Sunday A.M.
June 30, 1940.

Dearest Sweetheart:

I’m hoping you will telephone today, but am writing this letter in case you don’t.

I agree with you that the Barrow house, 105 Cove Blvd., looks like the best bet. It looks like it is not crowded, it has no stairs, it is close to the lab and the grammar school, it rents for only $45.00, and it requires only a 6 mos. lease. The two-story house must be lovely, but $65.00 is too much to pay for a house in a small town like Panama City; furthermore, we had unpleasant experience with a long lease in Mpls. We can endure almost any unforseen unpleasant condition for 6 mos., and that will give us time to look around. Moreover, Mr. Gaddis told me something confidentially to tell you. When he saw Dr. Strong last, Dr. S. repeated that, although he could appreciate the value of your continued services in Mr. G’s division, he thought it was more necessary that you put the S.E. on a productive basis. AND he said “I’m going to need a new division chief in that work (whether it was Dr. Bishopp’s work or some other research work wasn’t quite clear to me, but I think it was Dr. B’s) and it may not be so very long off.” Moreover, Mr. G. asked him specifically if you were going to have to submit to Dr. B’s ideas in the S.E. Dr. Strong replied with an emphatic “No,” and said he was going to see to it that you did not. So, my dear young man, cheer up; your Panama City assignment may prove to be a very pleasant stepping stone to greater things. In that case, it might not be wise for us to sign a year’s lease, although we might be there longer than that.

June 30, 1940

We are enjoying Mama’s visit. I wished for you yesterday when Mama, Claudelle, Mr. G. and the boys and I took a picnic supper to Haines Point.

Don’t be too disappointed when I tell you that we received a letter from Thelma yesterday in which she said that Reitha and Boliver had married the preceding Saturday night in San Antonio in a double wedding with her roommate. Reitha had telephoned Thelma & Bob that afternoon for their consent. Reitha will finish her business course at Draughn’s in S.A. in August, and Boliver will finish his course in accounting in Uvalde in November, I believe. They both expect to work. It’s bad, but we shall have to make the best of it like we did Thelma Lee’s and Paul’s marriage. Theirs has turned out to be an unusually happy one. Thelma wrote that Thelma Lee had just won the $80.00 at the show on bank night.

Walter White has acquired a BB gun and a puppy since you were here. He acquired the latter before we learned definitely that we were going to move. Just what we shall do about it I don’t know. Lewis Dunbar is more fond of it than W.W.

We all are looking forward to seeing you on the fourth.

It is going to seem good to get our little family together again in the car and get on the road.

Honey, it is important that the house in Panama City be put in first class condition before we move in, don’t you think?

Lots & lots of love,
Ina.

It was very kind of Dr. Simmons to go to so much trouble about a house for us.