Aunt Mamie runs for Congress 1949

Letter to Mama from Mamie November 12, 1949

….I thought that before I had some pictures made for campaign for U. S. Congress from this 13th district that I had better settle down to how I really should look all the time.

….I just hope that you will live to see the day that I am Congresswoman and earning about $15,000 a year.  The minute that I do--you are going off the old age pension and I will surely have something done to that house to make it more comfortable.

 Most everything else would stay as it is except that I would spend a greater part of the year in Washington D. C. every year.
 

Mamie was not elected to Congress from Los Angeles but we are proud of her for her ambition anyway.

Thurston's Bachelor of Arts Degree

Thurston (my dad) started teaching band at Eastland High School in 1947.  He loved the work.  He started with a school that had not had a band in 5 years.  He went to his old band teacher, Pat Howard, who lived in Comanche.  Pat told him how to get started...what book to use, and he stayed one page ahead of his students that first year. More info later about the Eastland High School Band later.

In 1949 Texas passed the Gilmer-Aiken bill, which required all public school teachers to have a college degree. So Daddy started going to classes at Howard Payne College, in Brownwood, Texas.  He attended classes on nights and Saturdays for a long time. Finally he got his diploma.  He went to the graduation ceremony by himself.  These are snapshots of him that I made on our back porch in Comanche that day.