same.
I washed my hair and got it on rollers as tonight is my Bingo night.
Dad, Tresa, and I went to Karl’s last ballgame last night and they lost. They played Alexandria and those boys looked more like high schools boys compared to our boys. I think Karl plays pretty good ball if they played boys more like their own size.
He will rest a while, and I imagine he will be going in for track in the spring.
I suppose by now you are on your R+R or maybe getting read to leave. I saw in the paper the other day that they cancelled some leaves and I was wondering if maybe they cancelled yours.
February 2, 1969
Feb. 2, 1969
Sunday 8 P.M.
Dear Larry:
Well, here it is Groundhog Day and as far as here in Anderson, he didn’t see his shadow, because it was cloudy here all day.
I just got home from St. Ambrose Hall, the teenagers had their monthly dinner tonight, so I had to help serve. They had steak sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, and a relish dish and ice cream bars for dessert.
Last night, I went to Bingo and got home around midnight, and when I got in the house, I found a surprise. Tresa, Karl, and Dad bought bookshelves, it has 6 shelves in it. 1 – 12 inch, 2 – 10 inch, 3 – 8 inch shelves, and 36 inches wide. It looks real nice, so now we have a place for our new Encyclopedias and other books and what nots and trophies.
January 28, 1969
January 28, 1969
Tuesday – 11 P.M.
Dear Larry:
It’s kind of late to be writing a letter, but I thought I would write anyway. I came home from Bingo and Carol was watching The Miracle Worker on TV, so I watched it also and it was very good. I won $7.50 at Bingo tonight. At least I got my money back.
Larry, we finally got a letter from you today, and as you know, we were all very glad to hear from you. I was really surprised to hear you got transferred to an Infantry Unit. Are you still in the Artillery part of that division? What kind of job are you supposed to be doing now that they changed you?
January 25, 1969
January 25, 1969
Dear Larry:
Well, here I am again and I don’t know if I should even be writing to you as I don’t even know if you are getting my mail or not. I just cannot believe that we haven’t heard from you in so long. The last letter you wrote to us was dated the 29th of December. I don’t want you to think that I am giving you the devil, because I am only a concerned parent, and I sure would be a heck of a parent if I didn’t care. I know that you probably get tired of writing everyday, but heavens, I think that at least we could hear from you more often than we do. I have a lot of people ask about you and I don’t know what to tell them since we don’t get mail. I can’t even get Dad to write. He said that he doesn’t hear from you, so why should he write. I just can’t be that way. I feel like I want to write to you whether you write or not. Like I said, I would be a heck of a mother if I didn’t care, and I will keep on writing to you and just hope that we get a letter soon. Everyday I keep hoping. I know that you probably think that I am giving you the devil, but I don’t want you to think that because all I ever look forward to is to see you get home and away from Vietnam.
January 10, 1969
Friday, January 10, 1969
9 A.M.
Dear Larry:
Well, here it is Friday morning. The sun is shining, but it is a very cold day. The temperature is 1 above zero this morning. The kids where not in school yesterday and again today because the roads are covered with ice and it is really slick. We went to one of Karl’s games at North Side Wednesday and it took about 30 minutes to get there because the traffic was so slow. This is Dad’s week off and he said he was glad because he had a few days of rough driving. He said his truck broke down two times yesterday so he had to work overtime and didn’t get home till almost 7 last night. I had hot vegetable soup for supper and then after supper, he went to work at the club.
Karol and Apolonia Rudolf’s Gravestone – 1960s
This photo was taken at Maplewood Cemetery in Anderson, IN. It shows Joanna, Carol and Larry in the back and Tresa and Karl in the front. They are standing behind the grave of their father Charlie’s parents and their grandparents, Karol and Apolonia Rudolf. We can only assume this photo was taken before 1963, which is when Apolonia passed away, because the date is not filled in yet. Most of them never met Karol as he passed away in 1948 when Larry, the second oldest, was only one year old.
January 1, 1969 – New Years Day
January 1, 1969
Wednesday 1 P.M.
New Years Day
Dear Larry,
Well, here it is a new year and is it ever cold outside. The windows are frosted from top to bottom. The temperature was below zero this morning and right now it is 11 degrees above zero, so it is not warming up much. This morning we went to the 10 o’clock mass and we about froze our fannies off. HA. It’s windy out and it makes it feel that much colder.
Well, in a way, I am glad that the holidays are over. Now things will be going back to normal. I can’t believe that in a couple of days you will be in the service a year already. Did the time go by quick for you? In a few months your time will be up in Vietnam and I am looking forward to that day.
December 24-26, 1968
Christmas Eve ’68
Hi, how are you? This is going to be a short letter because my paper supply is limited as my time is. What did you do on Christmas? What are you gonna do on New Years? Do you think you’ll get drunk as anything?
Mother has been busy today. She baked a ham and 3 pumpkin pies. Last night, she made some cranberry salad. Aunt Mary, Uncle Deda and Uncle Ray were just over here. Aunt Mary got me a pretty blue nightgown. Uncle Deda got me a pair of underpants and Uncle Ray got me a real neat yellow dress with a scarf to match. It is really cool. Barbara got me a pretty cool pair of earrings and a bracelet to match. Carol Porter bought me a charm for my charm bracelet. Vicki Lanone got me some scented perfume and Kathy bought me 3 pairs of really cool earrings. Uncle Tommy got me a real neat pair of cameo earrings. So far, we have just opened presents that our aunts and uncles got for us, but will open the rest from mother and Dad on Christmas morning.
