12/5-12/11/54

Dec 5 Sunday Sylvia rarely has much to eat for breakfast on school days. 

I guess dad was struggling for something to write, because it was not a school day. 

Dec 6 West Berlin election saw the Socialists return to power. The C.P. got 20% of the vote. 

Dec 7 President Eisenhower has been attacked by the McCarthyites on the right and the Democrats on the liberal side as unfit. 

Dec 8 Sylvia has been named to the Press Club in her class after writing a beautiful essay. Jerry Bank and "Red" often call for Eugene in the morning. Eugene drew "Explorations in Science"  W. Kaempffert, "Assignment in Eternity" R A Heinlein, "Lord Hornblower" CS Forester, "The Maverick Queen" Zane Grey, "West of the River" C. Laird. 

Dec 9 McCarthy broke with Eisenhower saying he was sorry he supported him for the presidency. He charged he was easy on Communism. Eisenhower refused to retaliate. The U.S. asked the U.N. to use its moral authority to bring about the release of the US airmen jailed by Peking as spies. One policeman killed himself and one resigned in the "courtesy card" scandal involving traffic violations. Red China warned the U.S. to get out of Formosa. 

Dec 10 We took Eugene to the lumber yard again where he wants to get plywood now instead of the masonite but the piece was too big so we let it go temporarily. We took him to Clinton High where he saw Science lose a swimming meet to Evander. Lil & I made several stops for business. I brought brown shoes at McCann's $8.00 and we brought home chow mein. Gladys George is dead of suicide at 50, Bill McGowan at 58, August Claesssens at 69 and Stephen Penrose at 46. 

Dec 11 Eugene played with Bobby in his father's office. Sylvia went skating at Wollman Memorial Rink with Ann S. and Anita. Sylvia told us she skates rapidly. Lil Eugene & I went to the Kingsbridge after lunch before Sylvia got home. We saw "Rear Window" with James Stewart, Grace Kelly.

Eugene stayed to see "Pride of the Blue Grass". The U.N. voted 47-5 to condemn Red China's jailing of the U.S. fliers.

 

Dad left space, perhaps for the name of the other movie. 

11/28-12/4/54

Nov 28 Sunday We all drove down to Allen St., then from there to Evelyn's. Mike was working. We had a nice meal. The kids played the piano. After taking Ev & Isabel for a short ride we came home. The big rage now is petitions for and against Senate censure of Joe McCarthy. 

Nov 29 Dr Enrico Fermi, architect of the atom bomb and Nobel prize winner, is dead of cancer at 53.

Nov 30 A Madison Square Garden rally to support Joe McCarthy against Senate censure drew 13000 spectators including many of the well known rightists and fascists such as Joe Kamp, G.L.K. Smith, Westbrook Pegler, Ham Fish etc. 

Dec 1 Sylvia had a committee of girls here. They had milk and cookies. They discussed the class play "Oh, What a Dilemma".

Dr Wilhelm Furtwaengler is dead at 68.  

Dec 2 Joe McCarthy was 'condemned' by the Senate after weeks of discussion for contempt by a Senate Election Comm. and abuse of its members 67-20. Half the Republicans voted for censure. 

 

Dec 3 Senator Knowland is leading the fight for a Naval blockade of Red China for its imprisonment of thirteen Americans. President Eisenhower calls it a warlike act, however. 

 

Dec 4 I got Lillian candy for our anniversary and she got me liquor. Sylvia went to the new indoor ice skating rink at the old Oxford Theater. Eugene went over to Bobby's. Lillian started her home typing yesterday for Advertising Enterprises. 

11/21-11/27/54

Nov 21 Sunday It finally cleared up partially and the humid damp weather dissipated so we picked up mom and pop and drove to Lil & Harry's. We all played ping pong. 

Nov 22 Eugene returned to school. He had his first failure of his school career - in S.T.L. He got Good in Spanish & Social Studies & Physics, Very Good in Math & English. Sylvia's lowest grades were 70s in Science & Fine Arts. 

Nov 23 Vishinsky is dead at 70. Mildred W. drove Lillian to the Cross County Shopping Center where they shopped around. They found a summons for parking too near a hydrant on the car. 

Nov 24 Communist China gave out sentences ranging from four years to life to thirteen Americans who had been shot down over Chinese territory during the Korean War, for espionage. William Remington, former State Dep't Aide who is serving a three year term for perjury in denying he passed secret gov't data to a Russian spy ring, was slugged by a fellow prisoner and has died at 36. 

Nov 25 We were invited by Molly & Sam for turkey but as Seth had a cold we all drove out to Fairlawn and had dinner there. Seth had a fine time teasing Sylvia and Eugene as they were reading. Molly had a back ache. Israel Amter is dead at 73.  

Eugene drew "Mama's Bank Account" Kathryn Forbes, "Childhoods End" A. C. Clarke, "Beachheads in Space" A Derleth, "Don Camillo and his Flock" G Guareschi, "Crooks Tour" Bruno Fischer. 

Sylvia drew "The Mystery of the Thirteenth Floor" D. Geis.

Dad did put blank lines in the entry, perhaps to fill out the page, because pages in the diary are out of order here; Dad turned two pages in the notebook when entering 11/24. He apparently noted it, finished that page, and then continued on the previous (blank) page. So the diary entries in the notebook are in the order: 11/21 Sunday, 11/22, 11/23, 11/26, 11/27, 11/28, 11/29, 11/30, 12/1 Sunday, 12/2, 12/3, 11/24, 11/25, 12/4, etc. I have put them back in chronological order. 

Nov 26 Sylvia and Norma played miniature golf. Eugene went to the I.B.M. downtown with the Math Society to see the IBM 701 - an electronic calculator, used the electric typewriters saw the electric  calculating machine. A 2 year contract was signed by the I.L.A. providing for elimination of the shape-up, union shop, no strike, no lockout, 17¢ hourly package raise. Anti-Semitism is gaining in Germany again. Rev. Dr Henry Sloane Coffin is dead at 77.

At IBM, the 701 was an electronic computer, and we got to use the electric keypunch machines, which was great fun. 

Nov 27 We tried to get wood again for Eugene - this time plywood but the lumber yards were closed. We got a rear view mirror $3.29, shopped at Krum's, Pelham then took Sylvia to Joan Luskin's birthday party. She brought some stationery. Robert Edmond Jones is dead at 67 and Bill Doak at 63.