Diary of Helen Korngold, April 14-20, 1919

This year I am sharing the diary of Helen Korngold of St. Louis, MO. Helen was a student at Washington University and a student teacher.

April

Monday 14
Tired – arose 6 a.m. Helped Momma with Passover dishes. To school – Soldiers Peace Conference.  Home after basketball. Herbert came for Seder. We are crazy about him. Letter from Summer.

Tuesday 15
School. Home – Herbert was over for dinner. He’s such a peach. Too bad he had to leave for Springfield. We wanted him to stay over, but he couldn’t.

Wednesday 16
School. Baseball. Home – Aunt Beryl’s for dinner.

Thursday 17
School – Letter from Koloditsky – mushy. I don’t know what I’m going to do about it.

Friday 18
School – dancing – To Bonnie Young’s at night. Went with Morris Gates. Her cousin, Spiro, plays violin very well. Had a good time.

Saturday 19
School. J.C. Board meeting. Saw Susan Hauskay/Hawakays [illegible] with folks

NOTES:

April 14

An article in the April 14 Soldiers Peace Conference in the St Louis Post-Dispatch.




April 18 (Good Friday and a school holiday)

Morris Milton Gates was born on July 8, 1895, and died on December 1969. His World War I Draft Registration shows he worked at R. Gates Furniture Company at 804 N 7th St. Morris was in the National Guard. He was of medium height and weight with brown eyes and black hair. Morris appears on the 1920 St. Louis Census as 24 years old and a salesman, living with his family. In 1931 Morris married Ruth Gutfreund.

His father Rudolph was a German born in Poland in 1868 and died in St. Louis in 1946. He married Fannie Weiss, sister of Rose Weiss who married Charles Wolf and was mother to Helen’s friend Dan Wolf. Rudolph was a merchant of furniture on the 1910 St. Louis Census. Morris’ brother Sidney also worked for the family business. Morris also had sisters Jeanette and Ernestine.

Bernice Young’s cousin Bernard Spiro was born in 1898 in New York, NY and died in 1992 in California.

April 19 (school holiday)

Susanne Hawakays I have not been able to verify the reading of Helen’s handwriting to pin down this woman.

April 14
All year long, Helen mentions going to the Satellites, often with a boy. Once she wrote 'Temple Satellites.' Newspaper announcements show it was an acting group that performed an annual Vaudeville and Dance. It was under the direction of Mrs. Diamant of the Thyrsus Dramatic Society at Washington University.

June 1, 1919, St Louis Dispatch article

The April 20 St. Louis Post-Dispatch first page featured an article supporting women's right to work. Perhaps this kind of thinking influenced Helen into embracing a career and marrying for love later in life!