September 21, 1969 The Boy, The Stupidity, The Invitations, The Ruby and The Note

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"Ann wanted you to see the letter I'm sending but she wants you to send it back. She was proud of it and has a right to be proud. You probably didn't get to visit with her much but she can tell a lot in a few minutes if she thinks of it so maybe she's told you about it. She took some tests after classes started because the teachers thought she should be in more advanced classes in French and Music Theory. Apparently she did fine on the tests because they moved her into different classes and gave her credit for the ones she tested out of. We were really pleased.

The boy she dates from M.U. has a scholarship for graduate school the second semester. He is doing practice teaching this semester & will graduate in January. With the changes in the draft maybe he'll really get to go on to school.

Won't it be wonderful if they really do bring our boys home & stop all this stupidity? It's about time someone had the courage to do it.

The weather is so beautiful I'd love to take a little trip but we have two teas tomorrow & a dinner tonight so that takes care of our time. We have so many invitations for next week it's going to be too much. You probably have heard about our strike. The cooks, janitors & some other workers are on strike. Students are doing lost of the work & it's all real silly. They want more pay than we have in the budget to pay them so I don't know how they will come out.

The ruby is so small I'm almost afraid to mail it so I think I'll just wait awhile longer. I've been doing a lot of reading. I could take it to Chicago but the fee for testing is very high even if it is simple to do. I guess a person pays for the know-how. Anyway, I've enrolled in a jewelry making class & the teacher talked a bit about gems this week in our first class so I'll take it to him one of these days. He is going to teach us to cut & polish stones & how to mount them. It is going to be loads of fun and I don't know whether I'll be able to really make anything nice or not but it will be fun to try.

I'm anxious to see your rugs. If they are like Rosalynn's they are real pretty. We haven't heard about our couch at all. B told Horace to send us the bill when he got it but he probably hasn't been billed yet.

Did I tell you that I finally told Bob & Pat this summer that you had made them a wool quilt? They were real pleased and maybe I can get it finished by the time they need it. Do you want me to save more scraps? I've made myself 3 dresses this week. They are double knit and the material would be fine with wool. They are sort of mid-season dresses with short sleeves so I can have something comfortable even if we have another hot spell. We always do. One is gray, the others are dark brown & sort of a green apple green. I had the material in the cedar chest so didn't do anything else this week but sew.

I'm glad Daddy has the shop for a hobby. Everyone needs one.We'll get the lumber before we come the next time but no telling when that will be. I was about to decide on another type of table I wanted but lost the picture. It's around here somewhere in a magazine but I can't find it. Would Daddy care if I changed my idea? It's all right about the desk. I had a feeling you had told me Charlotte wanted it but I couldn't remember.

I sent a note to N.A.S.A.--just copied it off the bottom of that sheet you sent--and I'll give the letter to our minister. I think he'd be interested. I can't see why some scripture would hurt anyone even if they didn't believe in God. The gal didn't have to listen if she didn't like it.

We're expecting a newly hired faculty member to stop anytime now so I'd better stop. Hope you both are fine."

                  Love,

                      Bonnie

NOTE:  Regarding the note to NASA, on the occasion of the moon landing in July of 1969, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin requested that NASA broadcast the informal religious commemoration the astronauts celebrated.  NASA chose not to do so because of its involvement in a lawsuit with Madalyn Murray O'Hair regarding her objection to the astronaut's quoting Genesis during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.  To Mom, it represented an omission from reports of the events that took place during the moon landing.  Read more here:
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2012/august/astronaut-neil-armstrongs-communion-on-the-moon/

The Life article by Coretta Scott King is excellent. If interested, read it in its entirety (pg. 54) here:

https://books.google.co.cr/books?id=Gk8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA7&dq=September+12,+1969&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nKmWVcKWBcjvtQXylILIDw&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=September%2012%2C%201969&f=false