l209 4th St. SE
Minneapolis. Minn. 55414
7-1-65 morning

Dear Robert,
          After several days of struggle trying to decipher your letters and get them off they are finally lying in the bottom of the mailbox on the corner. This first mailing cost $2.
          I will of course have to wait to mail this until I get your address.
          I enclose per your request the extra copies that were produced.
          May I suggest for further letters that you do a little more concise job of writing. There were too many details and not enough completeness in any of them. It is better if I may say so to pick one or two significant events and cover them completely so that we have a good picture rather than giving us a shot-gun scattering of images. I realize that this first one was not edited by you. I was able to make something of every line, sometimes reading between the lines. But there was one line () which I could not decode. I am sure I have made some mistakes in interpreting it, which you may want to correct in the next epistle.
          Yes, I did see Doug and Ruth and of course Kevin, Renee, and Donovan. We had a good two days together exploring along the Miss. and Minnehaha.
          Warren is getting a little more work with the Park Board this summer and Dad is paying him to paint the house. He also keeps very busy with girls. A couple were here from Duluth the other day. Doris one of them.
          I have been getting down to a little more studying than I was able to do at home. And I have been trying to get a summer program going, but things are not looking too good. We will have volleyball and hootnanny at Lake Harriet Church this Sunday. Most want a social program I fear.
          We have had wonderful weather here. It has barely been above 80. This is much nicer than Madison and even better than New York weatherwise. I suppose you are boiling in the Miss. summer.
          My room has a single window which looks out on a wall. This is not as nice a scene as I had in Madison but at least there are no distractions.

7-22-65
          I got your letter and clippings today. This is the first I have known your address. I guess Dad and Mom thought that you had written to me as well.
          I found the clippings interesting and will keep them for you.
          As you say most of the additional material you supply in notes is too old to be greatly interesting. I await a more thorough account of exactly what you are doing and where. I would guess from your passing references that you are teaching freedom school in Jackson. Perhaps it might even be best to hold off a second letter until the end of the summer, when you can look at the whole summer in retrospect. What remains is not so much news as a matter of interest in the way you spent your summer. I imagine you will be back at Wisc. for fall quarter. I will be in New York by the 8th of Sept.
          No, I did not attempt to get anything of your earlier news in the papers. Mom and Dad were very disturbed about your being arrested and did not want the family name spoiled. Also I did not think that the information you supplied was complete enough to say anything definite about what had gone on.
          Sorry for the mistakes in the first letter. See if you can make out what you did say in the notes, which I include at your request along with the extra copies of the letter.
          Mom and Dad are now in Canada on vacation.
          My summer group is reduced to Lake Harriet and Wesley Foundation basically but we have had as many as 20--for mostly recreation so far, but this Sunday we are going to have a discussion. I have also started a Theological Conversation group, including seminarians, pre-seminarians, and a few recent seminary graduates. We meet tonight.
          I am getting a bit of writing and reading done. The weather has been very nice. It is seldom over 80° and the humidity is low. This is much better than Madison last summer, but I understand it was hot here too. Today however, it is supposed to get up to 90 for the first time.
          Uncle Clifford will be visiting for 4 days in August.
          I haven't seen much of Warren sad to say since I moved here. Doris visited him secretly from Duluth and I guess he is dating pretty heavily because he complains about being limited to two nights a week by Mom and Dad. I guess he is alone at home now, but I have not heard how he is getting along. He is being paid by Dad to paint the trim on the house.
          I guess I will mail this now, before it gets too hot.
          I hope the next thing I put out for you will be carefully written and edited.

Yours,     
James


General letter from the Jackson fairgrounds compound by Robert W. Park
Letter to Wilford and Evelyn Park from Robert Park
Letter from Wilford E. Park
Back to Family Recollections