“Postal Telegraph – The International System”
DALLAS TEX 22 437P
DR W E DOVE
RIVERLAND TERRACE R F D NO 1 CHARLESTON SCAR
DOCTOR GIVEN MRS LAAKE UP BRAIN TUMOR MATTER OF HOURS
CUSHING
Stamp: “Phoned Mr. Dove 6:05″
April 22, 1932
April 22, 1932
Monthly Archives: August 2012
January 27, 1932
Apparently Walter and Ina sorted out their Depression-era finances well enough that they finally felt they could afford a little luxury. This is the receipt for a General Electric S-22 radio, which cost them $67.50. That’s $1,130.64 in today’s money, so this was like buying a good flat-screen TV for the living room.
January 27, 1932
January 15, 1932
Jan 15, 1932
Friday Night.
My dear Sweetheart,
Yesterday and today I have been visiting. I visited with Dr. White yesterday morning and last night he and I ate at the Allies. Spent yesterday PM and this AM & PM with Bish and the people we called on. We called on Dr. Marlatt and I had a chance to tell him of our work at Chas. He had been reading my reports. His questions showed it. Says he is going to drive south this spring and promised to stop at Chas a while. He asked about the gardens.
January 15, 1932
Did not get a promise of a truck sprayer but they are trying to locate one for me. Bish and I called on the Plant Quarantine Administration regarding it. Think I’ll see Rohiver tomorrow morning. I think he can be of more help to me than anyone else. Bish visits but does not say yes or no. He is afraid to tell anyone anything for sure, except that we can’t do anything. I am mighty glad that I am not located up here. There seems to be no chance of getting Gilbert in up here and so far I have had no encouragement for another appointment for Frank. I am afraid that we cannot keep him after March 4th. I am trying to get the truck sprayer and this should be a strong argument for Frank’s reappointment.
I hope that everything is going well with you and Buddy. If it is as warm there as it is here, you do not need to have a furnace fire. I’ll have to be here Monday and possibly longer. You can bet that I’ll come home as soon as I feel that I have accomplished all that I can here.
Everyone asks of you and Buddy. Saw Dr. Roark this AM. Will try to call while I am here & see Mrs. Roark.
I love you Honey.
Your
Walter
January 14, 1932
Stationery from the Hotel Houston, 910 E Street NW, Washington, DC; “All rooms with shower bath – A room and a bath for two and a half.”
My dear Sweetheart,
Had a good rest and arrived on time, about 6:40 A.M. The train was not crowded but the Washington car was filled. I had a berth in a NY City car and this one did not stay here. Had to get up a little earlier than I would have in a Wash. car.
January 14, 1932
It is very foggy here this A.M. It was difficult to see the buildings from a street car on Penn. Ave. Had breakfast on the Ave. & then came here. This is the hotel Mr. Reid suggested. It has a Charleston atmosphere, dirty bath room and dim lights. But it doesn’t cost $4.00 like the Harrington, only $2.50. The shower bath looks like it might work.
I hope you had a good rest and that Buddy is not too much trouble. Honey, I don’t like for you to lift him. I believe the little step ladder stool in the kitchen, would be about right for his bed. I think it would be a good idea to try and let him climb into his bed. Also when he gets up, let him use it to climb down.
I’ll try to get through here as soon as possible. I have no idea just when this will be. I may get home Sunday A.M. but don’t be disappointed if I don’t get back that soon.
I love you Honey, and you too Buddy.
Your
Walter.
December 29, 1931
Tuesday 6PM.
My dear Sweetheart,
I have just returned from the meeting where I made the typhus talk. It went off just fine. I didn’t feel stage fright, very much. Dyer thought it was fine and his discussion was very good. He was cordial and his feeling was apparently OK. He left at 5PM just after our talk. He invited me to visit them in Washington. Your old man used a little soothing cordial for the U.S. Public Health Service and it worked wonderfully well. Stoll told me that he admired the way I stood up there on my hind legs and talked every word of it. He sent regards to you from the family. Also, Otto, Dr. Cort, Brown and a lot I don’t recall just now.
December 29, 1931
Mr. Hall’s paper went off just fine. Hall came this A.M. We are going to hear Bishopp’s annual address tonight. Cort came down after he had thought that he wouldn’t come, so his dinner was postponed until next winter meeting at Atlantic City.
With love,
Your
Walter.
December 28, 1931
Stationery from the Jung Hotel – “Absolutely Fireproof *; New Orleans’ Most Modern Hotel.”
Monday Night
My dear Sweetheart,
We got here about 10:15 last night and by 10:30 we were in the auditorium. We put up tables and exhibit board so that we could hold the space until about 2 AM. It was a good thing that we did. We got an excellent location and today we were able to hold it despite the fact that there were a number of kicks. We got the approval of the Chairman last night and we were able to hold the space.
December 28, 1931
We had to help Bish with the other Bureau exhibits and this with our own required all day. So far only Mr. [illegible] is here from the other [illegible] our division. Bish thinks that Parman is not coming. We expect Mr. Hull tomorrow A.M.
Tomorrow is a busy day. Hall’s paper in the AM & my typhus paper in the afternoon.
Have been meeting a lot of folks. Both of us are enjoying the meeting.
With love
Walter.
* The fire damage on the edge of the letter appears to have been a later accident, not something that happened in the “absolutely fireproof” hotel. The next couple of letters have the same type of damage.
December 26, 1931
We arrived at Jax at 7 AM & enjoyed breakfast. The drive was fine. No mishaps or anything.
Love
Walter
December 26, 1931
Walter is on his way to a scientific conference in New Orleans, where he’ll present his work on endemic typhus.
November 15, 1931
Postcard mailed from Funiak Springs, Florida.
Arrived at Funiak Springs about 6 PM. Am at the hotel where we stopped with Claudelle. Left Chas 9PM yesterday. Slept about 1 hr. Smoke and fog were terrible on Atlantic Coast. Had to drive slowly. No mishaps. Swamps here been on fire about 2 weeks. Fires are out now but smoke is there.
W.E.D.
December 29, 1931
November 6, 1931
Friday Night
Nov. 6, 1931.
Dearest Sweetheart:
Yours and Gilbert’s Sunday night waffles sounded good. Before many more Sunday nights Walter White and I will join you in such a feast. Tell Gilbert he’s getting gay a-partying until 4 A.M. He doesn’t have Walter White to awaken him early with tin cans and Easter eggs like he did on Elmwood.
November 6, 1931
The preliminary program of the Southern Med. Assn. is interesting. I see anumber of familiar names – Drs. Rees, Ricks, Massey etc. I should like very much to arrive early enough Friday to at least see the exhibit and I’d love to hear your paper. Perhaps you would rather your wife would not be present when you made a public speech. Some people feel self conscious if a member of the immediate family is present. Walter White might want to appear on the platform with you so I could remain at the hotel with him until you were through. Since there are only two through trains leaving here and one of them at midnight it looks like we will have to leave on the one at noon. It arrives in N.O. at 7:30 A.M. the following morning. That would be early for you to have to meet us, especially on the day that you would have to appear on the program. You would probably prefer spending the time before ten o’clock in final preparations. I really have not investigated the time of arrival in N.O. of the midnight train as I preferred not getting Walter White wide awake that time of night among sleeping passengers. However, if you think best, I can do it. Yes, the train trip from N.O. to Charleston will be delightful if you are with us. Honey, do you mind mailing me my new green winter coat so I may have it to wear on the train? You will find it in the tray of your big trunk in Walter White’s closet. It will be better to mail it to me here because if you carried it in your bag to N.O. it might be rather wrinkled for immediate wear. Also, I might need it before I arrive there. I don’t like to trouble you with it, but I believe it will be necessary. Thank you.
This afternoon Walter White and I made two calls, returning in time to join the crowd on neighbor John M. Garner’s lawn which had gathered to get a peek at Will Rogers. He arrived in Uvalde this afternoon by airplane and was the guest of the Garners. We walked up that way, really not expecting to see him as he was not planning to make a public appearance here. Just then the high school pep squad arrived, fresh from a victorious football game. They gave fifteen rahs for Rogers and out stepped Will himself. He and Mr. Garner joined the crowd in front and he talked for a few minutes in his humorous conversational way. Walter White saw nothing extraordinary about him. In fact he scarcely looked Will’s way. He was more interested in the lineup of cars.
Honey, I have not been able to get any more information concerning endemic typhus at Carrizo Springs. Tonight Mrs. Sutherland was here and I asked if she knew the name of a physician at that place. She said a Dr. Prickett had a small hospital there. If you are interested you can write him if you like. I thought of doing it myself but decided it would be better for you to do it.
We love you lots & lots. We are going to have a most pleasant trip home with you.
Always, your
Ina.
November 5, 1931
Wednesday Night.
Nov. 5, 1931*
Dearest Sweetheart:
No letter today, but I’m sure you are busy with your manuscript.
Walter White is sleeping soundly. He has gotten so he takes only one nap a day and that is usually just before noon. He surely leads us a merry chase the rest of the day. Unless we latch the louvers (and the screen latches are useless unless they are too high for him to reach) he will hardly stay in the house. The fresh air and sunshine are fine for him and we are glad he likes the great outdoors. It would be more convenient, however, if he were satisfied with Mama’s & Papa’s yard as a playground. He insists on “goin’ wawkin” at all hours and it is impossible to exhaust him. I am doing more walking now than I have done in many a day. It is good for both of us though. He has to be watched every minute that he is in the yard here because there is no fence and he is so quick that he can be away in a minute. Don’t worry though. One of us is on the job all the time. That nice, high solid board fence and gate at Charleston will be fine. I think he would enjoy a sand pile in a good sunny place there now. The beach would would be lovely. There is some red sand in the yard here and he enjoys throwing handfuls of it above his head. Sometimes you have a red handed son. Before the weather turned cool he had something on one shoulder that we thought was heat. It itched when he was too warm and it gradually spread to the other shoulder, his neck and finally his face. The cool weather did not seem to help it. After he had had it for over two weeks I asked Dr. Knox to look at it. He said it was nettle rash or – how do you spell “Erticaria”? [urticaria, aka hives]. I suggested that we probably had been giving him too much acid food – lots of orange juice and apple sauce. He agreed that it was caused by that and advised us to eliminate the apple sauce. He also prescribed some medicine which we purchased and gave him – a liquid and some powders. It seemed like a joke to give W.W. medicine. He felt good (but he looked terrible), it seemed, except that the itching troubled him. We bathed the places with soda water and that helped greatly. His face was swollen some when Claudelle came but by the time she was ready to leave he looked well enough for her to take some pictures of him. The rash has disappeared now and he is feeling fine. It upsets me for even the least thing to get wrong with Walter White when you are away. He is so sweet and so valuable to us.
November 5, 1931
Marguerite is getting on well as could be expected they say. Her trouble was a ruptured ovary. They removed it. They said her abdomen was so full of blood that they dipped it out by the handful. The doctors seemed to know their business and there were two graduate nurses present. They expect to give Marguerite a blood transfusion tonight. If Bob’s blood types I imagine he will be the one to furnish it. He said he had killed lots of deer but he never saw one lose as much blood as Marguerite did.
It is good to think that we are really going to see you soon. You are going to find your son about the most interesting thing you have ever seen. I love to play with him and see how quickly he learns and develops. He is much less babyish and much more boyish than when you saw him. The family can hardly talk of his leaving. They are going to miss him dreadfully. The neighbors will miss him too. Mrs. Cain said she didn’t know what she was going to do after he left. Bertie said she was going to leave home the day he did because she couldn’t stand to tell him goodbye. She told her mother that if she could have a son like Walter White she wouldn’t mind having one before she married. She is to be married in a few months I think. She said she wanted a dozen children. She loves them so. After she has had one she will probably cut the number some as there isn’t a great deal of fun in bringing one into the world. They are more than worth it after they arrive though. I just wonder how we got along without ours as long as we did.
Lots & lots of love from all of us.
Always, your
Ina.
* November 5 was a Thursday; I’m guessing Ina got the date right and day wrong.