October 11, 1953

Sun. – Today was dedication at gym. Dale took me up (us girls (6) sang). Afterwards me, Dale, Judy & Waldo went riding. Over to Marceline, Bucklin, & back to salebarn to eat. Had a good time. Judy called me 15 min. later. Loretta is engaged to Bobby Anspach. Barbara & Jimmy came over tonite.

I don’t think Loretta’s engagement lasted long. Bobby is not the guy she ended up married to!

The dedication ceremony for the new gym was held today. The school now has a wonderful new place to host lots of activities, what with the new stage and its lipstick red curtains, the basketball court, and bleachers for seating. It now affords the basketball teams the luxury of playing indoors. And what a wonderful place for the school plays and performances. Hazel is lucky that it was completed so that she got to experience the use of it, at least for her final year of high school.

That gym and stage do not look very much different today than they did on that dedication day 61 years ago.

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October 10, 1953

Worked all day. Got my history. It took almost all morning. Ruby came out this aft. & I went to Doris’ & then to Grandma’s with her to get eggs. A few days ago a little boy (Bobby Greenlease) was kidnapped & killed.

The kidnapping of Bobby Greenlease is one of the most famous kidnappings in history. At the time, it led to the largest ransom payout in history — $600,000 — over half of which was never recovered.

Taken from his school on the morning of September 28, Bobby had been murdered by his kidnappers, Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Brown Heady, almost immediately. He was 6 years old.

For a riveting and extremely detailed account of the entire ordeal, I highly recommend the book “Zero at the Bone: The Playboy, the Prostitute, and the Murder of Bobby Greenlease”, by John Heidenry.

 

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July 28, 1953

Dale & Damon came up tonite & we got Shirley & went to the drive-in, to Tastee Freeze & home. Had fun. Damon makes me so mad. The Korean Truce was signed a few days ago. Good

Wonder what Damon’s done to make her mad?

The Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950, when communist North Korea invaded South Korea, ended when an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953. The 3-year war cost the lives of over 50,000 Americans.

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June 19, 1953

Dale came up tonite & we went to the drive-in. Mom is washing tonite. They electroated the Rosenberg spys tonite at about 6:04 (our time). I think they should have had life sentences but not killed.

They sure are frequenting the drive-in a lot! But I guess it got her out of helping with the wash this time.

Hazel is apparently not among the majority in thinking that the Rosenbergs should have only had life sentences. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused and convicted of heading up a spy ring that gave information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Most Americans at the time believed that they got the punishment they deserved, although the Rosenbergs maintained their innocence until the very end.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to grant them clemency, stating: “I can only say that, by immeasurably increasing the chances of atomic war, the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world. The execution of two human beings is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done.”

At the Sing Sing prison in New York, Julius Rosenberg was executed in the electric chair on the evening of June 19, 1953, followed immediately by the execution of his wife, Ethel, in the same manner.

If you’re interested, you can read a bit more about the Rosenbergs HERE, and see a picture of them.

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May 31, 1953

Dale came up this aft. & we sat around home most of the afternoon. Also washed his car. Then we took Buck down to see Mary Ann Douglas. Stopped by slack washer on way home & climbed a big dump. Bye.

Must be Sunday, since Dale was up and they had a sort of lazy day. Which means that Memorial Day was on a Saturday. Back then, Memorial Day was always celebrated on May 30th, no matter which day of the week that fell on. It wasn’t until 1971 that Memorial Day was changed to the last Monday in May, creating a 3-day weekend every time.

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May 25, 1953

Stayed home tonite. Daddy worked late so we had supper late. The war is still going on in Korea. They have had a Prisoner exchange. Donna wanted me to go to Macon today. I did’nt.

There has been a prisoner exchange. The one that happened in April and May of 1953 was called Operation Little Switch, and it was followed by another exchange later in 1953 called Operation Big Switch. What actually happened on this particular date, however, was that a commission was formed to take responsibility for the exchanges, because there was controversy surrounding how the first exchange was handled (imagine that). You can read more about it HERE if you’re interested in that bit of history.

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May 15, 1953

School is out for 53 today. Not too glad. Judy, Opal, Della, Carol Sue, Charlotte, Sue, & Sharon came out this aft. & we had a picnic down by the ditch. Came back to house then & danced & acted crazy. Went to Grandma’s tonite to watch fight.

I knew she wouldn’t be too glad when school was out. She loves school — it’s her social time, don’t you know?

Guess they’ll just have to have lots of picnics like this one.

The fight on this date was between Jersey Joe Walcott and Rocky Marciano, the current heavyweight champion at the time. Marciano won by a knockout in the first round. The count was contested by the Walcott team, but the ruling held. He just didn’t get up fast enough! It was a short fight. You can watch the entire thing right here: Walcott vs. Marciano.

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March 4, 1953

Stalin died today about 12:30. Dale came up tonite & we went to show at Macon. Saw Della & Harold. Also Damon, Tooter & Mardella Givens. Stopped at Minnies for cup of coffee on way home. Worked on files in office this morn.

How important is she? Getting to work on files in the school office!

Joseph Stalin did indeed pass away, but not until March 5. She does, however, have the time almost correct, so I think she’s confused on her dates because of posting an entry on Leap Day when there shouldn’t have been one. We’ll see if she gets it straightened out . . .

The March 4 newspaper headline reads:

World Awaits New Bulletin on Stalin’s Serious Illness

Many Believe Soviet Leader Dead; Malenkov Most Likely Successor

The March 5 newspaper headline reads:

Soviet Leader Ebbing Fast; Heart Failure Signs Noted

No Hope Given For Recovery

Will Be Dead Soon, If Not Already, Says Authority

A separate March 5 headline reads:

Details Given on Stalin’s Condition Believed Indication He Still Lives

But on March 6, a huge headline announces:

STALIN DIES; HUGE FUNERAL IS PLANNED

Lines of Citizens to View Body Extend Miles

Death Comes to Leader Last Night; Dominated Third of Earth’s Peoples

Joseph Stalin suffered a stroke (or a brain hemorrhage) on March 1, was paralyzed and in a deep coma, and died of subsequent heart failure at 9:50 p.m. (which is 12:50 p.m. CST) on March 5. He was 73 years old.

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