1938 TRIP TO FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND February 9, 2004 As Daddy was sailing back home aboard the Queen Mary, Mother had many preparations to make before his arrival on December 15, 1938. She had been thrilled to find that the company would pay for our trip to New York City so that we could be there to greet him when he got off the ship and that the New York office of Vanadium Corp. of America would take care of the many details. She received an undated letter from the company located in the Graybar Building at 420 Lexington Avenue, New York, that said the following: Mrs. Houseman [sic]: Three customs passes are enclosed. Please note one is made out in the name of Mrs. L. Housman and one. This will permit you and one of your children to pass upon the pier. Either one of the other two passes you may use for one other child, even tho the name is different. The reason for this is that only two persons of one family are entitled to visit an incoming passenger, and therefore the other passes are made out differently. However, you will not be asked any questions in presenting only the two passes for the three of you. Very truly yours, R. Banker. In the scrapbook pasted below the letter is one of the passes that was used. It's a Customs Form 3095, Treasury Department, July 6-23 that reads: United States Customs Service, Office of the Collector. Port of [blank], 193__. Stamped across that line in red ink is "ISSUED Dec 15 1938. Good only for next arrival of steamer herein". Below that is "Admit within customs lines on pier of Steamship (and stamped across that line in blue or black ink is "Queen Mary") on her next arrival." Below is a blank that starts out with "Mr." and written in ink is "C. Johnson." It was then rubber stamped in red ink with the signature of "Harry M. Durmancy [?]," Collector. No doubt by December 13, Mother had our bags all packed, arranged for someone to take care of our dog Brownie, notified the milkman, the postman, the bread man of our going away in addition to Pacific Avenue School where I was attending the second grade and I believe my sister was attending LaSalle Junior High School at the time. It might have been as late as December 14 when someone drove us to the train station in Niagara Falls early in the morning and we boarded the train for New York City. Who knew what was going through our individual minds during the long trip. It had been almost a month since Mother had seen Daddy and no doubt Norma and I were looking forward to the presents he was bringing back for us. But I have an idea that all three of us were most excited about actually going to New York City!! I recall that we got off the train at Grand Central Station and I'm certain that all three of us gawked over the immensity and grandeur of it. It was the largest and busiest place that any of us had ever seen in our lives. Whether we were met at the train station by one of the Vanadium employees who took care of our luggage, tipped the porter and tended to all the other immediate necessities or whether Mother fended for herself. I have an idea though that we had a company man to guide us through such a confusing maze. Reservations had already been made for us to stay at the Hotel Roosevelt and I truly remember walking through an actual tunnel from Grand Central Station right into the hotel lobby. My mind is a total blank as to how I viewed such a magnificent lobby but eventually we were taken up to our room and somehow we had all survived the excitement of the day and evening trying not to even think of the most exciting day of all ahead, December 15, 1938.