Saturday, 1:15 p.m., March 13
Tues. 8:15 P.M. March 9
Hi, kids,
Another beautiful sunny day, although there is a brisk wind blowing. And next Saturday, at this time, you will both be home! That will be a treat.
Daddy has had a busy day, doing desk chores mostly, he says. I was up at 5:30, in an attempt to finish that blasted oral report which I had to give today. Honestly, I spent hours on its preparation. But apparently it was worth the effort because I received a comment of "very good," when I finished, and Shirley H.A. said he was absolutely engrossed while I was talking - didn't look at his watch once. Now the report, in longer form - more complete, I mean - must be submitted as a research paper, completely documented as to sources, etc. I'll get a
llot out of this course because we have so much to do! So far I've read two novels, with two more to be done within the next week, and two books on H. L. Mencken, plus much assorted material on writings of the 1920's. Well, that's what I wanted, so I'm really not complaining.Services last night were very well attended. Dennis Boyer and Sylvia Horowitz sang some beautiful melodies, very different. I don't know if Dave Ben Daniel wrote them or selected them. His remarks from the pulpit on the relevance of the Friday night service were very provocative. You both would have reacted, I'm sure. Daddy said fifty people came downstairs for the library hour! I didn't join them because I was helping with the hospitality and the clean-up and then I came home and got back to work on my report. The question is not settled, of course, but I think the interest of so many people in discussing it is very encouraging - and quite exciting, actually.
Several people congratulated us on your Blue Key honor, Sioux Sue. The item was in Wednesday night's Star but it hadn't appeared in the Gazette. Grandma and Ernie have copies of it for us.
Bob and Leanne Silverman were there last night; I wished them happiness. Leanne said she knows you, which of course I know you know. Bobby came in for the service, as I think I wrote you she would. Then she and Milt went back for Happy Pappy week-end. Aunt Rosella said she didn't know if Ernest would be up for it. He and Rhoda have been in Europe - Paris, St. Moritz, Milan, and Spain. Honestly, doesn't it sound just TOO! The Hostage is being presented evenings Mar. 17, 18, 21, 22, and 23; matinees Mar. 20 and 21. We ought to be able to find a convenient time to get up there.
Miscellaneous: Linda Cohn is taking fencing at U of R and loves it. Says it's wonderful to reduce thighs and encourage gracefulness. The grapefruit from Florida was very full of seeds. I usually buy seedless grapefruit, which costs a little more, but is worth it ... I have bought Hagadahs [sic] for Brenda and Regna which I will have imprinted with their names and will give them for a pre-Seder Afikomen gift from us. I asked Aunt Rosella if she wanted to do it, and she said since I thought of it, I should go right ahead ... Karen Weiner's husband is a truck driver ... Judy Altman is going to the University of Indiana. She was accepted at Western College at Oxford and at Sage, but she wants to try a big school ... Joel Cornrich is now working for the family soda plant; he flunked out from wherever he was going ... Phyllis Sternberg has decided she doesn't want to be a mathematician, after taking a Master's in the field, too, and is now going to school at U. of Cal., majoring as an undergrad. in English. Marshall Sternberg has decided he doesn't want to be a research physicist, in which he was working toward his doctorate, or maybe he has that already, and has decided he wants to be a teacher, so he's gone back to school for education courses, etc... Aunt Daulie went to New York for a few days and expects to bring Aunt Yettie back with her when she returns ... Charlie Grupper said the jewelry isn't worth anything, not even worth resetting. I'll take it into Gordon's and see if I get the same answer. If so, you can have it, but I don't know what you'd want to do with it. Charlie says it's "junk." ... Daddy watched the program on the Pope; I couldn't take the time. He admitted he fell asleep during part of it, but he said that what he saw was rather dull ... I'm willing to shop for a comfortable chair for you, SE, but I just can't figure out how you will get it back to school ... The Linton and MPHS Student Council elections are always held with voting machines ... I guess you don't have to worry about a job as a Census taker, SE, because the staff seems to have been hired already. You can get your papers done ... Our kids took National Merits last Tuesday. I stepped in to read the exam, the first time I've ever seen an official exam. It didn't seem too terrible, but I didn't look at the math at all. The kids said the history reading was difficult because they had to draw inferences. I'm sorry I didn't read that section more carefully. They were jubilant over the vocab question. We had worked on so many of these words they just breezed right through. And THAT made me feel good!
I bumped into Mark O. at the Union library last Wednesday. He was still working on his big paper, but the end is in sight. He has someone to type it for him - will be about 100 pages. He looked very handsome, even though he needed a shave. He said he had just written you, Sioux Sue. I hope he sent you good news. He asked about you, Lar, and was interested in your reaction to Rochester. His brother has applied to Harvard, Princeton, U. of P. (I think) and a city college, willing to take the risk of settling for the latter if none of the former work out. Maybe it wasn't Penn; I think it might have been Columbia, but I'm not sure.
Daddy is pleased about his room for Father's Week-end, even though plans for that and/or Rochester are still tentative until you kids make the decision.
Everyone here is glad you had such a marvelous week-end at Prom. But Daddy and I were a little surprised you decided to make the trip again this week-end. However, we quite understand that there will be several weeks when you won't be getting to Yale or vice versa. I remembered your being impressed by one of the Yale professors at last year's Colloquium, but when I was reading the articles about Bernstein I didn't realize he was the one. Will he remain at Yale on a year to year basis or will he take this to mean he's to leave? We don't quite understand.
Maybe Daddy wants to write a word or two. I'll leave him a patch.
Love and kisses,
[unsigned but written by their mother Eleanor F. Friedman]Referring to the above, I don't think the Town has hired all the census takers yet. The newspaper article was very incomplete ... We may go to the Colony tonight to see "How the West Was Won" ... Tomorrow night we have been invited for supper at the Rifkins ... at 12:15 Sunday noon there will be a prayer service on the steps of the downtown Post Office on the Selma Ala death of Rev Reeb. Bishop Scully, Bishop Brown, Rabbi Szenes and Rev Howe are in charge ... We want to go ... Tomorrow morning at Brotherhood Breakfast I expect to hear Dr. Seymour Horwitz on "A long and Happy Life."" [sic] ... Dr. David Childs, 54 Amsterdam eye specialist, who has treated Grandpa, passed away suddenly yesterday. The paper said he had been home since breaking a leg skiing in Jan., but it didn't say what caused his death ...
Keep well -
Love,
Daddy [Arnold J. Friedman]That Newsweek summary was fascinating. I wish I were 21 and just starting out on my own!