Tag Archives: grasshopper

February 16, 1938

My dear Sweetheart,

I am enclosing the annuity contract with a receipt of the Mass. Mutual that monthly payments to July 20 are charged to the loan. The difference between $1500 & $1790.01 equals the $50 monthly payments less interest. Payments made between now and July 20 apply on the principal. I am enclosing a yellow envelope which gives the agent’s address at Savannah (H H Wilson). I think we should send $100 per month and mark the checks Reduction of Loan on A2620.

February 16, 1938

February 16, 1938

The papering is being done at the Dallas house this month and the check from Mr. Chamberlain will be a small one. The check for the 1st payment on the Savannah house was to have been made to you by Mr. George McDonnel so you could deposit it. By this time you have received it, no doubt. I am enclosing the cancellation by Mrs. Nellie Adams which should be kept with our deed in the safety box. Could you replace them in the box also put the Kehoe notes in there for protection.

Enclosed are two old receipts from the Mass Mutual which I had in my bag. Also deposit slips for Lewis Dunbar & Walter White for Nov. 3, 1936. They show the total amounts of the accounts at that time. Please place them in their pass books.

I presume Mr. Townsend sent my check to Minneapolis, West Hotel as I gave this as the address. I have enough money to get to Mpls but for safety I’ll cash a check here on the San Antonio Bank for $50 tomorrow. Am planning to leave tomorrow night for Mpls with Mr. Gaddis. Mr. Andrews will leave about tomorrow too. The authority for 500 thousand to run until July 1 was given today and I started on grasshopper payroll today. Mr. Townsend also started on that payroll today. He and RA will be ready to leave the latter part of this week & will meet Gaddis and me at Salt Lake City. I’ll return by Arizona, N. Mex., get a Studebaker at San Antonio & return to Mpls by College Sta., Texas, Oklahoma A&M & other state colleges en route to Mpls.

Please send a monthly check of $29.15 to Southland Mortgage Col, Gulf States Bldg., Dallas & mark it 3010 Kirmine St. &c.

Will make out expense accounts & income tax at Mpls.

This work is going to be one big rush with shipments of hundreds of cars of poisoned bait into 24 Western states. There are to be about 110 field men & about 10 in the office at Mpls. The season is short for g-hoppers and we are going to be rushed. Think it best to wait until after the rush is over before moving to Mpls. By that time I can tell more about the permanency of that program for me.

Strong will go to the Houston meetings on the 24th & will drive one of the Studebakers from San Antonio.

Claudelle is to be here soon & hope she gets here before I leave tomorrow.

I tried to find the slides showing C.E. larvae in the skin but I am not sure that they are in the dozen boxes of slides I found. Spent about 2 hours looking tonight & will ask Dr. B to send all of them to Dr. K.S.

The Cushings are leaving here Sat. for Texas East meetings at Houston & will see you at San Antonio. I spent 2 nights with them here. Pauline is over her operation & I ate dinner with them Sunday. Dave cooked chicken & dumplings and did a good job of it. I had dinner with the Bishopps one evening.

With lots of love and looking forward to reaching San Antonio.

Your
Walter.

Don’t worry about Evalyn. I have no idea I’ll stop at any places in the Dakotas except Brookings S.D. & Fargo N.D. at the college. I’ll bet she is short & fat like her ma.

W.E.D.

February 11, 1938

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

Friday Night.

My dear Sweetheart,

I am beginning to get oriented in the status of the g hop program but I have a lot to learn about it. Mr. Gaddis was not able to get away so soon and I welcome this chance to get some of my own SW work rounded out and to learn more about my new job. It is about the biggest control job when one considers the area of about 20 states extending from Arizona & Texas to the Canada line, and the very short season filled with long days.

February 11, 1938

February 11, 1938

I think you should finish the school year and plan to move to Mpls after the big rush is over. If the program does not go over perhaps we can stay in Texas and research screw-worms.

I talked to Claudelle last night. She is coming up here about the 16th to work here.

RA had a time deciding to accept the Mormon Cricket job as assistant leader but I phoned him tonight and he says OK. Bishopp offered him a place in charge of the Menand station but at a lower salary.

Have just had a wire from Quarterman & he accepts a place as 3d in command of the G-hopper ship. He will report when I call for him. At first he declined but I wired him again. Also he phoned me last night.

I spent two nights with Cushings & then came here. Prof. Harned invited me to his home but I told him I had so much paper to work & study that I had to decline. This gave me a chance to come here, otherwise he could criticize me for going to Cushings. He would recommend a man for every vacancy if I visited with him on that line. We have some good college graduates to choose from, ones with previous experience on G-hopper control.

Pauline was operated on for appendicitis but I have not seen the Halls. She is getting along OK & today is about the 5th day. May see them Sunday if I am here though I expect to have a lot of study & plans.

Had dinner with the Bishopps the 2nd night I was here and they were very cordial. Bitsie’s husband does the same kind of advertising work as she. They work for the same advertising company & he makes colored pictures of her pies & cakes etc. He seems to be OK.

Am enclosing a receipt for premiums on the annuity for 6 mos. This was added to our loan of $1500. The policy was forwarded to me here & I’ll send it to you when I have a long envelope. Did you return the deed to Savannah? You will receive 180 notes & the debt deed. They should be kept in the safety box at the bank.

With love
Your Walter

January, 1938

This is apparently a list of people who previously worked on grasshopper control projects for the USDA, but were laid off. The marginalia suggest Walter was looking to recruit some of them back (he’s about to be transferred to grasshopper control). If you wonder why the government had employed so many people for this, or why so many of them got dismissed and then hired back with funding fluctuations, check out Jeffrey Lockwood’s outstanding history of this astonishing pest.

January 1938

January 1938