1939: January to September.

 I traveled to South Dakota and spent a week with Eleanor while Barb and Keith were on vacation in Colorado. We had a nice time visiting and worked on her Journal for 1939.

   . Eleanor is in her final semester of High school . She lived in Goodhue with Margaret while she attended school and went home on weekends . Most of the rural students lived in town while attending school, as the roads aren't good, and farm work keeps the family busy on the farm. It was quite an investment to send a child to school. Eleanor enjoyed going to basketball games, parties, and dates. She mentions Orrie, Norman, and Bob as dates during 1939, they went to Luther League, parties,debate team contests, 4 H meetings, and Prom. Eleanor was on the debate team and acted in "Miss Adventure", she earned a letter in basketball her senior year.
   In May, college days were held in Red Wing, and Eleanor attended two information meetings about Nursing School. The senior class trip went to Stillwater to tour the prison and the food factory; they went to Saint Paul for dinner, before returning home. State exams were May 29 through the 31st, and  commencement was on June 2. On June 3, Eleanor picked up her report cards."High school is over for good. I'm sorry because I had so much fun." June 10th. " Grandpas Nelson and Olson both died."

   My Uncle Howard was born in 1934, and Uncle Bob in 1936. Eleanor would have spent the school year in Goodhue and returned to the farm some weekends. My Uncle Bob has commented that he really didn't know Eleanor, and it is easy to understand, as she wasn't around much of the year. Eleanor's mom and dad were Republicans and didn't care much for Democrats and Roosevelt. We discussed radio programs and she remembers getting radio stations all the way from Texas. Her parents favorite station was in Yankton, South Dakota where a local station had a program featuring a young musician, Lawrence Welk. She went to her first Movie in Goodhue with her parent's hired hand. He offered to take her and they said no, but then decided she could go. The movie was shown on the side of a building downtown.