Sunday --
May 10, 1981
Dearest Family --
Had a real surprise for Mothers Day when we got home from Columbus after attending the Ohio Bar Association Meeting there -- found Serena here. Mary Virginia had met her in Dayton early Saturday morning. If we had only known that she might be coming we could have picked her up in Columbus but didn't think she wanted to home so soon. Also glad to get a letter from Catherine on Thursday and two in one envelope from Roberta yesterday.
We were happy to see John and Carol Friday evening while we were in Columbus.
I am sure that Mother had more to add to that paragraph, but I thought that I would add a short note. (This part following from Serena)
For those of you have not heard, I am planning on moving to Kansas City, MO in September. So if anybody wants to see me in Chicago they had better come soon.
I miss my typewriter at work with the correction ribbon -- spoiled! I like where I am working pretty well -- I have been there for three months and will be going back there when I leave New Vienna -- after Memorial Day.
I was over at Debbie Haines' last night. Her mother does definitely have a brain tumor, but it does not appear to be cancerous and it is in a place that is easiest to operate on. She is in Christ hospital in Cincy and is to be operated on tomorrow. David who is to get his PhD in Chemistry in July is going to be teaching at Wellesley in the fall. Alan had two pictures, that he took, published for some contest in the Ohio Magazine -- he showed them to me -- I was quite impressed.
Back to me again. Good to talk to Catherine and Wendy last Wednesday and if we had been able to get through to Roberta today would have talked to all the family recently but had no luck in getting through. Earlier in the day no one answered at either number -- old or new and then lines were busy later on account of Mothers Day calls. So do hope to get through at least by next Thursday -- hate to call too early in the morning (3 hours difference and never able to find her in later). Realize that she was working yesterday and today for her old friend Harry the florist so if we don't get through before the 14th may call you at 5AM then !!!???
Grandma had a call from the Hortons this morning and they plan to come here next Tuesday and guess will stay through the 23rd anyway for it is Aunt Mary's 50th anniversary of her graduating class here at New Vienna. The Alumni is that evening. I'm sorry that we planned to be away then but you just have to miss something or stay home all the time. We are looking forward to going to see Roberta.
Ruth stayed with Mie Young and Mary Virginia the two nights we were gone and we hadn't gotten back home before someone said they heard we had been away -- traceable to ??? but it was easy to see the connection.
Thursday we got up there soon after lunch -- barely checked in before spouses were invited to have tea at the governor's mansion with a talk by a Presbyterian minister who is also a family counselor by profession as well. The gist was to let your parents and children make their own decisions instead of trying to run their lives as well as your own.
That evening we went to the Country Dinner Theater at Reynoldsburg where we saw Hugh O'Brien in "A Thousand Clowns". He came out afterwards and talked to the audience -- our own private party and found him very interesting. He must be at least 60 but played part of much younger man. Said that he had gone to UCincinnati and planned to go into law.
I vaguely remember him in the Wyatt Earp series and that's been a long time ago. He had been on Bob Braun's show talking about his play and interest in youth but I only listened slightly as didn't think I'd be seeing him. He had gone to Africa to spend some time with Albert Schweitzer and came back fired up to hep with youth and has seminars all over the country with a national seminar each year.
Friday morning I joined Dad for the complimentary breakfast with graduates of Western Reserve law school and it was a feast. There were quite a few of the wives there but mainly men.
The spouses then took buses to what is now called Dennison Park Place to see six homes that had been scheduled to be demolished but because of their beautiful woodwork and possibilities were moved to a central courtyard and completely restored and decorated and are now up for sale -- we easily spent two hours there and then boarded buses again and each bus went to a home of different Columbus attorneys. One went to Upper Arlington and the home was really fabulous. It was a gorgeous split level with an indoor pool on one end -- I had the feeling that they might also use it for an ice rink in the winter for the wife had all kinds of posters, magazine, etc. on ice skating. They must have four children -- at least I saw four children's bedrooms that were obviously lived in -- one even had a homemade sign on the door "Disaster area -- enter at your own risk". We had a lovely salad (fresh fruit -- big pieces) with banana chips and coconut and salad dressing optional and little tea sandwiches and dessert. I forgot to mention that they served wine before hand with mammoth strawberries as we entered. The same meal was served at all the houses as I guess it was catered.
I did some errands when I got back to the hotel -- got the cello to a violin shop to be repaired for Mie Young. Mrs. Liggett had used it and offered to loan it to her during her stay in this country. Hadn't been back in the room too long before John and Carol arrived. We had tried to make reservations at several nice places in the vicinity but no luck at any place except for 9:30 PM but luckily got into the Hotel Dining room on the spur of the moment, where their speciality is Duck, a salad bar buffet and unlimited chocolate desserts . . . we would have felt better if we had quit eating earlier in the evening. Anyway it was fun to try out this deluxe restaurant. This Hyatt Hotel just opened last October.
On the way home had lunch at Frischs in Washington C.H. (more our speed as the bill for the two of us came to $3.00) and saw Patty Walker ? there, also another friend who use to live in NV. Then to Laurel Oaks where industry was having its first "Industry Day" and Wells was one of the 28 exhibitors. Esther and Howard had done a bang-up job on the booth -- people could guess how many jacks were in the jar . .. there were 3414 pieces and a lady from Wilmington guessed within 9 pieces so she won the $10 prize. Some guess were in the 40,000 range. Had over 500 people who made guesses.
Mie Young fixed dinner today, will not try to spell the dish we had, but it was very tasty Korean food and Mother enjoyed having the day off. It was called something like bee bim bop -- very tasty with hamburger, egg, rice, zucchini, green pepper, onion, eggplant, and cucumber, all cooked on the table in separate dishes. Had hot fudge and caramel sundaes for dessert.
Dad and I were in charge of the Mothers Day program at Sunday School -- got Carolyn Thornburg and Jeannette Layman's class to have some recitations, piano solos, etc. and then we presented flowers to the mother with the most children there, youngest mother and mother who had come the farthest. The rest got their choice of either petunias or ageratum and we ran out -- so many came and want to take some home for their mothers and sisters, etc. so had enough to cover the mothers there anyway.
[Love, etc.]
