In Muscatine on Monday, June 8, 1953, Dale wrote, “Helen, Dalene and I went to the plant at night to look up retirement records.” But it would be 15 more years before he retired. Below: Helen and Dale in 1953.
Dreaming Of Retirement
A Hot Day In Town
In Muscatine on Saturday, June 7, 1952, Dale wrote, “Very hot today. Fixed the furnace fan to blow cool air from the basement.” This was before home air conditioning was inexpensive enough for us. The only places I remember as air conditioned in the early 1950s were the local movie theaters.
D-Day
D-Day was Tuesday, June 6, 1944, when Allied troops landed on Normandy beaches to start the invasion of Europe and the defeat of Hitler and the Nazi Third Reich. See the massive deployment of ships, airplanes, and men here:
Back On The Farm
In Washington, DC, on Saturday, June 5, 1937, Dale tried a second time for a driver’s license and passed the test. He, Helen, Stan, and Lela and Nancy Yates started for Iowa that afternoon and arrived in Osceola Monday evening. Lela was Helen’s sister, Nancy was Lela’s daughter; they had been visiting. Below: Dale’s parents, Jettie and Williams Gardner, at their Iowa farm in front of Helen and Dale’s car loaded for the trip (look closely to see an awning hanging on the driver’s window).
We Shall Never Surrender
On Tuesday, June 4, 1940, Winston Churchill declared “We Shall Never Surrender” during a speech to the House of Commons, as British troops fought Nazi forces in mainland Europe. Five weeks later, on July 10, Germany began bombing Britain’s factories and military facilities, and on September 7, began bombing British cities and the air raid Blitzes began. To hear his “We Shall Never Surrender” speech, run this video:
Still In Ames
Staying with Gene and Lela Yates in Ames, Iowa, on Tuesday, June 3, 1952, Dale wrote, “Dalene and I drove to Des Moines by 2 p.m. and visited Helen. Went to the top of the Capitol building. Brought Dalene back to Ames and I went back to Des Moines to visit Helen at Still Hospital.” Helen was undergoing tests at the hospital. Below: the Iowa state capitol building in Des Moines.
Visiting In Ames
In Ames, Iowa, with his family on Monday, June 2, 1952, Dale wrote, “Took Helen to Still Hospital in Des Moines for three-day examination. Had lunch with Merle Osterquist and Wilson. Supper at Osterquist’s. Visited Helen in the afternoon and evening. Back to Ames by 9 p.m. Dalene and Nancy went to a show at night.” His lunch and supper were with old friends and co-workers. Dale and family were staying with Gene and Lela Yates (Helen’s sister), who owned and operated a motel in Ames. It may have been the 1928 Ames Motor Lodge, below. Nancy was their daughter.
Helen And Dale See Battleship Oklahoma
In Washington, DC, on Sunday, May 31, 1936, Helen and Dale went to Annapolis and visited the U.S. battleship Oklahoma, shown below. Five years later, it was sunk by Japanese bombs and torpedoes in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Helen And Dale Go To Arlington Cemetery
In Washington, DC, on Saturday, May 30, 1936, it was Memorial Day. (Originally known as Decoration Day, it was designated Memorial Day at the turn of the century. The National Holiday Act of 1971 declared the holiday to be the last Monday in May to ensure a three-day weekend for Federal holidays.) Helen and Dale went to Arlington Cemetery, below, and saw the gravesites of President Teddy Roosevelt and General Pershing.
Stan’s First Car
In Muscatine on Sunday, May 29, 1955, I was about to graduate from high school and Dad bought me my first car, a 1946 Chevrolet Club Coupe, for $95 ($815 in today’s dollars). It had no back seat, just storage space for a traveling salesman, with vacuum-assisted shift on the steering column that would drop out of gear at random times, and I loved that car. It looked like this one:
Dancing Stan
In Muscatine on Friday, May 28, 1954, I was a high school junior in a musical comedy, The Merry Widow, and did a heel-clicking high jump then fell to the stage on my side. It was a big hit each performance. That’s me below, with senior Mary Ann Richards watching from the wings:
Helen And Dale Move Again
In Washington, DC, on Wednesday, May 27, 1936, Helen and Dale rented their second apartment of the year at 2114 N Street N.W., in the same building as new friends Bill and Louise. They moved there a week later.
Picnic Between Muscatine And Osceola
After work on Friday, May 26, 1950, Dale and family drove their 1939 Mercury from Muscatine to Osceola, stopping in Washington, Iowa, for a picnic supper. They got to Williams and Jettie Gardner’s farm four miles east of Osceola at 9 p.m. Below: the 1939 Mercury in front of the farmhouse.
Buying A Model A
On Tuesday, May 25, 1937, in Washington, DC, Dale and Helen bought a 1930 Ford Model A with a down payment of $5.00 and full price of $125.00 – the equivalent of $2,000 today. On May 29, he wrote, “Took a ride to Alexandria at night. Runs good.” Below: a restored 1930 Model A.
We Go To The Casey Farm
On Saturday, May 24, 1941, in Iowa on vacation from St. Paul, Dale, Helen, and Stanley left Gene and Lela’s home in Albia, drove back to Osceola, and spent the next three nights at George and Wilma Casey’s farm two miles north of town. Wilma was the oldest of Helen’s sisters, followed by Lela, and Helen was the youngest. Below: Wilma and George at the ol’ swimming hole.
One And A Half Cousins
On Friday, May 23, 1941, in Iowa on vacation from St. Paul, Dale, Helen, and Stanley drove from Osceola to Albia, about 50 miles east of Osceola, and stayed the night at the home of Gene and Lela Yates. Gene was Dale’s first cousin and Lela was Helen’s sister. Gene and Lela’s son, Bob Yates, and I used to refer to ourselves as “one and a half” cousins; closer than first cousins but not quite double cousins.
Stan Works At General Mills Research
On Thursday, May 22, 1958, in Minneapolis, Dale wrote, “Cool and windy, high about 65°. Stan decided to work two more years at General Mills Research and continue going to college part time. He went to school tonight.” I had to keep working to make payments on my 1957 Chevy! The General Mills Central Research Laboratories were at 2010 East Hennepin Avenue. Below: some employees sit on the front steps.
Dale And Helen Visit Mount Vernon
On Thursday, May 21, 1936, after work in Washington, DC, Helen and Dale and some neighbor friends went for a ride to Mount Vernon (see below). They stopped to see the National Airport on their way home.
Dale Sets A Record
On Wednesday, May 20, 1936, in his file clerk job in Washington, DC, Dale broke the one-day filing record by filing 1,737 documents. Below: Dale in the front yard at 1229 Massachusetts Avenue, where he and Helen first lived in Washington, April to June 1936. It looks like a three-piece suit was the way you dressed to get ahead.
Stanley Rides His Grandpa’s Tractor
On Monday, May 19, 1941, Dale, Helen, and Stanley left St. Paul for two weeks vacation in Iowa. They arrived at the farm of Williams and Jettie Gardner near Thayer, about 15 miles west of Osceola, in late afternoon. Below: Stanley gets a ride on the first tractor Williams owned after his team of horses. Notice the iron wheels; no tires.
