2270 South Vine

Lola Rader

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. 2D AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 11/30/2025

    Letter 24 12/2/1952 Spaghetti, Hockey, and Final Projects

    Send us a text Show Notes: December 2nd, 1952 — Joyce is relieved to find a letter from Earl waiting for her at home and dives into another busy day of rewrites and responsibilities. She’s nearly finished redoing her composition, booked an appointment with Piernaut for Monday, and cleaned the apartment herself (minus one room Sandy swept). This week is stacked: finish her composition, complete a dramatics project, see a play at Phipps Auditorium, and play for a Pops course program on Sunday. Despite the workload, there are bright spots: her Ed Soche report has impressed Dr. Shiri, she’s memorizing more piano pages, and she’s looking forward to the first two hockey games against the University of Toronto. There’s also humor — she jokes about taking her “roll” of film (not “role”) to the drug store, Johnny’s blunders at work, and her own coffee-urn mishap. She weighs holiday travel plans, train tickets versus rides, and the thought of returning early to the dorm after Christmas. Financial worries loom, but she ends the letter with warmth and anticipation, asking Earl to check the Dean of Women’s office hours and promising hugs and kisses on Friday. Topics Include: Rewriting her composition projectCleaning the apartment and juggling responsibilitiesUpcoming dramatics project and play at Phipps AuditoriumPops course program performanceEd Soche report praise from Dr. ShiriMemorizing more piano pagesFirst hockey games vs. University of TorontoTaking her roll of film to the drug storeJohnny’s mistakes and coffee urn mishapWeighing train tickets vs. rides for ChristmasDorm vs. off-campus living plansChecking Dean of Women’s office hours for EarlSupport the show

    8 min
  6. 11/23/2025

    Letter 23 12/1/1952 Happy Birthday, Lost Notes, and Big Dreams

    Send us a text Show Notes: December 1st, 1952 — On Earl’s birthday, Joyce opens with “I love you very much” and a cheery wish, but the letter soon turns into a portrait of an exhausted young woman juggling school, work, and life’s uncertainties. The apartment is hungover and cranky from the weekend, she’s lost her composition notes and manuscript paper, and she faces redoing her final project from scratch. Dr. Hulk gives the class an easy morning; the first day of Ed Soche reports goes smoothly; but Joyce must start off tomorrow’s session discussing democratic values. She recounts a missed opportunity at Wells (they want a boy for the stockroom), a fruitless visit to Piernau’s office, and information about DU’s accounting program and CPA credit that sparks thoughts about CU’s setup. Joyce also looks ahead — a concert Friday night at 8, possible rides home for Christmas, the $45 she’s saved for the bank, and a transfer of $300 (her “crowning glory” of savings). She worries about scholarships, Winnie’s engagement turmoil, Connie’s illness, and mumps rumors. Despite it all, she sends two birthday cards to Earl and ends the night tearfully, confessing how much she longs to sleep next to him and how she didn’t think it possible to love someone so much. Topics Include: Earl’s birthday wishesLost composition notes and manuscript paperEasy morning with Dr. HulkStarting Ed Soche report on democratic valuesWells job disappointment (wanted a boy)DU accounting/CPA program credit infoFriday night concert plansSaving $45 and transferring $300Scholarship worries and graduation doubtsWinnie’s engagement trouble and vodka episodeConnie’s mysterious illness and mumps rumorsDaydreaming of visiting Earl and taking his picture to bedSupport the show

    8 min
  7. 11/16/2025

    Letter 22 11/25/1952 Sex Education, Soapboxes, and Slow Days

    Send us a text Show Notes: November 25th, 1952 — Joyce is once again writing from Dr. Shiri’s class, distracted by a student’s clumsy report on sex education, Puritan beliefs, and the meaning of love. Her pencil scrawls between reflections on the racy discussion and her daily life: slow hours at work, May threatening to sell her business and leave Denver, Johnny still waiting for his wife, and Joyce herself preparing for the Thanksgiving rush. She dreams about a farm with Earl, gets lost in the sparkle of her cleaned ring between paragraphs, and debates whether she’ll continue piano at CU or go back to Oregon. She also grumbles about dorm mates unplugging her desk lamp for hair dryers and irons, and about not being able to come over Wednesday night due to project meetings and laundry. Underneath the humor and complaints is a steady devotion — even as she writes from class, Joyce is thinking about seeing Earl, planning her moves, and framing her day-to-day frustrations with affection and anticipation. Topics Include: Writing from Dr. Shiri’s classAwkward student reports on sex education and loveDreaming of life on a farm with EarlCleaning and admiring her ringConsidering CU piano vs. OregonMay’s talk of selling business and leaving DenverSlow workdays and Thanksgiving plansProject meetings disrupting travelDorm mates unplugging her desk lampLooking forward to seeing Earl ThursdaySupport the show

    6 min

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.