Trumbull – Two Items of News – Oct., 1940

1934 – 1940 Timeline

Again, this week’s letter is quite long, and the logical place to divide it leaves the first half much shorter than the second half, but that’s the way it goes. The first half concerns local news of family and friends and the second half includes a very long segment about a five-wheel addition, as well as more news concerning his children.

Guion Weekly Chronicle

Trumbull, Conn.

October 6, 1940

To Trumbull Absentee Voters, GREETINGS:

If this letter fails to arouse interest, it will be the fault of the reporter and not of the news he is reporting. The time is later than usual because Dave and I have just returned from the movies at the Warner where we saw ”The Ramparts We Watch”. What a picture! But then I must be pardoned on enthusiasm, which would not be natural for you to share, because the first half depicted actual scenes from the days of 1914 to 1919 — days which I lived through and shared emotionally with those in the picture — days when as a young married couple your mother and I watched the unfolding of events from day to day, just as you watch them thrown on the screen only in real life, and it is because it is such a faithful rendition of events a score of years ago, that it brought back very vivid memories of trials and tribulations, and joys and accomplishments, establishing a home for a wife and little boy babies, etc. When you see it, if it comes to your cinema palace, you can look upon it almost as a page torn from your parents Book of Life. But I guess I got off the subject a bit. The reason for this letter being started late and not before we went to the movies — but there, that is part of the tale.

I think I told you in my last letter that your sister and her husband and son left the ancestral roof which has since, at least that portion of it, been un-tenanted (except by birds and squirrels). Last night, after returning from a Republican rally at the school, I found Carl waiting for me in the kitchen. After a few commonplaces he asked me if I had done anything about renting the apartment. I told him a friend of John Quaintance, a reporter on the Times Star who had recently been married and was taking Don’s place as Trumbull correspondent for the newspaper, had said something about being desirous of finding a place to rent in Trumbull, but I had heard nothing definite. “Why?”

“Well”, he said, and pulled a small box from his pocket, “I bought this ring today for Ethel, and while I have not said anything to anybody but yourself about it, I was thinking of asking her to marry me and this naturally brought up the question as to where we might live.” The ring was gold with a medium large Pearl. Incidentally, I learned today from Dick, who went with Barbara and Red and Jean, down to New York last night to dance to an Hawaiian orchestra, that when Carl heard they were going on this spree, he seemed much interested and finally arranged to go with them in his own car with Ethel, and between or during the dances or something gave, Ethel the ring. You will probably hear more detail from Barbara, Dan, when she writes you all about it. That’s news item No. 1.

No. 2 might be the moving of the Guion Advertising outfit from 231 Fairfield Ave. where they have held forth for some seven years to new quarters at

AD Guion letterhead and business cards

871 Main St. Perhaps some of you may recall the moving of our equipment from the Security Building. Well, some of our heavy machinery is not moved yet — the two long flights of stairs being too much of a problem for amateurs when the moving of the heavy pieces was concerned. We did get most of the current machines moved with the help of Hugo Schalich and his truck, George, Miss Danes, Dick, Dave and (in a very modest portion) myself. The petition for my private office is not yet built but I hope to have everything moved and somewhat in shape by the end of the week. Incidentally, Willkie is due to visit Bridgeport this week, and as we are practically opposite the Willkie headquarters in Bridgeport, I expect we will have a good view of his visit.

I’ll be posting the rest of this letter with Item No. 3 and some incidental local news of the family. According to Grandpa, Item No. 3 is the BIG News of the week. What do you think?

Judy Guion

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