On January 11, 2025, Peter received an email from Facebook with a link to a PDF his cousin Richard Drueke had put together about "a diary that my Grandma Drueke made on a trip to Florida in 1936. Probably more interesting to my cousins as some of our parents are mentioned in the letters."

Here is Richard's PDF: 1936 Florida Trip.

Richard introduces the diary as follows.

Will and Rose's 1936 Florida Trip with letters to "Tanta".

The trip combined business with pleasure with Grandpa Drueke making sales calls at various department stores and gift shops along the way.

By 1936, with the "reboot" of the Wm F. Drueke & Sons company now in it's fourth year, prosperity was beginning to take hold for the Drueke family. Daughter, Irene, was 28 and would marry Phil Cowan the next year on August 3rd. At this point, Irene was the only one of the kids that was not involved with the Drueke company. The others, Marian (27), Joe (25), Bill (23), Jane (21) and Rosemary (19) were involved with the Drueke Company in some capacity. Jane would be married the following year to Al Biggins and sister, Irene, would be tragically killed in an auto accident.

Following is a brief summary of Rose's diary.

Grand Rapids to Miami

Grand Rapids to Durham

On Monday morning, March 2, Rose took the 7:00 "Blue Goose" bus from Grand Rapids to Detroit, changing buses in Lansing. She arrived at noon and went to J. L. Hudson department store on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit to see her daughters Irene and Marian who were working there. Rose had dinner at the home of her cousin Otilia and husband Jack O'JHara. That night Rose stayed at the Tuller Hotel, where she caught the 8:00 bus next morning to Pittsburgh.

Rose stayed at the Fort Pitt Hotel in Pittsburgh, In the morning, she took an 7:30 bus to Washington, DC. Will met her at the station at 6:00 that evening.

They had dinner and stayed for the night at the Raleigh Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue, between the White House and the Capitol Building. Will spent the morning working. They met for lunch and then visted the Capitol Building, attending House and Senate sessions. After that they attended a session of new Supreme Court in its new 1935 building just east of the Capitol Building. At 3:30, they checked out of the Raleigh Hotel and went in Will's car to the White House front entrance. They drove along the Potomac River and went to Alexandria, Virginia, where Will "picked up a little business."

After dinner, they drove to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where they stayed for the night at The Stratford Hotel on Princess Anne Street (part of the The Kings Highway). In Fredericksburg, they saw James Monroe's law office, the old cemetery, the home of Washington's mother, and the original slave block where slaves were sold.

The next morning, they drove about 65 miles to Richmond, Virginia, where Will did some busines at the Miller & Rhoads store. Rose wore her bouclé knitted suit to meet the buyer. Will landed "a very good order there." From Richmond, they drove to Petersburg, stayed a couple hours, and went to to Durham, North Carolina.

In Durham, they stayed at the Washington Duke Hotel. The hotel and Duke University are named after the founder of the American Tobacco Company. The next day, after Will did some business in the morning, they drove around and saw the Chesterfield cigarette factory.

Durham to Miami

From Durham, they drove to Raleigh and then Fayetteville, North Carolina. They stayed overnight in Fayetteville. Next morning, March 8, they went to Sunday Mass in a small wooden church in Fayetteville. Rose does not give the name, but it was probably St. Patrick Church.

After Mass, they drove to Charleston, South Carolina. As they neared Charleston, they saw palm trees that looked like the ones they saw on their trip to California the year before. They went on to Savannah, Georgia, where they stayed for the night.

After lunch in Savannah, they were back on the road and finally reached Florida. They went on to Jacksonville. Will had business there. After dinner, they went on to St. Augustine.

They walked around the Old City in St. Augustine the night they arrived. The next morning before breakast, they went to the Fountain of Youth. After breakfast, they went to the Old Street (Aviles Street) and Fort Marion (the original name, Castillo de San Marcos, was restored in 1942). St. Augustine reminded Rose of San Antonio, which they visitedon their trip out West in 1935. They drove on to Daytona Beach, reaching there at noon.

After lunch in Daytona Beach, they drove their car out on the beach. Rose wanted to take some sand home with her, but Will said "No!" Will fell asleep, and Rose took some anyway. That night, they stayed at the Knox Hotel in Cocoa. The nest morning, they drove to Palm Beach.

They stayed for a few days at the El Cid Apartments in West Palm Beach, next to the Harpers, some fiends of theirs. The apartment was"cozy." The living room ad twin in-a-door beds, a gate leg table, and two straight chairs. The next morning, they went swimming at Palm Beach. They went to the dog races with the Noels, some friends of theirs, and visited their beantiful home in Palm Beach.

On Sunday March 16, they went to Mass at St. Edward Church in Palm Beach. That night, a violinist from the Boston Symphony was at a party they attended and gave a wonderful hour program.

The next day, Will had business in Palm Beach in the morning. That afternoon, they visited the Nelsons. That night, Will was not feeling weel, and Rose played bridge with some friends.

On Tuesday, March 17, they drove to Miami.They stayed at the Hotel Miller at 229 N.E. 1st Avenue, which was run by the sister of some friends of theirs named Norton. That night they saw a movie, "Three Live Ghosts."

Miami to Grand Rapids

Miami to Grand Rapids

On Saturday, March 21, they left Miami for 1 150-mile drive to Ft. Myers. They took the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades. They stopped at a Seminole Indian village, where Rose bought a little doll. They had lunch in Ft. Myers and met with some friends. Then they drove on to Avon Park, where they stayed at the Jacaranda Hotel. The next morning, they went to Sunday Mass in Sebring, eight miles south of Avon Park. After Mass, they went to Highlands Hammock State Park, 4 miles west of Sebring. That night, they had dinner and played cards with friends in Ft. Myers.

On Monday, March 23, they left Ft. Myers for Tampa. Rose got a great shock when Will, on getting his directions for Tampa, suddenly decided that they would not go via Lake Wales to see "The Singing Tower." It was the one place of interest she did not want to miss. They arrived in Tampa at noon. Will had business appointments for the afternoon. At 5:00 o'clock, they drove over the Gandy Bridge to St, Petersburg and stayed at The Shelbourne.

The next morning, Tuesday, March 24, Will worked, and Rose visited a friend at the Martha Washington Hotel. In the afternoon, they walked out on The Million Dollar Pier. (Voters in 1925 voted to endorse a $1 million bond towards a new pier structure, and construction of the pier began the same year.) At 4:00 in the afternoon, they drove back over the Gandy Bridge and started back home.That night they stayed in an old-time hotel in the small town of Dunnellon, Florida.

The next day, Wednesday, March 25, they drove to Atlanta, Georgia, and stayed at the Atlantan Hotel. They got a letter from Jane telling them that someone wants to buiy their house. Rose says "I hope she does not sell it before they get home." Will woked the next morning and Rose got a shampoo and wave. They had lunch with friends in a restaurant.

In the afternoon of Thursday, March 26, they drove on to Knoxville, Tennessee, staying at the Colonial Hotel.

The next day, Friday, March 27, they headed for Cincinnati, Ohio. From there they would go on to Detroit and Grand Rapids, probably arriving home the evening of Saturday, March 28.