Before Departing - Letter to Peep - Jan 11, 1943

In this letter sent from hometown Perrysburg, OH, from Caroline to her sister Hilda Mary Wenz ("Peep") at Radcliffe, Caroline makes reference to a friend, Virginia, who had earlier joined the WAVES. She also mentions George Munger, with whom she had a rather clumsy romance. She told me that he had once broken her glasses when he kissed her goodbye!

Monday evening

January 11.

Dear Peep,

Perhaps I should say at the outset that as an aftermath of all the past week's excitement I am desperately sleepy and it is only nine-thirty. Please make the best of my lapses.

It seemed almost too good to be true to have Virginia visit even as briefly as she did. I know that I learned a lot and I think Mother was reassured by Virginia's evident good health and enthusiasm. I hope it won't be too long till we meet again - altho till - and if ever - I am also an ensign Virginia will be very much my superior - especially socially. Perhaps I am overly optimistic in thinking that some of the rough points will be somewhat smoothed out when other classes go thru, for Virginia's class certainly bore the brunt of the experiment. I imagine that she will miss the close contact with the other girls at first in New York. She certainly found her uniform a novelty here - to be truthful it is only the fourth that I have seen. She planned a trip out to the University [of Toledo?] with some misgivings. Incidentally, - she had a very bad impression of civilian life - the Maumee Valley bus was about forty-five minutes late getting out here - it stalled about three miles down the road. Poor Virginia with no supper - . I hope that you and Virginia can visit back and forth this spring - altho Virginia has the advantage of furlough rates.

George [Munger], I trust, is safely back at Camp Carson. He caught the Pacemaker - just - on Saturday morning. (It was reported half an hour late but came in twenty minutes early - 6:10 a.m. - Mrs. Munger told me all this - I didn't go of course)

I was somewhat flattered - or at least mollified - to be invited to spend part of George's last evening at home with him. (Partly I think his family and the Navy were too much competition.) Anyway, we had dinner at Zimmerman's in lieu of anywhere more exciting to go and saw an Andy Hardy picture at the Valentine - the choice being limited to Hawaiian entertainers at the Paramount, "A Yank in Libya" and "Who Done It" elsewhere. (The Valentine has been newly redecorated in somewhat glaring pseudo-Chinese - better at least than the Paramount plaster casts.) I am afraid we didn't try to think or talk much about the future - the end of the war seems so remote that it is too easy to say "if" instead of "when" we meet again. I suppose we shall keep on writing - our correspondence is more satisfactory than our conversation. (But I did leave my glasses off my nose this time.)

Going back to school today was almost like returning after summer vacation. It sounded that way, too. The children talked when and how they pleased. There is plenty to be done and I hope we can get at it with a will without more wasted time.

We got income tax blanks through school today - my tax will be about a hundred dollars, I think. I am glad I can count on at least half my summer pay when I stop teaching - perhaps more if I stay till March - or perhaps all of it - if I don't go. (You can see I still don't really believe it - altho I think I shall look over the black Oxford market.)

Love,
Caroline

Believe it or not - I wrote to Aunties Lu & Florence and Ruth Suter [?] yesterday - and started income tax figures for the Journal.

Rep play this Thursday - I'll wear my new dress.