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.
A Lot of School Work to Do - Monday, December 18, 1961
It's time to stop not doing anything and get something accomplished. I've got a lot of school work to do, vacation or not. At least I don' have a paper to write. I got dinner for Daddy, kept the stove going, read magazines and Pat Boone's This is Christmas, that Grandma sent over, and wrote Christmas cards. I got a card from Vernice and one from Helen Birkey. They had their Christmas program this afternoon at West Chester. Iowa isn't very good to my hair - or could it be that I failed to set it last night?
We Address Christmas Cards and Put Up Tree - Sunday, December 17, 1961
They thought the weather was too bad to have the Sunday school Christmas program tonight. I guess nobody had much planned for it. This afternoon Mom addressed Christmas cards and I did the same thing. I'm afraid this vacation is going to go pretty fast. We put our tree up tonight. It's one of those fluffy spruce ones and looks pretty without the strings of beads or tinsel. Church was just like always. I'd still like to sleep all day tomorrow.
Doing Chores Again - Saturday, December 16, 1961
We went to town this morning. I got started on my Christmas shopping. I talked to several kids I saw in town. Penney's is remodeled, there's a new Ben Franklin store, and Kleins has moved to Everetts' old store. Lots of the stores have Washington's new radio station on on their radios. This afternoon I didn't do much of anything except unpack and read things. Phyllis took the Sunday School class out to Grandma's to make Christmas cookies this afternoon. I did chores for the first time in three months - just like "the good old days." There are six baby pups and some little kittens out there.
Sleeping While Family Went to School - Friday, December 15, 1961
I slept till 3:30! I only woke up three times and each time went right back to sleep. And the poor family had to get up at 7:00 and go to school after not getting to bed till 4:00. Phyllis and I went to the two boys basketball games at Kalona. We took Martha, Linda Pence and Betty. We won both games. I saw Judy Johnson and Ronna but didn't get a chance to talk to them. The house seems so much smaller than it used to - I guess from being used to the big dorm. Well, back to good old bed. We're using the Polaroid picture that Bob took last summer for the Christmas card.
Leaving Park For Christmas - Thursday, December 14, 1961
It's good to be home. My train was an hour late. We didn't leave Kansas City till about 10:30. Mrs. Cox took Flo, Nancy Kelley, Ken Peterson and me to the station. We met Carolyn Frobig about 9:00. Her uncle helped us catch our trains. The different train men were nice. It was sure fun being in a big city train station and seeing another city at Christmas. This afternoon I got ready to leave, cleaned our room, typed Vivien's philosophy paper, and got her off, read my biology, locked our room behind me, and left Park College for two and a half weeks.
A Candlelight Vespers Service - Wednesday, December 13, 1961
I'm packed and ready to go - if I'm not forgetting anything. Carolyn Frobig is going to get my ticket for me so that will save me some time and trouble. My one suitcase is pretty bulging - I can just see it coming apart in the Union Station! Tonight the family style Christmas dinner was very nice and the candlelight vespers service was so nice. This has really been a nice Christmas at Park. Everyone is busy packing and wishing each other Merry Christmas. I wrote on a Christmas card to Merry Lee. I had to buy a 90 cents French book on Audubon.
We Go to See the Plaza Lights - Tuesday, December 12, 1961
Tonight a school bus load of us went in to Kansas City to see the Plaza Lights. They are really pretty. Some of them follow the shapes of the tower-like building tops. Judy Cox guided Nancy Huebner, Kathy Gillespie and me around the stores. Gosh, Karen Bentson and I got the third highest grades in the class on the art test. There were a 93 and 92 (A's) and Karen and I had 91's (A-). In biology we made "universes" - test tube aquariums. Dr. Hamilton said I was "turning green" after asking me if I was trying to asphyxiate the place with the Bunsen burner gas. I imagine I was turning red.
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