September 16, 1935 – Addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Mentions an accident in passing - Asks for a metronome - Discusses new mail system and her new course load/class schedule

September 16, 1935 – Addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Unsure about whether she can take Science – asks about Drexel catalogue - “Now for the teachers – the business teacher Mrs. Shellrick is inexcusable, terrible. She looks awful and I’d die if I had classes from her.” - Transitions into discussion of teachers. - Discussion of differences between high school and college. - Suggests that she and her family got into a bad car accident recently - Gets along well with her new roommate, but misses her old friends. - Begs her mother to get a telephone (suggests that her father died or left recently) - Considers taking a music theory course - Handwriting is difficult to read because her finger was hurt in the accident - Includes tentative course schedules for freshman, sophomore, and junior years. (Apparently “Senior year is mostly H.E.” [Home Ec?]) - “Here’s my schedule. English – Speech – Chemistry – Home Ec. (Planning a house etc) – French – History (Survey Course of European History) – How to Study – Art Appreciation + Phys Ed + Piano”

September 16, 1935 – Addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Katherine has started working in the laundry to pay for piano lessons - Is missing her copy of Browning’s “A Woman’s Question” - Katherine really likes her new roommate, Lucille - “Things are so different here this year and putting all and all together, I’m sort of down in the dumps tonite”

September 17, 1935 – Addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney – - Shoes came in the mail and were too small. - The music class is free and she will try to work it into her schedule.

September 19, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Reassures her mother that her finger injury is innocuous - Plans to live in “cottage” next year

September 23, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Another girl was elected president and Katherine is upset about it; “I did get vice pres. But that’s no consolation.” - Taking 32 semester hours - Plans to drop music theory - Is very fond of the new dramatic teacher, Miss Cottrell - Wants to leave early for Jean’s commencement - Someone named John is sick - Wants cousin Emery to come and bring her quilt and some apples - Someone might lose their job because of the accident - The school is paying for Jean’s expenses - Doesn’t plan to take another science course - Went to a picnic the previous night

September 30, 1935 – Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Congratulates Jean on her archery tournament; asks for more bows for archery club. - Home ec. course will decorate the lodge. (Alumnae lodge.) - Will probably perform “The Importance of Being Ernest” on November 23 for Junior play (combined effort of Junior classes in both college and high school). - Katherine is president of dramatic club - Didn’t go to the dance at C.H. last night because Fred Powell invited Peachy instead; “I guess I feel hurt. Ha! ha! There is certainly nothing to go to Char. Hall for this year, I was quite pleased to stay here. The boys there now are so pitifully young and dumb.” - Bob now attends Penn State; sent her a letter. - More discussion of Jane’s presidential election - A girl named Shirley Lowe is president of College Club

October 7, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Went to hear Bishop Finley’s service on Sunday. Last night, went to picnic on the beach with Bishop Finley and others. He “was Uncle Sam’s type there” - Bought a new dictionary for $2.75 - Played piano in the assembly on Wednesday; her music teacher said Katherine was her best pupil. - Will not perform “The Importance of Being Earnest” because “Miss France is afraid it won’t appeal to the audience we’ll have. Phooey!” - Tony is throwing a dance on an approaching weekend and Katherine plans to go home with Tony and Anne Blackistone, but has trouble with travel arrangements. - Once again goes over her course schedule - Charging students and teachers to set their hair – 15c for students, 25c for teachers. - Wants to go to several concerts in DC but season tickets are pricey -- $2.75 to $10. The performers she wants to see: Lawrence Tibbet, Vienna Boy’s Choir, Lily Pons, Nelson Eddy and Grace Moore.

October 14, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Plans to go to Tony’s; asks parents for permission. Would like to meet family on the polo fields on the 25th but is unsure if this is possible. - Tony’s party will be a masquerade; Katherine doesn’t know what to wear. - Wanted to dance with Ross Powell at Char. Hall but didn’t have the opportunity. - Another friend has gotten engaged. - Talks about her busy schedule/academic anxiety. - Mentions “joint account with Pop Smith” and bank checks.

October 21, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Pinky is no longer attending school, is being tutored instead - Requests “cute Hallow’een skits, poems, dialogues or anything for an assembly program.” Also requests more finger tabs for archery. - A $700,000 yacht was docked at the wharf the other day. - College got a new grand piano, but Katherine’s not allowed to play it. - “It’s uncanny how everyone is spraining their ankles around here, about eight people in two days. Every time you turned around someone else was limping around.” - Katherine made first honor role. - There was a D.A.R. luncheon the day before. - “I don’t think Amer. will go in the war. They’re no reason for it and pres. Roosevelt announced that he’d keep Amer. neutral.” - Asks for song called “Goblins’ll get you”

October 31, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Katherine’s happy about apples. - Received a letter from someone named Lawson - Someone named Johnnie Farra died playing football

October 22, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Attempts to ascertain whether or not she will meet her mother and Jean in Washington.

October 22, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Asks when she should go to the polo field in Washington - “It just about slays me to think of all the apples at home and here I sit dying for some.” No date – - Taking 18 credit semester hours - Parents appear to be worried about Katherine stretching herself too thin; Miss France held a meeting with Katherine to talk about overworking

November 4, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Went to an alumnae luncheon in Baltimore and “had a marvelous time” - Lists the alumnae in attendance (includes Kay Aldridge) - Saw “Annapolis Farewell” at the movies and enjoyed it. - Prom next Saturday. Asks Jean to send her a dress. - Next Sunday, plans to go to a Lawrence Tibbit concert. - Glee club sang at St. George’s Island. - Auditions for Jr. Sr. play are ongoing. - Doesn’t plan to accompany friends to Midsummer Nights’ Dream because of cost. - Can’t decide who she wants to go with to Prom.

November 9, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Katherine’s mother wanted to visit Katherine and get a ride with Pinky, but it appears Pinky has been unofficially blacklisted from campus – “Maybe it’s for the best tho’, knowing how Pinky drives”

November 13, 1935 – addressed to Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Katherine reiterates that she doesn’t think her mother should come with Pinky. - On the 18th will go to Baltimore with her Home Economics class to shop for furniture. - Play will be on either the 31st or Dec. 2

November 11, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Just returned from concert. - Lists the encore songs that Lawrence Tibbit sang. Is excited to see Lily Pons - Recounts an anecdote in which she mistook a random woman in the audience for Lucille - “Right now I’m dead – for we had the prom last nite and were dead before we started.” Took a boy named Tom Bond and had a “grand time”. - Didn’t get the part she wanted in the play, which she attributes to her small stature. The play was “Bringing up Mother” by Charles George. - Had an incident with her lamp (it “put out a fire”) and she needs a new one. - Discusses academic stress – “our whole class almost lost their minds” - Mentions Jean’s tonsils

November 19, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Reassures parents that she is not working herself too hard. - Compares county boy vs. Char. Hall boy (she prefers the former, though she doubts she’ll see him again). - Writing letter while at play practice - Discusses various letters she has received from Charles, Lawson and Eddie. - “See, my old lamp was all falling apart and was loose and wore through its cord, cause I was using it when it wobbled and snapped and put all the lights out while everyone was studying for a hist. test” - Plans to go to Mrs. Grien’s concert tomorrow - Doesn’t like to shop and is not looking forward to appraising furniture on Monday. - Enjoyed Mrs. Grien’s concert.

November 25, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Katherine’s letters have been taking 3 days to arrive - Called Lawson on Monday. - Excited for Thanksgiving - Mrs. Dutton sent Katherine a $1 white ivory lamp to use. - Enjoyed trip to Baltimore to look at furniture; called the experience “invaluable” o “I learned enuf to know I’d be scared to buy furniture” - “We’re selling Xmas cards to get money for a gym. 21 for a dollar. Do you want a box?”

December 2, 1935 – Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney. - “Monday nite is the fatal nite” (meaning, the performance) - Describes thanksgiving dinner, and regrets not being able to spend it with her family - Has to read a book a week for How to Study class - Recommends “Lust for Life” by Irving Stone (a biography of Vincent Van Gogh). - Advises her parents not to donate to the alumnae agency; “St. Mary’s surely is improving.” - Went to a classical concert Sunday – Harold Bauer (pianist) and Arthur Spalding (violinist). Enjoyed it. - Wants to furnish her house back home. - Talks about arranging transportation home (probably for Christmas break)

December 9, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - “Well, I went to the C.H. formal last nite and had a very nice time, as good as could be expected. That fool was dumb enuf to invite me.” - Bob’s going to West Point. - Received high praise on the play. - “Another book I think you’d like is Porgy. It’s a negro story and has been made into an opera – ‘Porgy and Bess’ and has been the center of critics’ attention. It’s very, very much talked about.” - Complements the contacts Jean’s made at William and Mary - Has a ride home.

December 16, 1935 – addressed to Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Tenney - Went to dinner with roommate (Lucille) and her family. - Received a nice letter from Miss Carr - Plans to go home in 5 days (the 20th) - “Miss France has a new car – it’s grand looking.” - Plans to go to dinner at Jubby Cullisan’s with Anne Blackistone, Jane Anderson, and Eugenia. Describes the dinner later in this letter. - Mentions someone named Louella who may be coming to Washington