Bernice, March 23, 1936 – News Update on the Pan American

                                                                                                        March 23, 1936
                                                                                                           At Home

Dearest King.

        Guess you think I’m pretty good for not writing you sooner than I have but have been kinda busy. And  I don’t like to write letters very well so just kept putting it off from day to day. I got the letter you mailed me on board also the one after you got there.  And the one that was sent on the Clipper, thanks a lot.  I’ll put the stamps in my stamp book.

        Well guess I’ll tell you about the girls.  Henry fired Marjorie right after you left and gave Thelma her job so Marjorie went back to Ponca City.  And Thelma only stayed about a month and she went to Colorado, so Jean took Thelma’s hours & she isn’t on the counter anymore.  A girl by the name of Lucille is counter girl.  Leatha & I are still working mornings, Gladys afternoons and Peggy relief.  And Vera Fellows short hours.  Sammie quit and went to Arkansas so have a new night girl named Ruth.  And Henry fired Lula last week so now we have three new girls.

        Mrs. [Jessie] Newman said she wrote you a letter the other day and Peggy put one in for you.  Billie said she was going to write you real soon.

        Thanks a lot for the pictures; they were very good only you looked kinda sick.

        Paul Hoag over at Weigands Coffee Co. told me to write and tell you to send him some of those pictures.

        Everyone sure does miss you and everyday someone asks about you and everyone wants you to come back.  And all the girls sure miss you and hope you get back soon since seems different with Henry for the boss.  So hurry and come back.  When do you plan on coming back?  I sent you some papers and I’m sending you some more.  You know Carrie’s husband Gus he got married last Saturday to a girl I know.  Carrie still has the hamburger stand.

        Jean’s husband got out at Hutchinson two weeks ago and is here now.  Susie’s (Chop Suey) little boy is here now.  He is a smart little boy don’t take him very long to learn.

        Leatha is going to quit next month she is  

(bow soon?  lonesome?) you know what I mean?

        Hoping to hear from you soon and often.

                                                                                                        Your friend
                                                                                                           Bernice

P.S. We are having one of those terrible dust storms here now.  The girls basketball tournament is here now but we didn’t get any of them.

                                                                                           [King’s note: arrived April 20, 1936]

Feb 1936 - E G Taggard - Jimmie with Topeka Cafe

I've copied this letter to King from E.G. Taggard since it was typed and legible.   He mentioned a Jimmie and Henry in Topeka.  Were they with the China Inn?  I remember at least one trip to Topeka with the family (maybe before the Kansas Turnpike was built) and Diane Ma says there's definitely a connection.  I like the mention of the White Horse Scotch.

1936: W.H. Brimm, oilman, The Forum & basketball

Interesting letter.  Handwritten letters seem short when typed out but this is a typical three pager on stationery from The Bales in Plainville, Kansas.  Google searching W.H. Brimm bought up an obituary that identified him as a successful independent oilman.  The original letter is included below; Mr. Brimm's handwriting was tough to read.   

The Holly Cafe was managed by Sam Joe Mar, years before my Dad (Chin Wee) took over.

I wonder if Joan, the basketball player was part of the women's Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball scene.  AAU basketball was big around the country before the invention of the NBA and the WNBA.

The 1935 final women's AAU competition in Wichita drew big crowd and thirty-two teams, mostly from the Midwest.  In 1934, the Wichita Thurstons (a local clothing department store) played Lambuth College (Jackson, Tenn.) in an exhibition game experimenting with the rules for full court offense.

The tournament in Wichita in 1936, the new rule was added to allow a roving guard which changed the old style game of offensive players and defensive players required to stay on their half of the court (except for the center who could go all over the court).  Unlike the men's game, there wasn't much movement.  With the rover rule, introduced in Wichita in 1936 with the one guard permitted to cross the center line, the game added full-court transition and the potential for fast-break offense.

The Forum in downtown Wichita and a block away from The Holly Cafe was most likely the venue for the games.  As Ken reminds me, the Forum is where he and I sang in a multi-church choir for a community Easter service for a number of years.  It was there I saw circuses and at least one AAU men's basketball game.

Well, with a little deeper digging, this letter led to a little more of Wichita history.

If you want to see the old game of women's basketball, check out Granny Basketball.  Dee and I saw the tournament here in Lawrence, KS. in 2019.

- - - - - - - - -

Here's the letter:

W. H. Brimm
1859 So. Moston
Tulsa, Okla. U.S.A.                                                                   2-9-36

Mr Mah King – Canton China

Dear King –                                          [handwriting was tough to read, see original]

Was in Wichita yesterday had some meals in your place – also had a meal in the Holly [Cafe] & that is where I got your address from your cousin. I didn’t get to see you before you left for home, but intended to. But as you know, been quite busy with my well at Albert Kan. as well as the one here at Plainville & will start one at Albert & two here, just as soon as the weather warms up a little.  We had a real storm here the past two days. The folks are fine & hope you are having a nice time with your mother & all your people.

Joan sprained her ankle playing basketball & it was so bad we had to put her on a pair of crutches.  Will be pleased to hear from you King.  Things seem to be going all OK in your place of business.  No doubt the boys sent you the Wichita paper so you can keep up with all what is going on here in Kan. We might elect our present Governor to replace our present Pres. at Washington  - let us hope so at least. This is just a note with best wishes.

                                                                                                        Yours truly
                                                                                                        W.H. Brimms
                                                                                                        1859 So. Moston
                                                                                                        Tulsa Okla

date unknown

from the Kansas City Times, Jan 4, 1957

A good source on the history of women's basketball
before the growth and expansion
eventually to the NCAA and WNBA

Feb 24, 1936 - Mrs. Geo. H. Lawrence – missing King, tractor show

                                                                                                        February 24, 1936

Hello King ­–

                How are you way in China? Well I hope  - and enjoying yourself.  Glad you arrived safely and that you got there in time to celebrate New Year, was a sort of a homecoming for you.  Expect they were all very glad to see you again, and so fat. Yes I rather think the trip was tiresome and was glad when you could stop on land again.  We had lots of cold weather, but it has warmed up again.  Made business rather slow, but since it has warmed up expect to see it pick up.  Tomorrow the tractor show starts and that brings lots of people in.  It must of seemed nice to not have to wear a overcoat.  We almost had a sand storm here yesterday, they said it was coming from Texas. I certainly do not like sand storms.  Everything seems to be OK at your cafe.  Saw Peggy yesterday.  I asked her how she was getting along. She said alright.  Only they miss King, guess that means you, she said they would all be glad when you come back.  So you see how much they miss you but don’t you worry about that just forget the place back here and enjoy yourself.  Glad to have heard from you.  We are all well here and hope that you are enjoying best of health and keep out of the army.

        With kind regards and best wishes, I remain

                                                                                                        Mrs. Geo. H. Lawrence

King Mar, avid photography hobbyist

Besides posting the letters from a folder of King's, I also have his old slide projector which had storage for slides.  I'm sharing a few of the photos. King had trophies displayed at the Pan American Cafe from his winning photos from the annual Shutterbug Field Days in Wichita.  The Patricia Stevens Beauty School provided the models for the photographers.  Lots of guys with cameras at Riverside Park.

Here's the slide projector:

The photo on the screen was the original photo
with the almost all the color faded, so this photo
is copied below in black and white

I've included a few photos from the storage trays.

Donna, one of the long-time waitresses at Pan American

Julian and Ruth MarDock, probably at the old
Wichita Airport. The colors had faded so much
I made it black and white.

King on a hunting trip; doesn't look
like it's in Kansas

That hunting trip looked like it was with Esther
and friends/relatives.  Esther worked at the
Pan American Cafe

King seemed to always wear a business suit,
even when fishing

Lucille MarDock, King's Tyler, Texas cousin

Robert Mar  with his bicycle and the boys;
that's me on the bike.

Sam Joe Mar's Family
MuMu, BokBok, Marvin, Robert,
Han S., Wong Shee, Sam Joe
(Thanks to Arthur Mah for identifying Marvin for me - Mar 2022)

Our house on 350 N. Topeka (Wichita)

Me with Kenneth at Riverside Park, ~ 1953

There weren't any slides from any Shutterbug Field Days, but here are photos from a CD that Kim had digitized many of King's printed black and white photos.  These are dancers from the ballet school in Wichita in 1952. I wonder if the opportunity to photograph dancers was an event for amateur photographers. Or King happened to have a collection of photos of dancers and they're not even his photos,