NEW TRAIN IN TOWN-- 1940

Note: This is direct from Grandma Margie. I am remiss in posting this; I owe many, many thanks to her for writing this all down for us. I hope you love it as much as I do.

IT WAS VERY EXCITING.  ALL OVER THE LOS ANGELES AREA WERE BILLBOARDS TELLING THE FOLKS ABOUT A NEW SANTA FE TRAIN.  CALLED THE EL CAPITAN, IT WENT FROM LOS ANGELES TO CHICAGO IN 39 HOURS FOR $39.00.  OF COURSE, WHAT THE BILLBOARDS DIDN'T EXPLAIN WAS THAT FOR THAT PRICE YOU SAT UP ALL THE WAY, SLEEPING IN YOUR RECLINING CHAIR, STILL IN THE SAME OLD CLOTHES YOU STARTED WITH, AND NO SHOWERS.  BUT IT WAS PACKED ALL THE TIME. GUESS THE PRICE WAS RIGHT.

 

IN AUGUST 1940 AFTER SIX WEEKS OF CORRESPONDING BY MAIL WITH JIM, GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER, BUT HOW FRUSTRATING AS WE KNEW WE WOULD NOT BE TOGETHER UNTIL CHIRISTMAS VACATION.  SO HE WANTED ME TO COME TO EVANSTON , AND OF COURSE, I WANTED TO GO.  MY MOTHER AND BROTHER CONFERRED AND DECIDED THAT I COULD GO.  I WAS JUST 20 YEARS OLD, BUT GOING IN TO MY SENIOR YEAR AT USC, SO I GUESS THEY DECIDED I WAS MATURE ENOUGH.  HOWEVER, MY MOTHER DID PUT ON A CONDITION.  I WAS TO STAY IN EVANSTON WITH FRIENDS OF MY FAMILY WHEN I WAS THERE, SO THEY COULD ACT AS CHAPERONE. MR. WATSON WAS A FRATERNITY BROTHER OF MY DADS AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY SO SHE FELT I WOULD BE SAFE.  FROM WHAT, I DON'T KNOW. 

 

SO OFF I WENT.  FRIENDS TOOK ME TO THE TRAIN STAION, ALL DECKED OUT IN A NEW SUIT AND HANGING ON MY SHOULDER WAS A GARDENIA CORSAGE.  WHAT A SIGHT!  AFTER SITTING UP FOR THE WHOLE TRIP YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A DISHEVELED PERSON DISIMBARKED FROM THE TRAIN.  HOWEVER, JIM WAS SO GLAD TO SEE ME HE OVERLOOKED THAT.

 

THE WATSONS WERE VERY NICE BUT DECIDED THEY WOULD SHOW ME THE "SIGHTS" AND I FOUND OUT THAT I HARDLY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO BE WITH JIM.  THEY INSISTED TO BEING WITH US WHEN WE WERE THERE.  WELL, I HAD HAD IT!!!   SO I CALLED MY MOTHER, EXPLAINED TO HER, AND SAID I WAS GOING TO MOVE INTO THE ORINGTON HOTEL RIGHT BY WHERE JIM WAS LIVING AT THE SAE HEADQUARTERS.  MY EXCUSE FOR A CHAPERONE, WAS THAT MARGE LARKIN'S (SORORITY SISTER) AUNT LIVED THERE AND WOULD LOOK OUT FOR ME.  I GUESS SHE WOULD HAVE, BUT I NEVER SAW HER THE WEEK I WAS THERE. 

 

THAT WAS GREAT.  JIM RENTED A CAR (NO AIR CONDITIONING) AND WE EXPLORED THE AREA AROUND CHICAGO.  WE TOOK THE TRAIN FROM EVANSTON MANY TIMES INTO THE CITY TO HAVE DINNER, DANCE TO BOB CROSBYS BAND,  MOVIES, AND THE EDGEWATER BEACH HOTEL TO HEAR THE BIG BAND MUSIC.  YES, WE ALSO WENT TO TRADER VICS, FOR ONE OF THEIR FAMOUS "ZOMBIES".  IT WAS  A WONDERFUL 10 DAYS AND SEALED OUR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER WE HAD MANY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT GETTING MARRIED WHEN HIS JOB WAS OVER IN JUNE, AND I HAD GRADUATED.  THE NIGHT BEFORE I LEFT WE WENT TO THE EMPIRE ROOM FOR DANCING WITH TED FIORITO'S BAND, HAD A SEVEN COURSE STEAK DINNER, AND ANNOUNCED OUR ENGAGEMENT BY HIS PINNING ME WITH HIS SAE PIN.  THE ENGAGEMENT RING WAS TO COME IN FEBRUARY.  THE EVENING WAS GLORIOUS AND IN LOOKING AT THE MENU I HAD SAVED, FOUND OUT THAT THE WHOLE EVENING WAS $3.00 A PERSON.  HOW ABOUT THAT?

 

IT WAS HARD TO LEAVE, BUT JIM WAS ABOUT TO START MAKING THE ROUNDS ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES OF UNIVERSITIES AND VISITING SAE CHAPTERS AT EACH ONE.  HE WAS CALLED A "TRAVELING SECRETARY" AND AS IT WAS AN HONOR THE JOB WAS JUST FOR ONE YEAR.

FROM THAT TIME ON WE WROTE EVERY DAY, WITH A SPECIAL DELIVERY ON SUNDAYS.  I FINISHED MY UNIVERSITY DEGREE IN BUSINESS, AND WE WERE MARRIED TWO DAYS AFTER I GRADUATED.  THIS LAST JUNE WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR 70TH ANNIVERSARY.  THAT TRIP TO EVANSTON WAS THE KEY TO A WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP AND MARRIAGE.  I AM SO GLAD IT ALL WORKED OUT, AND TO THINK THAT TRAIN RIDE DID IT. 

My Dearest Margie: August 6, 1940

My Dearest Margie:

Well I guess this will be the last letter to reach you before you leave. That sure sounds good to me because it means the time is getting closer, although these last few days will seem like ages.

That's swell about your being able to stay with your friends. It will save you a lot of money and anything that will help to enable you to stay longer is great with  me. You can't stay long enough to suit me so why don't you just plan to live here until September and then travel along with me. (quit dreaming Hastings.) Then I wouldn't have to ever let you out of my sight. Darling I'm going nuts waiting these last few days. I can't even sit still. But don't worry about me not being able to get to the train because Al is planning on bringing me down.

I looked up your friends' address and they live on the next to last street in north Evanston. It's about 3 miles from where I live, but we shall figure out someway to close the gap. After 2,000 that seems only a hop and a jump. But I'm liable to be very selfish with you, and if they want you to spend some time with them they'll have to get an appointment from me. But all kidding aside I think it's swell for them to ask you to stay and I really appreciate their offering to take me to the train.

I finally got a letter from home. The reason it was so late was due to to the operation on my brother's eye and they were waiting to find out how it came out. It was a success and he's doing fine. I wrote them a letter today telling them about your coming so if you get a chance to get over and see them I know they would be delighted. I would too. I explained your trip the way you wanted me to, to them.

The weather back here is perfect now. It must know you are coming. Do you have as seat by the window? I know you shall enjoy the ride because it is very comfortable, or at least it was for me because I can sleep standing up if I'm tired. Watch the wolves on the train and if any of them bother you I shall fix him when he gets off, after I get through with more immediate business.

It's hard to write this letter because with you coming back I want to save everything for then.

It still doesn't seem possible and I probably won't believe it until I can feel you in my arms and hear you talk. I think we found out just an hour before I left and now that we have the chance to experience it back here where we don't have to worry about people timing is more than I could have ever hoped or. So if you feel like me, these last few days will seem like snails moving along. When I see you I'll probably be in a stupor and you'll have to knock it out of me and convince me it's really you.

We have a guest tonight for dinner and they're waiting for me again. So Darling I'll be anxiously waiting and counting the hours until I can take you in my arms and tell you I love you. So until that wonderful moment I can just send all of my love by Uncle Sam.

Always yours,

Jim

Darling Margie: August 3, 1940

Darling Margie:

Well here I am in the "deah Ol South" trying to kill time and make it go faster. Today we covered all of Kentucky and it was a real experience. It is beautiful around Lexington, which is the center of the Blue Grass region, but the rest of the state is very poor, and going to the dogs. I took some pictures of the famous horse farms, with the race horses and the colts. Every time I saw a white horse I made a wish, but I'm not going to tell you what it was for then I would be afraid it might not come true. However you can probably guess what it was because if you  miss me just 1/10 as much as I miss you, you'd be making the same wish too.

This will be a hurried letter because we just got in and the boys are waiting on me to go to dinner. But I wanted to drop you a line to let you know I'm thinking of you always. When we're driving along all I can think of is the marvelous time we're gong to have when you get back.

When I get back there might be a letter from my family and I can write you and tell you where they are.

Tomorrow night I shall write another letter telling you more about the trip and also how I'm going crazy waiting for Sunday to arrive, and once again how much I really do miss you.

So until then please excuse this excuse for a letter and remember all my love is for you.

Always,

Jim