Postmarked San Antonio.
Monday P.M.
Your Daddy improved a great deal during the past few days and went in car with me about town several times. Color is better but he is weak. Met Bruce here and he will continue to Wash. after stopping Dallas. Leaving for Kerrville this P.M. & leaving San Antonio Tues. for Gulfport. Will be Orlando Saturday.
With love
Walter.
December 14, 1942
Thursday PM.
My Dear Ina,
Your letter was received last night. I think the checks have been delivered by now as additional funds were sent to Atlanta when I wired from Orlando. Please deposit it if this is possible, otherwise you may hold it until I return. Mr. Jones will move into our house and I think we should phone Mr. J. A. Allison realtor, to that effect. We will move into their home on Taussig Ave. It is by far the best place I’ve found. In fact I have found practically nothing in Va. and had looked at some for sale, knowing that it was unwise to purchase. Mr. Jones will leave gas stove, refrigerator & I agreed to leave ours at Orlando for them to use also oil circulator. They will leave groceries, sugar etc. & we can do the same thing on an exchange basis. They will leave on next Thursday & will expect to arrive Orlando about Saturday night. I asked them to take some linens & silver and use our beds. We are to use theirs until the move is made. We do not know the successful bidder yet and we do not know which one will load first. Told them we would leave the key with McKelvey across the street.
June 11, 1942
B.M. is expected tomorrow (Fri). Emery is here yet and this has been helpful. I see him for a while every day.
I would not advise a chiropodist for W.W. They are like chiropractors. Believe we should get a physician to remove the two nails without destroying the matrix. Will come as soon as I can & we will manage for W.W. when I get there if you want to wait that long. Would like to come this week end but cannot say just yet.
With love
Walter.
On the reverse:
June 9, 1942
Dear Dr. Dove:
Since I wrote you yesterday I have learned that you are now chief of the Division. At the time I wrote that letter I was completely mystified as to your new station, and was guessing that you might be taking Dr. Hawkins’ place.
I’ll feel better to write this letter and make this clear, since my letter could, in view of your new position, easily be interpreted in a way not intended. So just consider that as a personal letter written by me without knowledge or suspicion that you were chief. I believe you know my general attitude well enough anyway to understand this.
The surprise, as you well know, was the most pleasant one I have received since being in the Bureau, and I wish you all the good fortune there is.
Sincerely
[illegible initials – SMS?]
Telegram.
W E DOVE=
BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY & PLANT QUARANTINE 415 NORTH
PARRAMORE ST ORLANDO FLO (RX)=
CUSHING LEFT FOR ARMY SERVICE THURSDAY. PROCEED TO WASHINGTON YOUR EARLY CONVENIENCE IN LINE WITH MY CONVERSATION WITH YOU IN ORLANDO. STAGE HANDLING THINGS SATISFACTORILY NOW BUT YOU MAY WISH TO COME HERE BEFORE FINALLY TRANSFERRING YOUR HOUSE HOLD GOODS AND FAMILY. WIRE YOUR PLANS=
P N ANNAND.
May 30, 1942
The stint in Orlando didn’t last long. Walter has now been promoted to direct the entire USDA Division of Insects Affecting Animals and Man. The Orlando lab is part of that Division, but Walter, Ina, and their boys will now have to move to Washington, DC so Walter can oversee the war-oriented insecticide programs at a higher level.
Sunday PM.
My dear Ina & Boys,
The income tax blank was made out this PM & I’ll file it tomorrow. I am drawing a check in the amount of $192.51 and I am sending a check for $65.58 to the Panama City bank for deposit. This figures a balance of about $55 to cover any checks that you may have given after I left Panama City. Also the Chamberlain check should come on the 15th and I would suggest that you cash it. If you should find that something unexpected took up the available cash please telephone me at the office here number 3106 and I’ll telegraph or send you more.
March 15, 1942
We are late in getting the bids to Wash. & we hope to have one from the Van Horn Co. of Panama City. It would be convenient if they could get the low bid. Will try to come Friday night or Saturday if possible. In a pinch we could get Mr. Weir to come in our car with you, but it puts too much responsibility on you to get the household things loaded & care for 3 boys. I think I’ll come in a car (pick up truck) so that Mr. Weir can return to Orlando in it with a lab desk, washing machine, & any cages or wire fence we may want from Panama City.
I had dinner with the Bushlands today.
Will be glad when the whole family can get moved here & all of the work is started here. Travis will be here next Friday. Glass, Smith & Schecter are here now.
With love
Walter.
Later
We received the bid from Van Horn and it is the same amount as the other low bid from Jacksonville. We are recommending Van Horn and I am sure that they will get it, but we have to have approval from Washington. The bids are going to Wash. by air mail tonight.
My salary check came too, so I’ll deposit two salary checks here tomorrow.
Wednesday Night.
We did get the house OK and the address is 712 Woodward St. We did not get the exhibit building for the Lab overflow, but I think we can get other lab quarters about four blocks from the office. Mr. Glass came Monday and Mr. A.L. Smith reported today. I have been sleeping at the Bushlands, also eating breakfast and Dinner. The water is on at our house & the gas heater has been connected. Lights & gas will be on soon.
With love
Walter.
March 11, 1942
Walter and Ina are now moving to Orlando so Walter can run the new insecticide research facility the USDA has set up there. They’re going to be testing any chemicals they think might work against disease vectors, especially lice and mosquitoes. Various companies make compounds that are purported to kill insects, but most are just marginally effective extracts from pyrethrum daisies, or toxic arsenic-based products. Chlorpicrin (tear gas) and a new compound from Geigy called Neocid look promising, but nobody knows whether either will actually work under field conditions. The Orlando lab’s job is to get those data, and then develop practical insecticides if possible.
Monday P.M. 3/9-42
My dear Ina & Boys,
I arrived here at 4:30 PM Eastern War time which made 11 hours to get here, a distance of 348 miles by the speedometer. Mr. Glass had already arrived & he was looking for an apartment with Mr. Burris the realtor. They came back to the lab just as I got out of the car. I went with Mr. Burris to see Mrs. Smith & I gave a check for $45. Of this $30 is the balance of 1 month’s rent & $15 covers deposits & gas electricity & water. The realtor will make the deposits & get the services connected. It is a good thing that I made a deposit with Mrs. Smith. One party has been trying all day to rent the house & she had made them wait until tomorrow. Mr. Glass helped me unload the car & we put the things inside. THe house looks even better than it did the other day. There is a closet in to the sleeping porch room & big closets in other rooms. Also shades are on all windows except the 2 little windows over the book cases. The bed rooms seem a little larger than they did the other day.
Mr. Bushland asked me to use their day-bed tonight & I will go out there. Tomorrow I’ll get the bed material that Ed brought down & fix a bed at the house. I am writing this in the car because I do not have a key yet & all are away just now.
With love
Walter.