Notes Home

 The above photo was taken at Ralph's "Going in the Army" party in February 1967

 Quincy, Massachusetts is where Ralph called home. Where family and friends lived. This page will take excerpts from his letters where he wrote notes about "home" and on this page you will find photos of Ralph growing up with his family and friends.

 The Family Home

 ~15 Mar 68 - "Say hi to Rich + Barb and everyone." 

Post Card to Ralph's good friend Jerry Mulvey!

~17 Mar 68 - "P.S. Say hi to everyone and tell the Bianchini's I couldn't see Fred." 

~19 Mar 68 - "How's everything back there? ...Well I'll be writing again soon so till then say hello to everyone. Bye for now. ...P.S. I'm having $300 a month put into a savings program which gets 10% annually and the balance will be sent to you and I'm getting about 35.00 a month for myself."  

~27 Mar 68 - "How's everything back there? The mail situation here isn't too good because I haven't gotten any yet. ...Well I'll be saying bye for now so say hello to everyone." 

~29 Mar 68  - "...still haven't gotten any yet, the mail system is really messed up. I probably won't get any for another week. ...Say hello to everyone." 

 ~1 April 68 - "The mail situation is still pretty bad. I still haven't gotten any. ...I was talking to Bob Witt yesterday and he hasn't received any either. ...P.S. Tell Dad there are a lot of seabees around here and we always give them a lot of trouble." 

~3 April 68 - "I received your first letter today. Marie says that she's doing well in school and says she got all S's and that Nancy got a couple of G's. That's not too bad. ...P.S. Say hello to everyone for me." 

 ~5 April 68 - "I was waiting to hear whether or not you received the pajamas. Actually they aren't pajamas but I doubt the girls would want them for anything else. ...The letter I got from the mayor was a congratulations for graduating from flight school. Say hello to everyone. ...P.S. Glad you got to meet Mrs. Mulvey. Say hi to the Walsh's." 

 Patterns and Buttons from the Pajama's that Ralph Sent Home!

Interpretation Courtesy of Nga Seeg

~7 April 68 - "I'm supposed to be paid the middle of the month now and let me know when they send you anything. You'll probably only get about $100 a month because I've got more money going in that 10% program. When you do get it you can have $50 of it a month." 

~8 April 68 - "I hope the Sox snap out of it before the season starts. I heard Tony C. has eye trouble now so things don't look too good. The Joys sent me a couple of Hockey news so I'm pretty well up on the Bruins. It would be nice if they could take the Stanley Cup. Geraldine and her friends I guess are pretty lucky, you don't hear that much about the steering system going like that. ...Say hello to all. ...P.S. I got mail from Gerard Golden + Jerry M. and the O'Sullivans today." 

~9 April 68 - "I read that the Celtics beat the 76's in the first game of the playoff. I hope they can keep it up. ...So say hello to all." 

~13 April 68 - "I received your Easter card and the letters from the girls. I didn't even know that Easter was coming until Mrs. Mulvey + Mrs. Bianchini sent me cards a couple of days ago. ...so say hello to everyone and thanks for the card and Hope you had a good Easter." 

~16 April 68 - "All last week I kept thinking that something was coming up but I couldn't remember what it was and then I got a letter from the Blaney's that said they had been over the house and had celebrated your anniversary then I remembered so although its late "Happy Anniversary."      

~20 April 68 - "...Oh, tell Dad that the seabees are all right. " 

~26 April 68 - "...I got a card from Barb + Renee...also heard from Freddy."  

~28 April 68 - "It seems to me that it's a little early for the stripers but I guess not. You'll have to keep me up on the fishing. ...tell Nancy + Marie that I'll keep my nose on the horizon and my belt buckled." 

 ~1 May 68 - "I got a letter from the Blaney's today and they tell me of the good time the kids had at the cottage."

~4 May 68 - "Well I'm glad you finally received some of my pay. I'll sign that card for the bank and make sure you take out the money I told you you could have every month. Also take out enough to buy a super 8 projector so you can look at the film I send home. ...I heard from Fred and Steve. ... are all well. I sent a letter to Fr. Galvin but today I got a sunday missile (the small paper one) and he addressed it to Alabama, Call and ask if he ever got my letter. ..Well say hello to Barb + Dick and Rob if you see him and tell Gerry I hope she had fun at her prom. Send a few pictures of the boat. ...P.S. Dad, take some of the money and have a trailer hitch put on your car. Don't take it out of the $50 I'm giving you and Ma each month. Take it out separate. I really hope you + Mom + the kids use the boat this summer. You should take Bud or Dan to go along and then you wouldn't have any trouble." 

~9 May 68 - "I received a letter from Jerry Walsh a couple of days ago and I also got another from Fred the same day. Fred was promoted by one grade from PFC to Spec. 4. ...Say hello to everyone and Bob Witt says hello." 

~12 May 68 - "I'm sure that Steve (Carlson) will be glad to get some cookies because he always has liked them. I've heard from Steve a few times, the last time being just a few days ago. ...I've been reading the Stars + Stripes and they're got a good sports column so I read about the Celtics, they are pretty good for their age. Too bad the Sox aren't doing so well but it is still early." 

~16 May 68 - "Yesterday I heard from Bob Vinson and he's doing pretty well. He says he's flying more now. ...P.S. tell Marie I got her letter." 

~18 May 68 - "Tell Dick I'll write him soon I got his letter today. ...P.S. Sorry I missed Ma's birthday and mothers day and your anniversary and Barb + Dick's anniversary. So happy birthday Mom and happy Mother's day and happy anniversary. Tell Barb + Dick I said happy anniversary to them too. I got Nancy's letter, say hi to her." 

~22 May 68 - "...received two copies of the Globe. There is no return address on them so I won't know who to write until I get one. Speaking of addresses, I wish you would send me Bob Vinson's and Steve Carlson's address again because they were lost in the fire. ...Well it's good that Barb + Dick finally got an apartment. I think I know the house your talking about. It's hard to believe that story about Richard saving that girl and the man not saying anything, but I guess some people are like that. I'm glad that you've decided to use the boat this summer. I don't know what your nervous about. I haven't written to Uncle Pat because I never had his address so maybe you should send it. ...tell Marie that I got her letter. ...P.S. I heard from Fred also and I guess he should be home now." 

~25 May 68 - "So the stripers are finally running over the hummocks again, well I hope that you have some this year. I can't remember the last time that you caught a fish. Oh yes I can. It was a few years ago out of Squantum the day we took Gerry in the little boat, one mackerel. ...Well it's good to hear that the Red Sox are moving up, maybe they will make a race of it now. Say hi to D.J. I hope he has some luck with his team." 

~31 May 68 - "I've been getting the globe pretty regular lately. ...it's good to read .... I'd write to whoever is sending the papers but I still don't know whether to write Dotty or a group of people. ...Well somehow I can always remember Marie's birthday so why don't you give her a couple or three dollars from my account for me and I'll write her a letter. It'll probably be a few days late."     

 ~2 June 68 - "I heard from Jerry Mulvey and he says that he is through with his finals at school and he should be getting out for the summer real soon. Jerry says that Gerard is going to work as a mate aboard one of the boats over the marina. Jerry is going to be a dock boy again this summer." 

  ~4 June 68 - "I received letters from Jerry Mulvey and Fred within the past few days and everything is okay with them." 

 ~8 June 68 - "Well today I received a couple of letters from Dad and one from Gerry. I got the pictures of the boat in one of the letters so thanks." 

 Ralph Sent One Letter Home on Company Stationary

 ~13 June 68 - "I got the pictures of the boat so they are hanging up. ...I was talking to Bob Witt the other day and he says hello and he's doing well." 

 Ralph and his Dad built this 15' powerboat in the garage!

 It had a varnished top with red sides!

~16 June 68 - "I received your letter about having the new sink in. Dad must have had a lot of work to do. I'd like to see a picture of it. ...so say hello to everyone for me and I'll write soon." 

~19 June 68 - "I heard from Fred today and I've been getting the paper quite a lot. ...I've read about the Sox and they don't seem to be doing too good lately but the seasons still young. ...It seems like Rich + Barb have been working on the apartment for a while. They shoould be done soon. How much fishing has Dick been doing lately with Rob and has Fred been along yet? ...I received Marie's and Nancy's letter. Tell Nancy congratulations and tell me what it was about." 

 ~27 June 68 - "I just looked on the calendar and I found out that I've missed father's day, well why break the record I've got going. I think I've missed everything but Marie's birthday. ...I hope Fred gets stationed at FT. Devans that would be pretty good for him. It's good to hear that Barb + Dick will be moving in to their new apartment soon. Well say hello to everyone. Bob Witt says hi." 

~29 June 68 - "I'm glad that the [trailer] wheels were finally greased I bet that they needed it bad. Tell Nancy I said thanks. We needed another [boat] drain I guess we should have done it before. ...Tell Horst I said hello it sounds like a pretty rough time he must have had. ...I'm surprised that the mackerel are in so early it always seemed that they were in around July before. I bet that Marie got a kick out of being on T.V. She's the type who would like it."

~2 July 68 - "I received a letter from the Blaney's today so say hello for me. Ask them if they got the letter I sent them. I heard from Gerard Golden yesterday and he's doing well except that his job over the marina is too inconsistent. He says he doesn't work too much. I hope the weather is good enough for you to use the boat on Dad's vacation. Fred must be pretty happy with being stationed in Boston. It'll be just like a civilian job for him now." 

~5 July 68 - "I received your letter today with the picture of the sink. It looks real good. Not bad for an amateur. ...I got Barbara's letter. I bet she is going to have a great time in Calif. San Francisco is really nice, disneyland will be something to see. Too bad the beach weather hasn't been too good. Good to hear that Barb and Dick finally got settled. Say hello to them for me and everyone else." 

~ 10 July 68 - "I received the letter that you sent with pictures. Dad is sure getting good with that thing. ...I'm glad Dad got a chance to go in the boat but I was hoping Ma would too. How come you didn't. ...I got a letter from Fred today and he's real happy about his banker's hours. I can see why. I hope Bob doesn't have to come over here again. I doubt he will. I've been to the dentist for a check up and he says I don't have any cavities, but thats hard to believe. I'm not doing bad as far as mail goes. I hear from Gerard + Jerry a lot and heard from Steve yesterday and he says thanks for the cookies and he thought they were great. He says he should be over here in November. Say hello to Barb + Dick + the Bianchini's and Joys and of course Babs + Dan and kids."                

~16 July 68 - "It's good to hear that your using the boat. Did Ma go out in it at all? I've heard from Fred recently and he is having a good time. ...Well say hi to the Blaney's and everyone for me."                  

 ~19 July 68 - "I've been receiving the pictures you've been sending and they have been coming out real good. ...I heard from Steve and he says he likes your cookies and he says he wants to come over here soon. I think he's crazy to want to come over here. Bob Vinson also wants to transfer to here. They've both got to be crazy. How are the Blaney's doing I never found out if they got my letter. Say hi to the B's and the Joys. Well I don't have much else so bye for now. Love Ralph"