Author: Editorial Team

Diary

Going To Wildcat Den

by Editorial Team
In Muscatine on Sunday, October 26, 1952, Dale wrote, “Helen, Dalene, Ringer, and I drove to Wild Cat Den State Park.  Roast beef dinner and football in the afternoon on TV.”  Ringer was our dog.  Below: an old postcard of Wildcat Den, about 13 miles east of our house.
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Diary

Watching TV Football

by Editorial Team
In Muscatine on Sunday, October 25, 1953, Dale wrote, “I finished painting the bathroom.  Dalene and Stan went to Sunday school and church.  I watched football on TV in the afternoon.”  Watching sports events was a favorite pastime of his.
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Diary

Need A Job

by Editorial Team
On Thursday, October 24, 1935, Dale signed an application for a job as a postal clerk.  He and Helen were going broke during the Depression as farmers 11 miles south of Osceola, Iowa:
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Diary

Driving Ms. Helen

by Editorial Team
On vacation from Minneapolis on Tuesday, October 23, 1956, Dale, Helen, and Dalene left the Gene and Lela Yates home (Helen’s sister) in Estherville at 9 a.m. and drove to Osceola by 2:30.  He wrote, “Nice day, nice drive.  Stayed all night at Mother’s.  Went over to Lloyd’s awhile.”  Lloyd was Dale’s brother.  It’s about 214 miles from Estherville to Osceola:
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Diary

Going To Estherville

by Editorial Team
On Monday, October 22, 1956, Dale wrote, “Nice day again.  Helen, Dalene and I left Minneapolis after work for Estherville, Iowa, to see Lela and Gene Yates.  We stayed all night there.”  Lela was Helen’s sister.  Estherville is in northern Iowa:
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Diary

Pie And Coffee

by Editorial Team
Away from Muscatine on temporary duty at the Omaha alcohol plant, Dale drove to Osceola after work on Friday, October 19, 1951, for the weekend.  He wrote, “Lloyd, Marie, Susan, Mother and I had pie and coffee after a football game.”  Lloyd was Dale’s brother, Marie was Dale’s sister, and Susan was Marie’s daughter.
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Diary

High School Football Homecoming

by Editorial Team
In Minneapolis on Friday, October 18, 1957, Dale wrote, “High 55°.  Took Helen and Dalene to the library after work.  Helen, Stan and I ate supper at the Candlelight Café.  Dalene went to her high school football homecoming.”  Dalene attended Columbia Heights High School; their logo is below.
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Diary

A Walk In The Timber

by Editorial Team
Visiting in Osceola from Muscatine on Monday, October 17, 1955, Dale wrote, “We made ourselves at home at Mother’s.  Dalene and I took a walk in Grand-Dad’s timber on the old Short place.  First time I had been in that timber for 36 years.  Enjoyed it very much.”  That timber had belonged to John Clark Short, Jettie’s father, and must have resembled this:
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Diary

From Osceola To Omaha

by Editorial Team
On Tuesday, October 16, 1951, Dale drove from Osceola to Omaha for temporary duty at the alcohol plant there.  He found a room to rent on Poppleton Avenue for $1 per day.  Below: the 136-mile drive from Osceola, Iowa, to Omaha, Nebraska, mostly on U.S. Highway 34.
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Diary

Moving Day In Washington

by Editorial Team
In Washington, DC, on Friday, October 15, 1937, Dale took part of the day off and he and Helen moved to a farm house near Potomac (location below), where they could live rent-free as caretakers.
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Diary

My Room Gets A Heater

by Editorial Team
In Minneapolis on Monday, October 14, 1957, Dale wrote, “Bought a room heater for Stan’s basement room.  Helen and I cleaned out the cold air duct from Stan’s room and greased the furnace fan.”
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Diary

Grade School Open House

by Editorial Team
In Muscatine on Tuesday, October 13, 1953, Dale took the day off and wrote, “Took the radiator off of the car and had it fixed.  Helen and Dalene went to the school open house at night.”  Dad was always working on his cars.  Dalene attended Jefferson school, below:
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Diary

Stan Cramps, Helen Faints

by Editorial Team
In Muscatine on Sunday, October 12, 1952, Dale wrote, “Stanley’s legs cramped last night and Helen fainted at the same time.”  My legs cramped from long hours on a step ladder at backroom bookshelves at Cohn’s news agency, but they got better over the next week or so.  I don’t know why Mom fainted.
Diary

Putting Storm Windows Up

by Editorial Team
In Minneapolis on Saturday, October 11, 1958, Dale wrote, “Stan and I put storm windows on the upstairs apartment.  High today 51° and a beautiful day.”  The photo below shows the back stairs to the second floor apartment; Helen and Jettie are on the back porch.
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Diary

1951 World Series

by Editorial Team
On Wednesday, October 10, 1951, Dale’s cousin Roswell Gardner was in Muscatine, and had supper with Helen and Dale.  They listened to the last World Series game, Yankees 4 – Giants 3.  Here are some highlights:
Diary

Dale Buys A Dodge

by Editorial Team
In Muscatine on Saturday, October 9, 1954, Dale bought a 1948 Dodge four-door sedan; it looked like the one below, with that distinctive grille.  I used to borrow it for dates.
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Diary

Ozzie And Harriet

by Editorial Team
On Sunday, October 8, 1944, CBS launched The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on radio.  When Red Skelton was drafted into the Army in March 1944, his radio show came to an end.  Ozzie and Harriet Nelson were members of Skelton’s cast, and Ozzie was prompted to create his own family situation comedy for radio.  (Harriet was from Des Moines, Iowa.)  Their sons, David and Ricky, joined the show when they were old enough, and the show migrated to television in 1952.  You can listen to a radio episode from 1949 here:
Diary

Dalene On A Hayride

by Editorial Team
In Minneapolis on Wednesday, October 7, 1958, Dale wrote, “Nice day, partly cloudy, in the low 70s.  Dalene went on a hayride at night, Stan and a girl friend chaperoned.”
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