In Minneapolis on Monday, April 8, 1957, Dale wrote, “Letter from Stan. He will be up from Muscatine on the 22nd. I went to a show, ‘Battle Hymn.’”
Dale Likes To Go To Movies
I Was A Teenage Driver
On Tuesday, April 7, 1953, Dale and family drove home from Osceola to Muscatine. I got to drive part of the way. This was good training, since many Iowa highways at the time were narrow, two-lane roads, so learning steering techniques to stay in lane at highway speed was important. Learning when and how to pass other vehicles was critical. Dad was a good teacher, since we all survived my driving.
Dale Gets The Mumps
On Monday, April 6, 1936, Helen and Dale arrived in Washington, DC, on the train from Osceola, for Dale to start his new job as a Civil Service File Clerk. Wayne Lambertson, a Civil Service employee, met them at the train and helped them find an apartment, where Dale was immediately confined to bed with the mumps. His new job was delayed two weeks.
Dinner With A Gauger-In-Training
In St. Paul on Sunday, April 5, 1942, Dale wrote, “Stanley and I went down to the Jewel Hotel and picked up Merle Osterquist. He had dinner with us.” Merle was a Gauger-in-training with the Alcohol Tax Unit who, with his wife Beulah, became life-long friends of Dale and Helen’s.
Temporary Roommates?
In Muscatine on Saturday, April 4, 1953, Dale was recovering from his leg problems and wrote, “Talked to Jim Chasteen on the phone. May room with him in Omaha.” Dale and Jim had been co-workers, and since Jim lived in Omaha, Dale thought his reassignment to Omaha would be easier if he could stay with Jim temporarily.
A Very Important Telegram
In Osceola on Friday, April 3, 1936, working at the Puritan Café, Dale received a telegram telling him to report at once to Washington, DC, for a File Clerk position. He and Helen quit their jobs at the Puritan Café the next day, packed their belongings, and left town on the train that evening.
Nip and Tuck
In Muscatine on Thursday, April 2, 1953, Dalene bought two little chicks. She named them Nip and Tuck. There they are, below:
What’s Halfway Between Chicago and Milwaukee?
In Muscatine on Tuesday, April 1, 1952, Dale wrote that Helen’s nephew Don Schaffer and his wife Opal and their children dropped in for supper on their way from Libertyville to Osceola. Libertyville, Illinois, is halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee.
Sunday Afternoon Bowling
In Minneapolis on Sunday, March 31, 1957, Dale and Dalene went bowling in the afternoon at the Field House.
What’s My Line?
In Muscatine on Sunday, March 30, 1952, Dale wrote that Arthur Godfrey appeared on the television show, “What’s My Line?” The show featured panelists guessing the identity of mystery contestants. For celebrity contestants such as Godfrey, the panelists wore blindfolds. Below are panelists Arlene Dahl, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallen, and host John Daly.
The Price of Gasoline
In Osceola, Iowa, on Friday, March 29, 1935, Dale bought 8 gallons of kerosene for 74¢ and 4 gallons of gasoline for 56¢. Imagine: gasoline at 14¢ per gallon!
Walking to the Doctor’s Office
In Muscatine on Saturday, March 28, 1953, Dale walked downtown with Helen to his doctor’s office for a vitamin B12 shot. Dalene went roller skating with Lisa Emerick at the skating rink a half-block up the hill from our house.
Dictionary Giggle 4
Another definition from my cousin Margie.
COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
COMMITTEE: A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.
Osceola Visitors in Minneapolis
In Minneapolis on Saturday, March 26, 1960, Dale’s mother Jettie, his sister Marie Kimmel and her daughter Susan, and friend Betty Potter arrived from Osceola to spend the weekend visiting Dale, Helen, and Dalene at their house.
Dalene Goes to a Shower
In Minneapolis on Saturday, March 25, 1961, my sister Dalene went to a shower, and spent the night at a girl friend’s house. Dad did not record whose shower or which girl friend.
Jettie’s House in Town
On Saturday, March 24, 1951, Dale drove from Muscatine to his mother Jettie’s new home in town in Osceola, to be with her for the weekend. They went to Marie’s house that night to watch television, and they went to church the next day. He drove back to Muscatine the following Monday. Below: Jettie at her piano.
Truth or Consequences
On Saturday, March 23, 1940, the long-running game show hosted by Ralph Edwards, Truth or Consequences, made its debut on NBC radio. The town of Hot Springs, New Mexico, was renamed Truth or Consequences after the game show in 1950, when Ralph Edwards announced that he would host the program from the first town so renamed. Edwards himself continued to make appearances at the town’s annual fiesta every May until his death. Below: the TV version of the show.
Mystery Leg Pains
On Sunday, March 22, 1953, Dale wrote, “Up early and left Muscatine about 7 a.m. for St. Paul. Legs stopped me in Oelwein, Iowa, and Jack Owens came after me. Stayed three hours in Mealey Hotel. Left the Mercury at a garage in Oelwein to fix the transmission. Admitted to Bellevue Hospital in Muscatine at 7 p.m.” He had been transferred to St. Paul, but his legs won’t let him move there. His leg discomfort continued periodically for years.
A March Blizzard
On Friday, March 21, 1952, Dale drove from Muscatine to Osceola to attend the funeral of Joseph Garwood, husband of Sarah Gardner (sister of Dale’s grandfather Isaac Newton Gardner). He left Osceola at 3:30 to drive back to Muscatine, but the weather turned into a blizzard, and he got stuck outside West Liberty. He got home at 10:15 that night.
Muscatine Wins State Championship
On Saturday, March 20, 1954, Muscatine High School beat Des Moines Roosevelt High School, 67-53, to win the Iowa boy’s basketball state championship. This was an exhilarating event for those of us in high school at the time!