Leafing Through The Past - Part C

Billy Rogers sent Sis an invitation to his graduation from aviation school. He was in class 44-K at Maxwell Field. The ball was held May 29. The year is not printed on the invitation but it appears to be 1944 based on it's surroundings.

Sis had other plans with the University of South Carolina Kappa Alpha fraternity, their spring formal was on the same day. Melvin Hemphill's orchestra provided the music.

An Atlantic Greyhound bus ticket number M58575ee is pasted in the center of the upper half of one page of the album with the following passage about the formal filling the rest of the page:

May 29th - 30, 1944.

Left on the 4:55 bus for Columbia and sat by a soldier from Winston-Salem who had just come back from "over there." He had been wounded while in Italy and sent back to a hospital in Augusta, Ga. The trip was hot and sho' was glad to get there at 7:00! Page didn't come till 7:15 and then we took off for Sims dormitory. I stayed in the room with Janie Marlow and Betty Baykin (Charleston) who were precious girls. Dressed in 15 minutes to be ready for supper! We went to the Metropolitan Cafe for a huge steak supper! Joe Alston and Betty "Shrimp" Elkins joined us. The more the merry! We rode around in their car. Page got special liberty to stay out till 11:30! Fine night!

Got up at 7:45 and went to breakfast with Janie and Betty. Betty is taking instruction in flying so we went out to Hawthorne Field and watched her fly! Page came from 11 till 12:00 since he did not have a class! We walked around the campus and went to canteen. Back to Sims at 12:15 and to town with Janie , Betty, and Margaret McLeod for dinner. Grand food!!!Back to school and Page came at 2:15! Don McKellar had his car and we all went to Jefferson Hotel to finish "fixing up" for dance! Page had to go to P.I. from 3 to 4 but I stayed with some of the KA's and helped! We worked till 5:30! Mrs. Robinson sent the car to Page by some bin(?) people. He came back to the hotel about 5:30! He took me to dormitory and said would call about supper. Called and decided to wait to eat at intermission. I grabbed a bit at the canteen and talked to the girls till time to dress. Dressing was a mad rush but so exciting. He came at 9:15 and I was all ready to go in my yellow dress! To the Jefferson Hotel and then - dance - It was just perfect dance! The guys were wonderful to me and I danced my feet off! The grand march was at 11:00! One great big thrill. Each one of the sponsors and their date met under a Magnolia covered arch where he pinned a bow-knot with KA seal on the girl. Then a kiss and on to continued the march. Jean Jones sang the KA song. Intermission and we went out to Varsity Grill for a chicken sandwich and cake! Back to the dance which was over too soon - 1:00! The K.A. dates wore red rose corsages and then carried big red rose bouquets in march. J.C. Bennett was there too. Ugh!!! Rode around after dance till 1:45 and then had to go in - Janie and I talked till 3:30! More fun! Up for breakfast at 8:00 & Page came to take me to bus at 11:30 and got home at 1:40 plus a KA fraternity pin. Not bad!!!

Sis's first paycheck stub (The Springs Cotton Mill) is in this album. It's dated Jun. 10, 1944.

There's a newspaper headline from June 5, 1944 posted in this scrapbook. The headline reads: FIFTH ARMY TAKES ROME. Next to it is a column by Ernie Pyle describing the awful toll of the Normandy invasion.

There's a photo of Homer Cook in his fighter plane on the same page with a Whitman's chocolate greeting wrapper from Fred Singleton who she says is in north Africa.

There's a newspaper clipping in which Jake Sr. announces himself as a candidate for the Office of Treasurer of Chester county, "subject to the result of the Democratic Primary. I pledge the same faithful service in the future that I have rendered in the past."

The next two pages have ten (10) photos from the Kappa Alpha party on the weekend of the 24th through the 27th, 1944. Pictured at Pawley's Island and Myrtle Beach are Page Robinson, her date, along with "Shrimp," Joe Austin. Under one photo is the following remark: Wonder what was in those bottles? I know!! Under another photo she writes: They are in Love! "Shrimp" and Joe

Dewey McKeown, Homer Cook, and William Simpson sent her change of address notices.

According to a clip, Dewey's father was also in the service.

Lt. Everett Thomas is reported missing since July 7, 1944 after bombing raid over Germany. Sis knows him. On Aug. 8th he's reported by the Red Cross to be a prisoner.

Homer "Cookie" Cook sent Sis a V-Mail from England dated the same day Everett went missing. He says, The boat trip was very long and equally boring. There was a damn good orchestra aboard, though. Made up of the ships company. He goes on to say, I'm just beginning to get the pounds, shillings, and pence's straightened out and know what I'm paying for things.

A letter from Chester Martin of the 18th Infantry reached Sis in July of '44. Chester writes: Yes, the invasion has started and you know me. I had to be one of the first ones in it." He goes on to describe his surroundings as a hole somewhere in France with shells falling around him that are "enough to make a person crazy.

Pfc. William "Dale" Simpson writes from England on 26 July 1944: You know, I think I'm going to like it here in England because it really is a beautiful country, it has wonderful rolling plains and everything else that you read about.

Sis sent Page Robinson's Kappa Alpha pin back to him by insured mail on August 14th.

James Boyd, she says, gave her a "beautiful bracelet." He may be the sender of the Valentines Day card in the other album that's simply signed, James.

With apparent good humor, Tom White III wrote his mother from the hospital about his shoulder wound. The newspaper's reproduction of his letter opens thusly: Dear Mrs. White: I regret to inform you that your son, Tom, is hale and reasonably hearty and about ready to go back, although he hasn't told the doctor this. He goes on to say, My wounds were slight, scarcely apparent to the naked eye; though when I first looked down I was surprised to find the shoulder yet remained, but there it was, and after dispensing my five "K" rations among needy and deserving friends I....(part of the article is lost at this point)....which entered the right side of the neck and came out just the other side of the backbone, doing very little harm for all its bluffing. It hit no artery, but took a chip the size of an Ivory soap flake or a trifle larger, from the 6th transverse cervical process, which probably works as well without it. I never heard of a 6th transverse cervical process doing anything to brag on, anyway. In fact, never heard of one before. Some of the above may be somewhat in error, as I have but an indifferent command of the Hebrew, but it is right to the best of my knowledge and belief. I really am in good shape, and anxious to get back to France in time for the armistice!

Billy Rogers sent Sis a bracelet and James Boyd sent "a darling Teddy Bear."

She has several notes wishing her luck at school. I'm guessing they're from some of her coworkers at The Springs Cotton Mills.

She has a couple of school demerits posted in the album. One is for having the radio on after 10:30. Written in her handwriting is this: Here I'm a junior but still haven't learned the rules. Guess there is no hope for me.

There are several V-mails and letters from Dewey just before he was killed in battle on 30 September 1944. Sis writes next to this correspondence: In memory of one of the most wonderful people I ever knew.

There's a dog tag from Billy Rogers in this album.

Chester Martin sent the swastika lapel pin. Sis wrote the date Nov. 7, 1944 next to it's place in the album. The armband is also from Chester. It arrived in his next letter to Sis. "Buddy" was wounded on November 21st.

There's a lengthy letter from James "Jimmie" Rogers. It's from the Dutch East Indies. The photo of James is missing.

Another demerit for "noise."

More letters to Dewey returned.

Mr. H. Johnson took Sis and Dugan to a Georgia vs Georgia Tech football game at Sanford Stadium on Dec. 2, 1944. The game program is in this album. the Bulldogs had their lunch eaten by Tech 44-0. There's a badly faded photo, a ticket stub, a Tech lapel pin, and a spoon they apparently lifted from the Georgian Hotel.

There are more pictures of Sis's friend, Dugan but I've yet to see her first name.