Letter from William H. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, November 14, 1942
| Title | Letter from William H. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, November 14, 1942 |
|---|---|
Sat Nov-14-42 [top right]
Dear old Pal-
Cold here today and still no word from Sally about you or she - dang it. I imagine she is pretty busy checking out of San Diego, but a postal card would help a lot. Virginia Brewster has been accepted into the "Waves" and goes to Madison Wisconsin the 15th of December or January.
Card from Mary this morning - Bill has been doing night flying this week. Bill sure wrote a letter that was a masterpiece after he talked with you in San Francisco.
Monday [to the right]
Oberlin beat Wooster 20-7. Mose sort of expected that, too. Remember your last [underlined] game at Oberlin - cold and snowing and you caught a long forward pass for a touchdown? A great day for your old Pop - I sat in Boles' car with him. State beat Illinois 44-20. Michigan over Notre Dame 32-20.
We had a party at Bowmans Saturday night - pretty late, too. Sunday was a lazy day - Mom had the "curse", so we did nothing. I had bought a chicken and while I was cleaning it, I thought, "it will do mom good to hear Bills voice, so I put in a call for him about noon and got the "lug" out of bed. I said "Hey ye [unsure leg]! Hot [unsure leg] Pilot, we are having chicken for 6 oclock dinner, can't you and Mary hop in a bomber and come up?" He said "Gosh Pop, I sure wish we could." He had flown to Elpaso and back on Saturday, over 1000 miles and was pretty tired - that was his excuse for not being in church. So Shirley invited Margaret Mercer in to eat chicken with us - a wonderful meal, too.
[missing page 2?]
3- [centered] Monday cont. [top right]
Wish you + Sally could have been with us. Say! Mom got a letter from Sally this a.m. She is supposed to arrive at Bills today the 16th, then to Drinks - then to Meades in Chicago, then here about the 23rd of Nov. No details about you - perhaps I am not to be trusted any more. If I could only know where you are so I could look on my map and say to myself [underlined x3], "my son and Pal is there [underlined]|. A beautiful day here today, warm and sunny.
Gas rationing dont take effect till Dec 1st [underlined], so if Sally comes Nov 23rd, mom and I will call her folks and see if they can't come up for Thanksgiving on the 26th [underlined]. Pretty long drive, tho.
I have been having a tooth ache for weeks so today I had two extracted and I am sitting here writing with a mouth full of blood. Gory, eh?
Dicky Boy- dont be ashamed to attend a church service where ever you are. And tell me if you get my letters, too. This will be letter #5Bm to go out addressed to unit #400.
BGU tied Findlay College 0-0 last Friday - awful cold windy day - I didn't go. High school games are all over - not a single win this year.
The Junior Red Cross in the high school are sending all high school boys in the Service a Xmas Box. Yours is on the way. Be sure [underlined] to write them a thank [underlined] you [underlined] letter.
So long now Sonny [unsure leg] Boy [bottom right]
Pop [bottom right]
4- [centered] Tuesday [top right]
Dearest Pal-
It is warm and drizzly rainy here today - very depressing, but at least, a day like this makes us appreciate a really nice day.
Had a card today from Mys. Whitehead, still in San Diefo. She says Dr M. left today (13th) for San Francisco. She also said she didn't get to see you - that you left the day after she arrived. I take it from that, that they didn't stay in your house. She will get home (here) the 21st [underlined].
I mailed you a letter from mom today and I numbered it 5A. This letter will be 5B. Keep track and let me know if you get them, son.
I spent a hectic night last night - had a nasty headache and my sockets where the teeth came from, bled all night, so I am a bit droopy today.
The navy sure messed up the Japs in the Solomon area didn't they? The dirty ratty bastards - it is too bad to have to waste ammunition on them.
Wed. 18th [right of center]
Dear Son-
Near as I can figure - you left two weeks ago tomorrow, on the 5th - so we should be getting our first letter from you in a day or two. Hope so.
Today is a beautiful day, warm [underlined] and sunshine, Just like spring.
I have to register for a gas rationing card today - it is alright - any thing to win this damn war, altho I think Washington DC is full of first class official asses.
Love [bottom right]
Pop [bottom right]
5- [centered] Friday. [top right]
Dearest Boy-
A Long letter from Mary written while waiing at the station in San Antono for Sally's train to arrive. She said a letter was waiting at Bill Marys from you to Sally. Mom and I are hoping for some word direct from you - nothing yet, however.
Pheasant shooting starts at 12 non today and the town is full of hunters and dos. Eddie Gray + wife are in town - Ruthy has sent a box to you.
A big party at Bowmans last niht for Helen Conklins birthday. Uncle Bob Dunn was down to speak to Rotary Club and came to the party. Gaven [illegible] in Detroit taking [unsure leg] [unsure leg] for "Waves".
Big Game between Ohio State + Michigan tomorrow. Remember when I took you + Bill to the game at Ann Arbor?
Mary said our telephone call to Bill last Sunday pooped [unsure sp] Bill up, no end, cause he had been doing a lot of thinking about us. A Good man, eh?
Sat am. [to the right]
Hi, Boy! got a letter from you this a.m. for the first time. Sure is a small world, that you would run into Bill Compton, isn't it. One thing you didn't say, was whether you received any mail upon arriving at your destination - cause I have sent out 5 letters and a roll of sport pages from the newspapers about foot ball resuts that I thought you would like to have.
6- [centered]
Mike Anthony will be glad to know that Pudges misses those North Dixie specials he used to mix for him. Sally arived at Bills, Monday the 16th [underlined], and a card from Mary says she is saying over the week end of the 21st + 22nd, so she can see more of Bill. You see Bill fly o [unsure leg] a lot day + night, but is off from Sat noon till Monday a.m., and Bill wants to be there to show Sally every thing in San Antonio.
Mary says she and Sally, having married the "G" Boys, have so much in common that they never run out of "talk". Isn't it great, Dick, that Sally Mary get along so well?
You know Sally's wedding picture that she brought to us? Well, we took it down to Carl Youngs and he put it in a swell frame - so now it occupies a place on [unsure note] or piano. You see, Mary gave me her picture (in a frame) so I wanted Sally's in a frame, too. I sure am damned proud of my "Girls". I should be - I spent a lng time picking them out for you "Lugs" and by thunder I want you to honor [underlined] and love [underlined] them for 40 years - after that I wont worry.
Guess I'll mail this letter out to you now. It will be number 5B. Wish I was sure you were getting them. Take care of yourself, son, do you stuff - sell your "wares" and remember to be clean [underlined], always. Say your prayers, too. I love you, Pal.
[right of page] Old Pop.
[added on the righthand margin, "Shirley has a letter written to you. (#5C)"] | |
| Subject | Gernert, William Henry, 1886-1947 |
| Gernert, Richard Thomas, 1919-1994 | |
| Gernert, Eveline Schwartz Mowry, 1920-1999 | |
| Gernert family | |
| San Diego (Calif.) | |
| San Francisco (Calif.) | |
| Gernert, Mary Alice Hawley, 1917-2013 | |
| Gernert, William Edgar, 1917-2009 | |
| Gernert, Lillian Forrest, 1893-1988 | |
| College of Wooster -- Football | |
| Hole, Ernest Maine, 1896-1984 | |
| Bowman family | |
| El Paso (Tex.) | |
| Rationing -- United States -- History -- 20th century | |
| Bowling Green State University -- Football | |
| American Red Cross | |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Solomon Islands | |
| San Antonio (Tex.) | |
| Gray family | |
| Conklin, Helen Kathryn Saxby, 1890-1972 | |
| Rotary Club of Bowling Green (Ohio) | |
| Ohio State University -- Football | |
| Hole, Gilbert Lee, 1919-1993 | |
| Young, Carl, 1897-1970 | |
| Bowling Green (Ohio) | |
| Creator | Gernert, William Henry, 1886-1947 |
| Source | Gernert family letters; MS-1269; Center for Archival Collections; University Libraries; Bowling Green State University |
| Date | 1942-11-14 |
| Rights |
|
| Format | Correspondence |
| application/pdf | |
| Language | eng |
| Identifier | ms1269_19421114 |
| https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/42495 | |
| Spatial Coverage | Bowling Green (Ohio) |
| San Diego (Calif.) | |
| San Francisco (Calif.) | |
| El Paso (Tex.) | |
| San Antonio (Tex.) | |
| Solomon Islands | |
| Type | Text |
