Mail Call, 19 Oct 1935 (George)

"He who laughs last gathers no moss"

Dorothy is boy crazy, the old Buick is terminally ill (David is researching a junkyard Essex).

Marjorie gets to play "Stink Base" at Sargent School.  Coach Google tells me that this was an Ozark-specific variant of freeze tag, where those tagged frozen had to run to the aforementioned "stink base" and stay there until tagged free by their team-mates.

A tiny sample of 1930's anti-Semitism is quickly walked back; problem bosses come in all ethnicities.

"Emma" and "Em" are Emma Potter Parker back in Corry
"Draughon's" is the business school which is owed much money.
"Dora" is George's sister in E. St. Louis, IL, now at a new address.

Mail Call: 14 Sep 1935 (George)

Elaine Potter (21) and Dorothy Potter (19)
in St. Louis, Sept 1935

George Potter in Cabool, MO to his daughter Mary in Washington, DC

The school tuition issue from earlier letters was not resolved in the Potter's favor; Florence ("Flapper") and Dave can go to Cabool High School but Marjorie ("Peg") is stuck in the country school at Sargent.  This is financially a problem, as the drive to/from Sargent is costly in the long run even though the cash was not available to pay Marjorie's tuition up front.

Mary has evidently spent Labor Day with her then-boyfriend Art and his friends in New York  See the 1 September post for some mementoes. "...but how can you lose so much sleep?"

Elaine is in St. Louis; Dorothy evidently visited at some point in September, 1935, which led to attitude once back home...

"Too young"...George is 60 at this point.

Verna Madison:  identified
Katie Brown: Arch Brook's son Roy's wife Mildred's sister.  Really.

"Dora" is George's sister in E. St. Louis with whom Elaine is staying
Dorothy is, I believe, in Springfield doing domestic odd jobs.

Mail Call: 31 August 1935 (George)

From George Potter in Cabool to his daughter Mary in Washington DC.

One of my favorite old letters, this tells the tale of Gladys Potter tangling with the Cabool School Superintendent over a tuition bill which may keep Marjorie in the Sargent school while David and Florence get to ride the bus to school in Cabool.  The tale is interrupted by other matters but then continues on Page 4 with Gladys coming home in a rage over her disrespectful reception by the Super.  A map showing the Sargent school is at the bottom of this page.

Note: "Draughans" is the business college which Mary had attended in Tulsa.
"Miss Elam" is evidently in charge of bill collection, as Mary's student debt is much in arrears.
"Art" is Mary's boyfriend, whose hometown was Huntington, NY
"Vera" otherwise unidentified.

Sargent School Location..driving Marjorie one way while Dave and Florence take the schoolbus to Cabool
Potter farm was approx. at the end of the yellow line in the NW corner of  map, N of the road. and W or the train tracks.
Credit: www.topoquest.com; fair use claimed of detail of much larger topo map.

Mail Call: 27 August 1935 (Gladys)

Gladys Potter in Cabool to her daughter Mary in Washington DC.

Lining up a business course for David after high school graduation; Marjorie doesn't want to go to Sargent school...and won't study.

Gladys planning to look into a room in town to avoid the costs of driving to/from the Sargent farm.

Mail Call: 18 July 1935 (George)

Letter from George Potter in Cabool, MO to his daughter Mary in Washington, DC.

Marjorie Potter is surprised by spin-the-bottle (Ozark version)...page 3.

Note:  "Pete" not ID'd

Note:  "Gregory" and "Ruby Tayor" and "Overacre"  and "Ness Snow" not ID'd.

Note:  Oren Kennedy is George's cousin on the Hasbrouck side in PA

Note: Room mate, size of:  see below.

Note:  Explanation of room mate size joke on page 6...a scrap of a letter from Mary, with George Potter's response.  

Mail Call: 1 September, 1934

Letter from George Potter to my mother, Mary Potter, dated 1 Sept 1934 (a Saturday):  By this time in 1934,  Mary had finally found a job in St.  Louis, MO, after spending 3 years in business school in Tulsa, OK.  The job was temporary/provisional but fortunately lasted longer than its original 10 day run.

Any earlier letters (1930-1934) were not preserved, assuming I don't find some in unexpected places in the files.   After a year or so farming in Sargent, MO, George is looking to doing something else.  That isn't going to happen, though. 

George Potter (1875-1943)

Note:  the "flappers" are Marjorie and Florence although,
in the singular, Florence is usually "Flapper" and Elaine "Soph"