Prelude: This is a letter from a dentist, Dr. H.H. Winkler of the Painless Parker Dental Practice. It was written on July 22, 1937 to a Mrs. Menchan of San Pedro, California. Painless Parker has several offices all over the west coast. This letter is from the San Pedro office.

THE LETTER:

 

Dear Mrs. Menchan:                                                              July 22, 1937

 

When you recently had some dental work done at this office, there was other needed work which you decided to have done at a future date.

 

This letter is to remind you of the importance of having this dentistry taken care of, and to urge that you make arrangements as early as possible so that work may proceed.

 

Good dentistry means so much from the stand-point of health and comfort.  On the other hand, neglected teeth are certain to mean poor health, if not actual sickness and disease.  Delay so often results in added trouble, and greater expense.

 

Will you kindly communicate with this office as soon as possible for an appointment, to have this important work completed?

 

Very Truly Yours

H. H. Winkler. Mgr.

Painless Parker, Dentist

 

HHW:LE

 

COMMENTARY:

Well, don’t we all love a letter from our dentist! Basically, get your butt in here and get the work I started done. Today, it might be a phone call or an email, but most dentist will still call you to get your work finished. Why is it we just don’t like going to the dentist? Who wants someone playing around in their mouth? Not me! Anyway, it’s an interesting letter from the 1930’s. What do you think?

Prelude:

Here is another old letter to Fran, but this time the letter is addressed to Mrs. R.W. Flannery, Care of/ Mrs. Fairfield, Hornell, NY. The letter was written on November 23, 1939 (Thanksgiving) and it’s from a woman named Betty who lives in Corning, NY.

 

THE LETTER:

Dear Fran,

Yes, I’m finally answering you letter. Really, so many things are happening around here, it’s hard to remember whether I’m doing the same thing over or just catching up.  In this case, I think I am catching up.

What did you name your baby? Gosh! I’d love to see it. I’ve been thinking about getting up to see you, but things just don’t fall that way.  I’ve been wanting to go roller skating too, But I haven’t done that either. I’ve been playing quite a bit of Badminton lately. It’s a good game. We’re also getting a basketball team together, kids in the Glass Works who haven’t played for some time.  The team won’t amount to much for that reason, but we’ll have fun.

I just finished my Turkey dinner.  We had to work ‘till noon darn it.  Also, they changed the academy – Northside football game to Armistice Day, that makes today seem less like Thanksgiving than ever.  If we only had a little snow, it’d be all right.

Gosh, Tuesday I put in a full day.  Worked ‘till 5 and then practiced basketball ‘till 7, then played badminton ‘till 10:45.  After we got dressed we went out and bought some supper. By the time I got home it was 12:45.

Monday after work we had a spaghetti dinner which Mr. Robertson made for us.  I had to buy the stuff that noon and did I rush around.  I took the car to work in the morning so I could get everything done.  You must know Earl Roberson.  He was a coach at Hornell and side with Cook (The Principal) when he was kicked out.  He’s now athletic director of the Glass Works Club House, doing a good job too.

Well, are we up to Wednesday? I had to head downtown last twice last night for groceries, then went to see a friend home from college and then I bowled in the Glass Works league from 9 – 11:30.

Did I tell you our play came off pretty good! We had a turkey dinner at the hotel given to us by our pastor, Father Raivlinson.

Right now, I think I’m going to clean up a little and go seek amusement.  If the Club House is open, maybe I’ll play badminton, or if it isn’t, I’ll go see people. I can’t sit around much longer or I’ll go to sleep and that, of course, would never do.

Well, squirt, write and tell me where you are, what you know and stuff. I read Rebecca. I didn’t like it ‘till about a week after I finished reading it through. Particular book, didn’t you think?

As ever,

Betty

COMMENTARY:

Well, isn’t Betty an active girl? She plays badminton, basketball, and she bowls. Not much about any of her friends or such, but a lot about her activities. She seems to be in quite a different world than Fran is currently in. I love how she said “Gosh, I’d love to see it!” referring to Fran’s Baby… Maybe she didn’t know if it was a girl or a boy… Anyway, it makes me wonder if Fran, would have been at Glass Works with Betty working and playing sports if she wasn’t married to Bob and a new mother… Just a thought. What do you think?

 

Prelude: Here is a letter written to Miss Frances Fairfield of Hornell, New York from someone who calls themselves “Meatballs.” It was written on May 20, 1938 on stationary that says Parks Air College, East Saint Louis, Illinois… Be reminded that I transcribe the letters as they are written with spelling mistakes and all.

THE LETTER:

Dear Fran,

I think it’s about time I answer your letter, two weeks is fast for me to answer a letter.  It usually takes me about a month to get around to answer my fan mail – but your special.  I just know you like to figure out puzzles.

It was a month from to-nite I’ll be leaving for home or Chicago.  I might go to Chicago to the airport for a couple of days on the way home.  I get two weeks vacation so, I probably will fool around Chicago a couple of days, cuz I couldn’t find anything to do for two weeks home. At least I never have when I have come home before.  I don’t know anybody in the place.

We are really having weather here now. It is so warm to-nite that I have to keep my fan blowing on my face to keep from dripping sweat on the paper.  I wouldn’t want you to think I was crying or sompthing.

I get through school this September 23^rd. I don’t know where I’ll be going then.  It might be Chicago, Newark, Miami, Brownsville, or to the west coast, at least that’s where the school gets most of the student’s jobs. They have placed all graduates in the last four years except for four.  They also send quite a few to South America, but not me, I am not very keen on going there. Where I want to go is Miami on the coast, or anyplace, I don’t care, one place is just as good as another to me.  Most of the fellows get jobs before they leave school, so this summer will probably be the last time I get home for a while.

I get mad last night trying to study that dam Spanish. So, I went out and gave the night watchman a work out when I came in at four this morning. He isn’t much of a runner though, the sisy. I got 90 on the test today so, I guess it wouldn’t have done me any good to study anyhow.

Well, If I see you when I come home, I’ll tell you all about everything.  Be careful and take good care of everything.

Sevidor de usted,

Meatballs

PS. Don’t get me wrong, I think it means yours truly. Write sometime Fran.

 

COMMENTARY:

Well, I’m guessing “Meatballs” is a man. He sounds like a friend that lived in Hornell and went away to some kind of Air Collage in Illinois.  I have a link below with more information on the collage. Meatballs seems like a fun kind of guy. He doesn’t seem to like Spanish, but he can’t be too bad at it if he got a 90 on his test. I’m guessing that he was a friend to Fran. This was the same time when Bob and Fran were writing each other. I believe Bob was finishing school in Brooklyn and then moved to Rochester. Fran was home living with her parents in Hornell, NY.  It seems she liked to write letters.

HISTORY:

Here is a link to information on Parks Air Collage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parks_College_of_Engineering,_Aviation_and_Technology

 

Prelude: Here is another letter from young Hank. This time he is writing from Germany. This letter was written on February 8, 1945. The War is winding down and young Hank finds himself in Germany. He is writing again to Mr. & Mrs. Frank Fairfield of Hornell, NY.

THE LETTER:

Hello there,

I only have a few minutes so I figured the best thing to do with that time is to answer the grand letter I received from you last night.  Thanks a million.  It found me feeling fine and getting along the best.

Our weather here has improved a little. We had quite a bit of snow and cold weather there for a while, but right now the snow is gone and it’s a lot warmer. When it gets warm, we have rain so it’s hard to say which we are better off with.

We’ve or I should say I am having it sort of easy right now. They keep us pretty busy, but that’s to be expected.

You sure are having your share of winter weather this year, aren’t you? From what everyone writes.  There’s plenty of snow there at home now. I wish I could see it. For some reason or other, I always liked snow. Sometimes, over here, it gets in our hair, so to speak, but that’s all in a day’s work. I still would like to be home with all of you.

You wondered what or how we were Christmas and New Year’s.  Looking back on them now I guess they weren’t too bad. At the time it was hard to say.

We did eat good both days. We had turkey and all the trimmings.  Really it was grand.  We also had a house to stay in. That means a lot in the winter time.

I was glad to hear you are all well and that everything is going along good. You’re right about our “end” being the best “end” of town.  At least we think it is. Don’t we?

There really isn’t much I can write. There’s lots I could write but it would never get through. So, there’s no use in writing it.

I have to close now. Good luck and keep happy. Tell Mr. Fairfield I said hello and to be careful.

As Ever,

Hank

 

COMMENTARY:

There’s an unwritten sadness to this letter that I felt when I read it, do you feel the same? The war has been dragging on and young Hank is homesick. I wish I could tell him that the War is going it end in about 8 months. He is always writing such positive things about how everything is fine and he seems to look on the bright side of things in all his letters. I am sure he is just happy to be alive. “There is lots I could write about, but it would never get through,” I think that line says it all. What do you think?

Prelude: Here is another letter from young Hank, a solider stationed somewhere in Italy during most of World War II, but this letter is from before he was stationed in Italy. He was at Camp Pickett in Virginia when he wrote to Mr. & Mrs. Frank Fairfield in Hornell, NY. It was written in April of 1943.

 

THE LETTER:

Hello there,

It’s been a long time since I have written you. As I have told everyone else, I guess I must be getting a little lazy. Maybe it’s because of the warm weather we have been having. It really has been swell lately. This morning was a little cool, but it’s getting nice out now.

I received your box of candy. Thanks a million. It’s really swell of you. They tell me Bart Weise was in Hornell for a day or so. I sure would like to see him and Clarkie again.  Mother said he was looking fine. Bart always looked nice.

Everything is just about the same around here. That is except for a few things. We have to work six and a half days a week now. That means getting up at 6:30 every morning in the week. It doesn’t give you much time to yourself.  I guess we’ll live through it though.

How is everything going at the garage? From what Mrs. Horton says in her letters, business must be pretty bad. Someday it will be different, maybe. We hope anyway.

I’m feeling good now.  I had a slight cold, but that’s all gone now, and at best it’s almost good.  How are you and the mister feeling? I hope good. Tell him I said hello. I was hoping I could get a pass and get home for a day or so. But I guess I won’t be able to. We don’t get much of any passes now.

Well, I guess that’s about all for now. Tell everyone I said hello. Good luck and be careful. Thanks again for the candy.

As ever,

Little Hank

 

COMMENTARY:

These letters from Young Hank are always great to read. He’s always using phrases like “Thanks a million,” and things are “Swell,” it’s exactly how I would expect someone from the 1940’s to talk. It seems to me that communication was much simpler then. What do you think?