DIY History | Transcribe | Nile Kinnick Collection | Nile Kinnick's correspondence with his family, January-June 1939

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Nile Kinnick's correspondence with his family, January-June 1939

1939-01-14: Page 01

January 15,  1939
Dear SB.
Inasmuch as mother made a prompt reply to your letter of last
Sunday,  I have not hastened to add my answer, which is the same as hers.
I wish to say at the outset that if you choose not to continue in the
law that the supreme court will have lost an eminent pleader.    Even tho
wrapped in considerable rhetoric I find your arguments well defined and
practically unassailable.    More on the rhetoric later. Mother really was
somewhat concerned about the bank job.    For myself,  I could never make
any distinction, from my understanding of the processes by which the job
was evolved   Your letter makes it appear much more of a personal matter
with Williams, and of course his bank.    If that be true,  I can see less
reason to be concerned and more reason to be pleased.   Your arguments on
the underlying reasons are very satisfying to me and your entire letter
reflects a lofty, sane and supportable viewpoint, fully in harmony with
the best standards of this family and characteristic of your well reasoned
and mature conclusions.    But  on the other hand,   if for any reason there
appears need to make any change in your set-up, please bear in mind that
we can do so.    Our primary reason in writing you as we did was to assure you
that under no circumstances did we want you to find yourself in a position
where you wouldn't feel free to conduct your affairs exactly as you wanted
to; even to the point of saying, "Take your football team and go hang."
We agree that the actual situation of a showdown or even a difference of opinion,  probably will not and should not occur.    We appreciate
that there may very well be a mutual recognition and respect that will
preclude such situation.    As you say, Anderson's response in Chicago was
a natural and probably involuntary one, made without knowledge of the
person he referred to.  I liked tremendously your entire line of reasoning
on the problem.    I also liked where you said, "I anticipate becoming the
roughest, toughest all-around back yet to hit the conference." You added,
"That is a little strong,  of course -".    I don't think so.    I can't see
why you shouldn't, and Iowa too, have a grand year, with everything
fulfilled that you have hoped for.    What does O'Brien have that you haven't?
It will mean a tough spring session and a hard schedule next fall, but
nothing that every championship team doesn't go thru.    Prepare yourself
well in every way and go in to win.    One last year can makeup for two
poor ones because its the finish that counts,  and I hope it is a humdinger.
Now the rhetoric.    Your dictionary habit is one that you should
never allow to lapse and like everyother good thing needs to be exercised
to keep it in shape.    But when you get to writing business letters be sure
to use your knowledge of words to express in the simplest and most straight-forward manner possibly the message you wiah to carry, and then know when
to stop.    Knowledge of a good vocabulary should enable you to talk in
the language best understood by your correspondent, without repeating and
with the exact meaning necessary to an understanding.    In this last letter
of yours, there wasn't anything that I didn't understand and I think the
entire composition probably is one of the finest letters that you have
yet written, but I couldn't help contrasting it with the business letters
that pass over my desk, and I thought I would make some observations.
You said that you saw Jim Deehl at church in Des Moines.   Do
you mean Jim Diehl,  the real estate salesman and former Minnesota player
to whom I introduced you in the office?    If so,  I had no idea that he
was interested in CS.    Did you talk to him there, and did you meet Mrs.D?

Saving...

January 15, 1939 Dear SB. Inasmuch as mother made a prompt reply to your letter of last Sunday, I have not hastened to add my answer, which is the same as hers. I wish to say at the outset that if you choose not to continue in the law that the supreme court will have lost an eminent pleader. Even tho wrapped in considerable rhetoric I find your arguments well defined and practically unassailable. More on the rhetoric later. Mother really was somewhat concerned about the bank job. For myself, I could never make any distinction, from my understanding of the processes by which the job was evolved Your letter makes it appear much more of a personal matter with Williams, and of course his bank. If that be true, I can see less reason to be concerned and more reason to be pleased. Your arguments on the underlying reasons are very satisfying to me and your entire letter reflects a lofty, sane and supportable viewpoint, fully in harmony with the best standards of this family and characteristic of your well reasoned and mature conclusions. But on the other hand, if for any reason there appears need to make any change in your set-up, please bear in mind that we can do so. Our primary reason in writing you as we did was to assure you that under no circumstances did we want you to find yourself in a position where you wouldn't feel free to conduct your affairs exactly as you wanted to; even to the point of saying, "Take your football team and go hang." We agree that the actual situation of a showdown or even a difference of opinion, probably will not and should not occur. We appreciate that there may very well be a mutual recognition and respect that will preclude such situation. As you say, Anderson's response in Chicago was a natural and probably involuntary one, made without knowledge of the person he referred to. I liked tremendously your entire line of reasoning on the problem. I also liked where you said, "I anticipate becoming the roughest, toughest all-around back yet to hit the conference." You added, "That is a little strong, of course -". I don't think so. I can't see why you shouldn't, and Iowa too, have a grand year, with everything fulfilled that you have hoped for. What does O'Brien have that you haven't? It will mean a tough spring session and a hard schedule next fall, but nothing that every championship team doesn't go thru. Prepare yourself well in every way and go in to win. One last year can makeup for two poor ones because its the finish that counts, and I hope it is a humdinger. Now the rhetoric. Your dictionary habit is one that you should never allow to lapse and like everyother good thing needs to be exercised to keep it in shape. But when you get to writing business letters be sure to use your knowledge of words to express in the simplest and most straight-forward manner possibly the message you wiah to carry, and then know when to stop. Knowledge of a good vocabulary should enable you to talk in the language best understood by your correspondent, without repeating and with the exact meaning necessary to an understanding. In this last letter of yours, there wasn't anything that I didn't understand and I think the entire composition probably is one of the finest letters that you have yet written, but I couldn't help contrasting it with the business letters that pass over my desk, and I thought I would make some observations. You said that you saw Jim Deehl at church in Des Moines. Do you mean Jim Diehl, the real estate salesman and former Minnesota player to whom I introduced you in the office? If so, I had no idea that he was interested in CS. Did you talk to him there, and did you meet Mrs.D?