Letter from William H. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, December 29, 1942
MLA Citation
Gernert, William Henry, 1886-1947. “Letter from William H. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, December 29, 1942.” Digital Gallery. BGSU University Libraries, 13 Nov. 2023, digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/42507. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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Title | Letter from William H. Gernert to Richard T. Gernert, December 29, 1942 |
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[top right] 29 D [hole punch blocks word] ember 1942 [end top right]
Dear Ricardo-
Well the bottom has dropped out of things at our home- Momma is in Fort Worth with Bill + Mary. Really tho, I am tickled pink that Mom could take this trip- it is the first trip in her life and she sure is entitled to it, but Gosh Almighty, Dick, we sure miss her around the house, altho Shirley and I have been getting along beautifully. Xmas morning we received the following telegram - "Dear Pop, Mom + Shirley having good time but miss you Baby on way Mary sick needs moms help wire if possible we will wire 50 dollars for ticket plan 3 weeks stay love- Mary + Bill" Can't you just see mom go into "high"? I said, "Sure [underlined], go ahead." Well Saturday am mom gets a permanent and then packs two grips while I get train schedules worked out and away she goes. We left for Toledo at Midnight Saturday and moms train, on the Big 4, left at 1:20 am. In six hours at 1:30 pm, lay over till 5:50 P.M. then on the MK + T to Fort Worth arriving there monday at 12:35 P.M. She arrived safely 'cause we got a telegram saying so. But [double underlined], even yet, I haven't received the 50 bucks from Old Bill. I expect he is pretty busy or they didn't think Mom would leave so quick.
Shirley is working, with s [hole punch blocks word] veral of her school mates, as "scrub woman" out at the Univ., so I get up at 7:00, get her breakfast, pack her lunch and she leaves the house at 10 of 8. I asked Shirley where those little pictures of Sally were and she can't locate them but we will keep looking. I sent you a small picture of Bill in flying outfit. Shirley wrote you last night about her (our) Xmas and I think I have told all about it, too, so you have it by this time. I got a swell [double underlined] new dark blue button sweater and Shirley got 2 [double underlined] wild six week old kittens and thereby hangs a dirty tale. I had my new sweater on- we fed the kittens and put them on the back porch to get acquainted- about 2 hours later, I said to Shirley, "let's get the kittens in here", so we went out and each run down a cat. I had mine up on my chest stroking it and talking nice to it when the damn thing jumped up and crapped, Dick, from my chin to my knees and from the amount, that cat hadn't had a BM for 2 days. Was I mad! I threw the pants away, for the cleaner, then I spent one solid hour cleaning up my perfectly new sweater. A good title would be "A Xmas day crapping party". Gosh, it was a mess. Now the cats are nuts to be held and petted and Shirley gets such a kick out of them. One more "animal" Christmas for us= like when you kids found "Laddie" under the tree, years ago. Yes, Old Son, we sure have had some wonderful Christmas and
[top center] 2 [end top center]
as you say "we will have more" and next Xmas we will have you + Sally, Bill + Mary [underlined] and Junior [end underlined]. Won't that be a new kind of Xmas for all of us? I hope Bill isn't the mean, brutal type of father, dont you? If he + Mary aren't kind of "Junior", old Pop may have to "take a hand". Since the afternoon of Xmas day it has been raining, more or less, all the time- all of our nice 8 or 10 inches of snow is gone and streams are overflowing and the ice is breaking up in the Maumee River. I don't believe we have had a single sunshiney day for a month. Last Sunday the Toledo Times carried a big display of Jim Rae's announcement of being engaged to be married to a girl from Grass Isle- a Big Picture of the Gal and all. Jim is a senior in Med at U of M. Got a letter from Sally yesterday written the afternoon of Xmas day and she just raved [underlined] about the Beautiful house Robe that Mom picked out for your present to her. Said she put it right on and hadn't had it off all day. Isn't that pretty swell, Dick? Because it sure put Mom on the spot buying an expensive [underlined] Xmas present for [underlined] your wife [end underlined]. Anybody's wife would be the same, of course. I saw it and as man to man, Dick, it is a gorgeous thing. She will tell you all about it. I was working away here yesterday about 4:30 when the phone rang- I said hello! and Sally's voice, right away, sad "Hello
Pop", I thou [hole punch blocks word] ht she was [hole punch blocks word] wn to the house and When I [word crossed out] said "Where are you", she said in New York City- sort of baffled me. Seems she had gone home to Stewart Field, above West Point, with Mary Marg and her husband, who is an instructor up there. She asked about "Schied" going to war and said the College of Wooster had got in touch with her and wanted her to come there and take a job in the Ad. Building. Of course I couldn't tell her when the Army would get around to accepting or turning down Mr. Schied, that she would have to decide for herself what to do. I did say "I think Dick would like to have you teach at B.G.H.S., but it sure would be nice to back to Wooster + work". I think she sort of preferred to take the Wooster job than wait around on this job which might not even materialize. She said Wooster wanted her right away. Really, son, I think she will be happier there at Wooster- she was awfully afraid to tackle this English job and wouldn't even have considered it if Mr. Bowman hadn't been so insistent. Everything will work out for the best, son. One thing about Sally- she is true blue- not a lazy hair in her head- loves you like all get out and when you get back she will be the same clean fine girl you left behind, waiting for her [underlined] one man [end underlined]. Your letter of 20 December 1942 is before me- came the 28th. Celebrating your six month anniversary, eh? Well I hope to high heaven and pray that you can celebrate your "12 month" anniversary at 217 no Grove, would'nt
[top center] 3 [end top center]
that be pretty swell? Dont [underlined] ever [double underlined] let yourself get down [double underlined] Sonny Boy- Keep so busy that you wont have time to think, except to think of the 4 months + 1/2 that you and Sally were together as Man + Wife- what a wonderful experience for any young couple, who truly love each other- never [double underlined] to be forgotten. My path isn't exactly a [underlined] rosy one [end underlined], but I'll hit the ball here, if you will do your stuff out there. How abou it, Pal, a bargain? Atta Boy! I am glad to hear your trunk finally came [underlined]. What do you do for laundry services? The vitamins will be coming there some of these days- inquire for a package 10 X 4 X 4. Did I say that your letters weren't coming then? Maybe once there was a wait- but mostly we are getting your letters in 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 days. You speak of being on another island than the one you originally landed on, but your mail comes then in about the same time so I figure you are maybe on a different island of the same group. Don't write anything you shouldn't, Sonny Boy, you are on your honor not to and you aren't the type to betray a trust. Carry on! Old fellow, I'll wait ill you get home to tell me the things you can't tell me now. Are you keeping up the Book idea? A good idea. A card from Mary yesterday said "old Hot Pilot" took his first ride in the 4 motor job on the 19th and was crazy about it. Really, I have to pinch myself to believe that a son of mine drives a "2 story block" around in the sky. What did I ever do??
By the way, Bills address, if I didn't alredy tell you, is- LX W.E. Gernert, 2501 Rogers St, apart. 8., Fort Worth, Texas. He will be there 9 weeks from Dec 15th, or until around Feby 22nd. Mary was so sick she couldn't attend the graduation exercises, at 9:30 am, when Bill got his wings- so he rushed back home so that Mary would be the first one to pin on his Wings. The mushhead, Eh? But he is a great guy- [underlined] we know [end underlined], don't we Dicky boy? Thanks a million for writing Dr Prout- he is away during the Holidays, here + there, but I will hear [underlined] about the letter and I won't let on that I had any previous knowledge of it. You were absolutely smart not to make any comment [underlined] about the controversy over the Ohio Conference mess. Most level headed people [added above] including Skibbie [end added above] thnk it was not [underlined] the time for BGU to drop out, nor, since they did, was it "Cricket" for the Ohio Schools to Cancel on BGU- But to play out all scheduled games then not play them again if they chose. I've written so much my fingers are cramped. Gettin' tired of readin'? You are now [underlined] a subscriber to Marsh Sherer's Wood County Republican which is a weekly [underlined] paper and carries the really important happenings of the week. Incidentally, it costs $1.50 per year, against $7.00 [underlined] a year for the Sentinel. Is that OK, son?
[top center] 4. [end top center]
I think your treatment of the "5 beer parlor marines" was just and fair. Also, I hope you relented so they could have "Liberty" for Xmas. I love you for your fine way of thinking- really sentimental, under-neath- like your old Pop. I am so proud of you, My Pal. My old heart just aches, sometimes. Bill + Sue were home Sat + Sun after Xmas. He had you marked off his list, for not writing an answer to his letter, till I explained to his puerile mind just how far away you were and how long it took for mail, unless sent air mail. Don't forget to drop a card [double underlined] to Carl Young Jr, if possible. So Pudge is going good, eh? Thats fine. I know old Mose worries- He Loves Pudge just like I love [double underlined] you Bill. I won't worry [underlined] about you, Pal. I just want you to be right on your toes- alert all the time. Sell yourself, [underlined] up above [end underlined], always be The Gentleman that you are, whatever company you are in. God will take care of you, I know. Write as often as you can and [underlined] above all [end underlined] keep busy! Dont I do a pretty good job of writing to you, Sonny boy? To paraphrase Bernard Shaw- Dont entertain liesure then you wont have time to bother about being happy or not, hence no miserbales. Good luck- best wishes- Oceans of Love to My Sethy Boy, from "Dad" | |
Subject | Gernert, William Henry, 1886-1947 |
Gernert, Richard Thomas, 1919-1994 | |
Gernert family | |
Gernert, Lillian Forrest, 1893-1988 | |
Gernert, William Edgar, 1917-2009 | |
Gernert, Mary Alice Hawley, 1917-2013 | |
Gernert, Eveline Schwartz Mowry, 1920-1999 | |
Harley, Shirley Louise Gernert, 1925-1981 | |
Bowman, Herbert L., 1898-1973 | |
Prout, Frank Jay, 1883-1967 | |
Rothe, William Saxby, 1920-2009 | |
Rothe, Susan Fraher, 1920-2009 | |
Hole, Gilbert Lee, 1919-1993 | |
Hole, Ernest Main, 1896-1984 | |
Rae, James Weaver, 1917-2013 | |
Scheid, Paul William, 1908-1973 | |
Skibbie, Franklin Gus, 1903-1985 | |
Fort Worth (Tex.) | |
Toledo (Ohio) | |
New York (N.Y.) | |
Stewart Air Force Base (N.Y.) | |
Bowling Green State University | |
College of Wooster | |
Bowling Green High School (Ohio) | |
Ohio Athletic Conference (U.S.) | |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- South Pacific Ocean | |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Ohio -- Bowling Green | |
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 | 1942-12-29 |
Rights | |
Format | Correspondence |
application/pdf | |
Language | eng |
Identifier | ms1269_19421229 |
https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/42507 | |
Spatial Coverage | Bowling Green (Ohio) |
New York (N.Y.) | |
Forth Worth (Tex.) | |
South Pacific Ocean | |
Type | Text |