Monthly Archives: February 2014

February 26, 1944

05. February 1944, Dart's Letters

This letter from Dart begins with a thanks for the stationery and writing kit Dot sent him. It sounds like the perfect gift for someone who writes as many letters as this guy.

He appreciates knowing he ranks so high on her list of men. He says he feels like writing to Ronnie and Van to rub in his victory over them for the heart of Dot Chamberlain. Needless to say, he believes the best man has won this competition.

Referring to a restaurant Dot mentioned in her letter about her trip to Cleveland, he wrote a vivid description of some of the great and not-so-great chow houses in one of the rougher neighborhoods of Cleveland. You can really see the writier come out in letters like this. He has an eye for detail and an ear for language that make you feel like you’re sitting in one of these greasy, smoky, friendly joints yourself.  At first, I thought his description revealed him to be a sort of naive, rather prudish young man, but he addressed that in his final paragraph. “Maybe my comments make it look like I’ve been around more than I look or act. I enjoy doing things like that, just for the fun and the observing of people and places. You seemed to think I wouldn’t be acquainted with that part of town. Why? I love Cleveland and that’s part of it. ”

His deep fondness for his home town comes through loud and clear in so many of his letters. I remember when I was very small and we’d take family trips to visit my grandparents in Cleveland. I’d know we were getting close by the smell of coal and industiral by-products in the air. The skyline was filled with tall smokestacks, belching dense billowy clouds of gray and black. Sometimes, we could even see flames peeking from the tops. I recall feeling as though we were entering an alien and scary place. But then Dad would start to talk about what that plant over there manufactured. He’d recall a story of his youth about a summer job in this part of town, or his midnight drives through that neighborhood over there. I could sense his pride and affection for this strange and wonderful city, even years after he had moved away from it. What I had thought of as stench was perfume to his nostrils. What I saw as other-worldly and frightening, he saw as fascinating diversity. What I saw as bleak and harsh vistas he saw as magical palaces of modern industry and progress.

Dart’s P.S. on this letter refers to the way Dot closed her recent note. She said “I must clothes now and go wash some.” To a punster like Dart, that gag was like a love note. This girl was cute, cheerful, industrious and could turn a pun with the best of them. The perfect package!

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February 27, 1944

05. February 1944, Dart's Letters, Dot's Letters

This short letter displays a certain degree of boredom between the lines. It is a litany of mundane activities for the day; letter-writing, eating, reading an Esquire magazine from 1937, sketching a bookcase he’d like to build after the war and a studio in his future dream home. The highlight of his day was being bundled up into a basket-like stretcher and going via ambulance to the x-ray area on the hospital grounds. “If they had wanted to see my ribs, they could have done it just as easily by looking at me from the outside.”

He wondered if anyone had ever taken pictures of Dot with the roll of film he sent her. He says the nurses tell him he will get his sick leave easily and soon. “It sounds too good be true,” said Dart.

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Dot’s sumbission to today’s correspondance is actually two letters written on the same day. Referring to Dart’s paper bag letter, she says it brought a lot of cheer to the house the day it arrived. She will attempt to answer all his questions, but first she must rest her eyes.

She mentions a double feature that she and Cathie saw recently. One of the films was called “Girls on Probation,” which Dot deemed “very educational.” She said it showed that crime doesn’t pay, so she’ll have to change her plans for her future profession.

The second letter is mostly in response to the questions he posed in the paper bag letter. I gather the main topic was making plans for his pending leave time. Dot answers that as far as she’s concerned, they could sit outside on a step and talk the whole time. As for dancing, she says that knowing the two of them, they would either  need a whole evening of waltzes, or sit it out. She acknowledges that he guessed correctly – eating is her favorite indoor sport, but she’ll plan to eat a huge meal before he arrives so she won’t appear to be too hungry.

It seems that plans are already in the works for a flurry of letters between the Andrews faculty and the mothers of the two young lovers. Permissions and guidelines must be obtained in order for Dot to spend time with Dart off campus during his leave. Thankfully, both mothers are known and respected by the faculty. I think the liberation of Europe involved less planning than this as yet unapproved leave!

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February 28, 1944

05. February 1944, Dart's Letters, Dot's Letters

This letter continues a theme Dart explored earlier – the monotonous life he leads making it difficult to think of things to say. He resorts once again to the diary method, beginning with a midnight wake-up to take his sulpha pills. The sleep interruptions continue throughout the night at regular intervals, and he’s up for good at 7:45. He walked three steps to the chair while his sheets were changed, and fell into the arms of an alert aide when he rose to get back in bed. The latest guess is that he’ll be allowed out of bed for good in about a week.

He writes a wonderful riff on the 1935 Esquire that he’s been reading. “That’s Esquire as it was, the Esquire that gained its fame for racy cartoons and good stories. The Esquire that is no more… But in addition…that issue showed Progress more than anything else I’ve read recently…Styles have changed…A full display of cars is shown – most of the 1936 cars are never seen on the streets any more…And what makes this magazine distinctive is that there is nothing about the war. ” There is so much packed into this paragraph that I could write about! How sublime it must have been to be temporarily immersed in a world with no war! How odd that nine-year old cars were obsolete! How fun it was for Dart to enjoy a magazine that had been published when he was 11 years old.

He continues on to talk about letters he received and ones he wrote in the afternoon. He mentions that his swollen leg is getting smaller and his shriveled leg is getting thicker. The snow is nearly gone, and he pines for the spring-like weather he has heard Cleveland is enjoying.

When a bit of pessimism about his pending leave sneaks into the letter, he derides himself for it. “I should be shot at sunrise by a quartet of orangutans trained in the use of bow and arrow.” He apologizes for not having anything interesting to write to his girl. (I’d say he did just fine!)

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Dot writes with what she hopes is good news. She just learned that her upcoming weekend break has been moved up to March 17, which she hopes will be the perfect time to spend with Dart. She’ll be staying at a classmate’s home on the east side of Cleveland, near Dart’s folks. I know a couple of kids who will be crushed if this pending leave doesn’t work out the way they hope.

She had a pop quiz in English today – on punctuation. She says she’ll not give a hint of her grade, except to say it wasn’t good. It was terrific!

She’s happy to know Dart plans to write to Ronnie Coleman and Van Johnson. She simply asks that he make it a gentle note to let them down easy. She hates to think how heart-broken they will be to learn she has thrown them over for a sailor.

There was more discussion about the New York Spaghetti House in Cleveland, and other such dives. She tells Dart she also likes to observe people. When she’s waiting for a train in Grand Central Station, she likes to watch the passersby and imagine their pasts and their futures.

Referring to his request to use some of the witty lines from her letters in ones that he writes to others, she quips “Due to the fact that Washington, DC is very busy right now, I have not, as yet, been able to get my humor (?) copywrited (sic) or patented, so I guess there is nothing stopping you from using it. (I’m quite flattered.)”

She’s looking forward to a call from her friend Cynthia from Greenwich. Cynthia’s father has just driven her out to bring her to Oberlin College to study music.

She fills up the final page with a drawing of Bugs Bunny – a favorite character around her house.

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February 29, 1944 – Leap Year

05. February 1944, Dart's Letters

Underneath the date, Dart subtitled his letter “Woman’s Day.” I think that refers to the old tradition that women could propose to men on Feb. 29.

He does a funny bit on the “Girls on Probation” film Dot had mentioned in her letter. After mimicking the ads that run in the Chicago papers for such “educational” films as this, he adds that he’s glad the film scared her out of a life of crime. “I’m glad to hear that you have decided to go straight. I like girls better when they don’t snatch purses and rob delicatessen stores.”

Next, he assures Dot that however they choose to spend their time together on his leave is alright with him, although he does have some preferences. Movies are too “common place” so he hopes they’ll do something more interesting. His dancing hasn’t improved since the last time he saw her, but he’s game to try it again, if she is.  Mostly, he just wants to be with her and tell her in person how much she means to him.

He has no idea when his leave will come through. In fact, he’ll not know until the day before it happens. Meanwhile, he’s trying his best to get better, and he truly believes he is.

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Because there is no letter from Dot written on this day, I’ve decided to use the space for some of my own thoughts. This week, I had the opportunity to spend some time in an airport of a major American city. During my layover, I found an empty lounge and settled into a seat with a clear view of the concourse. As I watched the river of people flowing by, I thought of Dot’s penchant for people-watching at Grand Central Station and I had a fantastical idea. What if 17-year old Dot Chamberlain had stumbled into a time wrinkle in 1944 and suddenly found herself in the same place and time I was now occupying. What would be her impressions of the sights before her? What would she notice first?

Certainly the fashions of the passersby would be different. In 2014, women in dresses are as rare as men in fedoras. The is an abundance of denim – and not just worn by farmers or laborers. Generally, style has been marching ever more relentlessly toward comfort and casualness. Look! There’s a teen girl in what appear to be flannel pajamas! I suspect Dot might have been stunned by the ubiquity of tattoos – especially on females.

But moving beyond modern day apparel, what would have struck Dot’s eye as curious or futuristic? I think she would have been amazed at the materials around her. What are these chairs covered with? It isn’t fabric and it isn’t leather, although it seems to be mimicking the hide of a bright blue cow. The luggage is something out of the world of  Buck Rogers! And nobody is carrying it – they pull it along behind them! People are drinking water out of clear bottles that look like glass, but can be easily crushed when empty. What is that? And the food shops are everywhere! There is an endless variety of pre-packaged, easy-to-carry food. Does no one pack sandwiches from home, wrapped in wax paper any more? Why does everyone hold a small rectangle to their ear, pausing occasionally to tap it frantically with their thumbs?

I also wonder what young Dot would have made of the periodic announcing over the PA system that reminded people not to leave bags unattended or watch the bags belonging to anyone else. Would she find it eerie to be among a throng of strangers who could not be trusted? Would she be afraid of what kind of society we had become?

But I think what might amaze and please young Dot the most is the astounding diversity of the people passing by. There are people of all shades and ages. Dot might be impressed by the number of very elderly people who are passing through this bustling corridor – many being pushed in wheelchairs, but seeming to enjoy the adventure. Perhaps if there was anyplace in 1944 America that boasted international diversity rivaling today’s society, it would have been Grand Central Station in NYC, but I think Dot would be gratified to see  black people striding through this airport like they have a right to be there – as indeed, they do!

What else might have made an impression on this time-traveling teen from the 1940s? I’d love to hear Mom’s thoughts on the subject – and any one else’s as well.