Ruth and John Fly to Palatine to Visit the Pellettieres

Ruth and John Kellogg, Diane's parents, pictured in front of their car in Fl in 1977.  They were 71 and 78.  The diary entries are from 1980.

Sunday, June 22, 1980 - "Early 7 A.M. pick-up by Limo to Tampa Airport where we waited over an hour for 9:15 flight (breakfast) to O'Hare. There 4 of the 5 Pellettieres met us in their yellow Cadillac!  Cindy stayed home.  Later - John found odd things in a pocket of luggage! He had wrong one!  His still at airport.  We're minus shaver and other essentials until tomorrow!"

Monday, June 23, 1980 - "Diane drove to airport first & John EXCHANGED luggage at the lower level while we slowly circled and returned for him.  Then on downtown to D&D's McDonald's which is quite remarkable.  Very attractive.  Diane & Dan told us all about how it runs & J. took some pictures.  Vi in office.  

We had steak sandwiches & later ice cream - after J. & I walked over to State St. and had Sara Jane's Genealogy pages copied for Diane.  We waited an hour or more for D&D to finish at McD & drive home by 5 P.M. - tired!  My feet! - to bed 9 P.M."

Tuesday, June 24, 1980 - "J. & I played little tennis with Cindy (not interested) and Katie, who takes lessons and is good for her age.  Then we saw Dan & team play exciting softball game - 14-6, after salmon cake dinner."

Dan and myself had become McDonald's owners in Sept., 1979, so it was still new and exciting to us and to our friends, relatives.   I'm not sure just what was copied of Sara Jane Wood Tobey's.  "Sally", as my father called her, was a much younger half-sister.  She and John had the same mother, Esther Clara Webb.

Vi Saletta was Veronica, Dan's sister, who was 16 years older and worked in our McDonald's office for 10 years...Cindy was never interested in tennis, probably just doing a good deed, while Katie really did like it. I don't know where Lynn was...Dan has played softball for most of his life, including 2016.  The diary entries and picture are not in Pieces of a Life.

Ruth on Iowa Street in 1938 with Young Ken (7) and Diane (2)

This 1940 photo of Ken (9) and Diane (4) was taken on the front steps of 5458 W. Iowa St., Chicago where grand-parents Lottie and Jim Meredith lived.  At that time Ruth and John Kellogg rented the small upstairs apartment.

Wednesday, Aug. 17, 1938 - "Kenny had tonsils and adenoids out at Douglass Park Hospital, 11 A.M.  He was an A No. 1 patient - cost $12.50, total clinic fee.  Home at 6:15 and to bed."

Thursday, Aug. 18, 1938 - "Kenny won't eat. Whimpers about throat hurting.  Nothing but water, not even ice cream will he take.  Hope he's better tomorrow."

Tuesday, Aug. 23, 1938 - "Card from Martha.  First since they left.  Doesn't like Reading much.  Took Kenny back to the hospital tonite.  They said throat is 'beautiful'.  Now feels better."

  In 1938, they didn't have the surgery cut-off in early Aug. that existed in 1945 when I had my tonsils out at age 9.  The cut-off was due to the polio scare that went on for several years.  One child on our block (1200 N. Euclid) in Oak Park was infected with polio.

The card Ruth mentions was from Martha Allen, a former neighbor.  We did visit the Allens in Reading PA and then later in Dallas in the late 1940s when they moved again.  I have a scar on
my forehead that came from running after the bigger kids in Reading and having a throw rug throw me into the corner of a door!