About the diary writer
- Barbara McDowell Whitt
- Kansas City, Missouri, Alexandria, Virginia, United States
- ~ About: A 1961-65 Park College Diary ~ As a high school girl and then a college coed in the first half of the 1960s, I wrote nightly entries on the pages of one-year diaries. In January 2010 I began transcribing the entries into a blog and gave each one a title. I grew up on three farms within 30 miles of Iowa City and the University of Iowa with its Iowa Writers' Workshop. As the oldest of four daughters, in my diaries I sometimes referred to my sisters as "the kids" or "the girls." We helped our parents, but we also had good, wholesome fun - a characteristic I took with me to Park. Park is 300 miles southwest of West Chester, Iowa, in Parkville, Missouri, on the Missouri River 10 miles northwest of Kansas City, Missouri, and across the river from Kansas City, Kansas. In 2000 Park College became Park University. Today Park's flagship campus is in Parkville and there are an additional 41 campus centers across the nation. Park was one of the first educational institutions in the United States to offer online learning. My last post was on May 22, 2018. I may be followed on Twitter @BarbaraMcDWhitt.
The First Real Day of Summer - Wednesday, June 21, 1961
This was the first real day of summer. This afternoon we went to the Methodist Church for the mother-daughter luncheon. We had creamed chicken, potato chips, salad, peas, apple rings and strawberry chiffon dessert. The wife of the McLellan manager was the speaker. She drew pictures to illustrate two stories. We had piano lessons. They are baling hay here and putting it up out at Grandma's.
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6 comments:
Any idea what the McLellan reference was?
Ron, that would have been the dime store on the east side of the square in Washington. I'm wondering about the spelling.
Oh yes, now I remember. I think they had nut island right inside the door with salted, roasted nuts of all kinds in lighted cases with some trays that went around. I think I am remembering it in that store.
Yes, and a pan full of little green turtles with bright red, blue or green paint and tiny yellow flowers on their shells.
Rolls of oil cloth to be torn off by a store clerk and used as table cloths.
Embroidery hoops, small packets of embroidery thread, and white fabric imprinted with blue outlines for embroidering....
Oh my gosh, I do remember all those things. I was fascinated with the oil cloth. I also got a turtle and a plastic container with a ramp and palm tree. Those things were not healthy I guess but I loved my turtle! Also my mom bought yarn and I loved the Hart brand or whatever it was because it had a metal double red heart that folded over a strand of yarn on each skein. Weird what impresses a kid.
It's fun that you remembered your mom's yarn. Also, Wikipedia confirms that I had the spelling right for the store's name. I'm guessing the church ladies had luncheon programs with the speaker's affiliation on them.
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