To: shmansk
Sent: Sat, May 2, 2015 5:39 pm
Subject: Hello, Steve. It’s Gaye
of my Dad in the GAYE LYN. The AIR TRANSPORT article. And an article
about another of our Dads’ comrades, John Noll, written in 1999. I have
been trying very hard to locate his family. No luck yet.Please tell your Mom “hello” for me. Tell her I am interested in
hearing about anything she remembers. Tell her things she might not
think are important will be very important to me. Ask her if she
remembers if your Dad piloted any of the flights to Europe or if he flew
Stateside.Thanks, again, Steve. Tell Bernie he’s a love for returning my call.
You never even showed up on my Shmanske radar. (Just so I don’t
frighten you by knowing Matthew’s name and your Mom’s name, I’m using a
New Mexico State Library reference tool called referenceusa.com on the
less common names (listed in the Air Transport article). Shmanske,
Terwilliger, Mesinoff, Margeson, etc..
g.
Gaye Lyn Gravely Pollitt
Researcher: Veterans Air Express/Veterans Air Line
Founder: Saunie Gravely
Santa Fe, NM USA
From: Steve Shmanske
Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2015 11:10 PM
To: Gaye Pollitt
Subject: Re: Hello, Steve. It’s Gaye
Hi Gaye,
this link is for a picture [of] my dad. Richard Stevens is my brother-in-law
and an amateur military history buff, especially anything to do with
Manilla or the Bataan Death March.
www.wwiimemorial.com/Registry/plaque.aspx?honoreeID=2171448
I will ask my mom about the other names mentioned.
As it turns out I have sent the oral history tapes to my brother.
…My recollection is that this episode (despite its
romantic potential) was not stressed.
I’m surprised that I didn’t figure more prominently in your search. I’m
an Economics professor and have written 3 books and dozens of articles
in professional journals. My last 2 books Golfonomics and Super
Golfonomics are about the economics of golf. They are aimed at an
audience of intelligent golfers or golf fans.
Steve
From: Gaye Pollitt
To: Steve Shmanske
Sent: Sun, May 3, 2015 8:28 am
Subject: Re: Hello, Steve. It’s Gaye
Steve, good morning.
First, I love the picture of your dad. What a beautiful way to honor his
service. Handsome chap, too!
Now for the research lesson I just learned. A link…I saved probably a week ago surfaced under a Google search of your
dad’s name. I should have immediately googled your name. Especially
since you were obviously somehow related to him. I was probably thrown
off by the subject of golf. Then, when I did my search on referenceUSA,
your name did not appear – just who you later
identified for me as your mom and brothers. However, my source did not
show any relationship between the three names. I called “Bernard” first
hoping he was a Jr. But I also left a message for “Matthew,” having no
idea if there was a connection. And there was no answer at the number
for your mom. Steve, I’m very new at this kind of detailed research.
And I’ve already learned a great deal in the last 2 1/2 weeks. This
incident just added to my education.
Will you be in touch with Matt about the oral history? I understand that
the Veterans Air Express would be a small or negligible part of it (if
your dad mentions it at all) but hearing about that period in time from your
dad’s perspective would be very helpful to me. So I am still interested
– to say the least.
I have decided to establish a blog/website in an effort to cast a wider
net for the men and women who were involved in Veterans Air Express and
Veterans Air Line – and to make it easier for me to explain to people
who I am. I would love your brother-in-law’s permission to post the
World War II Honoree. Do you think that he would agree to that?
Permissions are something that I will have to school myself in.
That’s it from me for now, Steve. Thank you so very much for your input.
Have a grand day.
g.
On 5/4/2015 at 7:32 PM, Steve Shmanske wrote:
Hi Gaye,
You have my permission to use my dad’s photo; you do not need Richard
Stevens’.
My mom does not remember Saunie or the Gravely family name, and has no
pictures from that era. She recollects that my dad invested $800 and
worked there for about 4 months before leaving for the Post Office. She
just tells the same story which goes something like if Veterans’ would
bid a job for $500, Rickenbacker would do it for $450. (as an
interesting side note, Wikipedia reports that Rickenbacker made an
“aggressively low bid of $0” for a US govt. mail contract) She did
remember that they flew a cow (perhaps a breeding bull?) to England, but
my dad did not fly overseas on any of those trips.
Steve