Diary of Alfred E. Potter October, 1950

01.   

02.  Monday: Carl and Margaret Radomski are at the airport Milwaukee to meet us at 4 A.M.  It was grand of them.  Mary Borish - Elsie Wagner – Clarence Deniger are there with Dr. Ray’s car to take Les – Dr. and Father Alphonse home.  We are up until 5³⁰ at Carls then to bed.  I’m out again at 8³⁰ to clean up.  The folks are up at 10³⁰.  Breakfast at 11³⁰ and Don – Mary Ann – Arlene – Deborah arrive.  Over to Cooks to see Alice Woodruff, find she’ll be gone 2 weeks to Hawaii.  Winifred Catlow offers her help.  Back to Carl’s, visit Jerry House – Dinner at Carls, Lovie Czekalski is also there, leave for home 7 P.M. home at 10 P.M.  “Home Sweet Home.”

03.  Tuesday: Down to the store at 10 AM.  Art – Joe – Hayes and are there.  I’m happy to be back and get busy at once.  Two bouquets of flowers on the desk to greet me.  Mary Ann has Joanne Mauritz – Faye Baier – Doris Heisler – Carol Schmidt over tonight to see what we brought from Rome and other places abroad.  They have their choice of necklaces

04.  Wednesday: Back in the harness for good, there is much to be done to catch up, getting the books in shape.  Jessie Smith calls up, saying she had lived in Lisbon several years, also in the Azores.  Joe – Annie Heip – Ed – Thres Fretschl are here tonight and we talk only about the trip no time to play cards.  Cork calls for them at 1 A.M.  He had played early in the evening at the grand opening of the newly widened Ohio Street.  Don and family take Mary Ann along, to see the Indian dances, and other acts.  The folks leave here at 1³⁰ A.M.  Visited Aunt Mary – she knows me.  Alma Mertz held me up for a story.  Taking care of Mrs. Serwas, I gave them medals.  Visited Sister Laurentia, very interesting, gave her medals also.

05.  Thursday: Paying bills today, it’s an uphill job this trying to catch up.  Ed Huntz – Bob Kniss are in.  They had news about Van at Schroeder’s.  He’d like to make a change.  Merle Giddings – Karl Kickhofer are in.  More company tonight.  Ray – Ann – Ray Jr. – Jimmy Ostertag – Ray’s Mother Anna – Bill – Rose – Billy Mauritz – Emma Siewert – Otto Lemke, all interested in our trip.  Jimmy is interested in stamps.  Father Wagner dropped in this afternoon to let me know how pleased Lillian Wagner was with the “Madonna” I gave him.  I took the Ostertags and Mauritzs home at 11.30 P.M.

06.  Friday: To 7⁰⁰ Oclock Mass, Msgnr. Bastian. 

Com.  Matt Baier

07.  Saturday: [TB] To 7 Oclock Service Father Koehn, no Mass this morning at 7.  Otto Lemke has a birthday.  He is 65 and waiting for social security. 

Com.  Conversion Russia

08.  Sunday: To 7³⁰ Hi Mass Father Wagner.  Holy Name Sunday.  Then to work.  Also worked this afternoon from 4 to 6³⁰.  Joe and Emma Baier are over for the evening.  Com.  Holy Name Members.

09.  Monday: Norman Brown is in today.  Bob Kniss is in Indianapolis Eli Lilly and Co. with a number of Doctors to show them thru the plant.  Attend Holy Name Meeting St. Vincents tonite.  Father Wagner talks one hour on our trip.

10.  Tuesday: Attended Kiwanis luncheon this noon.  Program not very interesting.  Emma Siewert is here for the afternoon and evening.  Donald –Mary Ann and self out to the cottage, bring in our kitchen table and chairs, toasters (Bread and Popcorn).  Had quite a time getting the table back into the kitchen.  Otto Lemke comes in for the evening.  Les – Mary – Jackie Borisch dropped in at 8⁵⁰.  Bring a letter to us from Mary Ann.  Stay until 10.45.

11.  Wednesday: We hear that Lizzie Hannes is in the hospital.  Father Wagner drops in for an hour this afternoon at 1 PM.  I took Mary Ann and Emma Siewert to the hospital to see Aunt Mary.

12.  Thursday: Tonite we attend Columbus Day Party at the new K.C. Clubhouse.  Had lots of fun.  Everyone had a good time.  Fathers Wagner –Trebiatowski –Murphy and Danko were there, Ed and Rose Binder –Ed –Dess Wirtz also.  Saw the Binders for the first time since we are back.  We are home from the party at 1¹⁵ A.M.

13.  

14.  

15.  Sunday: To 7³⁰ Hi Mass Father Wagner bestows the Papal Blessing at all of the Masses.  View the remains of Mrs. Al St. John at Marquardts.  Had quite a visit with Al and his son and daughter.  To work balance of morning, after noon meal took Bill Mauritz to cottage to trim trees, then took Thres to Mercy Hospital –Mary Ann to Mauritzs, then to view the remains of Tony Raab at Poklasny, then to the cottage help Bill take out the dock, then home.  Forgot to mention while at the hospital visited Leo Wolf and Mrs. Serwas. 

Com.  Martha Heintz

16.  [T]

17.  Tuesday: To Kiwanis luncheon.  Sam Lucksinger – Gene Vogel – Eric Baller and myself at table.  I get Eric’s birthday prize, a lovely necktie.  Mary Ann visits Aunt Mary.  This evening we see “Mister 880” Edmond Gwenn – Burt Lancaster – Dorothy McGuire, and “Holy Year 1950” which really brings back our trip to us very vividly.  These were shown at the “Oshkosh.”

18.  Wednesday: [T] Our movie films finally arrived from Rochester.  Had Donald – Arlene and Debby also Joe and Emma Baier with Joey and Mary Jane over tonite and we get a first look.  Its quite a job as they are not spliced yet.  Takes about 2 hours to show them.  Some are very good.  This afternoon we cleaned up at the cottage.

19.  Thursday: Joe and Celia Drexler get a car.  This evening we visit Anna (Mrs. John) Drexler 1210 – 9th.  Betty and Frank are there.  Our trip was the topic.  Left rosaries – medals – and Lourdes Water.

20.  

21.  

22.  Sunday: To 7³⁰ Hi Mass.  St. Vincents.  Father Koehn.  To work balance of the morning.  This afternoon to KC Club Card Party with Ann and Ray Ostertag.  We played 5 hand Sheephead.  Ann 45 Ray 42 Thres 37 – Mary Ann 37.  I had 30 points for low.  Ann and Ray 5 # Flour and Del Monte Fruit.  Mary Ann 5 # Flour –Mama Oaks Candy for Door Prizes.  I get nothing.  This evening honor guard at Sacred Heart.  Father Tuschell sermon.  After that to St. Vincents Hall where Thres – Mary Ann are playing cards.  They win 6 Oshkosh 6 Birely’s soft drinks.

23.  

24.  Tuesday: This is Aunt Mary’s birthday, she is 78.  She is very happy.  Annie Weisheipl – Thres Fretschl – Annie Drexler –Thres – Mary Ann and self help her celebrate.  The ladies sing happy birthday to her.

25.  Wednesday: Up at 6⁴⁰ decide to drive to Milwaukee.  Leave at 8.50 A.M. stop at Wisconsin Pharmaceutical Assoc. Office.  Jennings Murphy is in Madison, had a visit with Mr. Atkinson.  Then to Mader’s for noon meal.  To Mutual Drug, Otto Schmidt is back from vacation.  Then to McClurgs Rene and coworkers listen intently to the story of our trip for 1 ½ hours.  Then to Arena for tickets to Skating Vanities of 1951, then one hour to Telenews, we eat at Belmont Hotel, then to the Skating Van.  Very colorful ends at 11⁰⁰ oclock.  Home drive is delightful.  Moonlite night, home at 12⁴⁵ A.M.

26.  

27.  

28.  

29.  Sunday: To 7³⁰ Hi Mass –Father Wagner.  To work until 12³⁰ then to 3 P.M., then a drive to Shawano with Thres and Mary Ann.  A beautiful day, Route 47 out of Appleton is bad.  From Shawano to Clintonville, had quite a visit with Dick Milbauer, stopped at Horicon for sandwiches home at 8³⁰ then out to Weisheipl’s to help celebrate 44th wedding anniversary.  Otto Lemke and Fretschl’s are there.  Otto wins all but one game.  Home at 1³⁰ A.M. 

Com.  Happy Hour of Death.

30.  

31.  Tuesday: Hallowe’en is not too bad.  We are at Lester Borisch’s this evening to see his pictures of our trip.  He has over 500 good ones and about 300 that could be classed as good, but he’s not quite satisfied with them.  Ed –Dess Wirtz – Ray – Elsie Wagner – Clarence – Helen Deniger – Father Alphonse are there also.  Thres and I leave for home at 12³⁰.  King Gustav V king of Sweden world’s oldest monarch dies of the age of 92.  John Boettiger ex husband of Anna Roosevelt, leaped to his death from the seventh floor of the hotel he was staying at.