Category Archives: Uncategorized

February 4, 1942

Wednesday Feb. 4

My dear Sweetheart & Boys,

It was great to get two letters from home, so I’m sending another one. It seems ages since I left but it was just one week ago this AM that I arrived here.

February 4, 1942

February 4, 1942

Cushing came back on Monday AM and I was glad to see him. He is very helpful on this program, even if I have not yet made any fumigation tests. My first cooperators did not come through because of the effect of the gas on the equipment and the possible danger of releasing it in the city. The quantities are small but it is a tear gas. Arrangements have been made to do the tests at Beltsville where I can borrow from three different places. I borrowed a car from a third office today, and I’ll get it tomorrow. Yesterday I purchased 24 suits of underwear for prisoners of the District jail. They will be exchanged to individuals for ones that I can fumigate.

Annand & Bishopp are at the Memphis meetings, also Prof. Harned at his own expense.

Talked with Hoyt this PM. I called upon him for a little visit. He does not seem like the same one to me. Like the others (Rohner and Spencer) he is strictly in line with Annand & without regard to Strong or the past. I’m disappointed in him, but of course I did not try to draw him out or to ask for anything. A friendly visit regarding the dog fly control & the present work, then he suggested a young man from Colorado for the new work. Wakeland is here and sent word that he wanted to see me. I’ll see him tomorrow and I’ll guess that he mentions the same man. Also Cushing & I are calling on Major Stone tomorrow AM to get some gas masks, & for a conference.

Every division of the Bureau is getting a cut except Man & Animals & it is getting two new projects amounting to $94,000 on defense. Also the dog fly control program is coming back to the Bureau. I am to talk to the Biological Society of Washington on Sat. eve. 8 PM for 35 min. on “dog fly control in N.W. Fla.”

There will be no money for control of salt marsh mosquitoes & sand flies & Dr. Williams is returning to malaria in the USPHS.

With love
Walter.

Sent Kodak pictures last night. New ones not yet developed.

February 1, 1942

Sunday Noon.

My dear Ina & Boys,

Yesterday morning we had an air raid drill in the agricultural buildings, which amounted to a concentration of the personnel on certain floors at designated places. There was nothing exciting about it, but some of them seemed to like the idea of being wardens or First Aid people.

February 1, 1942

February 1, 1942

Mr. Hall phoned that his neighbor was a secretary to Congressman Sikes & asked if I would join them at noon. We had lunch in the Capitol Bldg. with the Congressman and Mr. Terry Lee the secretary who lives at Marianna. It was a sociable visit with some discussion of the dog fly control work. The Congressman asked if anyone objected to the use of creosote, and I told him that they did not make it known to me. We heard of one unfavorable comment which anticipated the use of creosote but that none was used on such premises. Also told him of the Park Supt. at Santa Rosa who wanted to know if shore birds walking on treated grass would be burned. Mr. Sikes said that not a single complaint had been received by his office, and that he had heard favorable comments on the work. They expect to get a project through for the Bureau.*

Most every research division is to get a cut, except Man & Animals. Prof. Harned expects to be reduced from $145,000 to $120,000. There is much uneasiness in the Bureau. Rumors float about on moving the whole Bureau to Kansas City or somewhere else. They have no instructions to move, but may get them. From what I can hear, Annand is making a lot of changes and they are coming gradually but fast enough to put things on edge. Different ones have told me that my standing was ace high now, with no comments on what it has been. They expect Mr. G to be shorn of most of his projects but do not say in what way. I’ve seen Bish a few times and I’ve never seen him as worried looking as at present.

There is some good news on retirements. Anyone can retire before he is 55 if he has had 15 years service, but will not draw any retirement money until he reaches 55. Then he can get 15/30 of 70% of his regular rate of pay at the time he quits. The rate increases with years of service and one must retire at 62. Dr. B is about 60, so that he could not be in longer than 2 more years. I would expect King Parman and Laake to retire within a couple of years, though I am not certain of their ages.

There will be a memo on the subject of retirement before long & it should give all of the information we want. Until then we have this to think about, and I think it is OK.

With lots of love to all of you.

Daddy.

* Remember, this was a project that involved spraying thousands of gallons of oil and creosote over the beaches near Pensacola. Priorities were different in 1942.

January 29, 1942

Thursday Night

My dear Sweetheart,

When I mailed your letter last night I thought of the Jax property & I put a note on the outside of the envelope. Could you write the Tax Assessor, County Clerk House & ask for our statement for last year. I would do this, but I do not remember the description.

January 29, 1942

January 29, 1942

This AM I called upon Major Stone and I learned more of his exact needs. When I determine the fumigation periods & can get a portable fumigation box I am to get it into use at Camp Jackson at Columbia S.C. I found a fairly good article on chloropicrin & believe it may help a lot because the Army prefers to use this material.

Miss Trembley & I called on the City Health authorities this PM & we believe we will have some addresses to work soon. Also we are getting an arrangement with the jail authorities.

This PM Mrs. Cushing was in the office and I asked her to eat dinner with me. We ate at the Chinese restaurant and she left for home as soon as we finished. She had a letter from Claudelle saying that she (Claudelle) and BM would be back on Feb. 5. It was written from Harbinger.

Permission was cancelled by the Bureau for our attendance at Memphis. This would have happened even if I had been able to go there. Bish will go but I did not ask him to read our papers.

I have been invited to talk on dog flies before the Biological Society one week from Sat. if I am here & it looks like I’ll be here. I think Mr. Stage asked Dr. Simmons to send the slides. If not, will you ask Dr. Simmons to send them to me at the Bureau. I’ll write him in a few days.

It was a pleasure to visit with Mrs. Cushing. The Bureau visits are so unsatisfactory during the day that it is a relief. There is a lot of uncertainty in the changes about the Bureau and most of the folks seem jittery. Things are not like they used to be and we have to recognize that fact.

With love to WW, Lewis, Tommie and my wife,

Sincerely & always,
Walter

January 28, 1942

Stationery from the Bellevue Hotel, 15 E Street NW, Washington, DC.

Wednesday Night 1/28-42

My dear Sweetheart,

We got to Jax just in time to get the 7:45 ACL and I arrived here at 8:30 AM and was in the office at 9 AM the new time for starting in the Bureau. Hours are to 5:30 PM now. After a conference called by FC consisting of Stage, Back, Miss Trembley and myself, which did not amount to anything not already arranged for, I went over the different places with Miss Trembley and this PM we tried to find one that would furnish us some lousy clothes for fumigation tests. We spent some time in the Dist. Jail & got some encouragement, if we can give some new underwear to replace the old. We are trying to get a dispensation to do this.

January 28, 1942

January 28, 1942

Tomorrow morning I am to call on Major Stone (alone) and see what he can do to help and to let him know I’m here etc. I think he can command some cooperation from the city, because Wash. DC City is a federal agency. Anyway I am going to try it. It is just as difficult to get things done, except more so at present. Too much red tape and increased machinery.

Dr. Wakeland is here but I have not seen him. He was appointed as a division leader for ‘hoppers & crickets today.

Think I’ll ask for a conference with Ammand & talk to him. Dog fly will be in Bureau for Gulfport office next year, at least it is lined up that way. Would you like Gulfport?

A big hello to WW, Lewis & Tommie,

With love,
Walter

January 7, 1942

Walter and Ina were together in December 1941, so we don’t have any insight on their immediate thoughts about the US entry into WWII. However, Walter’s work is about to change directions because of that. The USDA is now consolidating various research and control teams, and will soon reassign Walter to direct a project that will define both his career and the future trajectory of entomology.

Tuesday Night

May get away in a day or two but I am not having all of the luck that was anticipated. We think that time will bring consolidation but objections are not easy to overcome.

Walter.

January 7, 1942

January 7, 1942

Late September, 1941

These photos show state-of-the-art insect control in late 1941. Walter and his USDA colleagues had discovered that the dog flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) infesting the Panama City, FL area bred in decaying organic matter along the area’s beaches. To get rid of the flies, the team loaded barges with oil and creosote, then mixed the two petroleum products and sprayed them on the beaches and marsh grasses all along the shore. This sounds completely horrifying by modern environmental standards – the resulting oil slick must have extended for miles – but these were the tools available at the time.

Late September 1941

Late September 1941

September 4, 1941

PANAMACITY FLO SEP 4 735 P 1941 SEP 5 AM 8 14
MRS W E DOVE=
220 WEST MESQUITE ST

ARRIVING NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY NIGHT AND WILL MEET YOU AT SP DEPOT SUNDAY MORNING. LOVE=
WALTER.

September 4, 1941

September 4, 1941

September 1, 1941

Stationery from the Fort Gatlin Hotel, Orlando, FL.

Panama City Monday.

My dear Ina & Boys,

Have been rushed, but the dog fly control work is getting under way now. The Public Health horned in for the money and 2 of their men are here to make purchases. It is a PH program but actually we are operating it with Bureau funds for salaries etc. on the basis of an exchange of funds.

September 1, 1941

September 1, 1941

I went in by air for a conference on Thurs. night of last week & left Washington last Monday night arriving here about noon last Tuesday. Verbal arrangements were made with the PHS while I was at Washington. On Wed. night I met Mr. Padget at DeFiniak [?] & spent the night there. Mr. Dopson & RA were there and all came here. On Thursday night trucks rolled in from Gulfport & Florala so that our yard at the lab was filled with them. Friday we mounted sprayers on 8 barges & opened an office at #11 Page Bldg (upstairs over music store). The phone number there is 10. The control set up there is entirely separate from research, but Dr. Simmons is in close work with us & one man is helping him on research phases. Oil is being bought from the Sunny State & 30000 gals of creosote from Pensacola, delivered here by trucks with 1000 gal. tanks.

Mr. Griggs is in charge at Ft. Walton with 3 barge units which we shipped by tug boat from here at 6AM Sunday. Our first sprayer operated at Tyndall field on Sat. Mr. Landrum, Duck, Culpepper and Miller are in the crew. We will have 2 big barges with supply tanks, one at Ft. Walton & 1 here.

At Wash. I had a good visit with Claudelle & BM. Spent night at their house & they seem like newly weds. Joyce was there part of the time. Dr. Annand seems to be starting out OK as Chief.

Yesterday I had dinner & a good one with Simmons. In PM I took Mr. & Mrs. Landreau, Mr. & Mrs. Duck & son (8 yrs) for a drive to see the barges.

The high school opens next Friday & the date for opening of other schools has not been announced. After the Board meeting this week they will announce the date. Usually it is one week after the high school. Will let you know when. If you could come either next Sunday or one week from Sunday I could meet you in the car at New Orleans. If you could arrive at N.O. on Sunday morning I could be at the station & we could eat breakfast at the station & drive home that day. I’ll bring the ice box in the car. You could wire me Tourate when to meet you.

With love to all of you,
Walter.

P.S. I am enclosing the Kehoe check with my endorsement. You can endorse & cash at Uvalde. Would suggest you call the station agent a day or two before you leave & reserve a drawing room to New Orleans.

August 23, 1941

Sat. A.M.
Aug. 23, 1941.

Dearest Sweetheart:

Tommy is 7 months old today. I don’t know how much he weighs, but he is a heap big man. He sits alone on the floor and plays now. No doubt it will not be long before he crawls. He really is a very fine baby.

August 23, 1941

August 23, 1941

Honey, I employed a Mexican girl to come at 8 o’clock every morning and stay until she washes the dishes after noon. During that time she cleans the house (at least she cleans as much as Mama will let her), and does most of the boys’ and my laundry. I pay her $3.00 a week, although I had a hard time persuading Mama to let me do it.

I must say you were smart to do all of that laundry. I can’t imagine ironing that many shirts.

It is definitely summer time here, but 108ยบ here doesn’t seem as hot as the Panama City temperatures.

We are going to see Reitha this afternoon. She brought her baby to see us when it was a month old. Last Sunday afternoon she carried W.W., L.D., and me to a show. Mama talked to her over the ‘phone this A.M., and she said tell you “hello.” She seems to be happy. Bolivar is making $30 a week keeping books for the construction company at the new air school here, and says he is in line for another raise. He started at $20 per week, was soon raised to $25, and now to $30.

Mama said to tell you she is very proud of your boys, and that she wishes you could take your vacation now in “good, cool Uvalde.”

A few afternoons ago Papa carried W.W., L.D., and me to the Nueces at the La Pryor crossing. The children could only wade though, because the water that was not real shallow was much too deep for them. He plans to take us all to Garner Park Sunday afternoon for a swim and a picnic supper.

Honey, will you please find out how early in Sept. the grammar schools open? The high school opens a week before the others, I believe. Uvalde schools are changing from 11 to 12 grades this year. We have 12 in Panama City. The work here will be rearranged in the grammar grades.

I do hope the control project has been arranged by now.

It is time for the postman.

We think of you lots and wish for you.

Lots of love,
Ina.

P.S. Have the sweeper and the ice cream freezer come? The freezer is not paid for because there had been difficulty in getting that item, and the lady in the Panama City Sears office thought it best to have it shipped to that office C.O.D.

Ina.