ROLAND F. PINKE Correspondence

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: Biography – Staff
Roland F. Pinke Correspondence

ROLAND F. PINKE CORRESPONDENCE
Teacher 1940 – 1946

TAGS: Roland F. Pinke correspondence, teachers, teaching contract, William D. Webb, mechanics students, gifts, Wombwell Automotive Parts Company, Thanksgiving

CONTENTS: Roland F. Pinke Correspondence

[Note: Letters from PMSS staff are carbon copies, typewritten, unsigned and meant for the Office files. Mr. Pinke’s letters are handwritten.]

1940

001 April 29, 1940. To Mr. Pinkey (sic), Pine Mountain, KY, from “Secretary to Mr. Morris.” Asks if he could use any used clothing in his program.

1943

002 July 21, 1943. To Mr. Pinke from [unsigned] “Principal,” informing him “that the Appointments Committee of our Board of Trustees has approved our arrangement to employ you for teaching auto-mechanics.” Encloses agreement to be signed; offers course outlines.

003 July 21, 1943. To Mr. Pinke from Wm. D. Webb, Acting Director, on PMSS letterhead. Contract: The Board of Trustees authorizes Webb’s to employ Pinke as a Mechanics teacher for the school year 1943-44 for 4 hours a week at $2.00 an hour. Signed by Roland F. Pinke and Evelyn K. Wells, Chairman of the Personnel Committee.

004 July 27, 1943. Handwritten letter to Mr. [Arthur W.] Dodd from Mr. Pinke in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Enclosing the two signed contracts; returning to Pine Mountain after August 15.

1944

005 February 26, 1944. To “Dear Ones All” (Notation in different handwriting: “Webbs”) from Roland. Asks questions about the board meeting, Miss [Alice] Cobb and the mechanics class. “I sure miss the school and also the students.”

006 March 1, 1944. To Pinke in Milwaukee, WI, from [unsigned], who writes about the rain, causing Mr. [William] Hayes to tie the bridges in case of flooding. Mr. [James S.] Crutchfield, Miss Wells and Mrs. [Dorothy Olcott] Elsmith will attend the Board Meeting at Berea or Lexington. Tells about the tool crib “remodelling” and the students’ work on the truck wheels and diesel engine in the light plant.

007 December 21, 1944. To “Sirs” from Pinke at Pine Mt., KY, who encloses a $5.00 check for “the progress and promotion of the school in helping these mt. children obtain a richer and fuller life in things both educational and spiritual.”

1945

008 January 8, 1945. To Pinke, Pine Mt., KY, from H.R.S. Benjamin, thanking him for the gift.

009 February 22, 1945. To Pinke from H.R.S. Benjamin, chastising Pinke for using “Wombwells” school account for personal needs.

010-010c February 23, 1945. Four-page letter to Mr. Benjamin from Pinke, who [010] was “hurt and disturbed over your harsh letter to me on February 22, 1945, concerning the buying and ordering of automobile parts from Wombwells at Harlan, Ky.” Pinke explains the situation [010a] in detail that led to his purchases, beginning with permissions from [Glyn] Morris, Webb and Benjamin [010b] to pay for all purchases in cash. Any bills to the school were a mistake on the part of the store’s bookkeeping. [010c] He will visit Wombwells’s to “straighten out …our relationship or account.” Thanks Benjamin for the permission and apologizes for the misunderstanding.

011 March 2, 1945. To “Gentlemen” at PMSS from “Wombwell Automotive Parts Company” in Lexington on their letterhead. The two bills in question have been paid. It is not recorded who the purchaser was, but Mr. Edwards at Harlan may have that information.

012 March 6, 1945. To Pinke from [unsigned, likely Benjamin]. After investigating the situation at the Harlan and Lexington stores, the School has received bills again from Lexington for goods purchased by Pinke. The writer lists the results of the investigation: That, even though Pinke paid in cash, the company thought he represented the School and therefore sent the invoices to the School, showing the paid amounts. Pinke is asked to “clear this with them” so that papers are in proper order for the auditor. Regrets misjudging Pinke but trusts he understands how this happened and why it must be investigated.

013 November 27, 1945. To Pinke from Benjamin, inviting Pinke to Thanksgiving dinner, with a puppet show in the afternoon and the “peasant party” in the evening.

014 N.D. To Pinke from Benjamin, inviting Pinke to Chapel, then Thanksgiving dinner.

1946

015 November 13, 1946. To Benjamin from Pinke. In response to Benjamin’s letter, Pinke agrees to “assist you in the service by reading the Scripture that you will choose.” Will be at PMSS for Thanksgiving; thanks Benjamin for his invitation “to take part in the service and also for dinner.”