One really bad aspect of out time in Dalhart was the terrific number of fatal glider accidents, due to the extreme weather conditions, especially the 80 mile an hour winds which came up without warning sometime. Some of the men would occationally say, "Wom, I"ll be glad to get overseas in the fighting, where it's safer than in this place." Well, graduation day arrived, at last, and something happened that I'd not dared to hope for. Instead of Walter being sent overseas, and me wending my way back to Calif., he was made an instructor. Eleven, out of a class of sixty six, were chosen, and even though we knew how hazardous that job could be, it meant we could be together, instead of being separated by one of the oceans. The accidents in the field became more numerous as the weather worsened, and one day we were notified that all personnel was being transferred a little over two hundred miles south, to Lubbock, Texas. Walter had to ferry one of the gliders, so I hurriedly hitched a ride with Dorothy and Stan Prestwich, with instructions to meet Walter at a certain hotel in Lubbock that night. As we entered the town I was sure I'd been transported to Heaven, for it was apparent that there was, at least, a chance of locating something to live in comfortably, for a change. Next day we found an apt. over a garage, which we lived in for not much more than a month, until one day I discovered a really nice brick house. One of the two bedrooms was locked up, as it contained some personal effects of the Navy couple, who were the owners, who were stationed in San Fransisco. The rent was just $ 45, less than the $ 75 most of our friends were paying. And, there we were to stay for just over two years. I'd gone home to get our car soon after arriving in Lubbock, so we now had a much more normal life, at last. In fact, life became so normal and right that we acquired a little collie pup to raise, and started thinking about the possibility of having a baby. We still felt that Walter would be going overseas eventually, and had to face the fact that there was a chance he might not return. Would it be wise to have a child I might have to raise alone? After thinking it over I decided that no matter what happened I wanted someone, besides myself, to think about, and care for if he did go overseas. The days, and nights, wouldn't be as lonely while he was gone, so the pros seemed to outweigh the cons. And soon I was pregnant and both of us were thrilled beyond words. One night, when Walter was flying with two of his students, they crash landed into a roofless building called the glider barn. Both wings were torn off as they hit the outside wall, and a 2 by 4 board came through the windshield causing a large gash in Walter's scalp, plus a piece of the plexiglass struck him in the eye. Also, both ankles were bent backwards under the seat causing severe sprains. One of the students had a broken ankle and the other sustained a broken finger, and the glider was a total loss. The accident happened about 2 a.m., but Walter wouldn't let anyone call me at that hour; instead, next morning about 7 a.m., when he would ordinarily be returning home, he had some hospital orderlies carry him to a phone, so he could call himself. He made it sound as if the accident was pretty minor, and the only reason he was in the hospital was to be checked over, and to give the army doctors something to do. The sight that greeted me when I went out to see him was rather a shock; eyes black and blue, terrible looking sewed up gash on his head, and the most painful for him was his legs. They were black, blue, green, and yellow from the ankles to his thighs and he couldn't even stand the weight of a sheet on them. He stayed in the hospital for a week and was on crutches for about two months. It was sometime, during this period, that I started to threaten to have the baby early. Then at the 7 1/2 month mark, it happened. When I arrived at the hospital at 9 o'clock a student nurse put me to bed, gave me a shot of something, and told Walter to go on home as I'd be sleeping the rest of the night. Sometime during the night I'd awakened with labor pains, so called the nurse to inform her. She again gave me a shot that put me to sleep again, and the next thing I knew was opening my eyes with Walter sitting by my bed (February 24, 1944) telling me I'd had a black-haired baby girl! I couldn't believe it until I lifted up the covers to look at my deflated tummy. He then informed me that the baby wasn't doing too well and he would be giving her a blood transfusion soon.