Arnold's Story: November 24, 1947 MHN

Hazel writes about their unexpected trip to California's Central Valley, specifically to Hanford, the Nevis familial home. Bill's brother-in-law (Arnold's uncle) Manuel Mello passed away. Manuel's widow Laura took it badly.

The anticommunist incident she describes in the letter was an invasion of the Crescenda-Cañada Democratic club in a private home by twenty men, who wore American Legion hats, threatening the host and his guests. The police were summoned by the Legionnaires said that the Democrats were communists and no charges were filed. The host was Hugh Hardiman, a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union, was incensed and made a big noise in the media the next day. Because some Legionnaires wore their hats they could be identified as belonging to Glendale Post 127. It grabbed national attention, and eventually went to trial. Even Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling heard the radio broadcasts and saved the transcripts of the radio interviews and newspaper clips in his archive. Nine of the accused were reporters and photographers and had the charges dropped, but twelve Legionnaires were convicted of disturbing the peace and subsequently got fined.

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Arnold's Story: November 22 & 24, 1947

Here is another empty envelope, this one from Chuck Cutler:

This letter from Ken Shauer confirms that his nickname was "Guernsey". The train from Pelham, New York, to Grand Central Terminal on MetroNorth still takes 31 minutes in 2021 as it did in 1947.

next post  November 24, 1947 MHN

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Arnold's Story: November 16, 1947

A letter from Dick and Jean Harper in Minneapolis, where Dick is working on a master's degree in physics.

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Arnold's Story: November 7 & 13, 1947

Here we have an empty envelope with no contents, from Dr. Clarence Kerr of the Family's local Presbyterian church in Glendale.

A note from Elmer Hall with news of his wife Francis "Frankie" and their newborn son. I cannot make the location on the envelope — Storril?

next post  November 16, 1947

previous post  October 31, 1947

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Arnold's Story: October 31, 1947

We learn here that Dolly has diabetes and has to monitor her blood sugar and albumen; she took insulin injections as the treatment.

next post  November 7 & 13, 1947

previous post  October 27, 1947

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Arnold's Story: October 27, 1947

This is a thank-you note typical for a wedding gift.

next post  October 31, 1947

previous post  October 25, 1947

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: October 25, 1947

"Mac" MacElhany writes with news of Army Air Force pals.

next post  October 27, 1947

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Arnold's Story: October 23, 1947

Bill Nevis writes to his son Arnold in October 1947. He mentions that he plans a family trip to Boston to visit Arnold and see his birthplace in North Boston. I suspect that Dolly has married Lee by now as it sounds like they may be living together. 

next post  October 25, 1947

previous post  October 20, 1947

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: October 20, 1947

Chuck Cutler writes to Arnold in October 1947:

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first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: October 19, 1947

Ken Shauer is probably a classmate from Caltech. "Guernsey" may be his nickname.

next post  October 20, 1947

previous post  October 14, 1947

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: October 14, 1947

From this letter we learn that Footsie Jarvis is an Army pal of Arnold's.

next post  October 19, 1947

previous post  October 10, 1947

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Arnold's Story: October 10, 1947

I still have that Big T blanket. It is navy blue with yellow trim and is falling apart with holes. In Gainesville we never used it. I think because it is wool and too hot for Florida weather, or perhaps it was a bit scratchy. I had not realized it was an award though.

Mary Neves Madruga — the spelling Nevis had not been fixed when she was born in 1875 and the Portuguese spelling Neves was used then — is Arnold's oldest aunt on the Nevis side. I think that Belmede is her son, thus Bill Nevis's nephew and Arnold's first cousin.

next post  October 14, 1947

previous post  October 9, 1947

first post in Arnold's Story  July 1943

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Arnold's Story: October 9, 1947

This letter, from Leonard's then wife Pat Nevis to Arnold, shows him now in medical school at Harvard University. I do not have much info about Arnold's sister-in-law Pat. I met her a number of times and enjoyed her company quite a bit (after the she remained good friends with her former parents-in-laws Bill and Hazel Nevis and her former sister-in-law Laura Nevis), but I do not have her maiden name and at the moment I do not recall her married name from her second marriage. And I can not seem to find the date of Len and Pat's wedding.

The Ideal System Company was Bill Nevis's accounting company. He added his son Leonard as a partner after World War II, and sent Leonard and Pat off to New York City to open an East Coast office for the firm. The handsome building at 136 Liberty Street was torn down recently; it stood across from the 911 Memorial in what is now Liberty Park. 

next post  October 10, 1947

previous post  October 1947 Veterans Administration

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