Corporal Lawrence “Larry” Spencer married Ms. Barbara Kelley in 1950, and remained married to her for 62 years until he passed away! [1] But, he was a bachelor during his service in the military.  And he enjoyed his leave, and a large portion of his diary is devoted to the women who left an impact on his life.  There appears to be a couple of pages torn from the journal, but the ladies that remain are listed below….

Miss June Levert of Elmira, New York is the featured first lady, described by Larry as:

“A brownette, eyes are brown I think, age about eighteen, height about 5’6”.  One could say ‘pleasingly plump’ but only in the right places!

“A nice kid always ready for fun- Smokes, likes a drink once in awhile – Likes parties, dancing, enjoys most sports.  Not the flirt – will stick by you!  Liked to go hunting, hiking with me, unusual for a girl!  Still on speaking terms—”

Miss Levert was likely the source of the inscription in his journal:

“Oddles of love, darling.  Sometimes when you’re far away take a glance back here and then – remember!!”

Yours,
June

Miss Madeline Cole, also of Elmira, was described by Larry on the following page:

“Blonde, green eyes, rather hot tempered – always shopping around!  About nineteen, height 5’4” or so – Nice figure – so nice in fact seems to give on ethe idea that its mostly illusion –

“Hobbies as far as I could see were men, in number!  Way too fast for me – Never knew wether she would be with you five minutes from now – Or chasing some other girls “steady” just for meanness!”

Larry described Miss Roxanne Tanner of Elmira:

“Blonde, green eyes—Wonderful personality – About twenty – Height about 5’6”, Damn nice figure!  Nothing false about “Roxie.”  The first time I held her in my arms I found that out, Nothing missing, she’s all there.

“More of the ‘Social Butterfly’ than most girls I’ve known.  I did like Roxie a lot – she did enjoy hunting and outdoor sports – Her social life finally came between!”

Miss Wanda Beers was the last lady listed for Elmira:

“Brunette, dark eyes.  Age about twenty-one, height 5’8”.  Some might say rather plump – but shall we say only in the right places.

“First met Wanda through “Bea.”  Had a spat with Bea, started going  was strictly re-bound all the way – Went back to Bea when we broke up – Last time I saw Wanda she was getting around pretty fast –”

Larry’s paramours in New York were not confined to Elmira alone.  He described Miss Ruth Leonard of Lake Placid:

“Ah, here’s a sweet little sweetheart!  Age twenty-two, Dark hair, blue eyes.  Small dainty, with a doll like face and wonderful figure – I remember her voice – soft, husky – got under my skin.  A swell person, really liked her quite a bit, more than I realized.

“Used to pick her up after work at Eleven, never got in until the wee hours of the morning.  Older than I, always a bit slow – Afraid she was really playing around.  Joined the W.A.C. in 1944 –”

There are five additional pages of photos of other women, whose photos are featured below.  Only one is named.

Miss Mary Jane Baird, Saint Louis Missouri.

One page of the diary is devoted to a Pass near Christmas, which permitted Corporal Spencer to take a short vacation from his military duties from “0600 15 Dec 45 to 0600 18 Dec 45.”  Larry describes this adventure:

“Had a swell time on this pass – Hitch-hiked almost 300 miles to get up to Fresno but it was really worth it!  Saw all the old gang again – went out with them and had a swell time.  Got my .45 Colt SA.  Carried it in my belt right past the guard on Main Gate!”

There are several entries in the diary, which contribute to a picture of Larry Spencer’s adventures out of uniform.

The Goodwins of Hollywood decal

A handwritten note “Some Japanese currency given to me on a train bound for Chicago, January 1945, by a very friendly Chief Petty Officer just back from the South Pacific.”  Sadly, the Japanese currency appears to have been torn from the glue in the diary.

The last entry I will write about is a souvenir from a crashed aircraft, which led my research to Part 3 – The Crash!

SOURCES:

1.)  “Obituary, Spencer, Lawrence T. of Pine City, NY.”  Star-Gazette.  Elmira, NY.  February 23, 2021.  Pg. 4