Trumbull, Conn.
June 8, 1941
Mr. Cedric Guion
Anchorage, Alaska.
Dear Sir:
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your favor of the 27th, contents of which have been duly noted. Thanking you for your continued favors, I beg to remain,
Very truly yours.
Yes sir, it arrived on June 4th, just one week after mailing, which shows considerable improvement in the mail service. Evidently, my letters to you are also arriving more promptly, which helps to make it seem as though you were not so far away.
Well of course the big news (good news) of the week was Lad’s homecoming. The other was Mr. Plumb’s death which you have undoubtedly learned from Barbara. They both occurred on the same day. It’s odd how these events run in pairs. Dick’s departure and poor old Mack’s passing on the same day, also.
First, as to Lad’s arrival. The newspaper wireless report in the newspaper gave Santa Rosa’s arrival time as 8 AM Thursday, June 5th instead of the June 4th date mentioned in Lad’s cable. This seemed fortunate as Wednesday was a miserable rainy day and the paper and radio promised clearing Thursday. But, Thursday it rained hard and steadily all day long.
We planned to leave here at 7:30, and I did leave that time to get Elizabeth and Butch. They were not ready so I went up after Barbara. She was ready. I then came back for Dave and Aunt Betty and then picked up daughter and grandson. We left Trumbull (Kurtz’s) at 6:45. Jean wanted to go but her parents would not let her.
With the experience in mind of being late for Dan’s arrival, I stepped on the gas and as there were not many cars on the Merritt Parkway, we frequently sailed along at 70 without any effort. We got down to the pier and 8:10 amid pouring, pelting rain. Arnold and Alta were already there. Elsie came in later. With the passes I had secured we (Dave and I) went through the barrier.
The boat had just tied up at the pier but the gangplank had not been lowered. There was Lad on deck looking just the same as ever. We each saw the other fellow simultaneously and waved. In due course, the gangplank was pushed into position and Lad set foot on the good old U.S.A. We hung around a while until seven boxes with his name on them were brought ashore, then a session with the customs and finally loading his stuff in to the cars, some in the Buick trunk and some in Arnold’s rear seat.
I had brought Lad’s driving licenses with me and as he had to go to 26 Broadway to report his arrival to Socony-Vacuum, he drove the Packard downtown. We parked outside the building for an hour or so and then Elsie decided to come to Trumbull with us so we all journeyed to Trumbull, still amid a steady downpour, to Trumbull. Alta, the night before, had brought over a big load of peonies with which to decorate the house. Dave and I had put up welcome signs here and there about the house. Dave had also put a black paper over the French doors in the music room and set up the movie projector. Mrs. Warden had cooked up a nice hot dinner for us, for which everyone stayed, and we then ran off the Venezuelan and Alaskan films. Carl had come over and before the evening was spent we had the following callers: Babe (Cecelia Mullens, Lad’s girlfriend), Don Whitney, Jean Mortenson, Jean Hughes, Mr. and Mrs. George Knapp, Erwin (Laufer), Red (Sirene), Ethel (Bushey) and the elder Feller.
Tomorrow, I’ll post the rest of this letter. For the rest of the week, O’ll have another letter from Grandpa, one from Grandma Peabody to Ced and a letter from Barbara (Plumb), Dan’s girlfriend, to Ced.
Judy Guion
"Greatest Generation" Life Lessons 