52 Ancestors In 52 Weeks: Trains

Spring, 1946 Topeka, Kansas

Am I crazy? Have I thought this all through? Am I certain that my decision is what I want? Will it all work out according to my dreams of a future?

Well, my folks think I am gambling on a promise. They do not like that I am moving from the land that I know to the unknowns of a large bustling city across the country. My wartime roommates think it is romantic. We all had jobs at the State Capitol. My gal pals Marge, Maxine, Edith, and Phyllis are all planning to meet their guys back from the war right here in Topeka as they plan their new lives together. Me…I am headed to Washington, D.C., to a secretarial job with the Department of the Navy. I will be living in a women’s apartment building with other gals working for the government. There, I will meet Eddie, who has taken a job with the Signal Corps.

In Topeka three years ago at a dance at the American Legion, I met Private Edward Slabik who was in training before he would be shipped out. We saw each other several times, and we had written back and forth during his time in combat in the Pacific Theater. Those letters contained many dreams and plans. Would all these words and promises come true?

So, all on my own, I planned how to get from Topeka to Washington by train. I had memorized the places I will switch trains. I have packed and unpacked my one suitcase. Finally, I have gotten my folks’ blessing. I will be leaving tomorrow…21 year old me as I am ready to meet my destiny. May God be with me.

~Merna Mae Storer

Note: Merna Mae is my mother. She claims she knew my dad for five days before he left for war. My dad claims they knew each other for two whole weeks. They married in Spring, 1947. They would be together for the next 60 years.