Sunday, May 9, 1943 – “Duke” McNeil, who wagged his tail with joy all last week when Pvt. Bill McNeil was home on furlough, sat on the front steps of 192 Maple St. this morning and looked lonely. He was sad because Bill left for Oregon the night before to rejoin the 104th U.S. Cavalry, which is all set to knock the Japs back on their heels if they ever try to invade the West Coast. Bill was to meet Mary Daley at the North Station in Boston last night and then he was to leave for the Coast via Albany and Chicago. He had a great time while here and all were glad to see him. It sure seemed natural to see Bill sunning himself on the front steps of his house.

• Frances Lynch (Mrs. Richard Flanagan) is the mother of a fine seven-pound son born last week. The father is an aviation cadet in Chicago.

• Little Patricia Helen Flanagan of Palo Alto, Calif. now weighs seven pounds. Patricia’s mother is also attaining a pleasing plumpness, which may be due to the diet prepared by dietician Eileen. May 1 was Mrs. Mildred’s birthday; from Ens. Flanagan she received a Pearl Harbor Native Hawaiian handbag. Little Patricia now has a ration book of her own … From Eileen, Helen received a small pair of Indian moccasins bought from Yuma, Ariz. Indians.

• After Tom was examined for the draft Thursday, May 6, he was asked if he had passed and he quoted the examiner as telling him “if he could walk into the induction center, he was in the Army.”

• Capture of Tunis and Bizerte by the Allies cheers us up and is a pattern of future victories and final triumph over the Nazis.

• May 10 Life has an article on “PT Skippers in the Solomon Isles” telling of the small craft sinking six Jap destroyers, one cruiser and one patrol ship. The PT boats are carried to the scene of action on the decks of freighters. They can do about 55 miles an hour.

• U of M seniors will receive diplomas at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 23, when Joe will graduate, leaving the next morning for Springfield, Mass. and a chemical job with Monsanto Chemical Co.

• Tom will probably join the Army about June 15, along with a lot of other Bangor High seniors who are over 18.

• Gus went to Bucksport on May 8 with other U of M students on a geological reconnaissance. He also went swimming. The water, he said, was fine but we suspect his veracity. It snowed here recently. Warm Penobscot River water and snow do not happen in the same month.

• Margaret McNeil is now a full-fledged nurse, having graduated from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston. She will return to the Cardinal O’Connell House of the hospital next week, a wing of the hospital for private patients who have plenty of dough. Congratulations to Wilfrid, 28 on May 21, and Gus, 20 on May 10.