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May 15, 1938

Sunday PM. May 15th

My Dear Ina & Boys,

Your letters were appreciated very much. I think Lewis Dunbar and Walter White are improving in their letter writing. I am enclosing a sticker for Lew’s automobile (Northwest Airlines). A statement on insurance in Charleston is also enclosed for Mother. It is due June 1.

May 15, 1938

May 15, 1938

These are rush days and nights. Today I listed some expense accounts & I hope to get them in some time this week if the sec’y is not rushed too much with other things. Hoppers are hatching and bait materials are being shipped. The next six or 8 weeks will tell the story of control or no control. Naturally everyone is doing all he can to get them poisoned while they are young and before they leave the hatching beds along the roadsides and edges of the fields.

I am glad that you sent the gifts to Mother Lewis & Mother Dove, also that the boys had one for my wife.

I feel sorry for Gilbert but perhaps it is best after all.

I am enclosing a receipt on the New England payment of $100. I think we can afford to pay another $100 on it now, if you will send it. Seems better to do this than try to reduce Kenmore house now.

Our work is pretty trying but we seem to be ahead of the game this year by shipping some materials early. Also some were shipped in excess last year which helped a great deal. Gaddis was here when I got back but left two days later after the conference with Annand & Packard here.

Tomorrow I am to talk an hour to the University of Minn. students in Entomology on screw worm control. This makes the 3rd time I’ve been called on to do this in universities up here. Iowa, Missouri & Minn. I packed some graphs and haven’t used them yet but plan to take them to Minn. U. tomorrow.

Strong is to receive his doctorate at LSU on May 31 and you and I were invited by Anderson to attend the banquet. I wrote to him of the affair & expressed regret that we could not be present. No doubt Strong and Rohner will come out before long. I look for them when Congress closes its session. It looks as though our G hop funds might be replenished with another million or more before the closing of the session*.

With lots of love to all three of you.

Your
Walter.

A million-dollar appropriation in 1938 would equal about $16 million in today’s money.

May 8, 1938

Mpls.
Sunday morning.

My dear Ina,

Friday night I returned here and yesterday was an all day conference. Mr. Gaddis, Dr. Annand, & Packard (in charge, Cereal & Forage Insect Investigations) & Fred Butcher my assistant. Had it not been for this conference I would have gone to San Antonio for this week end. It looked as though I would make it from Amarillo for about 1 day & would return from S. Antonio to Mpls. by night plane Friday night. But there was no direct schedule north. The time required by plane was as long as that by plane [sic]. I left Amarillo Thursday at 5 PM & arrived here Friday night 9:45 PM.

May 8, 1938

May 8, 1938

The western trip was a good one and I believe I left the State people in each state in a friendly and cooperative mood. Dorward made a good impression and I believe he will work hard.

While I was away Mr. Gaddis ran the office here for a week. He was very helpful & I am glad that he was here. He secured approval from Wash. on 65% of the allotments & had a new girl on tabulations of bait material by counties on that basis. With the approach of the wet season over the g hop area and with initial shipments already made, we feel that we are in splendid shape. Last week was

More later.

With love
Walter

Yes, that’s how the letter ends. I guess Walter was called away suddenly.

May 5, 1938 (from Walter White* Dove)

533 West Magnolia
May 5, 1938

Dear Daddy

We are going to Uvalde Saturday and I think we are going to the river.

If so, I will cast some. I know how to cast pretty good.

And maybe, if papa will come I may be able to shoot my thirty-two.

May 5, 1938 (Walter White)

May 5, 1938 (Walter White)

* In case anyone reaches this post through a Google search and is confused, this is a letter sent by a little boy named Walter W. Dove to his father, Walter E. Dove, in 1938. Neither had anything to do with the characters in Breaking Bad.

May 1, 1938

Stationery from the Pony Express/Union Pacific Railroad.

Sunday Night May 1

My dear Ina & Boys,

Am en route to Denver from the Northwest and from there I expect to return to Mpls. I left Mr. Dorward at Elks Nevada this noon. We called on committees in 5 northwestern states and I believe Mr. Dorward is on a good start. The preliminary arrangements seem to be going ahead.

May 1, 1938

May 1, 1938

Hope things are going OK at Mpls. I’ve talked to Kenneth a time or two and things seem to be moving along very well. Saw RA & Mr. Townsend but did not get to visit a great deal with them. Mr. Spencer went with Dorward & me from Mpls. No doubt Mr. Gaddis will be out soon, then Rohner & later Mr. Strong. He is in Europe now and is expected back about the 1st of June.

This PM the train crossed the Great Salt Lake. It contains 23% salt & there are no fish in it. I saw one seagull & it was near the shore.

Last Tuesday night Dorward & I drove from Logan to Salt Lake City & took a plane to Helena Mont. then Spokane that night. We crossed the Divide four times on that flight. We saved about 2 days traveling by making that flight & Dorward seemed to enjoy it. It was his first trip by air. RA seems to enjoy plane travel too. I take trains unless there is some distinct advantage to be gained in saving time.

Tomorrow I meet Mr. Phil McCampbell the State Ent. of Colorado. Last year he had to call out the National Guard to fight grasshoppers.

With love to all of you,
Walter

P.S. I wired Reitha to come to Mpls with you.

April 23, 1938

Stationery from the Chicago & North Western Line railroad.

Saturday Night

My dear Ina,

Have been at Minneapolis since Monday night late. At present Mr. Dorward, Mr. Spencer and I are en route to Salt Lake City. Mr. Spencer is the business manager of the Bureau and seems to have found things in pretty good shape at our office. He is on his way to the Mormon cricket office. Mr. Gaddis will be back in Mpls this week but I hope that I can be there by the time he comes. From Salt Lake we go to Logan Utah, Moscow Idaho, Pullman Washington, Corvallis Oregon, Reno Nevada (I have a committee there) and perhaps to Denver on my return. I need the time at Mpls but can’t be in two places at the same time.

April 23, 1938

April 23, 1938

I sent the checks by airmail & I think they were on the way at the same time as your letter. Sorry that your bank acct. was so depleted. I had lost track. Did you get the Kehoe check? Will try to see that you are not almost embarassed again.

I am expecting Walter White to look after you and Lewis Dunbar while I am away. When you move to Mpls will teach him about fishing for pike. They are a game fish.

With love to the three of you.
Walter

April 19, 1938

Tuesday Night April 19, 1938

My dear Ina,

I am enclosing 1 salary check $225.16, 1 expense check $102.85 and 1 check from Mr. Chamberlain for $35.65 for deposit. I believe I endorsed with the full name this time. I am keeping one expense check for 41.65. Also had the salary check for April 1 in American Express checks. Am returning Mr. McAvoy’s letter re: collection Kehoe’s notes and it seems OK.

April 19, 1938

April 19, 1938

Dr. Wakeland and I went to Brookings, then Fargo & I returned here at 2 AM today. It is now 12 PM & the elevator man wants to go.

I love you Honey and don’t forget it.

Your
Walter.

April 17, 1938

Stationery from the Hotel Graver, “Homelike appointments with good eats at our coffee shop,” Fargo, ND.

Sunday 4:00 PM

My dear Sweetheart,

Dr. Wakeland came to Mpls Friday morning and Saturday we drove to Brookings for a conference with the committee on cricket and G hop control. Last night we came as far as Watertown where we spent the night and today we drove here. He has a conference with Prof. Munro this evening and I expect to sit in it with him. Tomorrow Mr. Shotwell and Dorward will attend a meeting of our G hop men with me. Dorward arrived at Mpls Sat. AM after Wakeland and I left there. Plan to have him spend a few days in ND to get familiar with G hop control and later in the week I’ll accompany him to Salt Lake City for a visit to the different states out in the N. West. He will have about 8 men in 5 states. We should have been there before now but the other areas were more pressing. We have been shipping bait materials during the past two weeks and by the end of next week we will have delivered the first allotments in all except the N.W. There are now about 60 men working in the field and we expect about 100. Most of the others have been selected and recommended to Wash.

April 17, 1938

April 17, 1938

Since Thursday rains have fallen rather generally over the Dakotas and Minnesota and I believe in the more southern states. About 3 weeks of rainy weather would favor development of G hop diseases and would reduce our job considerably.

The sox, handkerchiefs, ties and the card from the boys were received on the morning of the 14th. I also received ties and sox from Mr. & Mrs. Lewis. I appreciate all of them very much and wish to thank you for selecting them. I am writing a note to Mother Lewis but would appreciate it if you would tell them so too.

This job has kept me in one grand rush ever since it started and I guess it will be that way until the season closes and perhaps for reports then. Nights and Sundays are the same as any other time. Regardless of where I travel, the phone calls and the telegrams reach me. I am sure that you can reach me at most any time through the Mpls office, even if I am not so far from San Antonio.

Wakeland says that he cannot understand Mr. Roberts, and that RA wrote him a memo asking for specific instructions one time. He thinks R.A. should assist him and take responsibility in the work. I told him that R.A. was peculiar at times and that I probably knew him as well as anyone. His judgement is good and when placed in a position where he has to make a decision, he usually does it well. I hope that they get along OK.

Most of the Committees are quiet now and I hope to be aggressive enough so that I am not put on the defensive in this program. I am trying to keep a few steps ahead of them. Many of them are wondering just how far they can go as a state program. They are inclined to take all of the credit just as they have during the past 4 years. My instructions to the supervisors place them under our own office for reports with copies to state leaders. The state leaders have some weak spots which they wish to keep covered and they do not like this. Later, I think they will say that it was all for the best & that they like it.

I received your letter about my visit to Aberdeen and wonder what the letter was like which you did not mail.

I hope that you do not misunderstand about the visit there. I had already written to Mrs. H and told of it when I was at home. I went to Aberdeen because it was Saturday. I wanted to see Mr. Allen of the Dakota Farmer and because I needed to get away from the office strain a while. I was surprised that Evalyn was there and they did not know that I was coming. They were surprised too. I think that you should not feel badly about it at all. The visit was friendly and I think I’ve told you all. At least there isn’t anything to keep from you. I made a friendly visit and that will do until you get here. If you wish to call on them with me, I’ll be glad to take you and the sons. Please forget it.

With lots of love to all of you

Your
Walter.

Separate page

Easter Sunday

Dear Walter White,

Daddy wishes to thank you for the nice big card from you and Lewis on his birthday. He does not feel older and it didn’t hurt a bit when he got to be 44 years old.

All of the snow melted sometime ago and pretty soon the grasshoppers will be hatching. We have about 7500 cars of poison bait and about 100 men to supervise the work in 24 states. It is a big job and Daddy’s telephone rings a great deal.

Will come home as soon as I can conveniently arrange to do so but cannot tell yet.

Love
Daddy.

April 13, 1938

Postmarked Minneapolis, MN.

Wed. Night.

Last week we met 6 state committees, 1 each day, and traveled from here to Little Rock to Madison Wisc. and Lansing Mich., met one committee here Monday. Have about 6 in pile of letters waiting and we are shipping bait materials. KDQ got back from a western trip. Expect Dorward here next Friday & after visiting Brookings and Fargo with he & Dr. Wakeland the Mormon Cricket man, will go with Dorward to the Northwest. This program has plenty of activity in 24 different states & we are trying to keep ahead of pressure.

Love,
Walter.

April 14, 1938

April 14, 1938

April 2, 1938

Postmarked Minneapolis, MN.

Plan to be away all of next week. Columbia Mo. Monday, Manhattan Kas. Tuesday; Little Rock Wednesday Urbana Ill. Friday; Madison Wisc. Sat. & return here Sat. night or Sunday. Plan see Claudelle few minutes also will meet Rainwater at Little Rock. Plenty of rush work with promise of such a season this year. Most of the force are on duty in the office but few more states to organize.

Love
W.E.D.

April 2, 1938

April 2, 1938