Christmas 1957
Writing a newsletter is a surprising sort of thing. You don't realize how much has happened until you stop for a moment for an inventory of twelve months' living. It was a year when everybody covered a lot of mileage - even the dogs and cat.
Les started it off with an active duty tour at Keesler AFB, away down in Biloxi, Mississippi. Don't let anybody tell you January down South can't be cold! Shortly after, he had another tour at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio. It was a little bit warmer, but still wintry. Then he went off to Kansas City to start a new job with a young and progressive consulting firm, U. S. Fire Protection Engineering Service. Temporarily, he took an apartment in a residential hotel, the Brookside, but for several months he traveled a lot, lived out of a suitcase, and saw the apartment only long enough to receive mail and replenish the laundry. Repeated trips to the East Coast, the West Coast and the Gulf Coast, mostly on Air Force business for the firm, kept him busy until mid-summer. Then Polly took a quick trip to Kansas City, and they bought a brick and stucco house, gabled in Old English style, located on a quiet elm-lined street.
The house gave Les a lot of work - most of it electrical, getting the wiring in convenient form, but carpentry and plumbing were involved, too. A good abbreviation for do-it-yourself is "labor". Sandwiched in between the work on the house, Les got himself elected a full Member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Then in September he began to review for the Professional Engineering registration examination at Jefferson City in early October. The after-effect of the two-day session was a feeling like collision with a steam roller, but with reasonable certainty of passing. Right now the principal job is writing up a study of hydraulic calculation procedures, intended for publication as soon as the plentiful rough edges can be
smoothed off.
While Les was madly dashing around the U. S., Polly was engaged in a smaller sort of rat race back in New Jersey, politely known as real estate. She did manage to sell one house, but it was hard work. In May she came out to Kansas City and fell in love with the place, which isn't hard to do. After the new house was selected, she headed back East to wind things up. Fortunately, the house in Roselle Park sold - just as they were getting discouraged. Moving then was just a matter of time. Early in July, the moving van arrived, laden to the hilt. Polly and the boys took their time arriving, visiting all the way out, and camping so as to squeeze in a little extra vacation. The arrival was hectic. One wheel was about to fall off the trailer. Polly got so badly mosquito bitten the last few days that she was completely a mess! After recovering sufficiently to start unpacking, she plunged into all sorts of activities, So far she has gotten involved in playing in a cello trio, two orchestras, playing for choir rehearsals at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, stand-by organist, joining the American Guild of Organists, two PTA's, and two Tooters clubs for school bands. Occasionally, she complains that she gets tired!
Laurie was man-of-the-house for the first part of the year back in New Jersey, and after coming west dug in as a wiring expert, doing so much that It left his father slightly incredulous. In his final year at the Pingry School, he was student organist and Glee Club accompanist. Now the "Cadaver" is off to Gettysburg College. Wonder what new nickname will attach itself to him there? He's playing clarinet in the band, bassoon in the orchestra, viola in quartet, and at long last, is getting the good grades we've been looking for all these years. For recreation, he plays the college organ at Chapel for meditation.
Edward is now officially a freshman at Southwest H.S. (mentioned in "Time" as one of the Nation's 38 outstanding schools. It makes him work, and since he came down with flu, just as school started, the handicap has been rough, The school has an ROTC unit. Pvt. Edward, in his gleaming buttons, is quite the military man, completely gun-happy at the moment. He plays in the band here, too, tooting merrily away. He was Laurie's right-hand man during the summer labors, and now is the odd-job expert of the house. Within limits, he will fix anything, sometimes for keeps. Seriously, he's doing a good job. He's growing like a weed and a
real problem since he doesn't stay the same size long enough to wear out anything.
Daniel is a 6th Grader at Border Star, plays in the orchestra, and is getting fairly good on the French Horn, even if some of the noises that come out are a bit strange. He has lessons at the K. C. Conservatory of Music, where he plays in a band. When we can't find a street, we ask Daniel, He explored the city thoroughly on his bicycle soon after we arrived, got himself a new bike, and soon afterward it was stolen! Now he's on foot, but we hope the police will soon find the bike.
Jimmy Wiegley, nephew from Buffalo, was the first family visitor. Soon afterward we had two Iowa cousins return a quick visit we made up there and found another cousin right in town, and now Mother is visiting. She hates to admit any place could be nicer than Buffalo, where she's lived for so many years, but already Kansas City has a strong appeal to her.
