© 2021 Patricia Jean Patten Evans
All rights reserved
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Dutchie Darling . . . Love, Bob |
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| A Love Story © 2021 Patricia Jean Patten Evans All rights reserved |
| At the end of his basic training at Fort McClellan, Bob received orders to go to New York City to attend college at the City College of New York, as an engineering major. He had been assigned to the ASTP, Army Specialized Training Program. The US Army ran the single biggest college education program in the nation's history, involving several hundred thousand young college age men. Unfortunately, it was a short lived blip. Relatively few of the men had the opportunity for more than one or two of the three month terms, before the program was terminated, less than one year after it was started. Admission to the program was based on brains and previous education. The General, in charge of the program, told the men that they were "Soldiers First, Students Second". As a student in this program, Bob went to classes 8 hours per day and half day on Saturday. They wore uniforms and marched in formation to class. The program ended abruptly on FEB 18,1944 and the ASTPers were returned to line duty by April 1st.
On his first leave at CCNY, he and Jean became engaged. They used a diamond from his mother's engagement ring. Jean wore that ring without taking it or her wedding ring off until the day she died in 2008. My sister, Dot, wears that ring today. Bob refers to her choosing a silver pattern. All brides at that time choose a sterling flatware pattern. She chose Towle's Craftsman, and after their wedding ended up with a service for 12. In the late 80's, their house in Warrington, PA was burglarized and the sterling silver was stolen. Only one knife escaped. Since I had the same silver pattern as Mom, she gave me that knife. Bob refers to the family physician,"Gertie". Gertrude Lavalle MD was the family physician used by Charlotte and William for their family. Gertie took care of Bob and Jean and then my sister and I,until we moved from Massachusetts in 1953. Gertie was a brilliant diagnostician and treated us all thru many illnesses. I still remember Gertie coming to our house in Medford, when I had the measles. She came every day to check on me. Bob writes about he and Jean going out to Flushing NY, when she comes to visit. Her Uncle Norman and his family lived in Flushing. Norman was William's brother and worked for the Sunshine Biscuit company until his retirement. I still remember the big tin boxes of assorted cookies that he would send at each holiday. When I was about 11, and sent to Girl Scout camp for the first time, Uncle Norman sent a tin box of cookies. The tin box looked like a plaid picnic basket. Once I finished the cookies, I used the box to store my Ginny doll clothes. I still have the box and the Ginny doll. Bob mentions reading a book that was part of a series, a Perry Mason mystery. Later in the late 50's, there was a TV program developed from this set of books. Perry Mason was on every Sunday evening and my father never missed an episode. I can remember that it came on after my sister and my bedtime, so although I never saw the program, I heard many an episode from my bed on the second floor. In several letters, Bob references a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, "Annabel Lee". It was always one of his favorite poems. Many years later, when I was a senior in high school, and talked into competing in the Totowa NJ JayCee's Beauty Pageant, (the one and only time I ever did this), I needed a talent. Dad suggested that I do a dramatic reading of Annabel Lee, which I did. I didn't win the pageant, but I, like he, have always loved that poem. In the section of letters written in January, 1944, Bob is struggling with when they should get married. In his letter of Jan. 19th, he tells her "who knows it may be the wrong thing for us to do. However, it seems the correct one and so far in life I've found that the only way one can decide whether something is correct or not is to try what you personally think is the right way". All of my life, whenever I was faced with making a decision, he would tell me, "you weigh all the options, but once you make a decision, you can't look back, you just need to keep going forward." He teases her about her love of shoes and tells her, "you'll have so many shoes, you'll have to build a house to keep them in." Her love of shoes was lifelong. She wore a 7.5-8 narrow and, when she found a shoe she liked that fit well, she would buy it in every color. After she died, when my sister and I were clearing out her apartment, we found pair after pair of identical shoes, except for the color. Her wedding china was inscribed with her married initials, JSP. Those dishes were used for every important occasion all of our lives growing up. I still remember my 16th birthday party, which was a Saturday luncheon at home. Mom made the entire meal and served it on the JSP dishes, with her Towle Sterling, to me and several of my friends. Today, my niece, Kelli, has what is left of those dishes. |