VERN HAUGLAND - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/19/1961 - HFSID 309897

VERN HAUGLAND
The reporter signs a letter to Barbara Norton, then head of the Public Relations department at the Sheraton-Park Hotel, thanking her for a parking permit at the hotel that was gifted to them.
Typed letter signed: "Vern", in blue ink, 1 page, 5½x7¼. Falls Church, Virgnia. January 19, 1961. In full: "Dear Barbara: I'm borrowing a bit of Tess's stationary to say thank you for the new Sheraton-Park parking permit. Since we go more often to your hotel than any other, this is a most useful benefit and we appreciate it very much. We also want to express our regrets at missing your annual party at the hotel, which we had planned to attend. My health was not good, and on Jan. 2 I went into the hospital for a hernia operation. It went so well that I was able to return home Jan. 9, and shall soon be able to get back to work. Thanks so much for your many kindnesses, Barbara. We hope 1961 will be a very wonderful year for you. Sincerely". Vern Haugland (1908-1984) was a reporter and writer, documenting much of World War II as it was occurring. He worked for the Associated Press for much of his reporting career, volunteering to be sent overseas to report as the war was developing. In 1942, while traveling over New Guinea, the B26 bomber plane Haugland was riding in ran out of fuel, forcing the crew and passengers to evacuate the plan, with Haugland becoming lost in the New Guinea jungle for 47 days. When he finally returned home, the reporter was awarded a silver star for his bravery, the first civilian to be awarded one. He returned back overseas after recovering to continue reporting on the war, until he was forced to return to America in 1946 due to illnesses. He would be transferred to the Associated Press's Washington Bureau in 1951 to cover aviation, a position he maintained until his retirement in 1973. Pencil note on top right corner. Fine condition.