Arnold's Story: February 27, 1950

Hazel has forgotten to forward Arnold's insurance premiums again.

She describes the big 60th birthday party for Bill with their closest friends, children and Bill's siblings. The oldest, Mary, has died already but the second oldest sister, Mary Ann, has a good memory and provided some information on their parents Jacinto and Marianne. Bill was clearly proud to show off his new Lincoln and the modernizations at his business, The Ideal System Company.

Among Bill's birthday gifts are an electric popcorn popper and and an automatic juicer; from the 1940s for several decades kitchen and home gadgets start filling up homes across America.

Hazel remains active in her church.

next post  February 28, 1950

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first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: February 18, 1950

Dolly thanks Arnold for his wedding gift (silver tablespoons to match their silver set). As the bride, she had the responsibility to write the thank-you notes. Etiquette requires she write them within one to three months after the wedding, and she is about two weeks out here. Dolly and Wayne had a short honeymoon on account of the needs of his dry-cleaning business.

Arnold and Dolly's father Bill had a 60th birthday on the 16th and their mother Hazel is throwing a party tonight, the 18th, for family and friends.

Dolly and Wayne's residence at 1122-B East Garfield, Glendale, no longer exists; it was torn down for the Glendale Community College (Garfield Campus).

Glendale News-Press wedding announcement for Mrs. Eldon Wayne Murphy (Mary Nevis),
February 18, 1950, mistakenly putting the wedding on February 14 instead of February 4

next post  February 26, 1950

previous post  February 4, 1950

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: June 14, 1948

We learn from this letter that Hazel Wolfe was living in Albuquerque in 1914, years before she married Bill Nevis. (They married circa 1919 and moved to Bluewater, New Mexico, where Bill was operating a lime kiln and general store; later he became tax collector. Grants is the capital of Cibola County, twelve miles from Bluewater.)

From this letter we see that Bill Nevis had hosted a successful barbecue in his home for past commanders of the American Legion, Glendale post. 

Otherwise Hazel offers news from the neighborhood and local church.

next post  June 29, 1948

previous post  June 10, 1948

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943

Arnold's Story: January 4, 1945

Winged Victory was a 1944 film directed by George Cukor as a joint production of 20th Century-Fox and the U.S. Army Air Forces; it was based on the 1943 play with the same name by Moss Hart. One of the characters in the play/film wants to become a pilot but washes out because he fails his eye test. That reminds me that Arnold, too, wanted to be a pilot but could not on account of his blue-green color blindness. And come to think of it, Arnold did later admit to cheating on the vision test, too, by memorizing the Snellen chart in use at the time, but then could not overcome the color blindness test. 

I smiled when Hazel repeats 12-hour clock time in Military time.

next post  January 10, 1945

previous post  January 1, 1945

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

first post in blog  Leonard's Story: May 29, 1943