August 25? 26 - I don’t know what day it is
My dearest Patricia
I was highly pleased to be out at your mom’s when you phoned this afternoon, though I am sure you know that I haven’t been trying to check on you in any sense during your present holiday. In fact I have never been so happy over your being on a holiday as I have this week. Knowing Vince and his family I know that you couldn’t be in better company and you are in wonderful country so I have wanted you to enjoy every minute to the full and also to stay as long as you think you can afford to. I cancelled the appointment with Dr. [?] for you early this AM and I’ve been putting your mail through the door as you requested. Your neighbor across the porch, seeing what I was doing with your mail, beat me to it today and fed it through the door to the inside. She left it to me, though, to put the magazine through. Your mom was delighted to hear you over the phone this PM. I was busy in the bathroom adjusting the mechanisms in the water lock of the toilet to stop a slight leakage that was going on. One of your little brothers Georgie or Nobie came running in saying “Mama wants to see you.” she hadn’t said as much but he knew that you were on the phone and that she wanted me to join in the conversation, so, without being asked he said, “Mama wants you.” incidentally though whenever you phone and charge the call to me as I was led to believe was the case, today - please don’t rush but talk as long and as leisurely as you want - if it costs ten dollars, it does your mom so much good it’s worth it!! I think she told you that when Connie comes home, she wants both you and me to be present already in the [page 2] house to get the full benefit of Connie’s reaction. Also to help in any way we can to entertain Connie’s friends who will bring her home. However she wants the occasion to be just a modest party and to wait a few days for a real Thanksgiving because Connie is home.
She really is improving rapidly in the new home, but she still has her new welfare worker to meet - and possibly to answer questions for. But [?] can get her ready for this. She told me a couple of days ago that she considered me part of her family now and she counts on you and me to give her the support she needs from time to ime. This pleases me more than I can tell you.
A couple of things she has told me lately are as follows: “first you write this book on insects you are working on. Then you write your book (autobiography), then we work together and you write my book.” She has really accepted the idea - you and I have been telling her that her life should be the basis of a book! This is wonderful and to work on one with her will do wonders for her. Maybe she’s almost “out of the woods” by now. She also said, “this neighborhood is a real polished neighborhood compared to what I’ve been used to - and you and Patricia have got to help me live up to it. I want you to help me with my English so I’ll use the correct language and not make the errors I’ve been doing.” I suggested that all three of us work on each other and we’d all improve. This is exactly what she wants and what could be better? It all spells hope and confidence in a new and brighter future. It brings me almost to te4ars to think what all of this means. So I’m ready and I’m sure you are. Your mom already is obviously a true lady in the best sense, but to have her want to [page 3] match her English to everything else is rewarding to the point of tears. I know you’ll be pleased with her general brightness and cheerfulness and alertness when you get back.
I’ve got most of my outline on the insect book down in the preliminary stages and I’m beginning to envision a pattern for the final form it is to take. So by the time the conference is held in September I should be ready with a completed outline and ready to defend it - also to give ground when valid criticism is leveled at any part of it.
Yesterday from 12:15 to 2:00 I had lunch and visited with Jim Vaden of the SJ Mercury, telling him the general story of our fabulous week in Washington DC. He may contact you when you get back to get your personal reactions - but in any case Mas can, you and I are due to be the subjects of a feature story in the Mercury and that will not hurt any of us - or San Jose State. He is the one who wrote the excellent front page story on my retirement that appeared in the Mercury, so I’m expecting a good story on the I.P.A. convention. Incidentally, also, he is an active member of the National Guard and was on duty in the riot area of Watts in Los Angeles. He served as a guardsman during his duty hours and then wrote up the riot for the mercury during his off hours.
Well, I’ve missed you - as you might guess during your holiday but keeping you informed on your mom’s progress has kept me in touch with you so I haven’t missed you as I would have otherwise. I have - from [?] the papers that show that both lots 16 (with the house) and 17 in Menlo Park were clearly and unequivocally assigned to me and Neva in 1933. Now I’ve got to get the “joint tenancy” changed to show me currently as sole owner and the way will be cleared for making final arrangements. I haven’t yet got any retirement pay though. Love Carl.
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
