Introduction by the Arlan Wareham, Lois Ruth's son, the editor

This blog will feature the words of my mother, Lois Ruth Eldridge Wareham (and, much later, Hubbs) that she wrote in letters to her mother in the 1950s. I'm quite sure that I do NOT have ALL the letters, but I do have most of them.


I will try to keep the editing to a minimum. I have made some minor grammatical and spelling corrections. My mom didn't make that many of them anyway because she had been both an English and a typing teaching. Most of the letters were typed (which helped me a lot!). In some cases, I may leave out information that either seems too tedious or that might still be considered private. Of course, most of the people she mentions have long since passed (as has my mom). I will also insert comments from time to time, in square brackets [like this], to give some additional information about what she is talking about.


Before the first post, I think it would be good to give a little background on my mom, my dad, the general situation, and the important events that had happened to them before these letters were written. This will help to reduce the comments needed within her text and will make many things much more understandable.


In 1949, my mom, at the age of 32, had finally been able to realize a long-time dream of hers and had begun nurses' training in Loma Linda, California. Unfortunately, within 7 months of starting she came down with her second bout of tuberculosis and had to withdraw from the program.


At first, she was hospitalized in Loma Linda, but it was decided that it would be better for her to be in a specialized facility for TB near her parents, who lived in Phoenix, Arizona. On April 28, 1951, she began her trip from Loma Linda to Phoenix. Her sister, Florence, had a new car, so she was driving her. My mom, being sick, was lying in the backseat (there was no such thing as seat belts in those days, of course!). Two other women went along for the ride, sitting in the front seat with Florence (cars ALL had only bench seats then). The other two were Mrs. Keyes and Mary Wareham, my dad's first wife.


In the desert of the Coachella Valley the highway was a mere 2-lane road in those days. There was a sandstorm, and, for reasons which are still unclear, their car clipped the back wheels of an empty tanker truck that was going the opposite direction. Florence and Mary were killed instantly, and my mom and Mrs. Keyes were badly injured, having both been thrown out of the car by the impact. Both of my mom's femurs (the big bones in the upper parts of the legs) were broken. This is the event that is forever known in our family as "The Accident".


My mom was not able to even stand after that for more than 10 months of hospitalization. However, my dad began visiting her in the hospital, and a romance began to blossom. At first blush, this would seem to be about as unlikely a relationship as one could imagine. My father was nearly 23 years older than my mother and already had 2 grown children, Bethel and Omar. Bethel was about only about 5 years younger than my mom. Nevertheless, as you will VERY soon see in her letters, this was actually about as close to a marriage made in heaven as you get. And I can heartily confirm this from my OWN observations growing up with them.


They were married in Phoenix only a little more than a year after The Accident, on May 10, 1951. After their honeymoon, my mom went to live with my dad in his house in Loma Linda (the same one where I grew up, as you will also see later). The first letter to her parents that I have is date May 24, 1951.


I hope you enjoy this glimpse of life in our family. I haven't even read all the letters yet, so I'll be learning things about my early life that I don't remember, of course. Join me!