April 2, 1943 (Edna Alquist)

Apr. 2, 1943

Dear Dorance

It is 10:30, but will write a few lines before I go to bed. Just got home from a Scottish Rite entertainment. Pretty good vaudeville but a crumby picture “The Spy of Napoleon” a bit of French history. Richard Barthelmess, only one I recognized. Sure wasn’t worth going so far to see.

Got busy on the phone lately, talked to Mrs. Swanson, and now they think Swanny is in Morocco. They hear from him regularly, so don’t think he is on active duty as yet. Talked to Mrs. Iverson, & Rolie is in Brazil, and has been there quite a while, on an aeroplane tender, Patooka which is a boat that services & repairs the navy aeroplanes. He is terribly busy all the time, hardly has time to write. Her older son is still in Porto Rico, has a nice setup there, & Kenneth is still at the U of M, but expecting to be called after this quarter. Bob Coll is still in England. The Coll’s didn’t hear from him for a month but are now hearing regular. They got 8 letters last week from him, 5 on one day. My that must be thrilling, wouldn’t know which one to open first. The Peterson’s are hearing from Sykes now & I think he is in Australia or New Zealand, as he says there’s no fighting where he is. Mrs. Swanson told me about Sykes as she had talked to his pa. He sent home some snapshots which were very good & S. is all decorated with several medals. His father said quote “I wonder where in h--- he got those medals, he must have stolen them” Does that sound like Mr. P. We are going to walk over there some evening & see those pictures.

The weather is cold & nasty again, it seems we only have one or two nice days & then it is cold again. A year ago today you came home, remember? It was cold then too. Will say goodnight now & write again soon. Hope you are fine.

Love Mother