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A new acquaintance
202 St. Edward's Hall
University of Notre Dame
South Bend, Indiana
The O'Farrell Family
12 Lowell Road
Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts
January 28, 1937
Dear Mom, Dad, and siblings,
I apologize in advance for not writing separate letters to every one of you. I trust that you'll forward my letter to Mary Kate, and hopefully she will send it on to Beth.
It is almost impossible to believe I'm already beginning my final semester at Notre Dame. I realize that at one point it probably seemed to you quite unlikely that I would ever be on schedule to graduate. When I nearly lost the opportunity to participate in sports, I realized how important it is to keep up my studies. Mom's accident also forced me to grow up and to start acting more like a man. I have had a wonderful opportunity to receive a top-flight education, which will prepare me for any career I might choose.
When I returned to school, I found three more letters from professional football teams in my mailbox. The Detroit Lions' general manager has now written to me three times, and it appears that they are very eager to sign me to a contract. I wrote back, and politely told them that I would like to think about my options a little longer before I make any sort of binding commitment. Right now I am still a student at the University of Notre Dame, and I would like very much to focus my attentions on all that entails for now.
I enjoyed myself very much this past weekend. Johnny Kelly, who played end for our freshman team this fall, lives down the hall from me. I get along with Johnny very well, and we often have dinner together in our dining hall. He had a visitor this weekend, a friend who is an athlete at the University of Iowa whose name is Nile Kinnick. Johnny has relatives in Omaha, where Nile went to high school, and they've been friends for several years now.
Johnny's girlfriend Barbara arranged a date for Nile with one of her friends, and they went out to dinner with Nancy and me. We all had a great time, and I told Nile that I would do my best to make it up to Iowa to watch him play next football season. He plays baseball, and unlike me, he also plays freshman basketball for the Hawkeyes. I'm not sure how he manages to find the time for three sports; it's been a challenge--albeit an exciting one--for me to manage playing two.
I should probably stop writing now, because I have a lot of work left to do to prepare for tomorrow's classes. I hope my letter finds everyone well, and that it finally finds its way to all of you.
Love, your son and brother,
Mike
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