Steve's Train

10-15-53 Letter

I came across this letter recently from Mary Grace to Vala.

Dear Folks –

We received your letter yesterday and discussed the bicycle last night after Ray came home from work. We thought we would rather he not have it this year. If he doesn’t have a bicycle he won’t be tempted to go in the street. I’m sure you meant a small one like Diana Haines’, but even that is tempting when children like Connie Jo Savage ride theirs in the street. [I knew the Savages, Connie and Bonnie, had bad reputations, but I didn't think it began with how they rode their bicycles.]

We are getting him a scooter and a tinker toy wonder set so far. Gussie is getting him a new jacket and shoes. I don’t have any suggestions, but what was already planned. Don’t you want to come up before three on his birthday so you can see his party? It will all be in the basement so if you didn’t want to go down, you could just sit upstairs. Also you could help with the refreshments.

    If you look closely, you can see Vala passing out drinks so she must have decided to help out.

We are ordering Steve’s train through Thompson’s. Since you are getting to pay half I thought you should know what it is. The Lionel trains are just too expensive and Ray thought Steve would rather have a train that was not quite so complicated to run. The one we are getting, he won’t have to do much but push the buttons, but in later years he can add more complicated equipment. Since he wanted a diesel passenger it sort of put us in the high price field. Here’s the description. The Silver Comet ** Four unit diesel passenger:

Long and Sleek Diesel “A” unit with remote control and headlight: powerful worm drive motor: starts, stops and reverses by remote control. Authentically detailed streamlined cars in silver finish, interior illumination and knuckle couplers; uncouple electrically by remote action. Set measures 4 ft 6 in long; track forms 140 in oval. Includes No. 2 underwriters’ approved 75 watt transformer and illustrated train book. Set includes:

1diesel	12 curved track
1 baggage and club car	2 straight track
1 vista dome car	14 track locks
1 lounge and observation car	1 uncoupler
	1 lock-on terminal

I’m also buying him a highway signal light and tunnel.

The train retails at $42.50 and we can get it for 28.34 which means that we will each pay $14.18 for the train. Don’t send me the money because I won’t know for sure if they don’t have some extra charges on that. You understand this is for Christmas don’t you. It’s just that they like to have the order early.

Ray gets to cover part of Eisenhower today and is not going to have to do the American Royal after all so he went off to work very pleased. He will not be home for supper either tonight or tomorrow night.

Did I tell you I gave Sally bangs again?

Love Mary G.

You saved Ray’s life when you sent the stickers. He has forgotten to bring them every night and we were ready to skin him alive.

 

Edna Walker and the Teacher

     These photographs from the 1890's have fascinated me for some time for many reasons. When you're growing up, your grandparents are locked in time when you know them. To your knowledge, they were never young, let alone children. It's hard to see the person you know as a grandparent in the photographs of them as children. At least for me. But surprisingly with the coming of grandchildren, you can then see your grandparents in these new arrivals. Looking at photographs of Edna, I can see Cameron's deep-set eyes looking back at me.

Edna Walker, front row, 2nd from right 1898.

Mr. F. E. Vincent circa 1898

     Mr. F. E. Vincent also fascinates me. These photos are a part of a series identified as Mr. Vincent's class. One in 1898 and one in 1900. For some reason I've thought that he was Edna's Sunday School teacher, but I can find nothing written on these photographs that indicates what his role is. The photographs are identified as Edna in Mr. Vincent's class. I guess I made the assumption it was Sunday School because it's only girls in the photographs and it covers more than one year. I've looked through census records and city directories. The Vincents I find worked for the railroads and are not listed as  teachers.

    There's also a letter that Mr. Vincent wrote to Edna after she stopped by with a friend to visit him when he was sick.

Topeka February 23 1900
Dear Edna –
How beautiful it was for you and Francis to come to ask how your old teacher is. While I have been sick I have thought of you all and of what you were doing. I loved my little maids so much that I expect to be always thinking about you my blessed little Edna. I am proud to have been your teacher. Some day you may have a class and I will tell you a secret. If you would have the love of your scholars, you must love each one of them. Then is the most good done, this is your reward.
Dear Edna, am sorry you could not come in when you called for I wanted to see you both. I couldn’t have done much talking, but I could have looked at you and it would have done me good. I feel tired today it has been just two weeks since I came home sick. Perhaps this letter is tired so I will stop. Give my love to all the girls. I will write Francis soon. Will write all the girls before long.
Always your friend, F E Vincent
1252 Topeka Ave
PS. Am better and will try to be up and out tomorrow.

Berlin - Again

     Mary's scrapbook only contains the letters and Ray's unpublished article about going into East Berlin. To satisfy my curiosity about his published articles, I had two choices - find the Kansas City Star-Times on micro-film or visit the scrapbooks Mary made of Ray's stories. Near the end of Ray's newspaper career, he donated these scrapbooks to the Spencer Research Library at the University of Kansas.

     I opted for the latter and a few weeks ago, Erin, Chris and I made the trek to the Spencer Library, but our search ended up empty because we asked for the wrong boxes. Also because the Library was about to close, we couldn't request any new boxes. Erin and I tried again last weekend and this time requested the boxes we actually needed.

One of the scrapbooks in the right box.

      In the scrapbook covering the time Ray was in Europe I found the articles he wrote about the Berlin Rally that was in his home movie.

Berlin, June 16—There is a feeling here that anything is likely to happen in the next 24 hours as West Berliners prepare to turn out tomorrow to hear Chancellor Adenauer address a rally to commemorate the June 17, 1953 uprising in East Berlin.

 

Adding to the interest in the celebration tomorrow is that this is the first to be held here since the East German erected somber wall of barbed wire and concrete around East Berlin last August 13 and that Adenauer is coming to speak.

Giant posters showing silhouettes of hands reaching up behind barbed wire have been posted on advertising kiosks throughout the West sector for days urging the Berliners to attend the rally tomorrow. (Shown in the above clip)

Berlin-June 17- Berlin, a thorn in the clenched fist of communism, turned out its thousands today to demand that the Soviet Union use its influence to end the wall of barbed wire and concrete around East Berlin.

Thousands of Berliners, jammed around the city hall, cheered lustily as Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and Mayor Willy Brandt demanded in speeches that the city be reunited on the ninth anniversary of an unsuccessful revolt against communism in East Berlin.

 

More gunfire echoed earlier today across the East Berlin wall as two more refugees successfully escaped East German bullets and fled to freedom. The refugees were given asylum.

Thundering cheers brought interruptions as Adenauer, the robust-looking 86-year-old chancellor who defied Russian protests to fly here today to represent West German, and Brandt demanded an end to communist terrorism in the eastern sector of the city.

 

Banners of the West German republic hung across the front of the city hall four stories into the air and banks of flowers surrounded the speaking platform built on the city hall steps for Adenauer and Brandt.

 

Shields have been hung over the entrance to the city hall to show the various sectors which make up the Greater Berlin area. Those communities in the Eastern sector were represented by simple shields of black and white with a barbed wire painted across the center.

It was the first time Adenauer had come to address one of the June 17 rallies and his appearance was designed to symbolize the contention of West Germany that the East Germans have no right to exercise control over any sector of the city.

Brandt drew a great groan from the crowd as he reported that a 15-year old youth shot some time ago by East Berlin guards as he fled to West Berlin had died early today. He said Berliners would not forget this type of terrorism.

They cheered as he said that Berlin would be reunited sometime soon ad that all of its people would again be free. He said Berlin would someday again be the capital of a united Germany dedicated to freedom and liberty for all persons.

“Even a worm will turn against its tormentors at some time,” Brandt declared. “Certainly we are more than worms.”