Milford chronicle., 1956-12-21
408 Lake Avenue
Milford, Delaware
December Is, 1856

December Is, 1856
Dear Friends:
It's hard to believe that we're
really home After l wrote to you
last week so many developments
occurred that seemed to make our
leave more improbable every min
ute
Thursday after / wrote to you
Hayes went on a mission in the b
AZ. His mission completed some
requirements for this quarter and
he was glad to get all that accom-
plished. We had planned to begin
our leave Friday morning so while
Hayes was flying I scurried around
town Tin Topeka) trying to get
clothes from the cleaners, shoes
from the shoe man, last minute
Christmas presents to pick up, etc.
Hayes was due back in at Forbes
Air Force Base at midnight. He had
planned to get about six hours
sleep and then we'd be on our way
east.
At midnight the phone rang and
mans voice said, Mrs. Dicker-
son, this is Captain Heath at the
base. Your husband has landed at
Lincoln, Nebraska, because of wea-
ther and won't be able to come
back until this fog lifts" Well, /
was just sick. Tried to go back to
sleep and had, when the phone rang
again and it was Hayes calling me
from Lincoln. We talked the situa-
tion over and knew there just
wasn't one thing to do except pray
that the fog would lift so he'd be
able to come in the next day.
1t was Saturday before Hayes
got home. We had a twenty-day
leave beginning the 14th, and since
we were getting a late start we
could not add those days we missed
to the end of our leave. So you can
see why we were upset to miss even
single day.
My brother and our sisters were
all told, before December, that if
the weather permitted we would
fly home in the SAC Aero Clubs
1856 Tri-Pacer. Hayes believes fly
ing is the only safe mode of trans
portation and he can't see consid-
ering any other way of transport
ing his family from Kansas to Del
aware. The night before we left we
turned on the radio beside our bed
to hear the last weather report and
they announced that there had been
16 deaths reported on highways
around the Great Lakes area. If
we drove we would travel by the
Indiana Ohio Pennsylvania turn
pike and these roads were current
ly covered with snow and ice, and
the 16 fatal accidents occurred in
this area. This seemed to be the
final word on our driving home.
Sunday morning we waited for
more local fog to lift before we
drove to the airport While we were
getting things together my father
called from Delaware just to check
and see if we were on our way yet
1 was afraid our being home in To
| peka this late in the morning
might give away our plans, but
never mentioned our getting off to
the airport to Dad.
We loaded Christmas presents
luggage, and you know how many
zillions of other things you have tc
take on a three-weeks' trip. We
saved just enough room in the
plane for the four Of us and ouI
Boston Bull, "Sambo" The weather
bureau advised us. not to cross
Missouri since they were having
an ice storm. This did not dismay
my flying husband in the least. He
lust got out his sectionals (maps)
and rerouted us around the storm
We flew south to Fort Smith, Ark
ansas. Just look on your map anC
you'll see how futile this direction
seemed to me. / thought I would
| NEVER get home for Christmas
| No wonder it seems utterly impos
sible for me to be here one whole
week before time.
| We landed in Memphis, Tennes
see at the International Airport
This was just about lunch time anC
around noon the atmosphere i:
pretty bumpy and Lynne got sick
for the first and Only time on oul