MEETING The Family

A week after the USO Dance, Marvin was in Cerro Gordo, Illinois for the football game on a weekend pass. Martha lived with with her parents. Cleo & Wally Miller (an Illinois state trooper) knew Marv was coming so they sat in the squad car waiting to check him out.

Marvin Drove A '37 Dodge ... Black With 2 Blue Fenders ... Not Quite As Clean As This One

DAD's Story:  The first person I met when I arrived at the football game was Wally Miller, Martha's uncle and an Illinois state trooper. He directed me to Martha in the stands. Don't remember much about the game ... "what game?"

Slept on the couch at Martha's parents. Francis her brother was very cool. Robert & Marcia were friendly. Don't remember much about Ernie (Martha's Dad) but her mother Maude was friendly. Before I left to return to Chanute I already had a date for the next weekend in Cerro Gordo.

Hocked my watch for enough money to drive to see Martha. Watch only cost me $20 and I would hock it for $10 and pay back $15 when I needed cash ... which was every month.

Martha ADAMS (age 16) at Cerro Gordo House

MOM's Story:  Must have made a good impression because Marvin came to Cerro Gordo the next weekend for the Monticello/Cerro Gordo football game. Uncle Wally Miller (an Illinois state trooper) and his wife Cleo Miller were sitting in the squad car at the ball field and Marvin headed to them and introduced himself because I'd told him I had an uncle in the State Police. We all remained fast friends from that day forward.

Marvin WOOD at the Cerro Gordo House

"Marv was so young and good looking with the curl on his forehead". Cerro Gordo was not used to soldiers, Chanute was not that close. My Dad and brother Francis didn't have much to say to Marvin ... they had both been soldiers and knew a few things. My Mom said he could spend the night and he slept on the sofa in the front room of my parent's house. Before Marv left we had a date for the next weekend in Cerro Gordo.