FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY

NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
FOR KANSAS

NEW ENGLAND BUILDING, TOPEKA, KANSAS

to wear a clean shirt and a necktie. This does not necessargly mean that
they wear a coat as some of the boys do not have suits.

For entertainment we usually sing songs at the table that rang all
the way from "Ive been working on the railroad" to "God bless America."
From all indications they enjoys this very much. One day about a month
ago I got the bright idea when I heard one of the boys plgying on his
trumpet to form a swing band. At the present time that im# is not only
an idea but a reality. You would be surprised to hear them. Some of them
have actually played in swing bands before and know something about how
to play. Before we could do much with the orchestra we had to have a
piano so by some short curves with the St=te Procurement office I bought
a dandy piano for us for only $30.00. Next we lacked only the piano
player,amusic and orchestra stands. I sent the ways and means committe
to Miss Laughlin and she donated $10.00 for music. The boys are building
the stands out of scrap lumber. One of the members of the band knew a
fellow in town who played the piano and who at one time had an orchestra
of his own. He consented to play and instruct the boys and also he had
several old orchestrations that he donated. That left the drummer without
any drums and the guitar player with out a guitar. The piano player is.
a pawn broker and he furnished them with their playing equiptment. Now
we have a bass fiddle player with out a bass fiddle and one of the boys
here has offered to make him a base fiddle out of a wash tub and a broom
stick. I don't know how it smm will sound but they will have a lot of fiun/

Because there is so much running back and forth I had to use my car
but that was running up a gasoline bil],,and a repair bill that would
make the war debt look small, I takked Miss Laughlin into giving me a
government car. The car will be here about Monday. I tried to talk her
into a raise in salary but could do nothing about that angle. However
she did promise that as soon as the buildings were completed and all
the construction and painting was done she would take care of me on
this matter. The project at Eskridge Kansas has been causing her non
to little worry and I think I picked about the worst time I could to
takk finances with her.

I almost forgot to mention that we have formed a basketball team.
The boys attend the church about two blocks away and have started to
play in the church league. I got the Ripley gym for them once a week
and work out with them if I have time. Some of the boys are faityy
good. If I find any likely prospects I will send tnem to K.U. but I
doubt if they are that good.

Here at the dormitory I eat, sleep, and play with the boys. I am
on duty 24 hours a day. Several night I have been called out of bed at
2;00 or 3:00 o'clock in the morning to take care of a sick boy. That is
all ina 24 hour days work. I think I will live thru it tho. If and when
I leave this job there isn't many jobs that I couldn't qualify for.

I am a doctor, an authority on Sheet Metal, Radio, photography, wood-
working, cooking, machine shop and welding, and all problems dealing