Marge Gunter

2928 Seventh Avenue • Pueblo co 81008

( 719 ) 544.0638

July 15, 1994

Dear Kathy,
What a great letter you wrote with a lot of information for our genealogy! I
would say that you have quite a few details at hand, and I more than
appreciate your sharing them with me -- eventually with all our
Hollingshead family.

Before commenting on your questions, let me first congratulate you on

your being offered the Vice-Principal position at the high school, an
accomplishment I'm sure is well deserved from all your above-and-beyond
efforts in teaching the emotionally disturbed students and taking flack as
president of the teacher's union. And how in the world did you ever make it
to Reno in 6 hours for Teagan's wedding? Wow!

Yes, her name was Jennie Nancy, not Nancy Jane. At one time, Bim told me
there was some confusion within the family about her name. I wasn't too
sure myself until Bim sent me a copy of J. N. 's vocalized (and typed up by
Bim) autobiography -- events up until living on 34th Ave. in Denver. Until J.N.
's death, nine years later, Bim said she never uttered another word about her
life, despite Bim's urging her to do so. I also received from Bim a copy of her
lengthy letter she wrote to her three brothers following J. N. 's funeral --
Jennie N. in all her writings. Whenever I was around CAH, he always
referred to her as "dear ol' Gems."

There is no doubt about CAH and JN not being compatible. As the story
went in my family , JN would never get off her duff to clean house or prepare a
meal for visiting school dignitaries who would come to see the principal,
president or whatever capacity CAH was serving at the time. He always
had to entertain them, without JN, at some nice restaurant. She did not
enter into any school activities, dinners, picnics, etc. But his dear teacher
friend, Elizabeth McMeeken, did - his constant companion and "love of his
life" in Denver. He finally threw up his hands and went to Europe! Bim
mentioned that JN had her share of boyfriends, too, especially in Berkley,
during her real estate heydays. In her autobiography, JN mentioned knowing
several cowboys coming into Garden City off the range -- "one of the
aforementioned cowboys was an attendant of mine for a while. Not too
long, though." Later on, she was telling about the Bates-run Syracuse Hotel
doing well financially due to the land boom seekers -- "The one of these
who became a life-long associate was your father." So, she may have
married on the rebound, having named her cowboy friend, Will Crantford;
also, the mention of C.C. Jones, known as Buffalo Jones.

I'm with you on the story of the orphaned CAH running away from home at
the age of 11 -- his mother dying and his father marrying a woman who was
so mean to him. Perhaps his affection for me stems from the fact that I
apparently have his mother's looks: thin face, (formerly) auburnish brown
hair and a long, slim nose. His telling me that his mother was part Jewish
brought an unequivocal and firey "not true" response from Bim. She was the
only person I ever mentioned it to. Since Bim worked closely with Joan Fultz
Kontos in supplying CAH information, I presume that what I read and
copied from the Red Cross-Bla ck Eagle book about his younger days
were factual. And since it's in print , I suppose it best to leave it that way. Do
you?

As to Bim's nickname, which I always thought was prett y neat

(anything's better than Elma!), I like your version better, which really
seems more appropriate. I had always heard about Miss Rilling directing
this play in which Mildred Biddick was Seraphim and Bim, Cherabim. But
with Bim's explanation to you, I'll use it as such.

I was in college at the time JN nearly died in Denver from her emergency
surgery, but never heard about her "returning to shore" nor seeing the
vision of your birth. I do know that her extensive care was really something
for mother to handle, what with teaching school fulltime and having an
invalid husband. Part of the problem was that JN's skin was too thin to
stitch, and the incision had to be closed with a special kind of tape. I saw
her once during that time.

What a story about Roger and Inge! I do remember his mentioning an "old
flame" he was leaving when he went to Italy. And I always thought to myself
that Inge was not his type, although I found her a fascinating person to know;
my thoughts confirmed by Bim in telling me she never cared for Inge's
"flauntiness." And isn't Mabel a dear person! In her last letter, she said,
"Roger was my only real love, and he remains in my heart forever." From
what Bim told me about your living with Roger and Inge, I can imagine you
really had to toe-the-mark under strict discipline from Inge. Life isn't always
easy, is it?
I can remember only one time, as a child, seeing my Uncle Roy, Helen and his
four children, which I presume was in Tracy. Your mother spent a couple of
weeks in West Point when I was there with CAH, probably between my
freshman and sophomore high school years. Saw her a gain in '73 when sister
Myrle and I visited Bim, and again around 1980 or '81 when Tom and .I spent
a few days with Bim during a California wedding anniversary vacation. Talk
about a dear person, as was Roger , too. And I do regret that this genealogy
didn' t get off the ground sooner. Since Bim had asked me to continue with her
CAH writings and Roger saying he'd try to get Ron Brickman to box up his
papers after her death, never done, genealogy seemed to be the next best thing
at this point.

I have written to Ron about all this, also sending him the genealogy and asking
him to dig through the files for profile information about Bim and Roger.
Mabel tells me he's one of the worst-of-the-worst procrastinators. So, could I
enlist your help in getting Ron off his duff in order to complete this
genealogy as set up? Mabel told me she'd be going to West Point this fall
(too hot in the summer) and she would get everything of Roger's since "Ron
will be very happy to disperse all Hol lingshead holdings." I hate to tell her that
Ron told me he isn't giving up anything to anybody -- all papers to remain filed
for any family member to view. I assumed that he would surely get CAH's music
into publication, since there is another composer in the family who is
apparently hearing the same notes and themes!

Agreed to by Bim, CAH was a man before his time in predicting the world's
political scene and events that have already come to pass, the Kontos book
containing his prior thinking of events now happening in Bosnia, Albania and
the broken up Soviet Union countries. He had insight and wisdom like no
other author I've ever read -- the reason I’d love to get those thoughts of his in
in Bim’s files into publication. But I need Ron's cooperation, and it doesn' t
seem to be forthcoming. If I could just get him to send me CAH's letters for
copying and returning to him, I think this project could get off the ground. But
… ‘spose he'd listen to you?

Thanks a bunch for your help and interest in this project, which I am trusting
can be completed before the end of the year!!! I've heard from a few, but
there are a lot more family members yet to hear from. I'm pleased they all
seem to like this idea, some already sending in orders for themselves and as
gifts to children and grandchildren. As I hear more and more from these
Hollingshead descendants, along with my own personal views of growing up
in a dysfunctional family, perhaps we can better understand our genes and the
family traits handed down from one generation to the next over the years. I'm
really amazed that so little was known about CAH and JN, grandparents, even
facts about their own parents in a couple of instances.

All for this time, my dear, and I would appreciate your letting me know how
your side of the family is coming along with needed information. You can just
send it to
me as it comes to you, if you'd like. Thanks again for all your help!!!