1915-1916: Tom in LA and Tonopah
Tom graduates in May 1915, while Ruth stays in Reno to finish school. This was according to the six year plan set back in 1911. Tom spends the summer mostly in Los Angeles, and then starts work in Tonopah Nevada as a high school teacher.
Summer 1915: Tom in Los Angeles
Tom heads to LA via Berkeley, apparently to take care of family business. He expects to stay a short time, hoping to travel to New York by boat and then on to Boston, but the lawyer there working on the affairs wants him around. He winds up finding a job as a store clerk for the summer and stays to late August, when he leaves to get ready to teach school in September.
- RAP-1915-05-23
- TPW-1915-05-24
- You are a wonder for the way you acted last night sweetheart! I wouldn't have missed that last kiss for all the jobs in Boston.
- TPW-1915-05-25
- RAP-1915-05-25
- TPW-1915-05-27
- TPW-1915-05-27A
- TPW-1915-05-28
- TPW-1915-05-29
- Leaving SF for LA.
- Hope to be back here in a week to sail for NY.
- TPW-1915-05-30
- TPW-1915-05-31
- TPW-1915-06-01
- TPW-1915-06-08
- RAP-1915-06-08
- TPW-1915-06-14
- Tom is starting to realize he won't get on the boat to NY after all.
- RAP-1915-06-14
- TPW-1915-06-14A
- TPW-1915-06-28
- Postcard announcing that Tom has a job.
- TPW-1915-07-02
- Details about the job at the store.
- TPW-1915-07-04
- Lengthy letter covering a variety of topics.
- TPW-1915-07-06
- TPW-1915-07-08
- TPW-1915-07-11
- TPW-1915-07-12
- TPW-1915-07-13
- RAP-1915-07-15
- TPW-1915-07-19
- TPW-1915-07-21
- RAP-1915-07-21
- an exciting night in Reno
- TPW-1915-07-22
- TPW-1915-07-28
- TPW-1915-08-01
- TPW-1915-08-03
- TPW-1915-08-05
- RAP-1915-08-05
- RAP-1915-08-06
- TPW-1915-08-18
- TPW-1915-08-21
- TPW-1915-08-24
Fall 1915: Tom in Tonopah Nevada
Tom takes a job in Tonopah, about 230 miles from Reno, to teach high school math and to run the school's athletics department.
- TPW-1915-09-02
- RAP-1915-09-03
- TPW-1915-09-03
- TPW-1915-09-04
- RAP-1915-09-05
- TPW-1915-09-07
- TPW-1915-09-08
- Today you are twenty-four and at last I know the right date. Ha! Ha! Did all your meanness pay? Was it all that much fun to tease me along? Alright just for that, I shall never -- so long as you are alive -- forget that Sept. 8 is the day I hold holy, for the best girl on earth -- and that's my tribute from henceforth.
- TPW-1915-09-10
- TPW-1915-09-11
- TPW-1915-09-11A
- TPW-1915-09-13
- RAP-1915-09-13
- Sorority rush news.
- RAP-1915-09-14
- TPW-1915-09-14
- TPW-1915-09-19
- TPW-1915-10-10
- TPW-1915-10-17
- Telegrams-1915-10-27
- RAP-1915-11-04
- RAP-1915-11-05
- TPW-1915-11-12
- TPW-1915-11-21
- TPW-1915-11-26
- TPW-1915-12-01
- TPW-1915-12-02
- RAP-1915-12-04
- RAP-1915-12-05
- Geiger Grade Road, state route 341, is about 20 miles south of Reno.
- This afternoon was wonderful. Doc had three of us out riding -- Eva, Elaie + me. Well, we rode and rode and then went up Gyger grade (cain't spell it) and up there ran out of gasoline. Now, that was tragic! -- honest was!! But we skidded around + coasted down for miles. Came to a little hill where we got stuck -- all hands out + pushed up, then it started down + we all ran + jumped it. Gosh it was thrilling! -- and there in the sagebrush, when we were stopping dead, we spied a machine -- and it was Brownie! + I yelled + he laughed awful hard, but he got on his back + drained out nuff gasoline for us. -- As I said before, it was thrilling. And that's not all -- it was uncanny coasting those miles in a car that didn't have a spark of life.
- TPW-1915-12-05
- TPW-1915-12-05A
- TPW-1915-12-05B
- TPW-1915-12-07
- RAP-1915-12-07
- TPW-1915-12-13
- TPW-1915-12-16
- TPW-1915-12-19
- Ruth's Parents' 1915 Christmas Card
- THPO Association Certificate
- There are references to the THPO in many of the letters, but I haven't figured it out yet.
January - April 1916: Tom in Tonopah
Tom's final four months in Tonopah. He starts looking for other work, and leaves Tonopah for Boston before the school year is over.
- TPW-1916-01-03
- TPW-1916-01-05
- TPW-1916-01-08
- RAP-1916-01-08
- RAP-1916-01-09
- TPW-1916-01-09
- TPW-1916-01-11
- Remember three years ago? Well you gave me a perfectly swell tobacco pouch for Xmas. Just today I invested $3 in a pipe and some excellent tobacco and right now I'm emitting clouds in your honor. Haven't smoked a pipe for some little time, and right now can realize what I've been missing all the time. It doesn't hurt my voice nearly so much as these dastardly cigarettes I've been dragging on at intervals lately.
- TPW-1916-01-15
- J. B. Lukes is a Stone and Webster man who Tom has met before.
- Have just finished a letter to our mutual friend J.B. Lukes. It took me an hour to compose it yesterday -- then I slept on the scratched up piece of paper over night, and spent another hour today in writing it just as I wanted it. Here it goes with a great big hope and a prayer.
- TPW-1916-01-16
- TPW-1916-01-17
- There has been talk about South America in recent letters.
- Had my fortune told with cards too. I'm going to get my wish and it was for our and me in So. America pretty son. Oh Sneaky I am wishing for that, and especially for you.
- TPW-1916-01-17A
- TPW-1916-01-18
- After a week of pipe smoking....
- What dya think I'm gonna do tonight? Why I'm going to bed in 15 minutes and at that time it'll be just 10:30. Ain't that a goofy stunt? Well I want to see if a nice long sleep will take this huskyness out of my voice.
- TPW-1916-01-22
- RAP-1916-01-23
- TPW-1916-01-24
- TPW-1916-01-25
- RAP-1916-01-25
- TPW-1916-01-29
- TPW-1916-01-31
- TPW-1916-02-02
- TPW-1916-02-02A
- High School humor.
- RAP-1916-02-02
- RAP-1916-02-03
- TPW-1916-02-07
- TPW-1916-02-07A
- RAP-1916-02-09
- TPW-1916-02-10
- TPW-1916-02-11
- TPW-1916-02-13
- Valentine's Day card
- TPW-1916-02-13A
- RAP-1916-02-14
- TPW-1916-02-14
- TPW-1916-02-17
- TPW-1916-02-19
- RAP-1916-02-21
- TPW-1916-02-22
- RAP-1916-02-26
- TPW-1916-02-26
- TPW-1916-02-27
- RAP-1916-02-28
- RAP-1916-03-01
- TPW-1916-03-01
- TPW-1916-03-02
- TPW-1916-03-05
- TPW-1916-03-06
- TPW-1916-03-07
- RAP-1916-03-08
- TPW-1916-03-09
- RAP-1916-03-09
- TPW-1916-03-11
- RAP-1916-03-11
- RAP-1916-03-13
- TPW-1916-03-16
- TPW-1916-03-18
- There is a lot of tri-delt bashing in these letters.
- Here's a line on a future ΔΔΔ. Margaret Bird played forward for Reno [High School, against Tonopah] and swore during the whole game -- loud enough for a lot of people to hear her. Lots of damns and things like that.
- TPW-1916-03-22
- TPW-1916-03-25
- TPW-1916-03-26
- TPW-1916-03-27
- TPW-1916-03-28
- TPW-1916-03-29
- TPW-1916-03-30
- RAP-1916-03-30
- RAP-1916-03-31
- TPW-1916-04-01
- TPW-1916-04-02
- Been day-dreaming a lot about Boston today. It seems more real and natural all the time. I'm just that optimistic to think that about July 15th will be the starter.
...I'm thinking of April 1917 now. That's only a year away and only two months before June 1917. After five years when nothing was definate -- one year, fairly well outlined, isn't too long. I'm thinking how tired and warn you;ll be after commencement, and how much good a week or two of play in strange parts will seem, and what a wonderful thing even the little honeymooning we will get, is going to be for us both.
- TPW-1916-04-05
- TPW-1916-04-06
- Excited about the developing prospects.
- I'm going to put everything I have into a future for you and me, and the Walkers. With you a praying and a wishing hard, and me doing my level best, we're going to arrive some day.
- RAP-1916-04-08
- TPW-1916-04-10
- TPW-1916-04-10A
- TPW-1916-04-11
- TPW-1916-04-12
- If I don't jump now the chance may never come again, and certainly Lukes will never take the same interest again. All things except Mother say "go!!!"
- RAP-1916-04-13
- TPW-1916-04-13
- TPW-1916-04-15
- TPW-1916-04-16