Thelma and Lowell's Diary: September 3, 1943
Her parents send anniversary gifts; Gertrude Sanford Legendre arrives in England
Still preparing for their first anniversary observance the next day, Thelma shopped downtown again. She bought a pair of gloves and a card, and the mailman brought a gift from her parents in Ohio: a picnic hamper and an angel food cake!
This unusual anniversary card, found on eBay, would be unthinkable to give to a spouse today, but Lowell was a smoker, so who knows?
In far-off England, Gertrude Sanford Legendre, subject of my book Gertie, arrived for her service with the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS. It was the nation’s first spy agency, predecessor of the CIA. Paid subscribers can read on. To upgrade, click below. And if you subscribe for a full year, you will get a signed copy of Gertie from me!
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