February 20, 1970 (Letter from Kathy)

Belated Valentine's Day to you.

Congratulations on making the Dean's List.  You are now a scholar.

You and Mark both started out with jobs and both of you are now broke.  I guess the Warren guys will just never amount of anything!  It must be the dirty air or the cities is killing their ability to work.  (Honestly, Paul, that's the only excuse I can think of for you, and it isn't even any good!)  If you can't find anyone to sell your car to, then I'll take it for nothing.  OK?  That'll save you some money!  Don't ask me what I would do with a car in this city, but it's an idea anyhow!

I'm glad to find out that you can spell reading, even if you're not accomplishing any.

I have finals coming up next week -- that means I only have 11 weeks of college left! -- plus national and state boards to pass.  Except for the latter two exams, it would sound really great, but I have to get through them before I get a license!

I'm going to the box office tomorrow to see if I can get tickets for "Hair".  It comes to Boston March 5th.

Gary gets sworn into the Air Force March 2nd.  I guess he's leaving sometime in April or May.  He's coming here for a vacation (to see Boston) before he takes off.

You just remember that a letter from KES (KISS?) really makes it also.

We haven't had any major floods in our apartment recently, but the plumber has been here at least five times to fix our over-flowing, never-stopping toilet, that overflows through the back every time it's flushed.  Fun, fun fun!

The wind is still cold here, it's been fairly warm.  As soon as the temperature reached 50, I'm going to be ready to  hit the roof again for some sunshine.

I'm not skiing this weekend not working  -- just taking it easy -- writing letters and sleeping tonight-- tomorrow I'm going to take in a movie.  It's called Z, but I'm not sure it's spelled -- maybe it's Zie or Zee, or Ze or Z -- I've only heard about it -- never seen it written.

Well, guess I, too, have just completed a senseless letter, but they are great to receive anyway.  I really enjoyed yours in spite of the fact that you thought you were a little off your rocker.

Take care-- don't study too hard.

P.S.  You must understand that I'm in a really dippy mood tonight, as usual.  I've taken up growing a orange tree!

December 16, 1969 (Letter from Barb)

I bet you can hardly wait to get your body and soul back to Warren, Pa. 16365 -- that old home town of childhood memories, that old high school hangout, that flea-bitten hold of a place we all go to as a last resort of whenever the money is gone, like when you don't know what the hell you're doing and come back here to get completely screwed up and fucked up in the head.  W hew!  Glad that's over, but when will it be over??  Poor Mike was freaking out here last nite -- he's there Help!  Mardi and I are there "Cool it Foster" -- things  could get worse -- Duh!

When will we see your smiling face and floppy hair again -- soon I hope.  Why don't we all say the hell with it and take off for Florida -- well, it was an idea.  Anyway, get your butt down here and take us out and get us completely bombed.  Gee, that's never happened before.

Good luck w/ getting home with no heat -- did you get the car fixed?  I hope.

See you soon.

December 5, 1969 (Letter from Mardi)

You'll never guess where I'm sitting!  In Barney's office in the National Forge!  I'm starting with Barney Monday as "temporary" but I'll be working full-time.  I'll be making over $2.00 an hour which is better than the old faithful New Process Company!

I'm sorry for not writing sooner, but I'm confused on who I've written to and who I haven't and lately letter-writing is a pain!  When are you coming home for Christmas?  Around the 19th?!  I was just wondering because Bill might come out and if he flys into Buffalo we could meet him and drive back -- speaking of driving -- in your car -- how's the heat?  "Is da heat on boss?"

Nothing fantastic has been happening?!  I made the

[12/10]  Here I sit at work again!  Amazing things.  I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment!  Monday went by like a flash and Barney and I went to St. Bonaventures after work for the basketball game and we ended up in a bar at St. Bonnie's at about twelve thirty drinking away with a bunch of kids.  Bona's won the game so we celebrated.   But I didn't get home until 2;00AM and Barney and I have to get up at 6:30AM!  Duh!  I didn't feel too bad and when I got home last night I did more work than I usually do.  NOW today BLAH, I'm tired -

Sorry I haven't written -- you know how it is!

Must close now only have a few minutes left for lunch!  When will you be home?  19th?  See you soon -- Hope you got your mail situation taken care of.  See you soon.

October 26, 1969 (Letter from Gail)

If you only knew how sorry I was for not writing to you sooner -- you have my most heart-felt apologies.  Do you accept them and am I forgiven?

It was really great hearing from you and I guess when you lose touch with someone like that over the summer, it makes that first letter in the fall sound so much better.  Right?  My summer sounds about the same as yours. I ate, slept, worked at gold ole Tiny Town, and took a 3 hr. course at EOC for 6 wks.  I hated to start school in the fall because none of the kids that we were really friendly with last year were coming back.  I miss them.  EOC ain't what it used to be.  I got elected to be a member of student govt again this yr and plus on the board -- govt is so-so.  Not too much has been happening in my life so far.  A bunch of us girls went to Shorty's last weekend and then again this past Fri nite.  It was so damn crowded that we all left and went to -- ready -- Pejo's.  God it was funny!  I haven't been there since senior week 1968!  Angie was unreal -- we bought 2 pitchers of beer so she gave us a third one FREE plus a big dish of popcorn!  But seeing as how we were the only people in the joint, she figured she had to be nice to us to get us to come back. There were 56 of us girls and then 7 more kids that go to EOC followed us up there.  It was really beautiful.  Then we stopped off at Shorty's on the way home just long enough to use the bathroom, then we left.  God, if that didn't look obvious!

We had midterms this past week.  Oy vay!  They were so tuff!  But I can't believe 1/2 of the semester is gone already!  Wow!

Last Sun my parents were going down around Penn State to visit some friends, so Sheryl Larson and I went along and they dropped us off at PSU to spend the day with Leslie Stein.  Well we got right before Ridgway and the hood of the car pops up -- right in our faces!  I was panic stricken. The damn thing did it twice.  So my dad bought a chain and chained it down and it was ok for the rest of the trip and on the way home.  To top this off -- my dad made a wrong turn and to get back on the right road he had to cross a median in the road and just as he got on the damn thing, a state trooper comes by and pulls us over.  My father got a $15 fine for driving on the wrong side of the road!  It was quite some day.  I'll say!  I hope I never have to go through it again.  I sat for the rest of the trip (after the hood flew up) with my fingers crossed and my eyes closed.  I was so-o-o scared!!!

Nothing much has happened in Warren lately.  Except it snowed here for 2 days last week.  Ugh!

Congratulations on your new car.  It sounds really nice.  Bring it home some weekend.  I'd like to see it.  What color is it?

I'm so mad at Mark.  I wrote him 3 wks ago and he hasn't answered me back.  Oh well.  Leslie hears from him quite regularly.  He calls her up at lest once a week and he's going down to see her sometime next month.  I guess.  Oh well.  WAHS played Kane yesterday.  We beat them 46-0  That's not saying much for the Dragons though, Kane kicked 14 guys off their team for drinking.  See what I mean.

Take care and come home soon.  Get out of the smog and get some fresh clean country air in your lungs!  Ha!