Hawkins Foley Blog

Hawkins Family Letters

183:818406737 (Rosemary Hawkins) — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 21:39:07 GMT

Hawkins Family Letters between Howard and His Sisters

On this page we are posting links to letters between Howard Hawkins and his sisters. This is a work in progress and we are starting out with several letters between Esther and Howard, as well as two from Rose and one from Agnes. We hope you will enjoy this, the letters can are in pdf form and can be downloaded.

Esther's Birthday Card to Howard Front of Card Back of Card

Esther Postcard to Howard in College

Esther to Howard in College Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four

Esther to Howard, October 1934 Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four

Esther to Howard, May 17, 1935, Page One Page Two

Esther to Howard, May 22, 1935 Page One Page Two

Esther to Howard, May 27, 1935 Page One Page Two

Esther to Howard, November 1940 Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four

Howard to Esther, October 1960 Page One Page Two

Esther to Howard, January 1978 Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four Page Five Page Six Page Seven Page Eight

Rose to Howard Page One Page Two

Rose to Howard One Page

Agnes to Howard and Helen, 1952 Page One Page Two Page Three

Helen Foley Hawkins' Ancestors

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 23:59:48 GMT

Helen Foley Hawkins' Ancestors

Above: Helen and her siblings: Walter, Paul, Grace, Helen, Joseph and Jack Foley.

by Helen Foley Hawkins

My father: Joseph Henry Foley (1894-1987)

His family: Father: John Foley Mother: Nora McMahon

Foley Brother: Francis G. Foley (m. Ella McTaigue)

Daughter: Mary Alice Foley

Two other brothers, deceased young, names unknown

My mother: Mary Gertrude Lawler Foley (1892-1952)

Her family: Father: James J. Lawler Mother: Mary Ellen Ann Elizabeth Byrne Lawler

Sister: Catherine Cecilia Lawler DeLemos (m. Sidney P. DeLemos)

Sister: Ella D. Lawler Carr (m. John Oliver Carr) Son: John Oliver Carr, Jr. Daughter: Doris (Tommy) Carr

Relatives:

Foley family relatives: none known

McMahon relatives: Nora’s sisters: Margaret aka Sr. Agnes Mechtilda, Sister of Charity

Mary (m. George Bowden) Daughter: Marie (m. Eugene McCabe) Lillian (m. Earl Bosworth)

Son: Earl Bosworth Jr. ( wife Genevieve) Four sons

Daughter: Marjorie (m. Howard Brennan)

Howard Junior's Letter to Uncle Si, July 1985

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 23:53:36 GMT

Howard Jr.'s Letter to Uncle SI

July 15, 1985

Si Locher, Esq .

Locher, Locher & Strittmatter

Monticello, Iowa

Dear Uncle Si :

Linda and I had a marvelous 4th of July weekend at the Hawkins Farm with my parents, Dick and Virginia, Rosemary and Aunt Ag. We sorely missed your company. I in particular had no one to drink Bourbon with over the bridge table and while I manfully attempted to make large quantities of eggs and bacon every morning, I was just about the only one who wanted to eat it all.

I had not been to the Farm in nine years. While a great deal has changed, much remains the same. The weather was absolutely beautiful, with the cool and strong breezes of early summer blowing across the cornfields and pushing the thin cotton curtains in Grandfather's living room out to a forty-five degree angle like banners. Few things are more restful than to sit in the kitchen or in that room and watch the breezes blow through the house. They certainly are those same cool summer breezes Aunt Esther wrote of in her poem.

Linda and I and Aunt Ag spent a great deal of time on the swing chair on the front porch looking at the Links' soybeans blow in the wind with the light shining off their green leaves so as to look like a green sea.

Jim Fagan honored us with his company on several occasions. As you may know, the big topic this summer is not tile but the ditch. My Father and I were impressed when Jim Fagan presented his lawyer's winning brief from a case concerning the ditch Jim had taken all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court in the late 1950's, allegedly with the support of Grandfather, even more impressed when Jim said he had won the appeal. We were less enthused when we thereafter found that after obtaining the reversal from the Supreme Court on technical grounds, Jim's trial lawyer told him that in light of the judge to whom the case had been assigned, there was no point in going forward and they dropped the case.

Thus the dispute with the Woods and others over whether to clear the ditch, and dig it down two feet, and how much it should be dug and who should pay, and on whose side whose interest lie, is at least 27 years old and the controversy seems to be coming to the fore again now only because Jim Fagan wants to farm 25 acres he claims he otherwise cannot cultivate profitably.

We all spent a lot of time hoping for rain. There had been none in three weeks, although the crop is looking extremely good and in many places the corn is four feet high.

I must report though the cardinal sin committed by unnamed farm hands who spread the week killer this spring. In an attempt to avoid hitting the telephone poles and the Woods' fence they missed the grass along the road and the Woods' property line. As a result, the corn there is shorter than in the midst of the fields. I thought Grandfather had long ago laid down the law that the corn along the road gets the best attention and the most fertilizer, for obvious reasons.

We had a grand 4th of July dinner with my parents, Rosemary, Linda, Aunt Ag, and Dick and Virginia. At the end of the meal I read aloud your recent letter to your family, copied to Ag. I marveled once again at your eloquence with pen and the vigor and spirit of optimism with which you look to the future and on the whole world. We missed you that night.

I did get my father and his older sister to play bridge twice. Aunt Ag showed immense skill at negotiating herself through extremely difficult contracts in which my father had placed her. We got in a few hands, not enough, but it was clear that my spouse and I were playing with a couple of real Indiana sharpies. It was great to see Aunt Ag so active, so talkative and so willing to talk about Grandfather and the life on the farm. I told my Father that his memories and Ag's should be made the subject of an oral history.

The weekend involved also a visit to Kokomo to inspect the steel mill and the new caster at Continental Steel, the obligatory visit to Bill Fox's farm to inspect his corn (growing well, not quite as well as the soybean; a couple of acres wiped out by a sandstorm at the beginning of the season). Linda was fascinated by Bill Fox's herd of hogs. There were at least thirty piglets born within the last two weeks. In talking about his hogs to Linda, I heard Bill Fox say more in the space of one-half hour than I believe I have ever heard him say before altogether.

Dick and Virginia, my Mother, Linda, Rosemary and I picked pounds and pounds of blueberries at a farm between Pulaski and Francesville. We stopped at the cemetery to pay our respects to Grandfather and Grandmother, to John, Rose, and the two little girls. That day, like most every day, was bright and the sky was blue and the breezes pushed the white clouds across the sky. As I stood on that mound I thought how I had learned more that weekend about my Grandfather's family and the lives of his children than I have ever heard or at least retained before.

There were long walks in the morning, quiet walks at night, and long sits on the front porch. As Aunt Ag said at one point, I do not think there is a more peaceful place in the world.

Sincerely,

Howard R. Hawkins, Jr.

cc: H. R. Hawkins

Mrs. K. Cook

Trip to China Parts Four and Five

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:37:13 GMT

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Parts Four and Five

Quite a few times while in the city of Peking we observed columns of marching people--students following a banner; soldiers clad in brown pants and white shirts running and chanting in unison; a "brigade" of workers in all blue shirt and pants; and even a. long line of little children shepherded by women.

Upon our return we purchased some peaches and cookies in one of the two shops on either side of the main lobby. The peaches were in the usual unripe state that all peaches seem to be in Peking. The shops sell cigarettes, candy, fruit and cookies on one side. On the other they sell socks, face cloths, razors, pens, etc. They seem to be patronized by visiting foreigners, but not those from western countries because the variety and quality of the items sold are uninteresting.

That evening we were the guests of Mr. Li for dinner at 7:00 at the noted Peking Duck Restaurant, which is a branch of the 300-year-old restaurant. The entire dinner was composed of dishes made of duck. "Everything but the feathers" our host said. We even had one dish made of duck's webs. Everything was most delicious; and the last dish (when one is too full to enjoy it) is the crisp brown Peking duck itself, pieces of which are eaten wrapped in thin tortilla-like bread with raw green onions and a bit of black sauce made of soybeans. Much of the conversation, as seems to be the case at dinner parties there, was about food. Mr. Li inquired as to Howard's opinion on the Concorde and the likelihood of U.S. airlines using it, as well as the problems caused by conservationists regarding use of supersonic planes. The Chinese have contracted to buy three Concordes.

Tuesday, August 15

We went to Mass again, for it was the feast of the Assumption, a holy day in the United States. We were the only ones there except for the priests and the two old Chinese women. On the way out I left a paper copy of the new rite of the Mass in the United States with the priest who was sitting in the back. He spoke no English but seemed to understand my feeble explanation in Latin that it was the "missa nova" and was most grateful.

At 10:30 we were picked up to visit a people's commune, called the "Evergreen People's Commune" about 10 miles out of the center of the city. It encompasses 10,000 acres, has 41,000 people living on it. They produce some corn, wheat, and large amounts of fruit and vegetables, as well as pigs. They have a strict production quota to meet for the government and are shipped in whatever other items they need for their own use which they do not produce. We were given a couple of little talks by residents whose houses we visited, telling us of the improvement in the life of the farmers since the Communist Party and Chairman Mao took power. Aside from this small amount of propaganda, we heard nothing from any of the people with whom we associated that was propaganda-like. They avoided making any unpleasant statements or asking political questions. We were also careful not to ask them any questions which might be undiplomatic.

One girl told us that in her family now three of them had watches and there was one bicycle. Her husband was a soldier. We were invited to visit two different two-room houses. One had five residents and the other seven. However, each was clean and neat. These relatively modern houses still employ the old-time kang or heated large bed, which is warmed from underneath with a coal fire and on which the whole family sit and sleep in the wintertime. Each family is said to be allowed some small plot of land on which to raise what they like. One old peasant had tobacco drying in his doorway which he had grown himself

The person in charge of the commune, called "Executive of the People's Committee," who showed us around was a very capable appearing woman of about 50. We also visited a school room with little girls dressed in red and white who danced and sang and smiled most joyously at us. Their song, we were told, was about Chairman Mao. We also saw an exhibition of gymnastics. There are 21 primary schools and 6 middle schools at present within the commune.

During the visit we also saw one of their clinics, the drawers of herbal old-time Chinese medicines, the modern antibiotics, including penicillin (so labeled in English), and then were conducted to a room in which an old woman was being treated with acupuncture for paralysis. She told us she was treated 15 to 30 minutes twice weekly and her condition has improved considerably. We were introduced to a "barefoot doctor" (wearing the usual sandals) of about 18. The man who apparently was the ''western-style" doctor was passed by in one of the clinic's rooms and we were not even presented to him (in contrast to the barefoot doctor on whom much attention was lavished). We were then driven out to the orchards where they presented us with a box of various beautiful fruits--peaches, plums and grapes.

That afternoon, while Howard and TinWin visited the Telecommunications Administration to confer with Mr. Chang, the Peking Vice Director, I was taken by Mrs. Liu and Mr. Wang to see the Temple of Heaven, long considered one of the great wonders of Peking. It has been repainted in the most vivid colors. It was constructed 550 years ago and is 38 meters high, entirely made of wood without a single piece of steel or nail. It has always been considered an architectural as well as an historical marvel

That evening we had dinner with the Telecommunications Administration and Machimpex officials. It was another elaborate meal and Mr. Chang was very friendly and talkative throughout the evening. Chinese dinners rarely take more than two hours.

August 16

We left the hotel at 8:30 for the Great Wall. It is a drive of about 2 hours to the north of Peking, through most interesting countryside. The farming country through which we drove changed rapidly as we approached the vicinity of the Great Wall. It became very hilly--really small mountains. The day was partially misty, and the landscape there looked very much like classical Chinese art. There were very few houses of any kind; the soil was full of rocks. There were occasionally tiny plots of perhaps 5 by 10 feet where they were trying to grow a little corn or other vegetables. We passed crews cutting huge rocks into blocks suitable for road construction. Women were seen working in road construction and doing maintenance work, as well as in fields.

The Great Wall is an awesome sight. The starting point for tourists is in a bit of a valley, and the wall curves up the hills on either side. On a day of intermittent sunshine, the wall was quite hot, but the guard towers which occur about every half mile were extremely cool inside. The scenery to the north, from which direction would come the enemy, was that of rugged hills and mountains. The wall gets quite steep and even with rubber soled shoes climbing very much was difficult. We walked up in each direction (east and west) for a short distance.

After leaving the wall, we drove about 45 minutes to the Ming Tombs. Here are buried 13 of the Ming emperors. The first Ming emperor was buried in Nanking. After the elaborate gate that marks the entrance, we passed the splendid road of huge 15th Century stone animals and stone mandarins.

Part Five

Before visiting the main tomb we stopped for a "picnic" lunch in a pleasant guest house furnished with sofa and chairs as well as a dining table. The lunch consisted of cold meat, hard boiled eggs, pickles, bread and cookies.

Only the grave of one emperor has been discovered and excavated. Each tomb site is marked by an elaborate entrance gate or gates, but the actual burial sites themselves are covered by huge tumuli of earth, and the exact whereabouts of the grave itself is not known. Apparently, the government has· no present plans to do any wholesale excavation.

The tomb we entered is down five flights of stairs into the ground. The guides who work down there wear winter coats the year round. It was about 45 - 50°. The treasures which had been recovered along with the bodies of one of the middle kings of the Ming dynasty and two of his wives are shown in two exhibition halls, accompanied by graphic sculptures and paintings of the life of the peasants in those days. Included was a display of the beautiful gold and silver utensils used by the emperors to dine and a display opposite showing the meagre food (including bark!) which the people had to eat. We later drove to see the upper buildings of the tomb of yet another Ming emperor.

After returning to the city late that afternoon, there was a call from the Machimpex office, requesting us to be their guests to attend a movie at the International Club. Upon arrival we discovered that our hosts had arranged for us a special showing of a film of the well-known "Red Detachment of Women" ballet. There were about 25 Machimpex employees in attendance, and we sat in the front row with fans to cool us and glasses of yellow soda and little dishes of peanuts before us. The film was quite interesting; and one of the ladies there gave a running commentary on the action as the film progressed.

August 17

We were taken to the Forbidden City (or the Palace Museum as it is often referred to now). The most amazing thing is the extent of the Forbidden City. There are almost a thousand buildings, although many of the buildings are composed of single large rooms, four of which surround a courtyard. All the roofs are made of golden colored tile, which was the color allowed to be used only by the imperial family. Our guide conducted us through dozens of the buildings, arranging for an old man to wipe off windows through which we looked at the last Empress' living rooms (while all the citizens of Peking moved back for the visitors).

He also took us into a lovely room where the nobility rested after walking in the nearby imperial garden; and there we had tea while he recounted through our interpreter a good deal of the later history of the Manchu dynasty. We then were privileged

to visit the museums which are open only to those with an official guide. The amount of gold and jeweled objects was almost staggering; however, they mostly seemed to date from the last century or two. The Chinese Nationalists are said to have taken the priceless treasures of the ancient past with them to Taiwan. Peking has, however, an Art Museum, which is apparently not open to the public--as is the case with the Museum of the Revolution which we had asked to see but which is closed at the present time.

At 3:30 p.m. we went to the offices of Machimpex for the signing of the contracts for the construction of the two earth stations in Shanghai and Peking. There was some lengthy discussion regarding the news release; there were time-consuming changes to be initialed; but the contracts were finally signed about 5:00p.m., and the main purpose of the trip was accomplished.

That evening, our last in Peking, we had invited our friends from Machimpex and the Telecommunications Administration to dinner to be given in a private, air-conditioned dining room on the top floor of the Peking Hotel. The dinner was most pleasant--for a change we were able to see that their plates were filled instead of ours being filled by our hosts, as is the Chinese custom.

August 18

We had breakfast with two men from RCA Ltd. of Canada, and while Howard and TinWin took them to the Machimpex office, I packed to leave. We left for the airport at 12:15 and shortly after we arrived there our hosts came to bid us farewell. They stayed until the plane took off the ground, which they usually do; and they must have been as glad as we were to see it take off--late again, by about a half hour.

We were served peach ice cream, orange soda and later slices of watermelon during the flight from Peking to Shanghai. Upon arrival at Shanghai, after about a 2-hour 45-minute flight, we were met by Mr. Pi of the Shanghai Machimpex office. He and his assistants outlined their program for us for the one day and two nights we'd be there. We were furnished our luggage and left for the hotel in two cars. The one in which we were riding had a flat, so we were transferred to the other car for the rest of the way.

The hotel, now called the Hoping, meaning "peace," but formerly known as the Cathay, had been built by the British in the 1920s. It was most luxurious and clean and best of all was air-conditioned (during the day, at least - for it was turned off about 9:00p.m.). Our three-room, two-bath suite, including a dining room with fireplace (!) rented for $14 a day. The two rooms and two baths we had in Peking rented for $11 per day. Our windows looked out over the Wha River, which is a branch of the Yangtse, and was a fascinating spectacle with all kinds of boats constantly coming and going--from ocean-going tankers and freighters to an occasional old junk. Across the river at nighttime is a five-symbol sign proclaiming "Long Live Chairman Mao."

We met at the hotel the RCA Globcom technician who is stationed at the Shanghai Earth Station, and we all had a pleasant dinner together on the top floor of the hotel. The next morning, Howard and TinWin went to visit Shanghai's famous Industrial Exhibition Hall; I stayed at the hotel because I was running a small fever with a cold. Our hosts kindly offered to obtain a doctor for me; but I told them I really didn't need one, having brought along some antibiotics. Early that morning, when I thought my cold was better, I determined to have my hair done--I had been avoiding the issue for 9 days and it had to be faced. The hotel employee at the desk directed me up a stairway which led to a "barber shop." I opened the door and with few words and many gestures asked if this was the place where ladies' hair was shampooed and set. Being reassured it was, I found myself seated in a regular barber chair next to a man having a haircut. They soaped my head from a bottle of shampoo, scrubbed it without mercy and then proceeded to wash it in the usual manner at a sink. The setting and drying were quite satisfactory, and I don't know whether I was more pleased at the results or the price - 50. Men can have a shampoo and haircut, I understand, for 26.

That afternoon the men went to the Children's Palace, which is a place where young people of Shanghai come to get all types of training in dancing, gymnastics, etc. They also had dinner with Mr. Pi and his interpreter; and said that it was one of the best meals that they had during the entire trip.

August 20

On Sunday morning, as we prepared to leave the hotel to visit the earth station and go to the airport (which are quite close to each other), the curious crowds in the street gathered in a huge semi-circle watching us get into the cars. Shanghai is very like a western city. It is quite clean, and neither there nor any place else in China did we see anyone begging or miserably clothed. There seem to be endless crowds of people around the city on Sunday morning. We did notice a few more colored shirts on the women than in Peking; but there are even less cars on the streets than in Peking.

We arrived at the site of the Shanghai Earth Station constructed by RCA Globcom before the visit of President Nixon. There is a soldier on guard at the entrance. While Howard and TinWin and the other men toured the station, I remained inside drinking tea and having a most lively conversation with the Chinese technicians, one of whom came in to act as an interpreter for me.

Upon arrival at the airport, we discovered that instead of flying on an old Ilyushin, we were scheduled to depart on one of the new four-engine jet Ilyushin-62s, which the Chinese had purchased recently from the Soviet Union and were beginning to put into service. The first-class compartment, into which we were ushered, is in the middle of the plane, and the whole interior is new and brightly decorated. We took off rapidly, and the fact that it was a jet cut about an hour off our flying time from Shanghai to Kwangchow.

It was raining when we landed, and inasmuch as we were an hour ahead of our scheduled arrival time, we were there before our welcoming committee from Machimpex, Kwangchow, which caused them considerable embarrassment. They took us to our hotel, the Tung Fang, which, although it looks modern on the outside, is somewhat dark as to halls, dull as to bedrooms, and dirty as to bathrooms.

We went to dinner that evening with Mr. Ho and his associates, after Howard and TinWin had gone to see a park and a city museum, as well as a Friendship Store, in the afternoon. The dinner was held in a charming south China style restaurant decorated with bamboo called the North Garden; and the food was comprised entirely of dishes we had never had before. It was a delightful occasion for our last night in China. While driving through the city that night, and again the next morning, we noticed the large numbers of arcades in front of the buildings. Apparently, they are used extensively because it rains so much in the city, and when it isn't raining the sun is extremely hot. Canton is a much older and more impoverished-looking city than either Shanghai or Peking. This is due to the fact that that part of South China has been subjected to devastating famines in the past; and it is the part of the country from which most of the overseas Chinese have emigrated.

August 21

The next morning quite early we were picked up by Mr. Ho and his associates. They took us to the station where they waited, chatting politely, until our train actually left. The car in which we found ourselves was surprisingly air-conditioned, and our last hour and a half riding through China was spent watching the large number of people working in the rice fields, using the same methods of cultivation that they have for centuries, plowing with water buffaloes and pulling weeds from the crops on their hands and knees.

We crossed the border at 12:00 noon, Hong Kong time, and the procedure seemed to go much more quickly going out than going in, although we had to show the "four watches" again and had to turn in every bit of Chinese money left in our possession. They the gave us back our passports, and we dashed through rain showers to the customs officials of the Crown Colony of Hong Kong to end a memorable eleven days in China.

Trip to China, Part Three

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:34:10 GMT

Howard and Helen's Trip to China Part Three

Sunday, August 13

We had learned, to our surprise, that there was a Catholic Church that was allowed to have one Mass each Sunday for foreign visitors and the diplomatic corps. We went at 9:30 and found a 300-year old Church of the Immaculate Conception. Mass was said in the old style, in Latin. There were two Chinese women attending; the rest were outsiders. There were about 40 Zambians, who came in a bus, a few Frenchmen and we three. There are three Chinese priests who apparently rotate saying Mass and being the server, according to TinWin, who had gone there previously with other RCA people. Mass was over quickly and there was no sermon, of course.

At 10:30, Mr. Hsu, Mr. Han, Mr. Wang and Mrs. Liu came for us, and we drove out to the Summer Palace, which was located about 16 miles outside the city to the northwest. We passed the renowned Peking University on the way. The Summer Palace was built by the last Manchu Empress Hsu Chi with funds which were to have been spent on a modern navy. As a gesture of defiance to her ministers, upon its completion she had a large marble boat constructed at the edge of the huge artificial lake put in for her pleasure. After sightseeing, our hosts took us to one of the imperial buildings, part of the open-air theatre which was used by the Peking Opera company to stage performances for the Empress. Here we had an 8-course luncheon, accompanied by red Chinese wine, beer and orange soda. It ended with slices of watermelon, of which there is a bumper crop this year. It was not as flavorful as the American variety.

After lunch we went across the lake in a covered boat, which could seat 10 people, propelled by a standing man using long oars. This took about an hour, which was a most pleasant way to view the lake. There were many people on the lake in rowboats and also a section reserved for swimming. Of the thousands of people there we saw only 4 other westerners. We were objects of obvious curiosity. Adults glanced at us, children frankly stared and turned to look. We wondered what they were thinking. The only exception to ordinary curiosity from the general public I noticed was on a few occasions when teenage girls appeared to stare at me in a rather unfriendly manner. No one we saw over 3-4 years of age had on clothing of any color brighter than pale blue or beige, and the vast majority wore white shirts with dull grey, brown or dark blue pants--men and women alike. Perhaps my bright red and white dress attracted attention also. There were many little children and babies there on that Sunday, and they all seemed extremely well behaved. I saw not a single child crying or being naughty. The older children and teenagers were also well behaved and seemed happy and content being there. Everyone was decently dressed. Most people wore sandals; all exactly the same style.

Outside the entrance to the Summer Palace was a bike parking lot with over a thousand bicycles in it. On the road to and from the city we passed innumerable small carts hauling produce, barrels, baskets, etc., pulled by a motley collection of thin horses and large and small donkeys--often three to a cart. There are also numerous carts propelled by three-wheeled bicycles.

August 14

Howard and TinWin had their second meeting on the contract with Machimpex. Afterwards we all went to "register" our passports at the China Tourist Service. They informed us that it would take 4 days to process our registration before our passports could be returned. We cannot reserve or purchase airline tickets for our return to Shanghai without our passports. This is a complication which required the assistance of Machimpex--which they did work out for us. We were without our passports for only (!) two days, and then they were returned with the airline tickets for our Friday flight.

After that we went shopping on Liu Li Chang Street. We had lunch at the Hsin Chiao Hotel with Herbert Gruder, who is with Boeing and has been 127 days in Peking trying to negotiate the sale of 10 Boeing 707s to the Machimpex. He groaned that we were meeting and having dinners with people whom he only knew by name!

In the afternoon our hosts escorted us to an "Arts and Crafts" factory on the outskirts of the city, where they employ 1,050 men, women and young people in the manufacture of jade, cloisonne, lacquerware, ivory objects, as well as tiny snuff bottles decorated most beautifully from the inside.

We had tea upon arrival, while the "responsible person" in charge of the factory, accompanied by the head of the revolutionary workers committee, welcomed us and explained the work done and how, under the inspiration of Chairman Mao, they were endeavoring to increase their production, produce more perfect work, etc. At least 75 per cent of the workers are young people, and we were advised that they had graduated from middle (high) school and were assigned to work there by the government after two or three years training. There are ten other factories of this type around Peking alone. You see some of the less interesting products of their work in the Friendship Stores, but from what they told us, most of it goes out of the country via orders at the semi-annual Canton Fair.

We returned to our hotel by a route which took us back of the Forbidden City and were shown the island, called Wentsin, where Mr. Nixon was received by Chairman Mao. It is next to the Forbidden City and was formerly part of the imperial property. We learned that the rarely seen old red walls in the city mark property which used to belong to the nobility.

Next: Parts Four and Five

Trip to China, Part Two

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:32:20 GMT

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Part Two

August 12

We had breakfast the next morning at 8:00 a.m. and discovered to our sheer delight that the dining room was air-conditioned- a very rare treat in China. When we arrived in the dining room the waiters asked what country we were from and then assigned us to a table. We waited to order until Tin Win arrived--as he speaks Chinese, which ability proved to be an immense help during our whole trip. There is, however, a bilingual menu, made of many pages enclosed in plastic, listing the various foods available for each meal. We ate ''western" style breakfasts; although the Chinese food which we ate at all other meals was far superior. Their bread is quite heavy and coffee poor. They do an excellent job with omelets, as might be expected. Men seem to get three eggs, no matter how many they order. There is no orange juice--would we like some orange soda? They have only a very limited amount of fresh fruit; occasionally none at all. After breakfast they ask if you will have a Chinese luncheon or western style. They seem to want to know only for the purpose of setting up the table ahead of time. Meals are very inexpensive--breakfast or lunch for the three of us cost only 5 yuan or $2.50.

At 9:45 the car and driver, which had been assigned to us on a 24-hour a day basis by Machimpex, took us to their office. The driver even slept at the hotel while we were there, which proved helpful, for TinWin occasionally had to go out late in the evening to file messages at the Telegraph Office. On the way to Machimpex, we drove through Ten An Men square and past government buildings such as the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of the Revolution, etc. We also saw the charming park area where the government guest houses are located in which the Nixons stayed while in Peking.

The main streets of the city are lines with trees. The traffic is mostly bicycles, some trucks, buses and rarely cars. All trucks, buses and cars blow their horns all the time. The bicyclists seem to pay little attention to them. The streets of the cities in China are very clean; there is absolutely no litter. The old parts of Peking are often enclosed in grey walls. The houses behind them, which you cannot see, are apparently one story high and no more. It is a most interesting city to observe--much more oriental in appearance

than Canton, Shanghai or Tokyo.

At the Machimpex office we met with Deputy Director General Mr. Li, Mr. Han, Mr. Hsu and Mrs. Liu. We had numerous cups of tea, a delicately flavored jasmine, during the conference. Mr. Li, who talked through an interpreter, was very interested in RCA Corp.: size, relative position among U.S. corporations, products produced, etc., desiring to hear of the various types of products which could be sold to China, noting briefly that it was "unfriendly" of the U.S. Government to restrict certain products from being sold to them. Color TV was mentioned. Howard gave him a copy of the 1971 Annual Report of RCA, which was received with great interest. He requested Howard to describe at some later point in their discussions RCA's products.

The schedule for the week was then laid out. Provision was made for my entertainment, shopping, etc., with Mrs. Liu. From the time we crossed the border, our entire 11 days in China were very carefully programmed. We had virtually no free time--none in the daytime and except for the first two evenings, none in the evening. On those two evenings we ate in our own hotel and then at the Hsin Chiao Hotel, which is another hotel where the government assigns foreign guests, usually diplomatic corps people, while awaiting the location of apartments. In the rare instance where we suggested some change in schedule, there were "complications" and no changes were made.

We went back to our hotel for lunch--Chinese style--which was excellent. You can either order the "Chinese" luncheon of the day, which consists of three or four courses, or order individual dishes of your own choosing.

At 3:00 p.m., when Howard and TinWin went back for a business meeting (Chinese offices are open from 8:00 to 6:00 and close from 12:00 noon to 2:30 for lunch), I was taken shopping by Mrs. Liu and Mr. Wang. We went to the traditional street of antique shops called Liu Li Chang. Apparently, years ago, there were many there; now there are just four, government-run, like all stores. Each store specialized in a certain type of antique, i.e.: pottery, tomb rubbings, paintings and jade. I found some nice pottery pieces, but inasmuch as I had heard that nothing over 80 years of age could be taken out of the country, I postponed buying them until I could be sure it was all right to purchase things 100 years old. Machimpex later assured me that anything in those stores was able to be exported from the country.

Next we went to a "Friendship Store," which is a government store where new products are displayed for foreigners to purchase. It is divided into sections, each having its own specialty. They sell all types of modern items, such as cloisonne vases, scroll paintings, fans, jewelry, ivory carvings, silk by the yard, mandarin coats, etc.

That evening we had dinner at our hotel, and we tried their white wine. It was rather too sweet. They do have one which is somewhat like a Rhine wine, but it was not available that night. There is no whiskey of any kind available in China, for they neither import nor produce any. They have a few wines, red and white, and, of course, their famous Mao Tai, which is used for toasting at dinner parties.

Next: Part Three

Trip to China, Part One

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:30:13 GMT

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Part One

Written by Helen Hawkins in 1972

ELEVEN DAYS IN CHINA *

* Robert D. TinWin, an RCA Globcom satellite communications engineer, who was educated in Burma and China, and Howard and Helen Hawkins.

Friday, August 11, 1972

At 9:30 a.m. we boarded the train at the Kowloon-Cantor Railway, which runs from Hong Kong to the border between the Crown Colony and mainland China. The train took about an hour and a half, making several local stops . We rode alongside the huge double water pipes from which Hong Kong receives a large amount of its water supply from the People's Republic of China.

At Sum Chun we descended from the train, went through Hong Kong departure procedures and then thoughtfully walked across the bridge which crosses the actual border. It was 11:00 a.m. We noticed three Red Guard soldiers holding rifles--including one who had a bayonet affixed. ((The British Government keeps a number of Irish soldiers on their side of the border, but they are usually not in sight of the general public.) We noticed, as we walked, a good number of workers, both men and women, chipping away at some piles of rock and dirt near the station. They did not give the impression of working very hard at it.

As soon as we entered the building, our passports were collected, our health certificates checked (they seemed only interested in

the smallpox vaccination); and we were directed into various small rooms to fill out forms for the Chinese Government. The rather detailed forms required one to list all monies carried (including travelers checks), cameras, typewriters, watches, film, gold jewelry, etc. They questioned us regarding the item listed as "four watches"--which included two of mine and two just purchased in Hong Kong as gifts for the family. When they were shown the watches in question, they signified their approval. They also asked to see my engagement ring. After finishing with this inspection , We were handed the sheets on which we listed the money in our possession and were directed to a window where we changed dollars for yuan, at the rate of about $1 - 2Y.

We then went along the corridor to a large room with oversized furniture and copious amounts of free Chinese propaganda literature. Waiting in the room with us were about 10 others who were going into China at the same time. There was a group of Japanese men, four Canadians (including one woman), two Zambians, one other American man and one Burmese diplomatic courier, whom Bob Tin Win knew from a previous trip. Our passports were returned to us (about a half hour after they had been taken) and after another wait lunch was served in a dining room next door. The lunch consisted of three dishes of quite good Chinese food and to drink, one was offered--as was always to be the case--orange soda or beer. We went back to the waiting room, and at about 1:30 it was time to board the train. In the PRC they do not have 1st and 2nd class coaches, as on the Hong Kong side of the border; but they do have hard or soft seated coaches.

The train ride from the border to Kwangchow (which is the name the Chinese use for the city of Canton) took about one and a half hours. Through the screened windows we could see miles of rice fields. They were a beautiful green. It was the second crop of the season, and apparently it was going to be a good year. We also saw sugar cane, hemp, and occasionally bamboo and banana trees. Bicycles appeared occasionally on the roads; hardly a single motorized vehicle was seen until we were almost into Kwangchow. We passed occasional towns which looked very old; the buildings had walls that appeared to have been stained by dirt and the rains of many, many years. People working in the fields appeared occasionally, mostly wearing big hats to protect them from the sun. There were some water buffalo in the fields. Every bit of level ground seemed to be cultivated; also there was some terracing up lower slopes of the hills. The soil was occasionally extremely red in color.

I pulled up the screen to take some pictures as we went along. The conductor, a girl, brought everyone a heavy glass mug with a lid, so we could have tea to drink throughout the trip. She refilled the cup every so often with boiling water from an old-fashioned tea kettle.

At the station in Kwangchow we were met by Mr. Ho, the manager of the Canton office of Machimpex (China National Machinery

Import and Export Corporation), and two of the men on his staff, one of whom spoke English and translated for us. Our passports had to be turned in again, and, after waiting a considerable time, the passports were returned and our bags were put in the cars provided by our hosts. We were driven to an office to purchase airline tickets, at $41 each, one way, for the flight from Kwangchow to Peking, a distance of about 1250 miles. We then proceeded through rainy streets to the airport, where, while we waited for our departure time, we had tea, orange soda, and various cakes, accompanied by much conversation.

Our plane, an old Ilyushin four-engine turboprop took off about 20 minutes late, although there was absolutely no traffic at the field while we were there. Palm leaf fans were provided everyone, and inasmuch as the plane had no air conditioning attached while on the ground, they were used enthusiastically until we were airborne. An announcement notified us that according to government regulations no binoculars, cameras or recording devices were to be used while we were in flight. We could see very little, as the seats we had were over a wing, and the weather was rather cloudy. A cold meal was served after about an hour (it was then about 6:00 p.m.) accompanied by tea. Forks were provided for westerners. A large tray of green-skinned but quite ripe bananas was passed around for dessert.

We arrived in Peking in 3 hours and 45 minutes, after a smooth flight. It was 9:00p.m. and quite dark. Chinese airfields have little instrument landing equipment, and they simply do not fly when the weather is bad. The airport at Peking, dominated by a huge picture of Chairman Mao, is quite modern. We were met directly upon descending from the plane by Mr. Hsu of Machimpex, Mr. Han, who was to interpret for us most of the time during the coming week, Mrs. Liu, who also spoke English and accompanied me during the week, and one or two other Machimpex officials.

Our passports were taken away again. This turned out to be the case upon every departure and arrival in our travels in China. We were ushered into a large side room in the airport building and again were offered orange soda and conversation was carried on through the interpreters regarding our trip, the weather (which was 96°), until finally the passports and bags arrived. This was the longest wait we had yet had--and again, there seemed to be no other traffic at the airport since the arrival of our plane.

An appointment was arranged during the conversation for Howard and TinWin to meet Mr. Li Chang Chin, the Deputy Director General of Machimpex, at 10:00 a.m. the next morning, Saturday. This was somewhat of a surprise, because they had thought that the first business meeting might not be until Monday morning. During breakfast the next morning a telephone call was received requesting that I also come to the initial meeting at Mr. Li's office, which was also unexpected.

We were driven to the city of Peking in the one type of car which seems to be manufactured today in China. It is like an old Mercedes-Benz and made in Shanghai. The road into town was lined with trees, and every so often groups of people could be seen sitting under the street lights, apparently playing some game. The drivers blew their horns at each group, also before, during and after passing other vehicles, bicycles, carts, etc. In short, they blew the horns constantly, which we discovered to be a way of life in China. The amount of horn blowing produced by the minuscule number of cars in the Chinese cities is amazing.

We arrived at our hotel, passing two soldiers who were always stationed at the door, and were flattered to discover that it was the famous old Peking Hotel, rooms in which are now reserved for guests of the Chinese government. A traveler in China today cannot request a certain hotel--it is assigned to him. We had been given a suite of two rooms on the sixth floor. The rooms were large with high ceilings but quite old furniture. The bathrooms (there were 2) were large but rather dingy. Regardless of the hour, the temperature didn't show any sign of going down, so we brought the table fan in from the living room to circulate the air in the bedroom. The heat made it a rather uncomfortable night, and the constant horn blowing didn't help.

Our section of the hotel, which was built about fifty years ago, has not had any modernizing done in that time, except for the elevators, which were bright and new. There is an excess of help on the floors and in the dining room. The room boys speak a word or two of English (some a bit more) and manage to understand words like "laundry--today?" or "ice--2 glasses?" They appear to do the pressing, and perhaps the laundry, right on the floor. They are very friendly and are, of course, never tipped, as this is the absolute rule all over the PRC. Boiled water is provided in carafes in the rooms, and, if desired, large thermos bottles of boiling water will be provided for tea in your room. Stealing is practically unknown, and apparently severely punished, and from time to time we left the doors open to our rooms on leaving (to catch a precious bit of air which seemed only to come from the other direction). Of course, we never left our passports or money in the room when going out. We kept our passports with us at all times--when the Chinese Government didn't happen to require them! Our hosts had a short-wave radio delivered to our room. However, we weren't very successful in obtaining the Voice of America broadcasts on it. We could get instead a woman's voice broadcasting in English from Peking Radio.

Memories of the Hawkins Farm

183:818406737 (Rosemary Hawkins) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 06:01:03 GMT

Memories of the Hawkins Farm

In 2013, the Hawkins family, along with our relatives the Cooks and the Lochers, were terribly saddened to learn that the Hawkins Farm house, where the Hawkins family had grown up and which held so many wonderful memories for all of us, had been struck by lightning and burned down. There were no salvageable photographs or mementos; the damage was too great; however the family has kept letters and photos, as well as other items, over the years and some of this will be presented on this website over time. Recent additions showing some of our visits can be viewed under the Hawkins Farm page of this site.

It is still hard to believe the Farm is gone; it was so much a part of our lives. It is a very sad loss.

Our great thanks to our cousin Bill Cook for his quick action upon learning the news, and going out to Indiana to help out however possible. We hope to preserve our memories of happier times on the Farm here.

Please feel welcome to leave your memories or other comments at the link below.

Rosemary Hawkins

Catherine Cecilia Lawler DeLemos (Aunt Kitty)

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 05:08:01 GMT

Catherine Cecilia Lawler DeLemos (Aunt Kitty)

written by Helen Foley Hawkins

Above: Aunt Kitty, Christmas 1963.

Kitty Lawler was born in New York City on October 30, l887 to James and Mary Byrne Lawler, the oldest of three sisters, her siblings having been Mary Gertrude and Ella Dolores. They all went to a local parochial grammar school and high school. She probably learned shorthand and typing in high school.

Kitty eventually obtained a secretarial job with the office of the Borough President of the City of New York. It was apparently through that job that she met and eventually married Sidney Phillip DeLemos, who was an engineer with the City of New York. They were married about 1922 in the sanctuary of a Catholic church, although not at a main altar because Sidney was not a Catholic, but was Jewish, however it does not seem that he was a strict member of that faith, for there was no mention of going to temple frequently. They lived in a very nice apartment in Washington Heights, on 175th Street, with his mother, Bertha DeLemos, to whom Kitty was most kind and respectful. She was in failing health and they had a nurse, a Mrs. Finger, who was German who came daily to help with her care.

Kitty stopped working once she was married. She often came over to Leonia to visit the Foley family, usually spending the day about once a week. Sidney would come over for dinner after work. Sidney had a brother Fred DeLemos, married to Sylvia. They lived in Ohio and came from time to time to see his mother in New York. Kitty became friendly with several of the DeLemos relatives, cousins and aunts, Elsie, Clara and Aunt Belle, whom she saw occasionally over the years after Sidney died.

Sidney, who was a major in the Army reserve (having served in WWI), was killed while riding a horse in Van Cortland Park in about 1931. Thereafter Kitty came to live with the Foley family in Leonia for four or five years. However, since things were somewhat crowded at 223 Van Orden Avenue, with six children and a live in maid, it was suggested by our pastor, Fr. Peter Kramer, Order of the Carmelites, that Kitty should move into an apartment in Leonia, which she did at 330 Fort Lee Road, about one mile from the Foleys, and she lived there until she died in 1969.

Kitty was always carefully dressed and took excellent care of all her possessions, the importance of which she tried to impress on us girls. She did any sewing that our mother asked her to, including innumerable hems, cuffs, etc . On two or three occasions when our mother wanted to take a trip with our father, Kitty came and stayed at our house for the duration. She also made a yearly trip to Park Ridge, Illinois, where their sister Ella Carr lived. Our grandmother, Mary Byrne Lawler (Grammie) would come to visit us in Leonia once each year (often while Kitty was in Park Ridge).

When our mother was suffering from the final stages of breast cancer, in addition to the nurses required, Kitty was at the house to help all she could.

She contracted bladder cancer in the late sixties, and died of it at Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, New Jersey,on March 4, 1969 at the age of 82.

She was an important part of our growing years and was very good to us all.

Hawkins Foley Blog

Hawkins Family Letters

Hawkins Family Letters between Howard and His Sisters

Helen Foley Hawkins' Ancestors

Helen Foley Hawkins' Ancestors

Howard Junior's Letter to Uncle Si, July 1985

Howard Jr.'s Letter to Uncle SI

Trip to China Parts Four and Five

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Parts Four and Five

Trip to China, Part Three

Howard and Helen's Trip to China Part Three

Trip to China, Part Two

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Part Two

Trip to China, Part One

Howard and Helen's Trip to China, Part One

Memories of the Hawkins Farm

Memories of the Hawkins Farm

Catherine Cecilia Lawler DeLemos (Aunt Kitty)

Catherine Cecilia Lawler DeLemos (Aunt Kitty)

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