Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 19, 1940

Sunday Night 5/19-40

My dear Sweetheart,

Yours of last night was received a few minutes ago. I certainly hope the Cushings are not disappointed in the prospect of an heir, and they should not think for a second that I have any feeling about their going to Menard. I am very glad they are going. I also have the feeling that we will get somewhere on the SW problem through him.

May 19, 1940

May 19, 1940

Even though Panama City is said to be mine, I just don’t have the feeling that we are going down there. I think the assignment would be pleasant work and we could get something accomplished. Yet, if I do not go there I just do not know of anyone else to do it. Of course it could continue just as it has been for the past few years. Bruce could not supervise Dr. King’s work, and I doubt if they would let him go just for Panama City. That would be one way of reducing Dallas. Also if Laake came to Wash., that would leave only Wells & Eagleson to be transferred. My suggestion would be that, but I doubt if the Bureau is ready to boost Mr. Bruce that much. The other alternative would be to get Mr. Lindquist down there & to move Stage to assist Dornier. That would not meet with Mr. B’s approval either. Annand wants me to go & get King in good grace of Strong.

Strong did not discuss the matter with me. My visit was very short, a hello & the highlights on the bran market & our purchases. He listened with very little comment. Thought it best not to discuss Florida unless he brought up the subject.

Am returning the statement for the Liberty Mutual Co. Please look in your check stubs. I am quite sure that I gave a check when I signed the application. Also, the cancelled check should be in the April lot & listed on the statement. If not, would you send one to them. Pls. look in the black folder with my name printed on it, under auto insurance, & I think you will find the policy & the receipt.

Yesterday PM (after 5 o’clock), this AM & again this PM I took some long walks and exposed myself to the sunlight. I can breathe much better tonight & I feel better. Will continue to do this. I believe that is why I felt so much better when I came home the last time.

With love,

Your,
Walter.

The grape fruit, oranges & ham sound mighty good & it was nice of Mr. Gaddis to share them with us.

May 16, 1940

Thurs May 16, 1940.

My dear Ina & Folks,

The sleeper plane was just fine and for the first time I actually undressed & went to bed just as one would in a Pullman. From Cleveland we traveled upstairs most of the way (about 10 to 11 thousand feet). At Cheyenne Mr. Messenger joined me for the rest of the trip. Have spent two past evenings with him as he has been in the field & will leave again Sat or Friday night. R.A. is doing just fine. Dr. Wakeland is away with Mr. Dutton.

May 16, 1940

May 16, 1940

Two years ago today I had the first big fire built under me by a delegation from ND, then drove to Fargo that night. Was having trouble with one of my Butchers then. Today it is quiet and things are quite different for a grasshopper office. It has a disturbing pulse but no headaches.

The pictures made on our arrival at Great Falls seem fair & the ones of the falls look as though they will print OK, but the others did not show up well enough to try prints. Will mail them as soon as prints are obtained.

I have not written to anyone about not going to Menard and I think you should let Mother Lewis know of it. Could you break the news gently? Believe we should not say much about Panama City yet. I hope the Chief feels well enough to discuss it here Saturday or Sunday, although I do not intend to crowd him for any opinion or reaction. Think he will give it of his own accord & will give an opening for a discussion if he feels anything like normal.

With love
Walter.

Walter is apparently still helping with the grasshopper program as it gets going under new management, which is why he’s traveling back and forth between Denver and Washington. Meanwhile, it sounds as if he’s considering taking a post at the USDA research facility in Panama City, FL instead of the screw-worm facility in Menard, TX.

May 8, 1940

My dear Ina,

I mailed the checks to the Skellet Co. for storage, the New England Mutual & one to Mother Dove.

Love
Walter.

Will bring checks & deposit them at Wash.

May 8, 1940

May 8, 1940

Separate note:

May 8, 1940.

Dear Lewis Dunbar,

What kind of a boat are you building? It sounds like an Irish submarine (a brick bat). Will it float? Will see you Sunday.

Daddy.

And another…

Wednesday Night 5/8-’40

Dear Walter White,

I had some very good news on your school work and we want you to know that both Mother and I are very proud of your fine record. At the rate you are going in school you should be ready for college at an early age, and should get trained for your life work while you are young.

The grasshopper program is small in comparison to the past two years, and it seems perfectly natural to be working on it now. I plan to leave here Friday PM and should reach Washington on the B&O Sunday morning about nine o’clock, if I remember the schedule correctly. I’ll be there in time to eat Sunday dinner with you.

Yours,
Daddy.

May 7, 1940

Tuesday Night.

My dear Ina & All,

Polly is a good cook and I enjoyed her steak dinner & the visit. She wanted to know all about all of you. Later she brought up Mr. Messenger & I think I anticipated her and put her straight without offending her. Poor Dr. Wakeland will never get wise to Messenger’s dual personality, & the dislike that all have for Mr. M (except Polly).

It rained tonight & I went to a movie by myself. “A Million Years BC,” & it was interesting.

With love
Walter.

May 7, 1940

May 7, 1940

May 5, 1940

Sunday Night.

My dear Ina & Boys,

I missed you very much today. Last night I went to dinner at Mr. & Mrs. Townsend’s, and he doesn’t talk any more than I do. Mrs. Townsend served a nice dinner with roast beef and I enjoyed the dinner and visit. They have a big Persian cat to play with, and she finds it difficult to keep cat hair cleaned from the rug & furniture.

May 5, 1940

May 5, 1940

Friday night I took Polly & a Miss Cagle (one of the girls at the office from Georgia) to eat and we walked out to Polly’s apartment and visited for a couple of hours. I am to eat some of Polly’s cooking Monday night. I think she still likes Mr. Messenger pretty well and I have an idea that I’ll hear more about it later. I think the Bureau has done pretty well by him. He seems to be scrambled and I think he has had more than he could handle. R.A. seems to be feeling fine and seems to have improved some during the past two years. I hope to work pretty close with him so that he can do this work in the future. Beckwall seems to be much more agreeable since she had her operation, and she misses Quarterman too. Dick Thompson is the same and it will be a pleasure to work with him again. His good nature and smile seemed to be the principal asset for a good morale in the office. Wakeland is a sick man and I don’t know whether he will be much help or not. RA says that he insists on being at the office and this means that the three of us will be here.

It is about 60º here during the AM & PM and 84ºF on Friday. Quite a change from the snow at Chicago.

With all my love,
Walter.

May 3, 1940

Friday AM.

My dear Ina,

I arrived here about 830 this morning and will stay at the Shirley Savoy. My address for personal mail will be Room 455 this hotel. Have not been to the office but am ready to go now. Lots of snow about Chicago but here it seems like summer. Suit & leather coat arrived & look OK. Am feeling first rate & I hope that you and the folks are.

With all my love,
Walter.

May 3, 1940

May 3, 1940

May 2, 1940

Picture postcard showing the Chicago Campus of Northwestern University, addressed to Walter White.

Your report card from school is very good and we hope that the arithmetic will be on a par with the others for the last half term. Mind Mother and don’t let others tease Lewis D.

Daddy.

May 2, 1940

May 2, 1940

February 6, 1940

Stationery from the Sunset Limited, Southern Pacific Railroad.

Tues Nite – En Route to Yuma.

My dear Ina & Boys,

I had a most pleasant day at El Paso with the Pettits and tonight the Trotters came to the train with me. Dinner at the Pettits’ tonight, chicken & all of the trimmings. Visited the irrigation plant this AM & this PM we drove on the River Road above the city.

February 6, 1940

February 6, 1940

Yesterday I had a good day at Amarillo. Attended the USDA Club luncheon at noon where about 250 were present. Was introduced to the club from the speakers table but was not called on for a speech. The weather was hazy & not good for flying so did not go up in the auto-giro or Cub plane but I did visit the storage & shop. Spreirs had me to dinner lats night (steak & all the trimmings including apple pie). Landrum took me out to his house to meet the Mrs & the new baby who is about 3 weeks old. Mrs. Landrum is still in bed & weak but baby has good lungs and a strong vocal apparatus. At both places I was entertained and all seemed very glad to see me. The trouble is that they want to transfer to me. Miss Anderson & I had a cup of coffee Monday afternoon & she wants to go to Menard or Uvalde too. I told her about Polly’s wish & that it looked like Miss Autrey would continue.

Wednesday I’ll be with Mr. Rainwater at Yuma & I expect to see Mr. Schroeder there too. I should be able to see Frank about Friday & Lindquist Saturday. Think I’ll try & call on Prof Harris at Berkeley & also visit the University Exp. Sta. at Davis for a little while.

On my return from Portland I want to stop at Hamilton to see the new Public Health Lab & to see what they are doing. I should get some ideas on construction of the lab at Uvalde. Also I hope to spend a little while at Fargo before reaching Mpls. I know that all of this seems a delay in our moving from Mpls but it is all important.

John thinks that things are moving rather slowly in Denver & that the general supervisors (now called field supervisors) should sit in on the state conferences with Wakeland, RA, Mr. Holton & Mr. Dutton. It seems Messenger is with Townsend at Denver & others are in the field.

With love to all three of you,

Your
Walter.

February 4, 1940

Stationery from the Amarillo Hotel, Amarillo, TX, “The Panhandle’s Meeting Place Since 1889.”

Sunday Night Feb 4, 1940.

My dear Sweetheart & Boys,

My train got here a few minutes ago and I have just arrived at the hotel, about ten-thirty PM. It is too late to phone any of the office folks though I am sure that Duck or Landrum would come down. I’ll see them tomorrow morning and will spend the day with them, arriving at El Paso Tuesday morning. Will see AK for a few hours & go to Yuma Tuesday night. From there I’ll go to San Francisco to see Frank, then drive or take a bus to Clear Lake to see Lindquist. Will be Clear Lake about a day then north to Portland about one day. Should you write me, the best address would be care Frank Prince, US Public Health Laboratory, San Francisco, or better still in care of his residence. I intend to go into Lundquist’s lab & to Portland without any notice.

February 4, 1940

February 4, 1940

Things are breaking much better in Texas than I had anticipated. After I talked with you I called upon Mr. Parman & gave him the news about moving to Menard. He questioned the wisdom of moving there or of consolidation of the stations and said that he guessed he would quit the Bureau even though he would like to get the program going in that area. I took him to lunch at the Kincaid & then he suggested that we should call on the Chamber of Commerce as a courtesy. The Secy was much concerned about it & thought we should find out how much Uvalde could do. He took us to the airport, Bureau of Fisheries & a new livestock pavilion west on US 90. The city C of C had donated land to all of these & he felt certain that he could give us 49 acres in one tract (which they have leased for 50 years) and that they could buy 6 acres with a 6 room house adjoining the livestock grounds and deed it to us for a building site. They have a good well 300 gals. per min. which will be used by us without charge, electricity available & we could also use the pavillion grounds when not in use by them. Land across the road & adjoining our tract can be rented & he is quite sure at 75¢ per acre. We pay 1.25 at Menard. It looks mighty fine & I think I have some good arguments for the chief. I have a feeling that Uvalde will be the place though I talked the advantages of Menard at Dallas. All of them except Mr. Parish at Menard seem to welcome the idea of Uvalde, even Dr. Laake. Strange to say Laake hopes that I’ll be in charge & that I’ll not be there just to organize but to direct the work. The notice (press) by Strong had prepared all of them for my visit & I received a most cordial reception everywhere. Different ones told me that they were glad & wanted to work with me. Mr. Parman did not say so, but seemed enthusiastic about the C of C offer. I am not worried about his cooperation.

I’ve tried to interest myself in the details of work of different men & how the move would affect them, though it does seem rather tame compared to ‘hopper work.

One thing I want to do here regards the use of an auto giro for tests at Uvalde. Parman & Barnett think we can find strong goats & sheep from the air & were enthusiastic about tests. It is worth trying soon.

Lots of love & hoping to see you before very long.

Your
Walter

Miss Autrey (Mrs. Baker) thinks she would like to go to Uvalde. My guess is that she will find a place at Dallas in a new govt. agency. WED.

January 19, 1940

Plain postcard

Jan. 19, 1940.

Am leaving KC by Rock Island for Dallas at 110 PM today and should be at Arlington early tomorrow morning. After taking care of mail forwarded from Denver I expect to drive direct to San Marcos also San Antonio for likely sites. Then I’ll be able to weigh Menard pro & con. This would begin at Uvalde about Tuesday or Wednesday with a day or two with Parman, then Sonora, Menard & Dallas. Believe this a better route if roads OK. Will drive carefully.

Walter.

January 19, 1940

January 19, 1940