Friday, March 16, 2018

1968 Catherine's Letter -March 8

[Letter addressed to the HHU's at the Sheraton Atlantic Hotel, Broadway at 34th, NYC]

March 8, 1968
Dear Mother and Daddy,

Hi!  Would you believe I'm finally writing a letter?  I do hope you all are staying at the Sheraton Atlantic.  I called the ABA office to find out the address and they didn't have it listed so they gave me the phone number of the Sheraton in Detroit.

In case you are wondering why my writing is so bad –– Would you believe I broke my right arm?  Don't believe it 'cause I didn't.  Actually I'm sitting in the front seat of a Greyhound Bus beside my friend Sue.  We're going as far as Ann Arbor where some friends of hers are going to pick us up and take us to Ottawa Lake, Mich. (near Toledo.)  I think it is also near Blissfield, Mich.  Isn't that where the Horton's Aunt Frances lives?  It should be a really great weekend!  These friends of Sue's have three kids at home (one a boy our age), an indoor swimming pool, and a bunch of horses.

I did make it home from New York all right. Rich, the guy from Connecticut, got sick the first morning we were in NY and went home.  He ended up flying back to K.  As we were leaving the conference on Sunday another guy, Howie, informed us that he was going to fly back too.  So there were only 7 of us going back.  I don't know how we ever made it with 9!  We drove straight through – by way of New York State and Canada and made it into Kalamazoo by 6:30AM Monday.

I was really tired (for some reason) but Dr. Wright said he would like me to take the physics test I missed at 9 so I skipped English to cram.  I figured I could go to bed as soon as the test was over and get the health service to excuse me from PE.  At 9 Dr. Wright decided that since both John (my lab partner) and I had to makeup the test it would be better to wait until 4.  I studied all day except for PE, lunch and math class.  At 4 Dr. Wright wasn't in his office so we spent about an hour in the lab and then left.

At supper I found out that I was supposed to work for Sage from 7-9.  Sue offered to work for me so I could go to bed.  About 7:00 as I was ready to jump into bed (I guess a better term might be fall into bed!)  Sue came back sick so I did jump into some clothes and rush over to replace her.  I finally got to bed about 10:30 but I hadn't gotten any studying done and I still had that physics test to take.

I took the test at 9:30 Tuesday morning and somehow I managed to get 4 out of 10 points (average was 6).  I also had a nice long talk with Dr Wright about my calculus.  He can't figure out why I could get B's last quarter and this quarter on the two tests I have a D and a C-.  Mostly he just told me not to get discouraged and to keep studying.  He also goes strong on the pep talk about how a girl can be a physics major.  Everyone else has been telling me the opposite which isn't overly encouraging.

It is now 8:30 PM and we are here at their house.  Sue is cooking and about everyone else is watching TV.

Cuyahoga Falls was where we got the speeding ticket.  The court (police station or whatever) was about 15 miles from the turnpike.

Before we left Kalamazoo I collected nickels from a bunch of guys and then I sent them all post cards.  Of course they didn't get them until Wednesday but they did get then!

I met Dave who had been at the hockey game with his father and sister.  We went out to dinner at Jane Davies and then I caught the train to Westbury.  I had hoped to get to bed early but Pete, Sue's younger brother, felt it was his responsibility to entertain me so that I wouldn't get lonely.  Rich got his coat back but Greg didn't.  I don't think. 

You can tell John he now has a bunch of brothers.  We've established a family among all our friends.  Bruce is Pa, Sarah is Ma, Sue and I are the only daughters but there there is Joe, David, Tim, Cal, Rich, and a few more irregulars.  We have family get-togethers at every meal but they usually consist of only the offspring.  Pa joins us pretty often but Ma has another set of friends.  It's fun eating with all the guys but it takes real will power as they are all trying to gain weight.

Our first big family get together was when we went down town to storm Carver Center.  Did I write about that already?

Tim's birthday was yesterday and we had a little celebration.  We all autographed a napkin and I got one of the candles left over from my birthday which he stuck in his cake.  Sue and I gave him a postcard from Schensul's and a sugarless piece of candy (just what he needed).

On Palm Sunday I will become an associate member of the First Methodist Church in Kalamazoo.  I really like the church – especially the Sunday School class.  The guys from Western bring me home afterwards – they are all very nice.  One of the nicest, Jim, was going to take me to see "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" this weekend but I'm here and he's in Detroit as they are on break right now.

I've been working for Saga about 2-4 hours a week.  I applied for a job as a kitchen aid at the Senior Citizens House as they need people to work 15 hours a week.  There was an opening last week but they decided if they took me on now I would be leaving this summer and it wouldn't be worth it for three months.  I like working for Saga as a waitress and I can more or less choose my own hours.

As far as this summer is concerned I've done nothing really definite except take the civil service test.  I can always go back to Lakeside if I get my application in by about April 1.  That is the Sunday before Palm Sunday.

I know Patty had changed majors – I think the dietetics had a little too much chemistry for her.  She would like to go to Wilmington so she could see more of her beloved Ted.

The weather certainly has been nice lately.  We had five nice days in a row.  That must be a record for Kalamazoo.  All the Michigan people keep talking about what a mild winter this has been.

Only one more English paper and then the final exam.  We had our last scheduled physics lab yesterday but I still have the lab report to write up.  Tuesday we're going to go in the lab and mess around with the experiment we haven't done but we won't have to do the write-up.

The baseball and golf teams are going South over vacation.  Tim is trying out for the baseball team but he won't know until next week whether he makes it.  The choir is going on concert int he East.

I've been getting about a post card a day from Roberta.  Usually I get two post cards every other day!

I got the dress from Lazarus which is kind of big.  I'll wait until break and see what you think.

I suppose I have rambled on long enough now.  I hope you're having a good time in New York!

Love,
Catherine

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