Found: Love Letters From World War II

[Janet Harrington]

Thank you, Marcia.

[Janet Harrington]

I have e-mailed Larry Hatteberg from KAKE TV Channel 10 about the World War II love letters and the story behind them.  I hope, Ironsline, that he will get in touch with you.  I think this is fantastic, especially the part about Alice getting a letter from Bob just recently that was posted many many moons ago. 

[Ironsline]

I have e-mailed Larry Hatteberg from KAKE TV Channel 10 about the World War II love letters and the story behind them.  I hope, Ironsline, that he will get in touch with you.  I think this is fantastic, especially the part about Alice getting a letter from Bob just recently that was posted many many moons ago. 

Thanks,
I hope to hear from them.  We got a call from the Capital Times newspaper in Madision, WI so they are running the story tomorrow.  Looks like Winfield and Moline will get national attention.
Shawn 

[genealogynut]

Winfield Courier
Friday, February 9, 2007

Most of Love letters' mysteries are solved

(Editor's note:  The following informatin came from Shawn Irons, who found a sheaf of love letters in a antique store and wanted to reunite them with their owners.  According to Irons, she received a call from readers telling her that Alice VanGundy, to whom the letter were written, is still alive and in contact with local people.  VanGundy, originally from Moline, now lives in Florida. A friend gave Irons Van Gundy's phone number.  The story continues.........)

"Alice had just gotten back from a cruise to the Antarctic. I asked if she was the Alice Van Gundy from Moline.  She said yes.  I told her I had about 150 letters that I had gotten from a antique shop.  I told her some names from the letters such as Robert Kinyon, her past love, Uncle Ralph and Aunt Retta, and Dorothy from Sabetha.  She remembered these names.

"She seemed shocked that I had all of these letters and I had so many.  She said just this past November, she got one of the letters from Robert Kinyon with a five cent stamp on it.  She told me, "I bet you have never seen a five cent stamp before," and she laughed.  She said the mail man from Moline had sent her the letter from Robert, and she didn't know where the letter had come from.  She did not know if Robert is still living.

"I asked her if she knew how the letters got into an antique shop and she said, "I have absolutely no idea."

"Now 83 years old, she was a Navy nurse for 22 years.  She and Robert were never engaged--she said that very firmly--but they were dating at the time.  They both married someone else.

"She answered only the questions I asked her and didn't volunteer anything about her past life or her life now.  I asked her if she wanted the letters sent to her, and she said yes.  I then asked her if she wanted the around 100 letters from Robert, and she said excitedly, "Oh, yes, I do want them."

"I told her I had never untied the red ribbon that was tied by her and put around the letters from Robert.  I said that the letters had really smelled like her perfume when I first got them, but they don't smell like that now as I had read her letters.

"I did tell her I was sorry about reading them, but when most things get put into an antique shop, a person has passed away, but I was so glad she is alive.  She laughed very hard.

I told her that my mom, who is almost 69 years old, had seen her picture and thought she was very pretty and she could see why she was offered a ring from Robert.  She laughed when she heard that comment.

"She told me when I mailed her the letters, that she wanted my name, address and telephone number.  She also wanted the article that was written about her.  I told her she has brought so much joy to so many people from these wonderful letters!  She laughed very pleasantly!

"I hope this helps all of the wonderful readers to answer the questions that we so wanted to know about this very interesting lady from Moline named Alice (Parrish) Van Gundy.  My heart has so been touched by her, and one person can make a difference in this big world, as Alice has made a difference in mine with living her wonderful life and hearing about her adventurous life in World War II.

Note--There were a couple of pictures of Alice with this story, but one of them does not copy well.  According to the article, Lorraine Morton of Winfield and her mother, Helen Lowrey, helped connect Irons with McClelland and VanGundy.

The picture below is of Alice Parrish VanGundy (left) and her friend, June Land McClelland, stand in their Navy uniforms on the beach in San Diego, Calif., in 1945 during Wourld War II.  Van Gundy and McClelland, are still in contact.  (Special to the Courier)

[Wilma]

Will coincidences never cease?  Lorraine Morton is my first cousin who has shared so much family information with me and went to the trouble of taking a picture of our great grandfather's gravestone because I said I would like to see it.  Her mother, Helen, is the dearest person and the only aunt I have still living.  She is actually an aunt in law, but still very dear.  She has just had to move into a care facility, which makes me sad.  When she is gone I will be a member of the oldest generation. 

[genealogynut]

Wilma, I have met Lorraine a few times, when she and Herb used to be in the photography (StereoPortraits)  business.  Small world isn't it?

[Wilma]

With all the cousins that I have, everyone has probably met one of them.

[Mom70x7]

This is starting to sound like that "six degrees" game - where everyone is connected to someone else within 6 connections.

It is a small world!    How lovely!

[Ironsline]

I believe that is called G E N E L O G Y where everyone is connected in some way.

Shawn 

[Janet Harrington]

Here is what Larry Hatteberg responded when I e-mailed him...

Janet,

I appreciate hearing about this story.
It would be great if the woman is coming to pick up the letters.
If that happens, I'd like to do that story.

Cheers,
Larry Hatteberg