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owned by an old Jew. He would take long trips out, including going to
Israel, and Stan would run the business for him. Jean went to Lafayette
School next door, then to Horace Mann Junior High and then to West
High. Because Steve had scarlet fever and missed a couple of months of
schooling, he was retained in a class year behind Jean. Steve was smart,
but I think this seriously handicapped him.
Returning to the story, I was attracted to her because she was a
good conversationalist and had a pretty face, blue eyes, rosy cheeks and
brown hair. After dating her through the summer of 1941, I knew I was
in love with Jean and wanted to marry her. My only question was her ac-
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to marry me and she was brave enough to accept. The fellows I knew
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was so small it could have been a chip. I had raised chickens and sold
eggs for many years, had worked in the parks in the summer, worked at
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I wanted to buy Jean a decent-sized diamond. Most fellows bought a
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her to have a ring of a design that she would truly like, so I took her to
Boyd Park Jewelers, where my father and grandfather had shopped for
jewelry. She selected a relatively simple setting of platinum and we both
liked it. She was delighted at the size of the diamond and was very kind
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in April and selected the day before Thanksgiving in the fall as our pro-
posed marriage date.
When I talked to my parents about getting married, it was good
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ing the daughter of his old friend John Elkins. My Dad questioned me
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bank. There was more than enough money to cover our living and col-
lege expenses from Thanksgiving until the end of March when I would
have completed all the necessary credits to graduate. Dad agreed that I
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We selected Thanksgiving weekend for our wedding. Jean said
she emphatically did not want a wedding reception. My folks were puz-
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