Tag: Purdue

1937 December 18 Start with history class, end up in the machine shop

Editor’s note:  On December 14, 1937, the Japanese army, after defeating the Chinese in a battle for Shanghai, entered the city of Nanking, and over the next six weeks proceeded to kill 300,000 Chinese. This has become known as “The Rape of Nanking”, and is considered to be the worst single atrocity of the WWII era.  (For more information see:  http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm )

12/18/1937

Dear Marty,

What a dope I am.  I have to work all day today, and I’m already tired as heck.  It is before breakfast yet.

I went over town with Margaret yesterday while she did her Christmas shopping.  Judging from the glares we got as I barged around with both arms full of bundles, people probably thought we were married.  After we got home, I stayed up until about twelve and then came over to the house to get some sleep.  One of the fellows was yet up, and we got into a discussion as to what correlation was between specific heat and head conductivity.  After perusing a handbook on the subject for a few minutes, Jim asked me if I liked to “guzzle.”  Not knowing what he meant, but having a strong alcoholic suspicion, I said “no” and asked where it was.  He pointed to the dresser drawer, and soon I was imbibing a glass of Port wine.  Oh, me.  By the time the evening was over, we had specific heat tied up to Darwin’s theory of the origin of the species, and heat conductivity expressed as a function of the Reader’s Digest circulation.  Finally, we broke away from each other and went to bed.  This morning, I start out with a history class and end up with a day in the machine shop, working with some heavy hunks of steel.  Of course, after that I have a basketball game and a show to attend, but vacation starts Monday so it doesn’t make any difference how much sleep I lose.  I only work 8 hours per day during vacations instead of 12 as usual.

The research project is about to fold up, but it is rumored that there will be another one to keep busy.*  If not, I suppose I’ll have to quit school again or borrow enough to finish on.  Oh, me.  Such is life.  I don’t worry as much about it as I should, though, because it doesn’t do any good.

Did Bill’s call for a job do any good.  Hope so.

Byrd is apparently considering another S. Pole trip, and if I have anything to say about it (which I don’t) I’m going to go with him.

Had an article published in “Radio” this month.  Am I proud.  It meant a little extra cash too.  Darn little, considering that it took me all summer to write the thing.

Well, my fran, Merry Christmas and a Snappy New Year to the bot’ of youse.  I’m not sending any cards this year, so consequently, I don’t expect any.  Considering what you fellows are bumping into, I think you’re doing right well.  Keep it up.

73’s,   Cy

*A good part of the money to pay for school came from Cy’s ability to work on research projects funded by grants.

                                             

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1938 January 20 “Backing for school has come through”

1/20/38

January 20, 1938 Original Correspondence

1/20/38

Dear Marty:

I feel like a steno.  I have been typing steadily for the past hour with no let up for anything.  The new ribbon inspires me.  I also had a bunch of letters to answer.

The necessary backing for school has come through as I expected it to.  I am to continue on some of the previous work and also new work which will develop in a few weeks.  I’ll be kept busy as many hours as I can work, although the work will probably be on something other than that which I have been doing.  I’m ready for a rest now, as the boss got flu about two weeks ago, and just as he got over that, his aunt died.   She certainly was a grand person.  She was the first woman to receive a Doctor’s degree from Purdue, the first woman to be admitted to the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, and is accredited with numerous important discoveries in cytology.  She is ranked along side of Madame Currie.  Although she has received all of this honor and recognition, she is a grand person.  I knew her slightly, having spent three afternoons with her.  And yet I felt more at home than I do in my own room.  Well, you wouldn’t be interested because my description cannot do her justice and you’d have to know her to realize what a wonderful person she was.

So you’re on your own.  Nice going, youse guys.  I suppose I’m nuts, but I’ve wanted to get married so badly at times that I was almost willing to give up college and everything for it.  I can’t imagine anything nicer than a home of my own.  Well, I suppose I’ll get there.

Don’t worry about the picture.  That’s the expression the boys in the Post Office bulletins have, so I thought I had better too to keep in character.  Really, I’m quite pleased with the world just now.  I got an A in my most important course and didn’t have to take the final.  Wrote 21 pages on my history final this morning.

Webb’s little girl calls him “Popeye.”  That’s about the only news I have from home.  Don is getting along fine.  I naturally don’t hear from any of the girls you knew.

I went to the Northwestern PU basketball game last week and saw us win by something or other.  The game is the first athletic contest I have attended since I came here.  I have to buy the tickets when I register, so I suppose I might as well enjoy them. It was a good game.

Must quit to study.  Good luck on the housekeeping.  I have a couple of good recipes if you need them.  Had dinner at the Bohemia* (where I took you—same table) with Margaret last night.  She turned up sick today.  Hope there’s no correlation.

73,  Cy.

*I believe this would have been “The Klas Bohemian Restaurant”  at 5734 West Cermak Ave, Chicago.  Cy’s comment indicates he had been there with Marty previously and that Margaret Graves was probably visiting him in Oak Park over the Christmas break.  See: https://achicagosojourn.wordpress.com/category/commercial-strips/cermak-road/

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1938 March 2 About Face

Editor’s note:  In 1938, the Douglas Airplane Company began production of the A-20 “Havoc” light bomber, which became the most produced bomber aircraft by the U.S. in WWII.  The initial production was sold to France and Great Britain, where they were called “Boston” bombers.  This would be the primary plane that Cy would later pilot in the war. See:  http://www.boeing.com/history/products/db-7-a-20-boston-havoc.page

3/2/38

Dear Marty:

Don’t laugh, but I’m in the Army now!  Well, not quite.  I have passed the exam for air corps training, and I am sitting around waiting for orders to scram down to San Antonio.

I shall be a second looey when I graduate and shall then have to serve as such for two years in the regulars.  PU is damn good for all three years of service.  I am supposed to receive orders to leave before the end of the week.  If I don’t, it is certainly going to be embarrassing, as I haven’t gone to classes all week.

Decision may seem rather sudden, but I’ve been thinking about it for 10 years or more.  The doc who examined me said I was about due for a physical breakdown if I kept up the pace much longer, so I decided I might as well get the air corps training now and finish college in style when I get ready.  I shall be able to save enough to be a blarsted plutocrat when I go back to college.  The courses this semester have been much harder, and that has been the reason for my losing 10 pounds in the last three weeks (no bunk).

Right now, I am about to go nuts—waiting for the orders to come.  They should be here today, but I am not supposed to get worried until Friday.  But since the class starts in San Antonio on March 1, every day I spend here will be one more day to make up there.  Also, with the exception of this and one or two other letters, I am not using my eyes at all.  So if they should suddenly decide not to send me until July 1, I shall have a hell of a lot of school work to make up here also.

M.G. and I have decided to wait.  The folks are already beginning to treat her more nicely since they know that I am going away.  I had a big powwow with them and found out that Mama is all in favor of our going together as much as possible, and poppa doesn’t want me to ever see her again.  Frankly, I think he is jealous of some of my abilities.  Well, if and when I finish my first years training, I shall be on a salary of 245 bucks per month, and that should be enough to take care of two slap-happy kids, if you get what I’m aiming at.

I saw the folks* Monday.  I was on the go for 41 hours and only had two hours sleep during that time.  I’m still recovering.  I shall be a first lt. in the air corps if I work hard enough, but probably only 2nd.  I’ll let you know what happens when I myself find out.

73,  Cy

*The folks were Laura Montgomery Stafford and Cyrus B. Stafford:

Laura M. Stafford
Cyrus B. Stafford

 

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