Letter Home
After my fathers funeral last month, Hannah helped the family go through his house and get things organized. In one dresser drawer she found some miscellaneous papers. Included in them was the first and possibly only letter I ever wrote home from college. It was written about a week or two after I arrived on campus at the University of Illinois and took up residence on the third floor of Forbes Hall on the west side, known then as the Gross Gultch. Our floor T shirt was kelly green with the figure of a squirrel in white outline. A closer look revealed tire tread marks running through the flattened squirrel.
Hannah suggested I post it. So, here goes.
Addressed to: The Old One & Family
Return Address: Gross Gulch (3rd Floor West)
Dear Mom, Pop, and the Kids,
It’s Friday night and all of the fellows on the floor have gone out for a soda and potato chips, as they have done every night this week. They are really a swell bunch of fellows and very considerate. At night when the guys come back from “coking it up” they are thoughtful enough to scream and beat on the walls till 3:00 AM so we know they’re back and won’t lay awake worrying about them.
Things have been going quite well for me. I had to buy a couple of towels, I got the bottom bunk, I lost; my first softball game, my first tennis match, my first basketball game, my first quarter in a coke machine, and after standing in line for 45 minutes found out that my loan never arrived, but I still have my good-luck headband.
My roommates are a couple of swell chaps and between us we’ve managed to work up a rating system for the girls on campus. The average rating is from 2 to 5 on a 1 to 10 scale with Yogi Beara as number one and Edward Everett Horton in the ten spot. Jeff says he knows a great number seven who will go out with him if Gary will take out her girlfriend who is about a five with three points for personality. I asked Jeff if he could get me a girl too but he said the best he could do for me was a one. So I’m spending the night writing letters and listening to Bill Haley and his Comets.
This afternoon I was supposed to meet with all the guys and gals from East and go buy season tickets, however due to my delay at registration because of the failure of my loan to arrive, all my friends went ahead and bought their tickets and by the time I got out of registration the ticket sales were closed for the day.
By the way, the only way I was able to defer my tuition payments was with the aid of a $100 National Defense Loan which I neither knew about nor requested but it was there while Lincoln Trail Bank slept. So, maybe someone is watching over me after all.
I was engaged to Ann Kronst for a little while but I had to end it when Bernie Hayes’ fist engaged my nose.
Even though I don’t go “coking” with the fellows there is someone here that I may get to be pretty good friends with. It seems that Larry Hantel, who I knew in high school, and who you should have met by the time you receive this letter, also does not partake. We had a long talk Thursday night about the relative evils of drinking and it seems that his relatives don’t drink either.
I purchased some of my books today for $49.30 but there’s more to be bought. Trying to find a cheap meal around here is like trying to find milk on a student’s breath, so I’ve been spending most of my afternoons enjoying bean paddies at McDonalds. Those hamburgers are the only green food I’ve had since I left home.
About four hours has passed since I started this strange and ungodly letter (that’s right Jim I’M MAD!) In the meantime I went out and shot some pool, I hope you don’t mind, it only cost 40 cents plus a dollar and 26 cents for supper.
Right now they’re having soul music on the quad and things are jumping like a kangaroo! Speaking of soul, I saw a black boy in the bathroom and, mom, he was brushing his teeth just like a white man, I liked to laughed my head off.
By the way mom, I found the Baptist student service building but I’m afraid I was too late, it’s up for sale. I think it’s because they didn’t make enough money selling the posters with the Swedish nudes on them.
Well Rock-a-Beaten Bogie is on for the eighth time tonight and the furniture is moving with glee and I’m afraid I’m out of words. Oh yeah, one other thing, I now have $44.70 in my check book so I think I may still make it through the week. Everything is cool so don’t worry about me but please do miss me it makes me feel like a big man.
Your son and/or brother,
555-34-5978
P.S. One thing I can say about this University is that it makes me feel like an individual.
Hannah suggested I post it. So, here goes.
Addressed to: The Old One & Family
Return Address: Gross Gulch (3rd Floor West)
Dear Mom, Pop, and the Kids,
It’s Friday night and all of the fellows on the floor have gone out for a soda and potato chips, as they have done every night this week. They are really a swell bunch of fellows and very considerate. At night when the guys come back from “coking it up” they are thoughtful enough to scream and beat on the walls till 3:00 AM so we know they’re back and won’t lay awake worrying about them.
Things have been going quite well for me. I had to buy a couple of towels, I got the bottom bunk, I lost; my first softball game, my first tennis match, my first basketball game, my first quarter in a coke machine, and after standing in line for 45 minutes found out that my loan never arrived, but I still have my good-luck headband.
My roommates are a couple of swell chaps and between us we’ve managed to work up a rating system for the girls on campus. The average rating is from 2 to 5 on a 1 to 10 scale with Yogi Beara as number one and Edward Everett Horton in the ten spot. Jeff says he knows a great number seven who will go out with him if Gary will take out her girlfriend who is about a five with three points for personality. I asked Jeff if he could get me a girl too but he said the best he could do for me was a one. So I’m spending the night writing letters and listening to Bill Haley and his Comets.
This afternoon I was supposed to meet with all the guys and gals from East and go buy season tickets, however due to my delay at registration because of the failure of my loan to arrive, all my friends went ahead and bought their tickets and by the time I got out of registration the ticket sales were closed for the day.
By the way, the only way I was able to defer my tuition payments was with the aid of a $100 National Defense Loan which I neither knew about nor requested but it was there while Lincoln Trail Bank slept. So, maybe someone is watching over me after all.
I was engaged to Ann Kronst for a little while but I had to end it when Bernie Hayes’ fist engaged my nose.
Even though I don’t go “coking” with the fellows there is someone here that I may get to be pretty good friends with. It seems that Larry Hantel, who I knew in high school, and who you should have met by the time you receive this letter, also does not partake. We had a long talk Thursday night about the relative evils of drinking and it seems that his relatives don’t drink either.
I purchased some of my books today for $49.30 but there’s more to be bought. Trying to find a cheap meal around here is like trying to find milk on a student’s breath, so I’ve been spending most of my afternoons enjoying bean paddies at McDonalds. Those hamburgers are the only green food I’ve had since I left home.
About four hours has passed since I started this strange and ungodly letter (that’s right Jim I’M MAD!) In the meantime I went out and shot some pool, I hope you don’t mind, it only cost 40 cents plus a dollar and 26 cents for supper.
Right now they’re having soul music on the quad and things are jumping like a kangaroo! Speaking of soul, I saw a black boy in the bathroom and, mom, he was brushing his teeth just like a white man, I liked to laughed my head off.
By the way mom, I found the Baptist student service building but I’m afraid I was too late, it’s up for sale. I think it’s because they didn’t make enough money selling the posters with the Swedish nudes on them.
Well Rock-a-Beaten Bogie is on for the eighth time tonight and the furniture is moving with glee and I’m afraid I’m out of words. Oh yeah, one other thing, I now have $44.70 in my check book so I think I may still make it through the week. Everything is cool so don’t worry about me but please do miss me it makes me feel like a big man.
Your son and/or brother,
555-34-5978
P.S. One thing I can say about this University is that it makes me feel like an individual.