Re: Richard R. Bovard: b. 1914 d. 1999 Wooster, Ohio
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In reply to:
Richard R. Bovard: b. 1914 d. 1999 Wooster, Ohio
Jerry McAfee 4/19/04
It's a diary you will really enjoy reading as Richard Bovard expresses many emotions & opinions, and includes many details in daily writings. It's a fine diary that allows you to walk to Ruchards shoes and experience what life was like in 1934.
This 1934 diary / journal was written during the great depression by Richard Bovard, ofWooster, Ohio( Wayne County ) -- Richard was born on June 11, 1914, and died on January 21, 1999. Richard was a faithful writer, and this diary's pages are completely filled from to bottom with daily entries ! There is a gift inscription written to Richard inside.
Richard was 20 years old when he wrote this diary, and he was a senior at Wooster High School. He graduated in May and then worked for various neighbors doing a variety of jobs, such as mowing lawns, cleaning their houses, taking out their furnace ashes, doing fix-it jobs, etc. He was a hard worker and charged a whopping 25 cents an hour! He lived with his mother. He does not ever mention his father, until late in the diary when they hear of his death. His father, a Presbyterian preacher, died suddenly in PA at the age of 74. Richard pasted 3 newspaper clippings of his fathers death in the back of the diary. According to these clippings, his father had re-married and had four children. What struck me odd is that Richard didn't seem to have any contact with his father while he was alive, and expressed no sadness over his death. Neither Richard or his mother attended the funeral. He did however express concern about how how it would effect the "monthly allowance" his father had been sending to him & his mother.
He only had a couple of friends, and they were either much younger than him. One of his friends was only 13 years old - ( A newspaper clipping of this friend getting hit by a car while riding his bike is pasted in the back of the diary. ) When Richard attended school dances, he went to watch, not dance.He graduated from high school at the ripe old age of 20. In one of the other diaries I have of him, he wrote that he weighed only 123 pounds.He enjoyed reading books such as "India, The Land Of The Black Pagoda" and " Flying Carpet ", but what he enjoyed most of all was listening to radio programs, such as " One Mans Family ", " The Showboat ", " Talking Picture Time ", " Fred Allen Show ", and " Snow Village Sketch ".He often wrote what stars were on the shows, mentioning names such as Jack Benny, Helen Hayes, Rudy Valee, and Jenny Lang. He liked to purchase " Radio Stars " magazine, and was disappointed when he couldn't get one.
Richard had many interests. He enjoyed working on his scrapbooks, filling them with newspaper clippings. He also took up photography and was learning by trial & error how to develop his own pictures. He played tennis, rode his "wheels" ( bicycle ), and attended quite a few plays and concerts with his mother. He was a member of a stamp club and attended most of the meetings. He wrote about which nearly released stamps he purchased & his opinions on them. He loved the Wooster games, often mentioning who they played and the final game score.
Tucked inside of the diary is his Wooster High School graduation program.
HERE ARE SOME EXCEPTS FROM HIS DIARY, please keep in mind this is only a small sampling. The diary is jammed packed with interesting entries and there is so much more for you to read!
The diary begins "Welcome 1934! Today I start a new diary and I reside to try to make it just as interesting as the one I kept for 1933." .... Mr Machwart got my goat today by doing a mental problem that gave my age to the class .... Went to see "Little Women". It certainly was a fine show, especially Hepburn & Paul Lucas, although the rest were splendid too. It pays to see a show of this nature .... Civil War in Austria while other nations look on to see what is going to come .... King Albert of Belgium is killed in climbing the mountains .... Again heard one of those superb radio sketches of "Snow Village" .... Our neighbor Dr Martin was almost intantly killed this morning by the spreading of monoxide gas. The gas escaped through a broken furnace pipe. Mrs Martin was overcome but will get better I think .... Well, John Dillinger, U.S. Public enemy No. 1 is still at large .... Last night I had the "barkies" after I went to bed so bad that I had to change beds .... I am lending my civics book to Dorothy Follis so I made a cover to keep it clean .... Got Insull at last. Now only Dillinger to get .... Well this aft. we had a "blessed event" at home. "Nebs" arrived. Who is Nebs? Why he is my sex weeks old white and gray part Angora cat. He certainly is cute .... Tonight over the radio they reported that there had been a ten million dollar fire in Chicago, the worst since the great Chicago fire .... This morning mother & I did a very unusual thing. We went to the Catholic church to hear Father Gallegar give the annual Memorial Day address. It was short but good, but the way a mass is conducted was far more interesting .... My birthday! I am twenty years old today. Have rather a queer feeling as though I were getting old - and so I am. ( he goes on to tell about his day, presents received, etc) .... L.E. and I went down to see the Elect. Exhibit - they would not let us in unless we were "with our mothers" - hah! hah! .... Extra's and the radio this morning announced the shooting of the Dillinger Public Enemy No 1 in Chicago last night .... This p.m. got my F.D.C. of the new 2 ct. Nat. Park. I was dissappointed, not in the design but the color. They should have been a deep red instead of an orange red .... Tonight we went to see "Carolina". It was simply grand, but how else could it be when my favorite Janet Gaynor had the lead? Lionel Baynose was very good as was Bob Young and the rest .... I listened to the radio. I heard a very good program which originated in Chicago from the 1934 Worlds Fair which opened today .... In the aft. I went over to the tennis court. Stayed so long that mother had to come after me - got a good bawling out .... (he he writes this while traveling on vacation) We went out to the Welland Ship Canal at Thorold (?) Ont. A this point are the Twin Locks. Without a doubt they are the greatest piece of engineering I have ever seen. If I had only seen these locks and nothing else, it would have been a wonderful trip .... Well, this is the first time in thirteen years that I have not started to school the day after Labor Day. But school is over for me I think. It sure gives a fellow a funny feeling not to start off with the rest of the gang .... Tonights paper contains the awful story of how nearly 300 people died when a steamer caught fire and burned .... This morning we heard via the radio their Majesties the King & Queen of the English Empire. They were attending the launching of the C___ liner "Queen Mary" which the queen christrened .... This morning mother sent me down after 10 lbs of sugar. When I got down I found I was 1 ct. short. Had to come back and then down again, all without the use of my bike too ..... This is the first opener (game) I have missed peeing, the C of W opened with Hiram. The game ended W-45, Hiram - 0 .... This noon we learned via radio that King Alexander of Yugoslavia was assasinated. Also foreign minister Barthou and two army officers .... The St Louis Cardinels defeated Detroit by a 11 to 0 score and thereby won the World Series ... This morning we received a very great shock in the form of a telegram telling of dad's death. He died at Branchton, PA from heart trouble. This sure was a great shock but we will not know how great and what it means until we look for the monthly allowance, which will not come any longer. This sure adds extra burdens to us. But if we can get through the winter I guess we can not complain .... C. Anderson called this eve. J Rowe had quite a bad accident this aft. A car ran into his bicycle, broke J leg in two places, also injured his foot. He's in the hospital .... In the eve went too the bike JR cracked up - some wreck ! .... Luck for once smiled on me, I won 3rd prize in the coal-a-gram contest, so we went to the show tonite. By some queer luck, mother and I both got in for 4 cts. and my pass. We show Norma Shearer in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street", one of the best shows I have ever seen .... This aft. went to the big Republican Rally at the City opera House, saw and heard Simson D. Fess, U.S. senator, and McClintock, U.S. Senator, besides several others. Very good meeting and I felt right at home .... Went to the library and to get my hair cut, 40 cts now ! .... When I came home, raked the leaves off the front yard. Saw "Maime" D - we had quite a nice talk. She told me about the "lucky boy" - his name is Ernie Blair, an inky fellow. I think "Maime" a peach and I hope he's ok for her sake, but I don't go much on inky fellows, but he may be different ..... Atland came to see about the radio this morning. He says he thinks we need all new tubes, also a new condenser - the total cost of which will be nearly $10. I have decided to pay for it as the r---- affords me more pleasure than most anything else ..... I was up at 5:30 a.m., at 5:45 I was listening to the wedding ceremonies of the Duke and Dutchess of Kent - Prince George of Gt. B. and Princess of Greece, Maiana (?). The broadcast I can truthfully say was the most wonderrful I have ever heard. It was so simple yet so very important ..... Christmas - a white blanket of snow covered the ground this morning. We did not get up very early. we first listened to a most wonderful broadcast - a air-trip over the British Empire in which nearly 20 countries were heard from, all expressing Christmas wishes. The p- was closed by a short message from George V. We all received wonderful gifts, had a scrumptious dinner and a wonderful day ....
source: ebay:bubbasmomm
Note: I do not have this diary.This is just gleanings from it found on the internet. no other info, sorry.