1977
A Letter from Mom
The last weekend in January I went back to Gainesville, leaving on Friday afternoon and returning Sunday afternoon. I didn’t know it, but Mom and Dad were camping so they weren’t home, so I spent time with my brother David who was home. The following week I got a letter from Mom…
Monday, Jan 31, 1977
Dear Larry,
Sorry we missed you last Sunday. We got home about 3:30.
David forgot to give you your Christmas present from Brenda & Tom.
We had a nice time camping but it was too cold for me. Inside the camper was real warm but I couldn’t get dressed warm enough for outside. I really hate this cold weather! It’s real cold here today. How has it been down there? Is your apartment warm? I know you don’t like cold weather either. I doesn’t seem to bother Beth or David too much.
Beth walks almost 1 mile each morning to catch her bus & she hardly ever puts on a hat or gloves. She makes me so mad. But she doesn’t catch a cold so she must be O.K. By the way she’s getting her magazine each week. She really likes it (so do I)
We went to Clearwater Fri. after work to see Grandma Jr. She seems to be doing alright. If you ever have a free day or week end you should go see her. You would love her house & patio with all wicker furniture. And she really cooks a great meal for you. Sunday dinner we went out & then looked around the Countryside Mall – a new one that just opened up last summer. It was really nice. We slept late both Sat. & Sun. morning (9 o’clock). She cooked breakfast for daddy Sat. morning which he really liked.
I called Brenda Thurs. night to see if they are keeping warm. They have all electric heat & she said she keeps it at 70°- so she keeps Kristopher real warm. They have a fireplace in their family room & build a fire every night. She said they have had a lot of snow. Tom was taking the high school kids up to the mountains for a ski trip last week end. Then to Florida March 3-4-5-6. Brenda will probably come with them & stay with us while he goes on to Disney World. So try & come up and see her and Christopher, OK?
By the way I’m have a hysterectomy Monday morning Feb. 28. I’ll be at North Fla. Regional Hospital. (In case you want to send flowers, ha ha!)
Well I must close. I’m writing this at work and I’m getting interrupted every few minutes.
Let us know how you are – call if you don’t feel like writing, OK?
Enclosed you will find picture of Kristpher.
Love,
Mom & Dad
P.S.
I called payroll & gave them your address to mail your W-2. Did you get it yet? I also have your forms to make out your income tax – do you want me to hold til you come up?
Beth walked to Littlewood Elementary School where she caught the school bus to go to Gainesville High. Brenda David and I all did the same thing when we went to GHS. All four of us went to Littlewood for elementary school, Westwood for junior high school and then GHS. I always hated the winter for I was always cold walking or riding my bike to school. The magazine Mom mentioned was People magazine which I had got a subscription for Beth for her Christmas present.
Grandma Junior was Mom’s mother who lived in Clearwater. Grandpa Junior had died the past November and so Mom suggested I go see Grandma. It was a three-hour drive across the state from where I lived in Indialantic on the east coast and I never did go see her in Clearwater. At the end of 1977 she moved back to Gainesville. She gave an update on Brenda and Tom who she talked to regularly on the phone (unlike me who she seldom called). Brenda and Tom were living in in Charlotte North Carolina at the time while Tom went to Seminary School to become a Baptist Minister. While there, their son Kristopher was born and was now just over a year old and I had not seen him before.
Mom had her hysterectomy and it went well. Brenda came down from North Carolina with Kristopher and helped take care of her for a couple of weeks. I don’t know if I sent any flowers, likely not as it wasn’t something I would do. I probably went up to Gainesville to see her while she was recovering but I don’t recall doing so. In 1976 I worked at the University before taking the job in Melbourne, thus the comments about tax forms.
Updated: 01-08-2026