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.