Eugene Celebration 2011

No weather worries to impact a truly Eugene day Saturday!

Everyone was in a festive mood as the Eugene Celebration Parade began!

We had Bagpipers....

  

and SMART Readers...

and Storm Troopers...

and our Reigning Slug Queen!

The Knotty Knitters knit as they walked the parade route...

  

The 100 Hen March was well represented!

I liked Greenhill Humane Society's entry! 

We had Belly-dancers...

and Hoe-Dads!

and Marching Bands...

Something for Everyone!

25 Years Ago - 30 August 1986

Happy 25th Anniversary!

Cathy & Ed

Chuck, Ed, and James Waning

Margaret Waning and Mary Cookson - The Two Happiest Women in the World!

Connie and Bill, Sandie and Jack

James Waning and Lexa

The Wedding Party

Mary, Beth, Barbara, Ed, Chuck, Lexa, Jim, and Margaret

Ed

Happy Day Kristi!

Wishing you the Happiest of Days Kristi!

Kristi - 1978

Kristi - 1978

Stacie, Kristi, and Lexa - 1978

Kristi and Lexa - July 2011

Kristi and Family - July 2011

1943 - May - A Letter from a WAAC

In 1943 World War II is omnipresent.

This letter is from a friend who joined Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. 

Letter - Page 1

"April 30, 1943

Dear Margaret, Barbie, Jim and Bill1,

It was wonderful getting your letter this morning, but you probably won't feel the same when you get this as my arm is so sore I can't write decently. 

We arrived here Monday nite about 9:30 and were we tired.  IT was so hot all the way and also dirty.  I like it very much so far..."

Letter - Page 2

"...but as yet we haven't our uniforms and at nite we are all so dirty.  There are 38 in our barracks and our beds are only one foot apart.  It is about 100 degrees down here everyday and the camp is in a big wide sand field with no shade.  We are not allowed to tell anything about this place at all, but it is very different from other army and WAAC camps.

It was just started one month ago and there are more than 1500 here now with more coming all the time.  It seems like all we do is march, but we have classes about six hours a day.  We get up about 5:45 and drill or study all day with lights out at 10:00.  We had shots yesterday and were already nearly sick from the sun.  Several of the girls passed out on the field and all of us feel pretty punk, but guess we'll live.

I am so glad you finally are decided about where you are going to live..."  

Letter - Page 3

"...and hope you will like it.

Give Barbie a great big kiss for me.  I sure miss you all, and don't let Jim & Bill1 forget to write.  It isn't any fun to stand in line for mail call and not get any.

Must close and get busy.

Love, Ruth

My address is

Ruth J. McCammon

A.S.N.A. 906596

Co. 5 - 2 Bn - 42 Reg.

Branch A Fifth WAAC Trg Center

Ruston, Louisiana"

Envelope - Reverse

1 - Bill Hucka bordered with the Waning family in Portland.



February 1943 - A Letter From June - Part Two

June Gantenbein Suckow's letter continues...

Letter - Page 4

"...Lots of people commute - there is good bus service now.  I was going to say something else but Milton had something to say and he said it, so I forgot.  I'll remember by the time you come to Portland maybe.

Gee, I could really get excited about that - seeing you kids often, I mean.  But I guess I'd better wait until you know for sure.

Your baby is about to be grown up and three years old - right?  (My babies have all got long legs, too.)  Give her a big kiss for me - I've got a package for her - it doesn't amount to much, beacuse there isn't much to choose from in Sandy, and that is the only place I ever go..."

Letter - Page 5

"...and you never get what you send for in the mail order catalgues any more.  I was in Portland 4 times in 1942 - took Dad Suckow to the Dr., went to see my Dad when he was sick, went to Milton's Aunt's funeral, and Christmas shopping.  It's impossible to get anyone to take care of the kids or the cows, so we just stay here, and do it.  I guess it's easier than killing [reference to WWII Pacific theater enemy] at that.

"Im getting no place fast in this letter - I started out wishing Baby Ann 'Happy Birthday' and ending up shooting [reference to WWII Pacific theater enemy].  What I meant to say, was I'm not going to mail her packaging for a few days because I'm going to send..." 

Letter - Page 6

"...you some junk Judy has outgrown and I want t fix some if it up a little.

This letter doesn't make sense - and after me being so very slow getting around to writing it.  Og yes - I meant to tell you - we had about 25" of snow - Had to use horses and sled for 2 weeks.  The road was open, excepting about 5 days, be we couldn't get to it - not even with the tractor.  The snow was too deep for the kids to play in very much.  They just fell around.

Well, thanks for Xmas presents, happy birthday to Barby Ann, and I am excited that the prospect of your coming to Portland.

Love from us all -

June" 

Envelope - Reverse

When I was scanning the letter and envelope to post on the blog, I notice that Margaret Upton Waning - List Maker Extraordinaire - had written on the back of the envelope as follows:

• "1. Clean up (bath) M,W, Sat
• 2. letters M,W,F or Cook T, Th, Sat
• 3. outside
• 4. extras (read - visit - sew & etc)"

February 1943 - A Letter From June - Part One

In early February Margaret's maternal cousin, June Gantenbein Suckow sent a long, newsy letter.

Envelope

Letter - Page 1

"Boring, Oreg.

Feb. 11, 1943

Dear Margaret, Jim and Barbara Ann,

Thank you very much for our Xmas presents.  We all like them very much.  We've been having water trouble more often than not this winter, so I wash when and if I can - so you can see how happy I was to get towels.  Ma Suckow has been trying to talk me into getting brown ones like she uses so now I can say, "These were given to me", and I'm not disobeying my mother-in-law either.  The wash cloths are, of..."

Letter - Page 2

"...course, to pretty to use.  The apron and dish-covers I'm using even if they are pretty - I guess that's what they are for.  The kids love their books.  They are beautiful books.  We save them for special occasions.  Thanks so very much for all the things.  I hope I didn't get things mixed up - there sure was a commotion around here about package-opening time.

I enjoyed having Helen1 here - I don't see her very often either.  Helen and Ellen2 both in California.  Lucky aren't they?  I hope Ellen is very happy.  She told me a little about her boy friend when she was out here one time so I wasn't too surprised.  It..."

Letter - Page 3

"...just doesn't seem right for that little imp to be a grown-up married lady, though.  There was quite a run on Greenwell cousins getting their names changed lately, wasn't there?  It sounds like Ellen might be going to some interesting places if 'Grover' (I might as well get used to his name) is subject to 'transfer without notice.'

We are glad to hear that Jim is getting around and doing things.  From what you said, he is expecting to get better yet.  We'll be very happy to have you live in Portland3.  If you can't find a house in town there might be some around here..."

Letter to be continued...

1 Helen - June's younger sister, Helen Gantenbein

2 Margaret's newlywed sister, Ellen Upton Hall

3 Reference to the Waning family's pending move to Portland - Jim would soon be employed by Iron Fireman.  .

February 1943 - A Letter From Ellen

In February 1943, another letter from Ellen Upton Hall arrived.

Letter - Page 1

"February 1, 1943

Dear Peoples,

Had a little extra time so I decided to answer your letter right away.  Aren't you surprised though?  You should be.

Got your letter Saturday night.  Grover and I went into N. Sacra. Saturday (Grover wanted to go to church Sunday morning) and Mother Burks had your letter for me.  She said she had planned to forward it to Courtland but had a feeling we would be in.

You say you ended up only 2 hundred in the whole(sic) in in a whole evening.  You're doing well.  I lost $5 to Grover in about 2 minutes playing 21 other other evening.  Guess I just wasn't meant to be a gambler.

Grover and I were given a shower the other evening by the people in his church.  Mother Burks told us it was a business meeting of some..."  

Letter - Page 2

"...kind.  I didn't want to go a little bit.  Somehow or other Grover found out about it.  He didn't give me even as much as a hint but he did tell me to be sure and put on my best dress and look nice.  Nearly everything we got was Pyrexware.  Grover said from now on he would just say, "Pass the Pyrex".  Mother and Mr. Burks gave us a nice big skillet, and a friend from Marysville sent a lamp.  Everything was very nice.  Quite a surprise to me.

Can you feature it, I have been getting up every morning at 6 o'clock.  Isn't that something for me.  Grover has to be at work at eight and has quite a ways to go so we have to get up pretty early.  I'm getting so I don't mind it so very much either.  

You asked me if we were setting up house-keeping permanently now.  I imagine that we will be her for about 2 months at least.  We are supposed to get us a house fixed up pretty soon but those things are always slow so I expect we'll be here for quite a while yet.  This apartment isn't much but we are lucky to have gotten it because it is next to impossible to find a place to live down here.  Anyway it is home to us.

Grover finally got his Christmas package.  He said to say thanks for the socks (he sure can use...

Letter - Page 3

...them).  And he was surprised about the picture.  You should hear the way I get razzed down here for being from Oregon.  Why you would think being an Oregonian was the same as having something terribly wrong with you.  Poor people, they just don't know a good state when they see it.

So you had Barbie's hair cut off.  Aren't you ashamed of yourself?  Grover said he would divorce me if I ever had mine cut off again.

Well Sis, guess I will close for this time.  Write soon.  Give Jimmie and Barbie my love.

Love Grover and Ellen"  

January 1943 - Ellen Upton Weds

1943 begins with a letter from the newlywed Ellen Upton Hall and her husband Grover C. Hall.

Upton / Hall Wedding Announcement

Register Guard Newspaper - January 1943

Envelope

Letter - Page 1

"January 11, 1943

Dear Margaret,

Do you feel richer?  You should with a brand new brother-in-law.  And let me tell you something.  He is the grandest husband a girl could have.  Really though I am the happiest that I have ever been in my whole life.

I supposed Mother told you about the wedding.  I wrote her a letter Saturday and told her all about it.

Grover & Ellen Upton Hall - 8 Jan 1943

We came down here to Sacramento yesterday morning.  Grover had some business that he had to attend to.  So if you write in the next few days you can send..."  

Letter - Page 2

"...it to this address.  After that I will send you my address from where ever we are.

It was too bad that we missed V'Ona the other night, but it was well that we left when we did as it turned out.

Oh yes, Grover had his pin when we got in Yuba City the other day.  He did like it and seems to be so proud of it.  Am glad he got it.

Jan. 15, 1943

Was interrupted the other night by some of Grover's friends.  They came to give us a house warming or something.  They made us go out to get treats for them and you know this city as big as it is there wasn't a box of candy anywhere.  We got them some nuts and stuff instead.  They..."     

Letter - Page 3

"...said if we didn't that they were going to take one of us to one end of town and the other to the other part.  So we decided we had better get them something.

I was going to give you the address to this apartment where we are staying but we are leaving Monday so there is no use.  Grover has a job near Courtland (sp?) and I am not sure as yet of what our address will be.  I will drop you a postcard as soon as I do know.

Grover & Ellen Upton Hall - 3 Jan 1943

Well Sis, this hasn't been much of a letter I know, but when I get settled I can write you more.  Give Jimmie and Barbie my love.

Love, Ellen"

Letter - Page 4

"Hello Sis:

Ellen is sitting across the table and asked me if I wanted to add a line or two.

Really you should see our sun (El sol).  It makes you think of everything - But Oregon!  Ellen and I are happy & I know we will always be that way.  You should feel proud that you have such a fine sister.  Tell Jim & Bill hello for me.  And tell Barbie she has a new uncle - I hope she likes him.  Write soon & I will try to write more next time.

Love Grover" 

1942 Comes to an End - Vocational Training and on to Portland...

Less than two months after his release from Sacred Heart, Jim Waning was enrolled in classes at Eugene Vocational School.

Eugene Vocational School - Enrollment Record - Front

Eugene Vocational School - Enrollment Record - Front

Soon the Waning family would be off to Portland, Oregon and work at the Iron Fireman.