Went to sunday school. Had a chicken dinner. Went to the Court with Franki. Saw “Star on Parade” with Larry Parks & “White Cliffs of Dover,” with Ireane Dunne & Alan Marshall. Jack & Marge came over. Ned, Mom & Marge went to the hosipily. I stayed home with Grant and Marion. Jack did too. Took a bath & put up my hair. Listen to the radio.
29 Jan 1945 Monday
Went to school. Got our Aud tickets. Went to the hosipily after school. Got 20 postcards. Wrote to the movie stars. Went to the library & then to the drugstore & got 10 more postcards. Dick & Betty came over & went to the hospility. I stayed home & listedn Linx & the Gold Theater. Put up my hair. I’m going to go to bed & probly eat something first.
My Response:
With everyone coming to see Ollie (Grandma’s dad) in the hospital, I wonder if it’s getting more serious. I know he makes it but I’m not quite sure what was wrong at this time. He’s been in the hospital for about a month now so I’m wondering if that’s why everyone is making sure to see him.
Went to school. Practice our play in the morning but not at noon. Went to the hopilit right after school with Frankie. I couldn’t believe my eyes cause Ned was in there. Mom went to the hisipitl. Ned was suppose to go but slept from 7:00 to 9:00. Jack and Marge brought over the kids for me to take care of. Dad isn’t feeling so good. Grant and Marion are to sleep. I’m going to sleep down-stairs with mom tonite. Ned isn’t felling so good.
[Ned had been sick with scarlet fever. He apparently got to come home from the navy because my grandmother learned of his sickness in a letter she received four days before. She was obviously not expecting him home so soon. And I still wish I knew what had been wrong with her dad.]
27 Jan 1945 – Saturday
Got up at 10:30. Listen to the programs. Went over town with Frankie and Hines. Frankie got a new dress. We went to the Michigan and saw “Three Men in White” with Van Johnson. Found a dollar bill on the bus. Went to Town Club. Had a wonderful time. Dance with Sikipt, Tonkin, Pat, a boy named Bud, & the milk boy at North. Oh. Golly. Mr. Taner brought us home. Had a hamburger. Went to bed.
My response:
You know, my grandmother was always the one I felt I needed to behave in front of. You know, the one that on the way there your parents would repeatedly tell you to not touch anything? That was their house. As I got older, I felt that I always had to be so proper so she wouldn’t be upset with me. I had such an old fashioned idea of how she wouldn’t want my sister or me to date until we were at least 16, if not older. Now I see her teenage years and I realize I really didn’t know her at all. It makes me sad to think I had carried such assumptions around with me and just never asked her about what her teenage years were like. Not that going out and dancing at 15 is such a big deal but to me, from my assumed-old-fashioned-grandmother, this is a bit surprising. I’m glad to see that she wasn’t what I had thought but I’m sad that I had thought that for too long and that she had passed before I really got the chance to know her.
Went to school. Got Mrs. Cone for Soc Sci. Frankie worked in the office with me today. Went to the basketball game at Central. Juniors beat 24 to 13. Seniors lost 20 to 22. Boy was I mad. Did supper dishes. Went to the drugstore with Frankie Met two boys. Bob and I don’t know the other one. His telephone nu. is 36885. We talked for about an hour. Came home listen to the radio wrote ten letters to movie stars. Put up my hair.
Jan 25 1945 – Thursday
Went to school. Got Brozard for Soc. Sci. I knew it was to good to be true. Practice the play at noon. Went off good except for Jim and Willis they spoil it all. Didn’t go to Ames Church. Came home and got more movie star addresses. Went to the Court with Frankie, saw “Pin Up Girl” with Betty Grable. Was it a darling show. Was suppose to meet Bob there but he didn’t show up. Come home and put up my hair. Going to get more movie addresses.
My Response:
I love all the singing and dancing that older movies always seemed to have. I’m not sure who this Bob was that she met and stood her up… I don’t think it was my grandfather but he did work in a drugstore and the story is that is where they met but it was under different circumstances that I would think she’d mention. The old phone number made me smile just because it’s so different now. I wonder if she had a party line at her home too. I would bet she probably did as, if I remember correctly, that was the norm for quite some time. Especially during the war when copper was rationed. I wonder if that led to any interesting conversations!
Went to school. Got our report cards. I’m on the honer and merit roll. I got Aud aa-aa-ba-aa Gen Science aa-cb-ba-ba English dc-cb-bb-cb Gym aa-ab-aa-aa Typing cb-ba-aa-aa Math ba-cb-ba-ba. Still got Brodged for Social Science. Dad had another transfusion. Got a letter from Ned. He’s got scarlet fever. He had to have two blood transfusions. Listen to Sup Theater. Put up my hair. Hope Ned gets better and comes home. Gene and Dad too.
Jan 23 1945
Tuesday Jan 23 1945
Went to school. Frankie was sub in the office with me today. Blondie came to our school. She stayed in our sixth hour class. “Importance of Being Young” practice at noon. I was told they were awful. Miss McKege got mad and threw the book down. Got to give the play next Friday. Went to the store with mom. Stayed home got movie star address and listen to the radio. Mom went to the hospital. Got a box of 24 hearsey[Hershey] bar candy*.
*Thank you to Genealogy Lady for figuring this out! I couldn’t put the box of 24 hearsey together with what was written underneath it. 🙂
My response:
Her grades are a bit weird. I only got one letter grade per item in middle school. I wonder what it all meant…
And wow, scarlet fever? To be honest, I had thought that was completely wiped out and something from “olden” days. But then I had a student come down with it a few years back. I was floored. And a little nervous. It comes with strep throat which I tended to get quite often as a child. I suppose I just read too much. I know it can be easily treated with antibiotics so maybe that’s why I only hear of it as something deadly from back in the day stories. Either way, wow! I can imagine that Grandma was worried although she doesn’t show it in her diary. Her dad has been in the hospital for nearly a month at this point and now her brother is sick AND overseas! That would be stressful.
