In Muscatine on Thursday, December 31, 1953, Dale wrote that I drove high school junior classmate Esther Frost 28 miles up the Mississippi River to Davenport for the Ice Show.
Davenport Date
Lunch With George And Wilma
In Osceola on Saturday, December 30, 1950, after his father’s funeral December 19, Dale gathered his family and had lunch at the farm of Helen’s sister Wilma and George Casey (off U.S. Highway 69, about where the red star is above), and drove home to Muscatine. He wrote, “Watched TV at night. Good to be home.”
Marie And Susan Visit
In Muscatine on Friday, December 29, 1951, Dale’s sister Marie and her daughter Susan arrived in mid-afternoon from Osceola to spend the night. They left the next morning, but the diary does not say where they were going.
Greatest Game Ever?
In Minneapolis on Sunday, December 28, 1958, Dale wrote, “High 37°. Watched Colts beat Giants 20 to 17 in sudden death overtime on TV. Marie and Susan came up from Osceola on the bus, got here at 9:20 p.m. Dalene and I picked them up at the bus station.” Marie was Dale’s sister and Susan was Marie’s daughter.
Stan Visits Muscatine
In Minneapolis on Saturday, December 27, 1958, Dale wrote, “Stan started to Muscatine at 1 a.m. in the Dodge. High 28° and cloudy. Dinnie and I went downtown to look for a hat for me, didn’t find one. Watched football on TV all afternoon. Wrote Mother a letter.” I went to visit Sue Timm; her senior yearbook photo is above. She was a cute redhead.
First Columbia Heights Christmas
In Minneapolis on Monday, December 26, 1955, Dale wrote, “Holiday. Nice day at home at 3727 Reservoir Blvd.” Their first Christmas holiday above.
Duck And Darts
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On Tuesday, December 25, 1951, Dale wrote, “Christmas in Muscatine at 505 East 7th Street. We had a nice Christmas and roast duck for dinner. Watched TV in afternoon and evening. Kids had fun with dart game.” Merry Christmas!
Osceola Christmas Eve
In Osceola on Sunday, December 24, 1950, after his father’s funeral, Dale went to his brother Lloyd’s for breakfast. He wrote, “We took Mother and went to Wilma’s for dinner. Pearl, Lena, and Louise here in the evening. Ralph, Marie, Susan and us had our Christmas tonight. Nice.” Wilma was Helen’s sister; Dale’s aunt Lena was married to Pearl Yates and Louise was their daughter; Ralph Kimmel was married to Dale’s sister Marie and Susan was their daughter.
Before Super Bowls
In Muscatine on Sunday, December 23, 1951, Dale wrote, “Watched Rams beat Browns for pro football championship.” The Super Bowl won’t be created until the NFL – AFL merger in 1966.
Christmas On The Farm
In Osceola on Friday, December 22, 1950, after his father’s funeral, Dale wrote, “Helen and I went to Muscatine and back, after Christmas tree and presents. Nice day. Kids decorated the tree at night at Grandma’s. Marie and Susan came out to stay all night.” Above: ‘Grandma’ Jettie’s home two weeks earlier, for their farm sale. Marie was Dale’s sister; Susan her daughter.
Singing Carols
In Minneapolis on Saturday, December 21, 1957, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I went downtown Christmas shopping in the morning. Home for lunch. Watched football on TV in the afternoon. Beautiful day. Stan chamoised his car, cleaned it up. Dalene went to a girl friend’s in the afternoon. Stan went to church to sing carols at night.”
Columbia Heights Basketball Game
In Minneapolis on Thursday, December 20, 1956, Dale wrote, “Foggy on the way to work. Low 21°, high 45°. Nice day. Took Dalene to a basketball game at night and went after her.”
Muscatine Sings ‘Messiah’
The school paper, above, noted that the Muscatine High School chorus, 116 voices under the direction of Max Collins, and four guest soloists (Mrs. Evelyn Sanders Vaneck, soprano; Miss Corinne Hamilton, contralto; Stephen Hobson, tenor; and Harry Morrison, bass) would sing Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, December 19, 1954, with organ accompaniment by Charles Shook and piano accompaniment by Judy Smith. Ours was the only midwest high school to perform this.
My Best Job Ever
On Saturday, December 18, 1954, I got an after-school job at Woolworth’s in Muscatine for 75¢ per hour, maybe the best job ever, wearing a tall chef’s hat and handing out free hot cashew samples to entice customers to the candy counter. That would be $6.50 per hour today – plus all the cashews you could eat.
Picking A Tree
In Muscatine on Thursday, December 17, 1953, Dale took the afternoon off of work. He wrote, “I took Dalene downtown after school. Traded some meat to Ed Weise for a turkey. Got our Christmas tree.”
Boys On Stilts
On Monday, December 16, 1918, Jettie’s diary recorded that her sons Lloyd and Dale Gardner (ages 11 and 9, respectively) went to their cousins Wayne and Gene Yates’s (ages 11 and 8) house to play, walking on stilts. When they went home, they made their own stilts.
Oh, Christmas Tree
In Minneapolis on Saturday, December 15, 1956, Dale wrote, “Christmas shopping today. Put the tree up too. Snow but not very much.” Above: their living room.
Singing ‘Messiah’
In Muscatine on Sunday, December 14, 1952, Dale wrote, “Cold today, 20° above. Stayed in the house all day. Had roast beef for dinner. Stan sang in ‘Messiah’ at the high school in the afternoon. Bears beat Cardinals 10-7 on TV in the afternoon. Stan and Mike went to a show at night.” A highlight for the chorus every year was singing Handel’s “Messiah,” accompanied on the organ by English teacher Charles Shook, above.
Just Looking
In Muscatine on Saturday, December 13, 1952, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I looked at used cars. 20° above most all day. Stan worked and went to a show at night.”
Packed Plymouth
On Wednesday, December 12, 1962, Dale wrote, “The Plymouth is packed full. Helen and I left Minneapolis after work and drove to Osceola by 11:30. 20 miles per gallon. Cold and a head wind. All night at Mother’s.” Dale and Helen were on their way to California in their 1960 Plymouth (like the one above) to visit me and my family. Love those fins!