Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 12, 1930

Monday Noon.

My dear Sweetheart,

Last night I received two letters. We did not get the mail Sat PM nor Sun. AM so both were in the box when I went down last night. I spent a long day yesterday. Did not work on the manuscript. I painted the woodwork in the kitchen and breakfast room. I followed suggestions about using yellow to tone down the green, but when the paint (satin finish like that used in the bath room) dried it was quite dark. It seems to harmonize with everything but it makes the kitchen a little darker. I have a small can of floor paint for the back porch. I want to get the porch painted in a few days. Mr. Somnier says he will come out and help fix the steps, gate, garage door and replace some missing shingles on the roof. I want to get the hammer knocking and paint odors fixed up before you and Walter White return.

May 12, 1930

May 12, 1930

Does Claudelle mean that she will make some more drawings when she returns to Dallas or should I send some material for her to work with at Parman’s lab? Think it would be better to do them here if she has time. Mr. Roberts has some drawings to be made, too, but his paper is not as urgent as Babcock’s.

I am proud of the behavior of Walter White. Hope he is as good when you do not have company, especially during the night. I certainly miss both of you and Claudelle.

With love from

Your
Walter.

May 9, 1930

May 9. 1PM.

My dear Sweetheart,

Your letter came this morning. It is mighty fine that Walter White is on his good behavior. Hope he keeps up his reputation.

May 9, 1930

May 9, 1930

A letter from Bish suggests that we wait about crating furniture until after he and I make the survey in June. He thinks it will be as late as June 10th before he can meet me down there. It looks like I should go down by train and make the necessary hand shakes and then return for you. I have an idea that he wants the moving expense charged to the sand fly appropriation. The appropriation will not be available until July 1st. So far as he knows it is satisfactory to move during this summer.

I phoned Mrs. Laake last night. She sends her love. Mr. Laake is in Menard. He is expected Sunday morning.

All bills except telephone are in. I am paying all of the Harper interest (132), also 25 to Dr. Harmab.

Am beginning a revision of the A.B. paper for Hopkins. Gave the Babcock MS to Mr. Smith yesterday.

I pulled dandy lions from the lawn last night. The back yard and driveway also need attention. The Bermuda grass is growing nicely and the Euonymous twigs in the new transplanted places look OK. The house is OK.

All of us send love to all of you. We hope you sleep well. We miss you.

With love,
Walter.

May 8, 1930

Thursday A.M.

My dear Sweetheart,

Arrived here yesterday afternoon. Was caught in a rain below Waco. Spent the night at Grande Court. Account of storm thought that I could not do much work at Wortham so returned to Dallas. Found everything OK at the house. Mrs. Chamberlain saw that the tornado killed one of their uncles at Routh. Both Mr. & Mrs. Chamberlain have relatives and friends there. They lived there before coming to Dallas. Mr. Laake is in Menard. Mr. Smith is at the office. Mr. Sommier is chewing and smiling as usual. I am trying to finish the Babcock manuscript before I tackle the thesis paper.

Hope all of you are getting along OK.

With love,

Walter.

May 8, 1930

May 8, 1930

May 7, 1930

Almost a year has passed since the Alaska trip (and you thought it was just a weekend). Walter and Ina are back in Texas. Ina and their first son, Walter White Dove, are apparently visiting her parents in Uvalde, while Walter Sr. is on the road working on his louse and fly projects for the USDA.

Postcard from Grande Courts, 1000 Elm Street, Waco, Texas – “America’s finest tourist quarters.”

Wed. A.M.

Arrived here about 8 PM. Rain in this vicinity and near Wortham. Am going to Dallas this morning and will go to Wortham when dry weather is on. Will write tomorrow. With love,

Walter.

May 21, 1930

May 21, 1930

Autumn 1929?

I can’t decipher a date on this telegram, but it’s probably from late 1929, when Walter and Dr. White received an award from the American Medical Association for their work on larva migrans.

CHARLESTON SOCAR 11 839A
DR W E DOVE. EXHIBIT BOOTH CONVENTION HALL
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSO

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH WE ARE SO GLAD LOVE
INA.

Autumn 1929?

Autumn 1929?

June 1929

We’re in another gap in the letters, as Walter and Ina are together again. He returned to Dallas with his Sc.D. from Johns Hopkins, and the two of them left immediately for his new assignment in Alaska. Walter investigated a parasitic fly that was laying its eggs in the hides of reindeer, sickening the animals and riddling their skins with holes. After working out the insect’s life cycle, Walter recommended a series of control measures that would prevent the problem. I believe someone in the family still has a chair upholstered in fly-damaged reindeer hide, a souvenir from this trip.

Ina was pregnant with their first child as they journeyed up the Nome River in an open boat.

June 1929

June 1929

May 19, 1929

Sunday PM. 11:00.

My dear Sweetheart,

I have just returned from the Corts. Place card enclosed herewith. The Scotts and the Springlers, Sarles and I were present. The lunch was very nice and informal. I wore my black suit and so did the other men except Scott. He wore a light grey. Chicken a la King on toast, hot biscuits, asparagus, mashed potatoes, some kind of a fritter, olives etc. Fresh strawberries with pineapple etc. for dessert. It was OK. Scott talks as much as ever. Cort said that Scott did not have the Egypt job closed but that it would come OK. They do not feel sure yet.

May 19, 1929

May 19, 1929

They have a Chevrolet sedan, mileage 10M. Everyone wished that you could have been there. Mrs. Springler was anxious to meet you. She has a position somewhat similar to the one you had. She did not find one until after Xmas. Springler gets his degree this spring and may take a job on swine parasites with Hall, location in Alabama. He is on Cushing’s type. She is quiet, refined and rather good looking.

I have not talked to anyone about the Alaska job. Think it better to keep quiet about it.

Tonight Cort told me that he was “very pleased” with my written examination. That I had a better grasp of helminthology than he had supposed. He also assured me that I would get the degree OK. The oral is a form and it is up to the candidate to make a good impression on the thesis and minors. This sounds good. I feel more certain of it now.

I took a box (2#) of candy to Mrs. Cort and the girls. They were very appreciative. Mrs. Scott’s Xmas cards were returned to her both times.

Am studying bacteriology, protozoology and ento for the oral. Root said in a joking way that he might quiz me on entomology too. I hope he does. I think I’d impress the committee more favorably.

With all my love, your
Walter.

I have not mailed the Owenwood check. If you need some money draw on the account.

Monday AM.

Sweetheart,

Just received your letters of Tuesday, Wed & Friday, and I enjoyed them more than you think. I am glad that everything is going OK.

I am going downtown sometime today to look up the sailings for Alaska. Sounds funny, doesn’t it? I’d like to tell Cort but I am afraid that the news would reach persons whom we would not care to know of it. The thesis news seems to be rather general among the Sch. Hyg. folks.

I am sorry that Jimmie has trouble with his car & that he had 25 expense [?]. However it had the earmarks of such a car. Think he will get a lot of good out of it, anyway.

I want to talk to Bishopp about taking Jimmie to Alaska. It is advisable to see how he comes on the exam. It may be better to not interfere with his course work at SMU. Maybe next summer he can go with us.

With all my love, Dear,

Your
Walter.

May 18, 1929

Baltimore Md.
Saturday Night 11:30 PM

My dear Sweetheart,

I spent today in Washington and attended the meeting tonight (Helm. Soc.) I reported on the thermotropic experiments and the report went over in good shape. Stiles made a few remarks in the form of contratulations to Dr. White and I in our establishing a precedent of breaking away from the time honored rules of an entomologist for insects. All others hands off! Said he wanted to work a problem which dealt with an insect and he was not permitted to do so. That we had broken the old established rule which should have not been a rule and that he was glad of it. Dr. White and I decided that it was better to keep “mum,” so it was not discussed in the meeting. I rather wish that I had not reported, but Dr. White said it was OK anyhow since Stiles needed a chance to get it off his chest and that he probably felt better. I started to skip the meeting, but Dr. White insisted that we go down. I did not report on the incidental infections of A. braziliense and A. caninum in the boy. I am glad that I did not.

May 18, 1929

May 18, 1929

Hall is in the hospital. He is improving but may be confined for two months more. Only one man besides myself was present from Hopkins. He made a report. Other reports were of passing interest.

The Alaska work is practically forced on me. I indicated to Bishopp that I would be interested and that I’d consider it if my wife could make the trip with me. That I felt that I should have sufficient expenses to take care of both of us. He does not know how much will be allowed but the Bureau pays the salary and the Territory of Alaska pays expenses. Told him that I was not in position to finance the trip. He is attempting to get an advance from the Dept. & to get other advances from the Governor of Alaska. I am enclosing the telegram. Bish thinks that it is a wonderful opportunity for his division to get in and establish itself on the parasites. He thinks that about 20% can be added to my salary to take care of increased expense. The trip would begin from Seattle about June 7-10th and we would be up there until about the middle of October. The same for next year. We would be in Dallas when we returned from up there.

The problem is of vital importance and it is an opportunity to accomplish something of lasting value to the reindeer industry. I believe I can do something which they have not been able to do in the cattle grub problem. I have confidence enough in my ability and curiosity enough in Alaska to want to go up there. Bish is figuring that I am going. If you have a serious objection to it, wire me at Bureau Tuesday.

I asked Bish if he considered Mr. Laake for the place. That I did not want to get any hard feelings with him. Bish said that Laake’s physical condition was not good and that he could not possibly be considered on that account.

If possible I’ll leave Washington Thursday night for Dallas. It may be Friday night. We would have only a limited time to get things in shape to leave, but I think we would have sufficient time after I get to Dallas. I wish we could take Claudelle with us, but I cannot see how we could do it this summer. We’ll see what they offer for expenses etc. We will probably go this summer and next. I’d like to take Jimmie too, but it does not look favorable. Bish wants him to go to Southern California in Aug. Too, he needs a summer course at SMU. We do not know about his exam yet. They are grading mighty close. In another lot 10 passed & 8 failed. I hope we can get Jimmie over the dead line. Bish will do what he can but there are three others to grade the papers too and two of them are firm in their convictions of the values of answers.

The written exam yesterday lasted for about six hours. 10 long questions out of 12 in the forenoon and about 200 short, rather catch questions, in the PM. Think I passed but I did not make a wonderful grade. The exam was fair but directed for the younger ones who are leaving this year.

I’ll have lunch with the Corts tomorrow (Sun) evening. Will see how the exam took with him.

With all my love, Dear, and with hopes of seeing you about this time next week,

Your
Walter.

May 17, 1929

Friday Noon.

We had part of the exam this morning and after lunch we will get the rest of it. I imagine it will take part of tonight too.

Mrs. Scott & Mrs. Cort are here this noon. They send love.

Always
your
Walter

May 17, 1929

May 17, 1929

The letter and photo enclosed with this are from a Dorothy Cort. The back of the photo is dated April 8, 1929, and says “Helen, 13 yrs. old today; Peggy, 11-1/2; and Dorothy, almost 9.”

Dear Mrs. Dove,

We all thank you for the many pretty things you have given us. I have had so many things to do since Christmas I haven’t had time to write to you. We still play with our dishes that you sent us. We haven’t broken one of them yet. Every one is envious of them. I hope that you are coming up to Baltimore when Mr. Dove comes. We got tennis racquets this year and are anxious to learn how to play. Mother had a dinner of eleven of Daddy’s dept. men last night and gave them Chinese food to eat.

With love to you
From Dorothy Cort