5/18-5/24/52

May 18 Sunday Sylvia walked quite well in the hospital. Sam and Molly, mom and pop visited her as well as Lil.

The box score scanned in below was taped in here without comment, but the significance of the game is obvious. 

May 19 Lil and Madeline took Sylvia home today. Arlene D. came up with a a toy and played a while. Then Betty Ann and Cathy came up with a game and also played with Sylvia. Mrs Peterson brought in a pair of pyjamas. The American Legion renewed its campaign to purge the schools of "liberals".

May 20 Sylvia was back to cutting paper dolls today. England has decided to withdraw all its business interests in Red China. Odets spilled all to the House "UnAmerican" Comm. a few months after eulogizing Bromberg for being staunch. He named Bromberg as his recruiter into the C.P. and also put the finger on Carnovsky, Phoebe Brand, Art Smith, Tony Kraber, etc. Baldanzi led 51000 textile workers out of the C.I.O. into an A.F.L. union after losing the presidency to Rieve at a union election.

May 21 Another prisoner of war camp riot in Pusan saw one Communist killed and 85 injured. Another move to oust the Rev. W.H. Melish was defeated.

May 22 Lillian took Sylvia down to sit in the sun. Afterwards they went to the "Brownie" meeting. John Garfield died of a heart attack at 39. Lillian Hellman refused to talk about anyone but herself to the "House" inquisitors and was excused.

May 23 Our Castro Convertible came today. It was $179. Compass Editor Tom O'Connor testified before the "House" inquisitors. He denied C.P. membership within the last ten years but would not go back any further. 

The box score scanned in below was taped in the middle of this last entry; again, the significance is fairly obvious, but very different from the last one! 

May 24 Lil took Sylvia to Dr Tannenbaum who said she was fine but is not to go back to school yet. Mom and pop came over. Then Eugene left to participate in the Scout-o-rama at Madison Square Garden. Later the rest of us went to see the show at the "Garden". Eugene took part in a "Grand Entry". Margaret Truman sang. Sylvia griped - she had ice cream but no peanuts. Gens. Dodd and Colson were demoted for their part in the Koje camp riots and kidnapping. Scientist X, Joe Weinberg was indicted for perjury over his alleged C.P. membership.

The only thing I remember about the show at the Garden was marching onto the Garden floor with hundreds of other Scouts, and standing there for some time.

5/11-5/17/52

May 11 Sunday We called Dr Holzman for Eugene today as his temp. reached 103°. Dr Holzman found Eugene's glands in his neck swollen. He gave him a penicillin shot, the sulfa tablets he had left over from February, iodex. Eugene's temp was up to 104 at night. His head has been aching since yesterday. Dr Holzman examined Sylvia who has had a stomach ache for several days and been constipated. He found nothing however. ... Mom and pop came over for Mother's Day dinner. We gave mom a nylon tricot slip and a lilac corsage. I gave Lillian flowers and a nightgown. Mom brought us a plant. The kids had nice cards for Lil. Molly and Sam also came over in the evening.

May 12 Sylvia vomited last night and several times today. Her pain continued and we called Dr Holzman who advised a blood count. He thought it was a retrocaecal appendix or a stomach upset. Syl's temp remained normal. Eugene's temp was down to 99.8° and he was much better. Lillian took Sylvia to the Palmer-White labs for the blood count. The report to Dr Holzman was a mild appendicitis attack. Sylvia was fine all afternoon making up limericks with us. In the evening the pain returned and the temp rose to 100°. Lillian took her to the Royal Hospital with Dr Tannenbaum her surgeon on Dr Holzman's advice. Sylvia had her appendix taken out about 10:30 PM. It was retrocaecal, twisted and showed evidence of many attacks. Lillian came home after seeing Sylvia come down still under the ether. Eugene had 101° tonight. 
Sylvia's limerick
There was a young boy named Bill
Who loved to get a thrill
Especially when
he saw his hen
Walking up a hill 

Eugene's limerick
There was a young man named Tim
Who always went out on a limb
He would climb all the trees
Even ones with bees
Poor Tim, that was all for him
Queens College liberal Dean Harold Lenz was ousted by pressure from bigoted groups. 

The limericks were actually side by side in the diary, but I don't see a way to do columns here.  

May 13 Lillian was allowed to see Sylvia this morning. She was still drowsy due to anaesthesia. She has been behaving very well. Lil and I saw her this afternoon.  

May 14 Sylvia was felling a little better today although still uncomfortable. Eugene was out of bed today. The first of five policemen being tried on Harry Gross' charges of graft was fired on the eve of his retirement losing his pension. 10 Klansmen were convicted of flogging and given 1-5 year sentences.  

May 15 Sylvia was off the bed for a little today. She acted a little better. Gen Mark Clark refused to honor the pact with the Communist POWs on Koje Island. Gen Dodd who was captured and Gen Colson, his successor, who made the concessions have been replaced. Albert Basserman is dead at 85. 

May 16 Sylvia got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Beth Israel congregation and a raffia weaving set from the "Brownie troop". She also got many cards, games and articles of clothing. She has a room mate, little four year old Stevie who had a hernia operation. Four other cops were found guilty of taking graft from Harry Gross and fired. 

May 17 Among those visiting Sylvia today were Evelyn and Isabel who came home with us. Isabel and Eugene worked on the DeWitt Clinton train they gave him. Louis Budenz completed 14 days of testimony in the Communist trial. Jimmy Lauro Salas won the Worlds' lightweight title by defeating Jimmy Carter.  

5/4-5/10/52

May 4 Sunday We went to the zoo today.We saw polar bears, lions, peacocks, kangaroos, giraffes had popcorn peanuts hot dogs. Sylvia had a camel howdah ride. Crossing a little stream with Eugene, she slipped and went into the water. She had to go on without socks. At home we had soda and ice cream.

May 5 Bundists rallied in Yorkville where Taft and MacArthur were cheered and Eisenhower and the Jews assailed. Sen. McCarthy withdrew.

May 6 Pulitzer prizes for fiction went to "The Caine Mutiny" by Herman Wouk and for drama to "The Shrike" by Joseph Kramm.

May 7 The $50 tax on "bookies" was declared illegal.

May 8 Chief "bookie" Harry Gross, in jail, finally sang saying he had paid off former police chief O'Brien JJ Moran and many policemen. The only obstacle to a Korean truce now is the repatriation of Korean prisoners in our hands. We have withdrawn objections to construction of airfields and Koreans have withdrawn insistence on Russian membership on the Armistice comm.

May 9 Eugene was elected one of the four patrol leaders of his troop. Gen. Dodd was caught and held prisoner by Communist prisoners on Koje Island. They are asking for some grievancews to be corrected. The Board of Estimate passed the "nuisance" taxes on auto use, cigarettes, and liquor licenses. Bookie Gross added police officials Flath and Whalen to his list of bribe takers. Arnold Schuster's father sued the city for half a million for negligence. William Fox is dead at 73.

May 10 Lil and 10 "Brownies" went down to the Hayden Planetarium. They also saw the lobby exhibit of older people at the Museum. Then they went into Central Park for a while. At home Eugene complained of a headache and we found he had a temp. of 102°. After some aspirin ... it was down to 100.8° Harry Gross' brother was beaten up to stop Harry's "singing". Gen. Dodd was released after minor concessions. Rollin Kirby is dead at 76 and Canada Lee at 45.