Name/Title
Spalsbury: #35 Letters Home August 15, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.279A-HScope and Content
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASTU 3938, Loyola University, Los Angeles 34, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked AUG 15, 1943, 7 PM, Los Angeles, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Context
Sunday Morning August 15, 1943
Hello, Kids!
Frank Hanlin and I are upstairs now in the Lutheran Service Center here on Hollywood Boulevard. We came up here to get directions to the Hollywood Lutheran Church, and the time of the service. We find that it's 2 1/2 miles east of here just off Hollywood Boulevard, and the service begins at 11:00 a.m. It's now 9:30, so we decided to write a letter before we caught the street car. The girl here said that she heard that Rev. Kerstetter wasn't preaching the sermon this morning, but it will be fun going there anyway.
We were free to go out on pass from Loyola at 12 noon yesterday, so after eating lunch, putting on our ties and civilian shoes, Ray Frantz, Frank Hanlin, and I set out. We hitchhiked over to Inglewood, 6 miles east of Loyola. There I picked up a roll of films I'd left on Thursday evening. Seven of the prints came out very good - the eighth was a double exposure, so they didn't develop it. The cost was 45 cents, (for enlargements), so you see it was just about half what it would have cost at the P.X. at Callan. I want to take the pictures back to Loyola and show 'em to some of the boys, so won't send them now. I will send the negatives, though. I took all seven of the pictures by our Barracks at Camp Callan the day before we left for Pasadena. I'm plenty glad I took 'em now, because I didn't have any others I'd taken there. The ones I took before were in San Diego. Two of them are of me, and I think I'll send one to Kathleen, because she asked me long ago for a snapshot.
After picking up my prints in Inglewood, we three set out again and hitchhiked up La Brea Avenue through western Los Angeles into Hollywood. We hitchhiked west on Sunset Blvd. to the Guild Canteen, where we asked about staying there at night. Frantz had already made a bed reservation with two other Loyola boys from the Saturday before, so he had a bed. Hanlin and I were signed up for the annex, up on Sunset about 3 blocks. However, when we returned last night, and after "raiding the ice box" and feasting on some sandwiches, pie, cake, and milk, we discovered the Annex had already been filled. So-o-o I suggested we walk up the street 1/2 block to the B'Nai Brith Dormitory. It is sponsored by a Jewish Men's Fraternity, but naturally is open to anybody. It, too, is free. We slept on two small mattresses on the kitchen floor, and were a little chilly because they just gave us one blanket apiece. We also were given a clean towel and a small bar of soap. Pretty nice.
This morning we walked down the street and had breakfast at the Guild - tomato juice, milk, coffee, apple sauce, and 3 pieces of coffee cake. Um-mo, it really tasted good!
Last night we three took the Pacific Electric Streetcar into L.A. where we saw "Rigoletto" at the Philharmonic Auditorium. We particularly enjoyed the fourth (last) act, where the Duke sang "Donna e Mobile," and the Quartet was sung by the Duke, Maddalena, Rigoletto, and Gilda (Rigoletto's daughter). It was really beautiful singing. And then Gilda sang a pretty aria, "Cara Nome", in the 2nd act, I believe. We didn't even have to pay 30 cents tax this time, since we got our tickets at the Hollywood USO. And we had dandy orchestra seats.
I have $3.50 left now to last till August 31st, so maybe you could send 2 or 3 bucks (or I could borrow it if I needed it.)
I'm enclosing the program of the Orson Welles Mercury Wonder Show we saw last Saturday.
Well, it's 10:30, so we'd better set out for church.
[NOTE: this letter is unsigned but included the closing statement indicating he is signing off unlike the previous letter]Collection
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, ASTU 3938, Loyola University, Los Angeles 34, California to his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Spalsbury, 806 South 11th, St. Joseph (10), Missouri. Post Marked AUG 15, 1943, 7 PM, Los Angeles, Calif., 6 cent Air Mail stamp.Description
Handwritten letter home to parents back in St. Joseph after being called up to serve in the US Army during WWII. Pvt. Spalsbury, at the time of this letter, has completed Basic Training at Camp Callan, California, was stationed for a short time with a STAR Unit for ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program) soldiers in Pasadena, CA and is now stationed at Loyola University in Los Angeles, CA for additional training.
This letter is six pages, front only, written in blue ink on plain stationery. The letter was mailed in a matching plain envelope, with a 6 cent Air Mail stamp. The stationary is folded in thirds.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
