Today is a treat to blog about More Round Robin Letter Writing. First, there is a Wall Street Journal article on Round Robin Letter Writing with College Friends for sixty years. Next, a collection of Round Robin Letter Writing among twelve College of Medicine graduates from the class of 1942. We wrap up with pretty Autumn foliage with a Robin postcard. I’m including links to all at the end for potential further exploring.
Time permitting, get your favorite morning beverage, pull up a chair and enjoy a few minutes as we celebrate letter writing! If you are new to my blog, you may enjoy also reading 1903 Round Robin Letters almost 50 years 8-03-2016.
Wall Street Journal article on 60 Years Round Robin Letter Writing
Before beginning, my sincere thanks to one of my local girlfriends for sharing the WSJ link with me.
In a recent article, over at the WSJ, the compelling title begins with “These College Friends Pledged to Stay in Touch—60 Years Later, They Still Do”.
The article talks about Iowa State College’s Gamma Phi Beta sorority sisters promising to keep in touch upon graduating.
“Since 1956, a tight-knit group of sorority sisters have helped each other through weddings, careers, children and old age by writing letters; ‘Our letters reflect the seasons of our lives so much’”
Also, I’m including the group photo from the article with the link below. Please note to read the full story it requires a subscription to the WSJ; I’m currently without one so I’m writing from the perspective of what any of us can read the article at their site without a subscription.
60 Years of Round Robin Letter Writing Collection College of Medicine graduates from the class of 1942
Over at UIC, the University of Illinois at Chicago, their findingaids library website includes referencing the Student and Alumni Papers – A. Sherwood Baker Papers, 1938-2009.
From the Biographical Sketch, I’m including the following excerpt.
“Baker had lifelong connections to a group of friends from the University of Illinois College of Medicine. In 1943, Baker and 11 other young men, all recent graduates of the College of Medicine and members of the Alpha Kappa Kappa (AKK) fraternity, made an agreement to write “round robin” letters to each other. The agreement seems to have lasted around 60 years.
In the round robin system, the twelve doctors sent a monthly letter to the person who had been designated secretary for that month. The letters were meant to be sent on the first of each month so the secretary could transcribe them. Copies were then made – which involved typing up handwritten letters in the early days – and sent around to all the round robin participants. The doctors’ wives would sometimes add notes or write letters, especially during the war years when their husbands were overseas (though the men were also able to send news from the front during World War II, if slightly less frequently)…”
SunAndBerry Watercolor postcard
With all of this talk of Round Robin Letter Writing, it is with a bit of whimsy I’m including this watercolor postcard of a Robin with Autumn foliage; at the SunAndBerry Etsy Shop, it is available for less than $3.00.
“Pretty postcard with a cute robin, which I painted in the original with watercolor paints. The card is a nice gift idea, but it can also be used super for decoration. You will receive the card together with a matching, natural-coloured envelope made of kraft paper.”
As we wrap up, tomorrow finds us just five days away from daily blog post #1700 Milestone, arriving next Tuesday, October 22, 2019. See you tomorrow as we wrap up the week and head into the weekend.
Anchors Aweigh,
Helen
More Round Robin Letter Writing Attribution & Thank you to the following who I am referencing today
Wall Street Journal September 30, 2019 article by Clare Ansberry
SunAndBerry Watercolor postcard
AnchoredScraps
