January 6, 1945 The Botanist Dame, Sully and Bea on New Year's Eve and The Dog Takes Off

Bonnie and one of the family pups

Dear Mother & Daddy,

"It was a real nice surprise to get your card this week.  This has been a short week for me because I didn't have to go to school till Wednesday.  There are only about two more weeks of this semester and there seem to be so many things to finish up.  No, I haven't had any more classes since I stopped teaching.  I have been using my afternoons to catch up on some book reports and make an art notebook.  I don't have my program for next semester fixed up yet but I'm going to try to take only morning classes. I'll have afternoons to work on B's dissertation.  It has to be in by March 1 if he graduates this spring.  If we don't get it done by then we will stay here this summer and finish it.  B gave the first chapter to two professors to read.  One of them thought it was fine and she was the one we were worried about and the other one hasn't read it yet.

We had an interesting Dames meeting this week.  A former Dame who has her Ph.D. from Yale in botany talked to us about some synthetics that have been developed since the war began.

New Year's Eve was not very exciting for us.  We stayed home and studied.  There was an awful lot of useless noise on the street.  Sully and Bea came in unexpectedly and very late with a dozen hamburgers and two quarts of hot coffee so we had a party of our own.  They brought a beautiful album of records for our record player so we sat up almost all night talking and listening to music.  They have announced their engagement and plan to be married sometime next summer.  We gave them six iced tea glasses for Christmas.  They were real proud of them.

We have had an invitation to see a play in the Yale Drama School.  Dr. Brubacher is responsible for us being asked and we feel honored because it is by invitation only that you go.

I'm so glad Daddy has gained some weight.  You must have been feeding him good, Mother.

I'm so glad you finally got the pearls.  I thought of your anniversary and we talked about it that Saturday.  What did you decide about the shares in the store?

I'm glad the kids liked the globe.  It's awfully hard to buy them anything.  We sent Bessie some little pictures and Buddy some sox & garters.

You people certainly have trouble with dogs.  They never like to stay home.  I guess you're on the lookout for another one now.  Ha!"

             Love,
 
                       Bonnie & B            


NOTE from Ann:  To the best of my knowledge, this is the first letter in which Bonnie signed her name first, a minor breach of etiquette in 1944!

And about the use of synthetics:  
The development of synthetics was significant to the war effort.  Nylon was used extensively by the military as well as a variety of plastics, synthetic oil and fuel.  As access to natural rubber was eliminated, synthetic rubber was particularly crucial.

http://www.100.nist.gov/ph_worldwar.htm