had time to write. This is Thanksgiving but we had a full schedule of classes today anyways. We’re supposed to have a big turkey dinner tonight though. By the way, how was the family Thanksgiving? Tell me all about it.
Did I tell you I received all the stuff you sent me? The socks are really swell; they’re just what I needed. The watch, however, wasn’t repaired. In fact it was in worse condition than when I left it at home. I wore it for two hours and the minute hand fell off. I found out it hadn’t been put on correctly, got it fixed, wore it two hours more, and it stopped completely and firmly refused to cooperate further. So now it’s back getting repaired again. But the fudge was damn good so I’ll excuse you.
And, oh yes—the $20. That came in quite handy also. It lasted me one weekend. I spent $10 for a pair of pants and $6 for tickets to see Ziegfeld Follies20 last Saturday night and Something for the Boys in two weeks.21
Two weeks ago three other Jewish guys and I were invited to what we thought was a party but turned out to be a committee meeting. We are now half of a committee that’s supposed to be running a sort of canteen Sunday afternoons at the Jamaica Jewish Center for the Queens College A.S.T.s. Last Sunday it was singularly unsuccessful, with 50 girls and 12 boys. But we’re putting on a renewed campaign for this Sunday. You should see the Jamaica center. All new in what I guess is a Cretian style of architecture. It has rich furnishings, a swimming pool, bowling alley, beautiful main hall, and is about as big as the Masonic Lodge in Canton, but much nicer. If you want more members for the Canton Center I can tell you how to get them. Just build a place like this one here.
I read about the Massillon game in Sunday’s Cleveland Plain Dealer which I got down-town. Tough. It seemed to be a pretty good game, though. I’ve been getting pretty much practice in football myself. We have six hours of physical a week and I’ve been spending them playing football, not tackle. Swell weather for it.22
You said you saw Angel Street23 in Cleveland. How was it? Is it worth my seeing? It’s been running here for about two years. The only time I can see any plays is Saturday night because most of them don’t have Sunday matinees. We get off from 330 Saturday to 730 Sunday evening.
I got a short letter from Fred before he went to Chicago. Said he would write a longer one. Chicago is supposed to be the best town in the country for service men, so he should be pretty happy.
I don’t think I’ll be able to get home for Xmas. It comes on a Saturday and all we get off is from Friday night at 5:30 to Sunday night at 7:30. By train I could get home at 8:30 A.M. Saturday and have to leave at about 5:00 A.M. Sunday. By plane I could get home at 9 P.M. Fri. and would leave at 3:30 P.M. Sunday. I put my name in for a plane reservation but they’re all filled up and no one will be likely to cancel their reservations. And by train it is hardly worth it. So it looks like I’ll be spending Xmas in New York.
My grades are O.K. so far. Don’t worry. I’m well above the average. Most of the guys have had just about the same amount of schooling that I have.
Bye now and write soon. Love –Carl
. . .
ASTP academic standards were demanding. Courses were condensed and packed with information. It turned out that Carl’s mathematics professor had given the same course every year for thirty years and now had to give it in half the time—which he did by talking twice as fast. What the professor was used to giving in four hours, now he gave in two. Perhaps the double-pace of the Lehman High math teacher was good preparation.
. . .
To Mrs. William Lavin
December 2, 1943
Dear Aunt Ceal (or isn’t that the way you spell it?) [Celia was the wife of Leo’s younger brother William],
Hi. You must have been partly psychic when you started to knit that sweater. Anyways, you sent it at a most apropos time—the coming of winter and my coming to Queen’s College. The students here seem to be quite proud of the fact that it is “the coldest spot in New York.” It’s located right on top of a hill and there’s always a stiff wind blowing.
It’s a very beautiful sweater, and I still don’t see how you did it or found the time to do it, but unfortunately it’s so cold that I have to cover it up with about all the other clothes I wear and so the world at large has no chance for appreciation.
But really, I do appreciate it and I think it was swell of you to do that for me.
With Love –Carl
. . .
Dec. 6, 1943
Dear Mom,
I’ve been pretty busy—Which brings up the sordid subject of lucre, or money as it is often called. Last weekend cost me about $15.00 (Bought myself gloves, pigskin, and a pair of shoes, which probably aren’t too good for seven bucks but have held together so far, and went horseback riding.) I think it would be a very good idea if you’d send me about $20 each month. Better send it by money order since it’s almost impossible to cash checks here and we’re never off during bank hours, and you also better send it around the middle of the month since we get paid the first. O.K.? I knew you’d agree.
How was the Cleveland Orchestra? I’m afraid my intellectual entertainments have been sadly neglected since coming to N.Y. We only have time for a little, and the animal in me is always satisfied before the mental. However, surprisingly enough, all the musicals seem to have at least one ballet number in them so it’s not too bad.
Last weekend I went to two dances, one party, and had a date horse-back riding as I said before. I am meeting quite a few nice girls, and all wealthy which may interest the old man.
Lots of Love –Carl
. . .
According to an ASTP historian:
ASTP enrollment peaked in mid-December at just over 140,000 men. By that time many college administrators, having damned the Army for six months for every problem imaginable, were finally saying the program was actually going pretty well. They especially liked the young ASTP scholars themselves, One called them “alert, bright, capable, attentive”; another praised them as among “the most earnest groups of young men it has ever been my pleasure to be associated with”; yet another added that they “work much harder than our civilian students and like it.”24
. . .
Dec. 13, 1943
Hi, Folks,
I suppose you want to hear a report on Helen and Jim [Stein, cousins]—so here it is—they’ve got a very nice home and a very nice car. Betsy is a beautiful baby, too. So, they should be happy. Jim was in bed with the grippe for three days but got out Sunday and seems to be O.K. Helen looks pretty thin, but I guess she always has. We had lamb, which was pretty good. I’m going back for dinner in two weeks again, when Aunt Betty [Elizabeth Kaven, Helen’s mother] will be there.25
That was a very pleasant surprise, having you call. I still don’t think that was three minutes, though. Is Fred coming home for Xmas? And do you know yet when you’ll be coming up here? I believe I’ll be coming home for a week around the 30th of January. Already I’m half way through one term and it seems that I just got here.
How is the financial situation coming? Unfortunately, my liquid assessments at this
