2270 South Vine

Lola Rader
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Come with me as I meet my Mother through this series of letters, she died when I was 6 months old and this is my very first real glimpse into her world, who she was, who she wanted to be and how she loved my Father.  A collection of 36 letters hand written by my Mother Joyce at University of Denver and sent to my Father Earl at University of Colorado Boulder when they were first engaged in 1952.  The letters span from September 1952 - January 1953.  My Mother died from Breast Cancer in 1971 at the age of 40.   The original language of the letters is read intact to maintain the integrity of the authenticity of her words, 1952 is a very different time culturally and economically.  

  1. 5H AGO

    Letter 32 01/12/1953 Too Good to Be True

    Send us a text Show Notes: January 12th, 1953 — Joyce writes from Denver with a head full of possibilities and a heart full of longing. Her letter to Earl begins with cautious excitement — two potential organist positions, one at the university chapel and one at a Lutheran church. Either could change everything: steady income, time to teach piano, and maybe a little freedom from waitressing. “If they did,” she writes, “I could take on more piano pupils and wouldn’t need to work at anything else.” But beneath her optimism is fatigue — the slow grind of small rooms, crowded dorms, and endless searching. She combs through newspaper ads for apartments she can’t afford, sighs over shared kitchens where “no one will clean up,” and decides she’s too selfish to eat spinach and eggs at 9:15 p.m. Her humor keeps her grounded, even as she dreams of something better. Joyce also chronicles dorm gossip (a girl caught sitting on a boy’s lap!), flu outbreaks, and the constant worry over schoolwork — 1,500 to 2,000 pages of history reading and still more credits to manage. Yet as always, she ends with love — looking forward to hearing Earl’s voice and hoping “George stays home this Friday night.” The letter captures Joyce at her most human: hopeful, tired, witty, and deeply in love. Topics Include: Searching for church organist jobsFinancial independence and limited opportunities for womenApartment hunting in 1950s DenverDorm life and behavior rulesManaging coursework and credit hours1950s student health and flu seasonHumor in domestic chaos and shared livingLong-distance love and everyday yearningSupport the show

    5 min

  2. FEB 1

    Letter 31 01/05/1952 Fingers Crossed and Twelve Credit Hours

    Send us a text January 5th, 1953 — Joyce begins the new year in Denver with a flurry of errands and anxious hope. She’s back to campus life, juggling scholarship appeals, registration forms, and part-time work at the Chuck Wagon diner. Her letter unfolds like a diary of determination: she’s met with faculty, called the dean, written to a reverend for a reference, and still finds time to call her piano teacher and do her laundry. It’s a portrait of a young woman pushing forward despite disappointment — her scholarship was denied, though Mr. Piernaud promises to try again, and Dean Federer seems willing to help. She’s taking twelve hours of coursework — American History, Family Life, and Composition — and praying she can afford to stay through the third quarter. Between the lines, her exhaustion softens into tenderness: she misses Earl constantly and clings to their next phone call as motivation to “live through Wednesday.” Even in her uncertainty, Joyce’s tone glows with grit and love — a woman balancing ambition, financial strain, and the ache of distance with her usual unbreakable humor. Topics Include: Registering for winter quarter at Denver UniversityScholarship rejection and appeal processMeetings with faculty and deansWriting reference requests to clergyManaging limited finances and piano lessonsChanges at work (Johnny leaving the Chuck Wagon)Illness and uncertainty in her friend groupBalancing school, work, and loveHope and perseverance in 1950s college lifeSupport the show

    3 min

  3. JAN 25

    Letter 30 01/04/1953 The Happiest New Year

    Send us a text January 4th, 1953 — Joyce is back in Denver after the holidays, surrounded by dorm chatter, souvenirs, and lingering memories of Christmas and New Year’s Eve with Earl. She’s unpacked her “stuff and junk,” pinned her mementos into her scrapbook — most of them marked with Earl’s name — and taken comfort in the small routines of college life. Her tone is warm and sleepy, full of quiet gratitude and gentle teasing. She mentions dorm gossip — Winnie’s “engagement ring” is really just an old ruby, and the girls are still showing off their Christmas presents. She jokes about a mysterious wet object in a drawer (a mystery left forever unsolved) and plans for the February hockey games. But the heart of the letter is love — reflective and sincere. Joyce thanks Earl for making her holidays “the happiest of my life,” cherishing both the gifts he gave her and the memories they shared. As she readies for bed, her words settle into soft devotion — the simple bliss of having someone to love who makes “all the unpleasant circumstances bearable.” Topics Include: Returning to Denver after Christmas breakDorm gossip and friendshipsWinnie’s not-so-engagement ringChristmas gifts and scrapbook memoriesA mysterious “wet drawer” momentUpcoming hockey games in FebruaryGratitude for holiday joy and loveReflection on the happiest New Year’s EveEveryday comfort in long-distance loveSupport the show

    3 min

  4. JAN 18

    Letter 29 12/24/1952 Christmas Eve and the Smell of Scouring Powder

    Send us a text December 24th, 1952 — It’s Christmas Eve in Kankakee, Illinois, and Joyce is writing from the depths of exhaustion, love, and heartache. Home for the holidays, she finds herself tending to a sick mother and a failing stepfather, Uncle Marcus — a man too proud, too stubborn, and too unclean for her patience or her mother’s frailty. Joyce’s letter paints an unflinching picture of mid-century domestic labor: scrubbing floors and bathroom registers with steel wool, scouring powder, and soap just to keep the house livable. Her humor flickers through the heartache. She jokes that everyone’s waiting for Uncle Marcus to die, that her “slooty shoulders” might scandalize the engagement announcement, and that a 17-year-old sailor down the street has a crush on her. Yet beneath the wit is deep compassion — her love for her mother, her worry about the operation she refuses, and her quiet yearning for Earl, whose absence leaves her “90% lonely.” Joyce dreams aloud about their wedding — maybe small, maybe delayed — and shares her gifts: a silver chest full of Queen Bess silverware, towels with fuzzy flowers, and a 280-pound hog from her stepbrother. Even through the fatigue of caretaking and longing, her Christmas spirit shines in her closing wish: to be in Earl’s arms, pestering him while he reads the paper, feeling life return to ordinary joy. Topics Include: Christmas Eve in KankakeeCaring for a sick mother and elderly stepfatherDomestic burden and postwar caretakingScrubbing and cleaning ritualsHealth worries and agingDreams of marriage and practicalityThe engagement photo and modestyFamily gifts: silver chest, towels, and a Christmas hogLoneliness, love, and longing for EarlNeighborhood flirtations and small-town lifeThe slow pace of mail and postwar communication delaysSupport the show

    14 min

  5. JAN 11

    Letter 28 12/18/1952 Stamped, Sorted, and Homesick

    Send us a text December 18th, 1952 — Joyce writes late at night from Kankakee, Illinois, balancing exhaustion, work, and homesickness as Christmas approaches. She’s working long shifts at the post office, sorting letters by state, city, street, and block — monotonous, finger-numbing labor she calls “a great big pain in the neck.” The money is helpful, but she misses practicing piano, visiting friends, and simply enjoying being home. Her mother is ill with a bad cold, her stepfather as difficult as ever, and her sister Ina still finding trouble with men. Amid the chaos, Joyce finds solace in small things — trimming the tree, choosing slippers for her mother, knitting Earl’s socks, and writing to him by lamplight. She muses about family history, discovering her late father had once been a Mason, and reflects on how strange home feels after time away. Even while she grumbles about sorting mail and her aching back, her humor shines through: she jokes about “bare shoulders” in the engagement announcement and laments running out of the yellow-and-navy yarn for Earl’s socks. It’s a portrait of mid-century womanhood at its most tender and resilient — juggling work, family duty, and love across hundreds of miles. Topics Include: Working temporary holiday shifts at the Kankakee post officeSorting mail and the monotony of repetitive laborMother’s illness and family responsibilitiesPlanning Christmas shopping and giftsLearning her late father was a MasonFamily tension with stepfather and sister’s relationshipsMissing Earl and Denver during ChristmasKnitting progress on Earl’s socksWorry about yarn colors running outReflecting on engagement announcement and modesty normsPracticing piano and preparing music piecesSupport the show

    7 min

  6. JAN 4

    Letter 27 12/15/1952 The Original Karen and the Hope Chest

    Send us a text This episode was one of the harder letters to read and place into the world.  There is an example of Hate ( Blue Square) in this episode, due to that fact the publish date was pushed past the holiday season and into the New Year.  We're not hiding from the hate we expose, but I'm sure not publishing it during the holy season.  December 15th, 1952 — Joyce writes from Kankakee, Illinois, still home for Christmas break and sending her airmail letters back west to Denver. She’s surrounded by family, gossip, and domestic dramas — her sister Ina’s birthday slipped her mind, her sister Cleone is clashing with her future mother-in-law, and her stepfather is offering “gifts” that come with strings attached. Joyce fills Earl in on every detail: the new apartment Cleone and Ray are furnishing, the meddling mother-in-law who lost her house and blames “everyone different,” and her own mother’s declining health — the letter shifts from biting humor to quiet worry as she describes her mother’s serious condition and the strain of caring for her. Even amid family tension, Joyce’s warmth and wit shine through. She talks of knitting Earl’s second sock, wanting to play organ for Christmas Eve services, and dreaming of Denver — her true home now. She closes the letter missing him fiercely, trying not to feel lonely, and signing off with the tender familiarity of a woman who’s already halfway between her old life and the new one she’s building with him. Topics Include: Writing from Kankakee during Christmas breakFamily drama: Cleone’s meddling mother-in-law and home tensionSister Ina’s forgotten birthdayStepfather’s manipulative “money with conditions” offersMother’s serious health concerns and medical detailsKnitting Earl’s second sockPlans to play organ for Christmas Eve servicesThoughts on heaven, faith, and family hardshipDiscussing wedding plans for Cleone and RayReflections on loneliness and longing for EarlReading and favorite authors (Lloyd C. Douglas, The Great Fisherman)Support the show

    12 min

  7. 12/14/2025

    Letter 26 12/13-14/1952 Airmail, Diamonds, and Denver Dreams

    Send us a text December 13–14, 1952 — Joyce’s letter home spans two days and two states, written partly from a jerky train bound for Illinois and partly from her family home in Kankakee. Traveling by airmail for the first time — double the postage at six cents — she’s headed home to her mother, stepfather, and sister Cleone, knitting a sock for Earl as the train rocks along. She jokes about taking off her stockings to be comfortable, washing off her makeup, and trying to nap between stations. By the next day, she’s home and writing in green ink with her new pen — one of the gifts Earl sent her, along with perfume and sachet. The household is lively: Cleone and Ray are “necking on the Davenport,” Uncle Marcus is frail and irritable, and Joyce finds herself once again navigating her family’s moods. She compares engagement rings (hers, she notes proudly, is prettier), talks about wedding plans, and muses that perhaps Denver — not Kankakee — should be where she and Earl marry. The letter closes tenderly but with a hint of exhaustion. Between family tension, travel fatigue, and reflections on how distant she already feels from home, Joyce dreams of returning to Denver — to her own life, her work, and the man she loves. Topics Include: Traveling home to Illinois by trainWriting with her new pen and green inkKnitting Earl’s socks on the trainFamily dynamics at home in KankakeeUncle Marcus’s declining healthCleone and Ray’s engagement and apartmentComparing engagement ringsTalking weddings and choosing Denver over IllinoisRemembering family challenges and loyalty to her motherPlanning future marriage and family lifeRecovering from cramps and travel fatigueSupport the show

    12 min

  8. 12/07/2025

    Letter 25 12/08/1952 Pencil Notes and Nervous Glances

    Send us a text December 8th, 1952 — Joyce writes from her Education and Sociology class, balancing her notebook on her lap while Dr. Shiri looms nearby, close enough to notice she’s writing. She sketches the seating chart in her letter, amused and cautious — everyone around her seems to read over her shoulder. She’s wearing her new skirt and belt, feeling “very grad looking,” and musing about how unpredictable Shiri’s tests are — too general in class, too specific on exams. She apologizes for the short, penciled note, but even this hurried letter feels rich with her humor and detail: a ridiculous class comment about “solving” the southern race problem by “moving everyone north,” her Christmas card list of 31 names, and plans to buy her friend a delicate demi-tasse cup as a gift. Between notes about grades, oral exams, and her trip to Boulder to see Earl, Joyce’s warmth cuts through the academic chatter. By the end, she’s eating cake and apples for breakfast — a small comfort amid the finals rush — and promises to tell Earl what Piernaut said in her next letter. It’s another glimpse into her everyday world: exams, errands, and the steady rhythm of missing the man she loves. Topics Include: Writing secretly in class with Dr. Shiri watchingEducation/Sociology test worriesDramatic Activities oral examPlanning a Christmas card list and giftsClassmate’s shocking racist remarkHopes for final grades in each subjectMeeting with Piernaut and loan discussionPlanning a trip to BoulderEating cake and apples for breakfastApologizing for messy, hurried handwritingSupport the show

    5 min
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About

Come with me as I meet my Mother through this series of letters, she died when I was 6 months old and this is my very first real glimpse into her world, who she was, who she wanted to be and how she loved my Father.  A collection of 36 letters hand written by my Mother Joyce at University of Denver and sent to my Father Earl at University of Colorado Boulder when they were first engaged in 1952.  The letters span from September 1952 - January 1953.  My Mother died from Breast Cancer in 1971 at the age of 40.   The original language of the letters is read intact to maintain the integrity of the authenticity of her words, 1952 is a very different time culturally and economically.  

Information

  • Creator
    Lola Rader
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 2270 South Vine
  • Show Website
    2270 South Vine