February, 2008
AFTER WWII
A couple of weeks ago Rachel came to visit me for a week. I had read part of your Grandpa Lynn’s letters that I told you about in the January letter but had not finished them all. As Rachel started on this large stack she was quite fascinated. As she read about her father when he was in his early twenties--his values, impressions, likes and dislikes, friendships etc. she felt she knew him better than she ever had. We had fun talking about things he wrote. We had as many questions as answers. Often we wondered just where he was as he wrote certain letters as he was not allowed ever to tell his whereabouts.
Your grandpa was discharged in March 1946 several months after WWII had officially ended. Naturally all the troops were not released immediately. In the Navy they were released according to time spent, time overseas, combat service and other things.
As news came out that the government was going to offer the GI Bill of Rights, many servicemen started thinking of going back to get a college education. What a deal! This was a privilege of a lifetime. And just when they were anticipating what to do in the future. It was an all expense offer--tuition, books, and many other perks. Now these young men were able to get training for good paying jobs and support their future families. As a result the GI‘s flooded the colleges of our land.
Remember that I had just graduated from high school in the spring of 1945. I also was thinking of entering college. When I began the Fall semester 1945 at Ft. Wayne Bible College, Ft Wayne, Indiana the GI's were trickling in but by the next year they were there en masse and the Colleges had more people than space to place them.
I was placed in the basement of a girls dorm with about a dozen other girls. Not ideal for studying. But great for late night partying. Don't get any ideas--it was just cokes and potatoes chips and we did all of our studying in the Library. I came home at Christmas weighing thirty pounds above my average weight! Thankfully, I lost it when summer came.
I was there for two years and then decided to transfer closer to home. I entered Rockmont College (now Colorado Christian University, Denver, CO) the same year (fall 1947) that your Grandpa Lynn appeared at Rockmont.
He was not able to get in to Wheaton College which was his first choice. He attended Bob Jones University one year but did not like it there. He transferred to Rockmont because his doctor was recommending a drier climate for his bronchial problems. That was his ultimate reason for going to Denver.
Let me set the stage so you can get the feel of what was happening--GI's were flooding the colleges. Many had not had much contact with the opposite sex for four years. Their minds were not only on a career but also most importantly on marriage. They were now 24 plus years and READY! The girls who were in college at that time couldn't have been happier!
.
I dated very little in High School so this was a nice situation for me as well. When this tall, dark and handsome with beautiful blue eyes stopped me to ask if I would play the piano for him as he was singing at a Denver church, it was not hard to say yes.
Those two years in College were wonderful times of getting to know each other and finding our common interests. I was the country bumpkin who had dated very little and was just out of high school and he was from the city (St Paul, MN) and had seen the world and dated lots of girls. He was also five years older.
Our commonality though was that we were both Christians with a passion to be in some kind of Christian ministry area. We were both interested at that time in the possibility of missionary work overseas. Another common interest was that we both loved music and were taking piano and voice lessons and were involved with singing in the choirs, small groups such as quartets, trios, duets, piano accompanying etc.
Things we did when we were not studying were double dating with friends, ice skating at Evergreen, CO, and as I said we did many
.jpg)
things relating to music together. One of the pictures I have is of our Spring Senior Banquet when we sang that great classic, "Ah, Divine Redeemer". Coming up at another time I will tell you about Christmas, 1948 just before we were married when we went to Minnesota and got to meet the Manlove family for the first time. O yes, and the blizzard we encountered on the way back! .
We both graduated from Rockmont on June 3rd, 1949 and were married on June 5th, just two days later, at Mt Zion Methodist Church, my home church where I grew up. This small church was located just a mile and a half from out Nebraska farm. .
Including memoirs of our wedding and honeymoon would make this pretty long so that will be my next installment.
My love to all and my prayers for all,
Grandma Rita


