https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes daily 0.75 2026-07-26 https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/curious-nancy monthly 0.5 2026-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/476b7e09-29df-4371-b1ce-ec329506a1e1/s2e5Picture1.png Show Notes - WWII Part II: Curious Nancy - “I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle” 1942 chart‑topper by Frank Loesser and Joseph J. Lilley https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/ddcadb2f-0521-48d0-aacc-d76256c1b042/Picture2.jpg Show Notes - WWII Part II: Curious Nancy - “I’ve Got Spurs That Jingle Jangle Jingle” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/a74683ca-8622-4315-b2ae-2f1e26d1a3b0/Picture3.jpg Show Notes - WWII Part II: Curious Nancy - Curious Nancy Kraffert . https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s2e4 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/d428b80f-852d-4b25-a0a8-3986dc258318/1Picture5.jpg Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - Brooklyn Eagle, December 9, 1941 Published the morning after New York’s air‑raid scare, this front page captures the city’s first hours of wartime anxiety. Sirens, false reports of approaching aircraft, and hurried civil‑defense mobilization left New Yorkers on edge as the nation adjusted to life after Pearl Harbor. The St. Regis Hotel in 1941 — Elegance with a Whisper of Espionage In 1941, the St. Regis Hotel was one of Manhattan’s most refined addresses, known for its marble lobby, polished service, and the famous King Cole Bar. But beneath the glamour, the hotel carried a quiet thread of wartime intrigue. Its owner, Vincent Astor, was not just a society figure — he was a close friend of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and had recently taken on a formal role in U.S. Navy intelligence. That appointment meant the St. Regis became an informal crossroads for early wartime information. Diplomats, foreign visitors, military officers, and well‑connected New Yorkers passed through the same lobby, often unaware of who else might be listening. Conversations over cocktails or dinner sometimes carried more weight than the speakers realized. The hotel’s atmosphere in the days after Pearl Harbor reflected this mix of luxury and quiet vigilance. Staff and guests felt the shock of the nation’s sudden entry into war, and the St. Regis — polished, calm, and discreet — became a place where society life and the earliest stirrings of America’s intelligence world briefly overlapped. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/9d876ce7-f868-4ba5-8501-c86df3884543/Picture6.jpg Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - King Cole Bar, St. Regis Hotel The legendary Maxfield Parrish mural presided over one of Manhattan’s most elegant gathering places in the early 1940s, a room where diplomats, actors, and society figures mixed beneath its luminous, whimsical glow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/17b45327-ffe4-44bc-b4ac-c4021a7eb44f/Picture8.jpg Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - Gloria Swanson, 1941 A poised wartime portrait capturing the elegance she carried into New York’s tense early days of World War II. Just weeks after Pearl Harbor, Swanson dined at the St. Regis during and air‑raid scare, a moment when glamour and uncertainty briefly shared the same room. Image Public Domain. Gloria Swanson, 1941 studio portrait. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/690918d2-1e76-470b-a920-a37253713a96/twoied-2.png Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - WWII Military Training in Miami Beach (“Camp Miami Beach”) During World War II, Miami Beach underwent a dramatic transformation as the U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Training Command took over nearly the entire resort city for military use. More than 300 hotels and apartment buildings were requisitioned or leased, turning the famous vacation destination into a major training center for airmen. By 1942, the military was operating out of almost all of the city’s 332 hotels, converting them into barracks, classrooms, mess halls, and administrative spaces. Soldiers slept in hotel rooms, drilled on the beaches, and attended technical instruction in ballrooms and lobbies that had been repurposed for wartime needs. The operation quickly became known as “Camp Miami Beach,” a nickname that captured both the scale of the mobilization and the surreal contrast between military discipline and the city’s glamorous backdrop. Some referred to it as “the most beautiful boot camp in America.” Scale of the Training Effort Nearly half a million servicemen trained in Miami Beach between 1942 and 1945. At peak capacity, about 78,000 soldiers were housed in hotel rooms at the same time. Well‑known figures — including Clark Gable, Hank Greenberg, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. — passed through the program. Using existing hotel infrastructure saved the government an estimated $6 million in construction costs. By the end of the war, one‑fourth of all Army Air Force officers and one‑fifth of all enlisted men had received training in Miami Beach. Sources & Notes Facts compiled from historical summaries, museum archives, and veteran accounts, including the Museum of Florida History and MiamiBeachVets.com. All information has been paraphrased for clarity and originality. Images courtesy of the U.S. Army Air Forces / National Archives (public domain). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/ee2fbfe4-a251-42d7-9a16-3ccde5f55cd6/24Picture3.jpg Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - Ben’s letters from the Wofford were brief, steady notes home describing the converted hotel barracks, early‑morning beach drills, gas‑mask training, and the everyday rhythm of Army Air Forces life during “Camp Miami Beach.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/570b1e93-252d-4d3e-aa84-6e119ffd3052/24Picture4.jpg Show Notes - Uncle Sam Calls…Again! - The Wofford Hotel in WWII The Wofford Hotel at 2400 Collins Avenue had a colorful past long before the Army Air Forces took it over during WWII. In the 1930s and early ’40s, it was known locally as a quiet hangout for small‑time gangsters and bookmakers, a place where back‑room deals mixed with Miami Beach sunshine. When the war began, the Wofford was swept into the city‑wide “Camp Miami Beach” mobilization and converted into housing and administrative space for incoming airmen. After decades of decline, the hotel was condemned in 1973 and demolished the following year; a condominium now stands where gangsters once schemed and soldiers once trained. https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s2e3 monthly 0.5 2026-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/1783276615535-5R3Z3EGI5KWY6JBMNZAL/unnamed+%281%29.png Show Notes - Storm Cloud Coming - "Aunt Fran's" Cabin in Titusville where Anne and Betsy stayed during their visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/b8cb2930-482d-4439-9a9f-a309b9156ec1/photooval.webp Show Notes - Storm Cloud Coming - College Graduation Photo of Anne Ford Melton from The Briar Patch 1924 yearbook. Left: Carolyn Flynn was Fleur's first college roommate! Sweet Briar Reunion Photo Shiney is second from the left and Fleur is fourth from the left https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/5cd27ff8-eb5b-4d4c-bf3a-99ae8173a2d7/unnamed.png Show Notes - Storm Cloud Coming - Photo of podcaster Doug Marconnet early in his career photo courtesy of Lori Hunter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/fa60dcf3-b1b1-484b-8443-423e78f99311/unnamed+%283%29.png Show Notes - Storm Cloud Coming - Cheers! Jitney Recipe as promised from Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/0f07a636-4e99-45c8-9377-f263aec71357/20260621_112701.jpg Show Notes - Storm Cloud Coming - Letter to Fleur from Shiney Jul '39 https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s2e2 monthly 0.5 2026-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/84667e2f-9a7a-4ff4-adc5-8af01343fcfe/Letters%2BBundle.webp Show Notes - The Mountain Trek - Photo: Kraffert Family Archives Shiney’s Dashes---(even on the envelope!) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/e9bcea27-6c8e-450d-8e0f-5f99b435b400/Screenshot%2B2026-06-14%2B150259.webp Show Notes - The Mountain Trek - Book: About the Lindbergh Kidnapping: The Sixteenth Rail by Adam J. Schrager https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s2e1 monthly 0.5 2026-07-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/1f037445-be59-41ab-95f1-5f24ab820f9c/Picture1.jpg Show Notes - The Sky’s the Limit - Photo: Pangborn & Herndon — First Nonstop Pacific Flight Links: ‍Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon, Jr.: First to Fly Nonstop Across the Pacific Make It A Double! — Pleasurable Pause Press https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e10 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/6103e667-b687-4f97-ac5f-34e112557bda/Dancing.webp Show Notes - Finding Fleur - Off the Wall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/f7e1df47-3bae-4aa6-a9c6-837d94c97cdf/Enduring%2BFriendships.webp Show Notes - Finding Fleur - Forever Friends https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/6a8f1821-a051-40d4-940b-7b6191cec558/Grandmothers%2BJournal.webp Show Notes - Finding Fleur - Grandmother’s Journal Florence’s simple entry about friendship https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e9 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/820767b0-183d-4b47-a23f-b918acf10b19/Anne%2Band%2BMaeve.webp Show Notes - The Descendants - Anne with Maeve McGuire Link to more about Maeve McGuire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/486bd5a3-ca25-48e7-894b-72644579ae6c/Kay%2BKlumpf.webp Show Notes - The Descendants - Kay Klumph Mother of Maeve McGuire https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/89bd3a0b-1dd4-450d-85bf-37dd3ee5cecb/Mountcastles.webp Show Notes - The Descendants - Anne and Matt with the Mountcastle’s Matt, Deanne, Frank, Anne and Anne https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/2a49f685-f101-46cd-a27e-7c3fc4d871d3/Klumpf%2BWedding.webp Show Notes - The Descendants - Kay Klumph’s Wedding https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e8 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7d1967ad-83c7-4b69-85fa-38f673dd10dd/Letters%2Band%2Bbox.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - Links Mentioned in Episode 8 New Yorker Cartoon (scroll down to find) Best Friends who saved all their letters to each other https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7c632b20-2220-4754-9954-4362412e7b58/Entertainment%2BJournal.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - Entertainment Journal Passed down from Louise to Florence to Nancy to Anne… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/cb12bca5-f7f9-4075-b5fa-c07339aeae5a/Louise%2BEntry.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - Journal Entry by Louise https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/a970c92d-22da-4fd7-b458-535a39f2ec45/Florence%2BEntry.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - Journal Entry by Florence https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/fa2fc38c-9a9b-4037-9dae-7969a04dcb39/Titusville%2BCook%2BBook.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - The Titusville Cook Book https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/17d9b956-efa3-4701-ab48-0c17aed0f06d/Sunshine%2BCake.webp Show Notes - Return the Coat - Sunshine Cake From the Titusville Cook Book https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e7 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7b07366e-b3b7-4252-a814-6e0420ccdf30/Cookies.webp Show Notes - Tea Set Blues - Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies Link to recipe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/379f911d-d13c-4c9d-82a3-728b221fe12a/The%2BFleurissimo.webp Show Notes - Tea Set Blues - Fleurissimo Link to recipe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/2a18d44f-7914-464d-a1f2-2e4ff0dcc989/Nancy%2Band%2BDickie.webp Show Notes - Tea Set Blues - Nancy and Dick https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/a6cfcc24-55f5-4528-af1b-2bd55de3fa64/Nancy.webp Show Notes - Tea Set Blues - Nancy https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/ephemera-surprise monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7c807c97-fde3-4f22-a9c3-fc39c3e17b01/Ephemera%2BSurprise.webp Show Notes - Stick to Pickling - Ephemera Surprise https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/8fb2453f-ddc9-4657-85c1-e1dd883680d5/Ephemera-Surprise.webp Show Notes - Stick to Pickling - Ephemera Surprise, Part 2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/96e69447-e466-4e22-a234-9c22e21941a4/Wedding%2BGuest%2BBook.webp Show Notes - Stick to Pickling - Wedding Guest Book https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/04010d0d-9b49-4b6a-ba96-cf797bcb721e/Wedding%2BAnnouncement.webp Show Notes - Stick to Pickling - Wedding Announcement https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/15789002-c05c-4190-8186-0caffac34d5b/Engagement%2BPhotos.webp Show Notes - Stick to Pickling - Engagement Photos https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e5 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/87a1865a-dea1-44b9-b220-07c494f32041/Yearbook%2BPhoto.webp Show Notes - All That is Shiney - Album Art Photo As it appeared in the Briar Patch yearbook https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/64fa95bb-f7d9-458a-acbe-345407a257be/Wedding%2BInvitation%2BBook.webp Show Notes - All That is Shiney - Florence’s Wedding Invitation Journal https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/d2851a00-5310-4db5-b474-96292e7aee04/Wedding%2BBook%2BPages.webp Show Notes - All That is Shiney - Invitation List Showing examples of Florence’s coding system https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/eb972261-3167-42f9-be1a-7037bb6c0793/Wedding%2BPhoto.webp Show Notes - All That is Shiney - The Wedding Party https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/e0a04e29-3879-40c0-943e-f2e73c03f957/Westgate%2BHome.webp Show Notes - All That is Shiney - The Westgate Home On the porch: Theodore, Lou, Florence, Mimi and Ted Westgate https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/blog-post-title-four-lr658-tcthp-wf5mw-zbnrf monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/ee1eeb16-9727-4494-917c-13309ce6b364/A%2BChatelaine.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - A Chatelaine (most likely Louise Westgate’s) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/3f39e886-9528-4ec4-90b6-0b118d0e7f98/Pageants%2Bby%2BLouise.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - Pageants by Louise Westgate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/65ad90d8-39b5-4f07-a501-352c1a73cdba/Louise%27s%2BProduction%2BNotes%2Bfor%2B_Hairdressings%2Band%2BHats_.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - Production Notes from “Hairdressings and Hats” A pageant by Louise Westgate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7aa996fe-d460-4f0e-b9b6-e674f97a5077/Louise%2BWestgate.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - Louise Westgate https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/a89690da-9d1b-4d49-a244-415ff53a6781/Westgate%2BFamily.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - The Westgates https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/60da2e06-a36e-411c-9973-6f9ce09a898c/A%2BShort%2BStory%2Bby%2BFlorence.webp Show Notes - Pickle Resolved - A Short Story by Florence https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/blog-post-title-three-y3peb-4lwnz-5pkhf-clbrc monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/5280e735-b798-4217-8fd0-001b7c45d065/Letter%2Bfrom%2BReggie.webp Show Notes - The Tryst - Letter from Reggie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/25745e6b-75d4-4a5a-aa82-dcae8f1f79ea/Letter%2Bfrom%2BReggie+%281%29.webp Show Notes - The Tryst - Letter from Reggie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/b3089662-be17-4997-ba06-97751650af20/Head%2BChaperone%2BMs.%2BMcLaws.webp Show Notes - The Tryst - Miss McLaws (aka “The Claw”) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/09f884bb-a207-4cda-a9b7-4ca22c97130c/Anne%2Band%2BFrank.webp Show Notes - The Tryst - Anne and Frank (Shiney’s son) https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/blog-post-title-two-t5my5-k4xmd-67jzh-275sn monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/11fd4a11-0a96-4d4a-bdab-c6aa5fed95ae/The%2BLetters.webp Show Notes - We’re Family Now - Letters to Florence https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/d4751ade-a9df-43e0-8cc6-b2c3ce9c6ce1/The%2Bletters.8.webp Show Notes - We’re Family Now - Anne and Betsy at the wall https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/30bd1ded-5d2e-466f-a9f3-9e9c99146e60/Letter%2Bfrom%2BDad+%281%29.webp Show Notes - We’re Family Now - Letter from Theodore Westgate to Florence https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/s1e1 monthly 0.5 2026-07-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/7df71bae-0ab5-4456-943d-5d06bdef9e35/Office.webp Show Notes - Arriving Sweet Briar - Letters in Anne and Betsy’s office Letters in Anne’s office https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/b3f52f6a-7d77-4d4c-b9c8-4a3258bd026b/Research%2BWall.webp Show Notes - Arriving Sweet Briar - Research wall in office https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/84667e2f-9a7a-4ff4-adc5-8af01343fcfe/Letters%2BBundle.webp Show Notes - Arriving Sweet Briar - Letters to Florence https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/5cab4688-32c7-476b-ae05-27d2b576a872/FF59F86E-2698-44B2-8EC3-5B8D0638434B.webp Show Notes - Arriving Sweet Briar - Meet Me at the Wall album art photo From left to right: Shiney, Florence, Byrd, Kay, Anne, Unidentified, Lily https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/6910b916-c6eb-4e7a-ae4b-0c761bcbbf50/Florence%2BJune%2BWestgate.webp Show Notes - Arriving Sweet Briar - Portrait of Florence June Westgate https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/shownotes/category/Season+1 monthly 0.5 https://www.meetmeatthewallpod.com/home daily 1.0 2026-07-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a2862074e64c048dd360522/381cb4c1-4966-4019-9d8a-b6ca494cadac/Letters%2BBundle.webp