Professor Hamilton's Diary: Dec. 7, 1935

Gwennie practices for the Christmas pageant; the date didn't yet 'live in infamy'

On this Saturday, Professor Hamilton taught his morning classes, then ran some errands. He took his seven-year-old daughter Gwennie to Christ Episcopal Church to rehearse for a Christmas pageant to be given the following Saturday, and then went to the library until it was time to pick her up. Margaret’s violin teacher came to their home in the afternoon to give a lesson.

In six short years, December 7, would be a “date that shall live in infamy,” in the ringing words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. What warnings did the day’s newspaper hold about what was ahead? Paid subscribers can read on.

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The charming photo above was taken at a Lutheran church in Reading in September 1933. I wonder if any of these bright-eyed youngsters knew Gwennie? The photo is being offered by a dealer on eBay.