Mr. Jack Frye
President, TWA Incorporated,
Kansas City, Mo.
Dear Mr. Frye:
Congratulations on your appointment as President of TWA Incorporated. I wish you a successful career in this work.
Several years ago you gave Mrs. Riordan and me a most pleasurable thrill, when you took us up in the air at Prescott, on our first air trip, and shortly after that time I introduced to Mr. Henry M. Robinson in Los Angeles, it was then remarked that we could expect big things from you in the development of air transportation, and now you seem to be fulfilling our hopes.
Mrs. Riordan joins me in all good wishes,
Sincerely,
Timothy Riordan (hand written signature)
10 Richards Road
Municiple Airport
Kansas City, Missouri
December 22, 1934
Mr. Timothy A. Riordan
Howard Sheep Company
Flagstaff, Arizona
Dear Mr. Riordan:
Thank you for your kind letter of congratulations and good wishes which I have just received due to having been in the east for the past three weeks.
I often fly over Flagstaff and think of the pleasant visit I had in Prescott the time you and Mrs. Riordan went for a ride with me in the old Fokker Universal. Some day I will stop in with one of our new Douglas Planes and repeat the experience. You will enjoy these planes as they have all the comforts of the finest pullman car with lots of room, large comfortable chairs, steam heating and all possible conveniences. They are also quieter than the average pullman car.
I am very grateful to you for your introduction to Mr. Henry Robinson as he has been very helpful to me ever since, and I see him almost every time I go to Los Angeles.
With sincere wishes to Mrs. Riordan and yourself for a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I am,
Yours truly,
Jack Frye (hand written signature)
JF/LB
TWA
SAVE TIME-USE THE AIRMAIL
Kansas City, Missouri
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
September 11, 1942
Mr. Timothy Riordan
Flagstaff, Arizona
Dear Mr. Riordan,
I saw Mr. Dolan in Flagstaff last week and he has arranged for me to have a pair of logging wheels.
I want you to know that Mr. Frye and I are very happy and proud to have been favored by your kind generosity.
They will always be a symbol to us of one great frontiersman and a big tall Arizonan, whose zest for living and taste for good whisky can only be measured by the immensity of his wagon wheels.
We are leaving tomorrow, but will be back. Please come to see us often.
With kindest regards and best wishes to you, Mrs. Riordan and your family.
Sincerely,
Helen V. Frye (hand written signature)
Kansas City, Missouri
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
September 30, 1943
Mr. Timothy A. Riordan
Flagstaff, Arizona
Dear Mr. Riordan:
Mr. and Mrs. Frye are in Washington. I know they will be delighted to receive your interesting letter of September 27 which I am forwarding to them.
Knowing how very busy Mr. Frye always is when he is in the East and that Helen is spending all of her time trying to find a place to live, I thought I would write this note so you would understand if some time elapses before they have a chance to write to you.
Sincerely,
Meriam L. Furse (hand written signature)
Meriam L. Furse
Secretary to Mr. Frye
Palm Springs, California
Jan. 14, 1944
Dear Mr. Tim:
Our Christmas cards are just catching up with us. Thanks for your kind thoughtfulness. Your beautiful bottle of Scotch, and a handsome pair of chaps that Jack had made for me in Flag are all the Christmas we have had yet. You see this war and our traveling around first completely upsets all holidays and social life. Hell, won't it be fun when we all get back to work and leave all our packages to unwrap-let me guess-about "Ground Hog Day"?
We are due back in L.A. soon, maybe tomorrow. We were so busy the few days that we were at the ranch, that I didn't get to call your folks. Maybe by the time I do you will be there, too. I certainly hope so because I want to make a date with you to take you out for dinner and a show. I can't depend upon Jack when he is in town doing anything except his work. But I don't think he will mind seeing such a good friend as you going out with me.
Should you not be in L.A. when we get there, Jack says that he's hoping to come back to our ranch next week. I'll contact you because you might like to fly back to California with us then.
Thanks again for your lovely Christmas spirit, "spirits", we need?? them both. Hope to see you soon.
Sincere regards,
Helen V. Frye (hand written signature)
Dear Mrs. Frye:
I was delighted to have your letter of the 14th with the breezy news about the doings of Mr. Jack and yourself. I especially am pleased and thankful for the proposed date with you to go out for food and a show. I hope we may arrange this sometime but at present I am a flu victim and have been for three or four weeks--up and down. I have been warned to stay in bed but I won't do that.
I have been trying to clean up my heap of Christmas cards and letters and keep out of the cold winds that we have been having.
I can understand how lonesome it must be for you at times on your various trips with your husband who doubtless is wrapped up in his business and leaves you stranded at times.
I am expecting Mary and Bob over here next Monday. Bob will stay a week or two to help me clean up my business and Estate matters and I want Mary to stay for a month for a rest. They have had such a frantic time with all the girls home and all the girls' friends and with all the marriages, I think they said thirteen, the shopping and everything else and practically no help to be had.
I didn't get to see Rita coming from or going to St. Louis. She passed through here on Chief after midnight both ways. She is having a grand time in St. Louis. In fact, she had a lively time in L.A. during the vacation period.
I don't expect to get over to the Coast now for a month or maybe two months but hope I may see Jack and yourself over here on one of your trips. Be sure and drop in when you come this way.
I noticed in the Phoenix Gazette of the 17th a very nice item, "Jack Frye wins Honors" by being elected Fellow in the Institute of Aeronautical Sciences. I am very pleased at his continual progress to the top. I will always remember Mrs. Riordan's fondness for him when she first met him in Prescott and he took us up on our first air ride.
I have a "Good Wishes" card today from Bill, Toni, and Carole Coburn. I imagine this is from Mr. Bill Coburn the St. Louis newspaper man who is an old friend of mine and who knows a number of our friends in St. Louis. He is also a friend of Dr. Raymond's in Flagstaff. I got the card from Sedona and I don't know what he is doing down here.
I have had a fairly good season of it here even with the flu--a big surprise party on my eighty-six birthday when just about raised the roof.
If you happen to be in Phoenix this week Mr. Joe Dolan and one of his daughters are at the Westward Ho. I am certain Mr. Joe could show you around if you need any escort in that vicinity and he's perfectly safe.
I'm glad you liked the "spirits" and hope you all got some good cheer out of it. It's a getting to be awfully rare nowadays up this way and I guess every other place.
Be sure and have Mr. Jack give me a ring whenever he is in town and of course you will always be there with him.
I'll bet you look charming in those chaps that Jack had made for you in Flagstaff. I didn't know that they could be had here. I had some most unusual presents myself. A beautiful set of unusual dishes and a set of beautiful water and wine glasses and then a large willow tray with a fine set of highball glasses. I had most of these things in abundance in the house but these are now models I suppose and have a different pattern which is to cheer me up.
With all good wishes for Mr. Jack and yourself all the days of this New Year and hoping to see both of you very soon.
Most sincerely yours,
Timothy A. Riordan (hand written signature)
Kansas City, Missouri
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
February 21, 1944
Dear Mr. Riordan,
As you no doubt have guessed by this time, my plans for coming down to the ranch have never materialized. This is always the way it is when I make any plans and I hope you didn't wait for us. Just the same, when I do get there I will contact you and if we are going on west will extend another invitation.
Right here, I want to explain something to you. In your last letter you said something about how I must be very lonely having to jump around the way I do with Mr. Frye and not being able to have much social life. Mr. Riordan, I have about ten times more social life than I would like to have. You see I am not really a social person; in fact--except for a very few people (of which you are one) --I would rather be entirely alone. I am sort of a creative type and I never can do my best unless I have a lot of time by myself. I don't know how many people realize it, but Mr. Frye is the same type. I often am amazed at the work he does for his job, and does well, which in the bare truth is entirely against his nature. When I hope for a day with you it is one of those wishes that I don't have for everyone. It seems to me that I waste half my life on social things that actually have no gain in any way but which a lot of people seemingly envy me.
As long as I am into this discussion, I might as well tell you that the evenings I spend in night clubs are the bore of my life. Jack says that when money begins growing on trees I can forget about this sort of thing and do just as I please. You see, that is why I love the ranch so. These kinds of people of which I speak will seldom ever expose themselves to the rattlesnakes which infest the land there--bless their hearts. (the rattlesnakes hearts, I mean.)
I know I have you to thank for Mr. Stroud's horses. I have put off getting any nice animals that I might think a great deal of because of the trouble we have had with help there. However, now I think that Mr. York is hard to beat and know that he will take the best of care of Mr. Stroud's horses. I will love nothing better than seeing them when I go down to the ranch; in fact, I hope that I can spend enough time down there to get the confidence of the stallion and be the first person to ride him.
Last week we were in Albuquerque where Mr. Frye's father was operated on for gallstones. He was a pretty sick man but Dr. Lovelace at the St. Joseph is a pretty wonderful doctor and the results of his operation and treatment have, so far as we can observe, been a great success. We regretted that we were so near the ranch and still unable to go on down.
I surely hope you get got over your cold and are now enjoying the best of health.
We are now established in our country house in Washington which, in my opinion, is a pretty poor substitute for the ranch but still very, very much better than hotel life. The house is about two hundred years old and has seventy acres of land with a lovely swimming pool. We are going to get a couple of riding horses and stock the place soon. Do you think you could ever consider an Eastern trip? Jack and I would both enjoy very much having you come and spend a month with us.
Give our best to our Flagstaff friends and let us hear from you when you have time.
With love and best wishes
Helen Frye (hand written signature)
WASHINGTON, D. C
TWA
THE TRANSCONTINENTAL AIRLINE
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING 1319 F. Street N.W.
Hillcrest Farm
Falls Church, Virginia
July 10, 1944
Dear Mr. Riordan,
It was certainly good to hear from you again, but I was really terribly disappointed we didn't get to see you when we were in Arizona. I am also sorry we never got together on our connections as we might have done and gone to California together, but I think you understand that we can't regulate our social plans except as they parallel business. I certainly hope that this finds you well recovered from your attack of flu. Those things just seem to take months to get back to oneself again, but maybe summertime in Flagstaff will do the trick.
We have a new pet, which is a little unusual and I want to tell you about it. About three weeks ago right after a bad thunderstorm Sonja, my big police dog, found a baby hawk on the lawn. He was all by himself, no momma, no papa, and he couldn't fly even downhill. I told Sonja not to hurt it and of course she didn't but she was very curious and had to sniff him all over. The hawk refused to back up an inch and sat back on his tail, put his feet up and opened his mouth and dared anyone to touch him. When I picked him up he stuck his talons in my fingers until it was very painful, but he soon got over that and has been very gentle since. I kept him for a week. At first I put him in the waste paper basket at night, then inside an inverted lampshade, but finally had to settle for the top of the door to the bedroom as he was very unhappy except when he was on the highest spot in the room. One day I sat him in the window and the robins outside got very excited and the baby responded very excited too. I have known of other birds caring for young of another species when something would happen to their parents and I thought since the baby was so anxious to get to them that they were going to adopt him. I put him out on the roof but it was a mistake. The baby Thunderbird lost his balance and fell off the roof and only kept from hurting himself because a limb of a tree broke his fall. Then the robins started dive-bombing him and the little fellow caught on very quick; he ran for cover and was very glad to see me when I arrived.
The Thunderbird won't eat anything but raw meat and seldom ever takes a drink of water but goes for lemonade once in awhile. I carried him around on my shoulder everytime I went outside, thinking that sooner or later he would feel confident enought to fly away, and after a week of care he did fly away. We didn't think we would ever see him again, but he showed up the next day at the pool and has been there every day since. He comes down and lights on your head or arm and makes little bird noises and eats what you have for him--which is either parts of Sonja's horse meat or the lung or liver of a chicken. My houseman is quite fond of him too and spends his leisure hours every day giving the bird a bath. Although the swimming pool is there and shallow water goes over the rim this Thunderbird likes his bath in a pie-pan and assisted by his own personal valet. He really soaks himself good but never drinks it. All the liquid I've ever seen him drink is blood and lemonade.
We have had the League of Nations represented here this week and all of them, you understand, are in direct line of business and most of it post-war planning.
Col. Shoop-who was the first man out on the invasion on 'D' day, flying a P-38, and the first man back to report-was here for a dinner of hot dogs cooked over the barbecue at the pool late one evening. His tales are very exciting and interesting and I guess he is very lucky to be back here now, although he will return soon. He says those bombs-the robot ones-are really terrible. This fellow was test pilot for the Constellation and was on the trip coming across. We have had during the past week people from France, Holland, Arabia, China, South America, New Zealand, Egypt, Canada, Scotland, Africa.
There's no use explaning to you why my husband hasn't any time to go visiting. I am more thankful every day for the swimming pool; otherwise he would be doing like he did the last three years--working in the hotel and office all the time. Now he often takes his people to the pool and they can keep cool, bodily as well as mentally, while they work on their plans. Last night at midnight you would have probably gotten a kick out of seeing him and another man, like two porpoises in the pool, just leisurely moving about under a big moon. It looked like pleasure but when you got close enough to hear them they were working on very serious business.
Jack thinks we might get down to the ranch the latter part of next month; however, I wouldn't be afraid to bet it will be closer to next Christmas, but I hope I am wrong. I sincerely hope this finds you in good health again and spending many pleasant days down the canyon.
With best wishes,
Helen Frye (hand written signature)
Mrs. Jack Frye
Deep Well Guest Ranch
Palm Springs, California
Dear Mrs. Frye,
I must apologize to you for my delay in the acknowledgment of your very nice letter of July 10. My excuse for not writing is that the flu got me down about that time and I went away for a few weeks to the Coast and then returned here with very little improvement in my condition. I had to slow down. I tried fishing without success and then went away again for a while and got back here the first of September for the opening of the dove season. I went out shooting that day and got the limit after a very full, hard time. I think I overtaxed my strength and have been wobbly ever since and am only now just getting a little better and I am taking up my accumulated mail as best I can.
I was delighted with your letter especially the part about the little Thunderbird that you took over to mother. The details of your story are very charming. I hope that the bird will continue to be a companion for you and Mr. Jack for many days.
Both of you must be having a most interesting time. Mr. Jack with the different post-war planning work which must be enormous and with all the members of the different nations that you mention must make some very interesting time. As you say, the swimming pool has been a wonderful help for Jack and the others to relax and get away from the big business in town. I have been most interested in thinking over Jack's future. He certainly is going to arrive at the top in big things for post-war air business. Good luck to him and you. I hope you may get out here again soon.
I went down to Big Park with Ed Babbitt and Walt Verkamp recently and had a fine visit with those interesting Lay brothers and Mr. Bill Coburn of St. Louis, a new settler there. They are doing wonderful things on the land without water. You probably know about them. I have been down to Todd's and Snider's at Oak Creek recently with parties. Virginia Lowdermilk and a couple of her guests from the Rim Rock Ranch were in to see me the other day.
The dry season continued up until a few days ago and then a light rain set in and it has been quite cool for the past three or four days.
Rita Chambers from St. Louis and her sister Mary from Los Angeles have been with me and will be here for about a month. I am expecting Mary and Bob soon for a couple of weeks visit.
The leaves are beginning to turn and the maple and aspens will be in their glory in a few days now. It will be too bad if you have to miss seeing these beautiful colors we usually have in the Fall when the first frosts come.
Again begging your pardon for my delay in acknowledging your letter and with every good wish for Mr. Jack and yourself, I am
Most sincerely yours,
Timothy Riordan (hand written signature)
Winslow, Arizona
Dear Mr. Riordan, October-1944
So sorry you weren't able to attend our dinner party but do hope this finds you on the mend and able to be up and around very soon -
Love,
Helen V. Frye (hand written signature)
Smoke Trail Ranch
Sedona, Arizona
December 11, 1944
Dear Mrs. Frye,
I received your nice note and the beautiful flowers. It was very thoughtful of you to remember me in this lovely way. It's so much better I always think to send flowers to a person when they can see them and smell them rather than otherwise.
I am sorry I could not attend your dinner for your distinguished guest, the Roosevelts and the others.
This is the first day that I have been out of the house for a month and two days. I have had a dandy holiday in bed. My cold and fever is about ended now, I think, and I will probably be up and around this week and maybe go over to the Coast for a while.
I am very sorry to have missed you and Mr. Jack.
With sincere thanks and all good wishes for both of you, I am
Sincerely yours,
Timothy A. Riordan (hand written signature)
Elliott Roosevelt, (President Roosevelt's son,) and his new bride the movie star, Faye Emerson.
See: The President's Son and the Movie Star!
Falls Church, Virginia
January 1945
MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
WITH LOVE
HELEN & JACK FRYE
HOPE THIS FINDS YOU RECOVERED FROM YOUR RECENT ILLNESS AND THAT YOUR FLOWERS WERE TAKEN IN BEFORE THEY FROZE THAT COLD NIGHT. WAS TERRIBLY SORRY YOU COULD NOT ATTEND OUR LITTLE DINNER HOPE TO BE BACK IN ARIZONA BEFORE TOO LONG
June 13, 1947
Dear Paul
I dreamed last night that you announced a new business connection in Canada. This prompted me to write today which I have been trying to get up the energy to do for several days.
I haven't much news, was sorry that you couldn't join us at Eagle Nest.
I have been spending about all my time on tax matters, fencing, water tanks and many things that have been neglected.
Have 501 2 & 3 year old Hereford steers on my summer range. This is the driest year in 50 years or so, have had to pump water at one location, although springs and tanks still on elsewhere. Feed good and steers looking fine. This is due to the fact that I have about the best summer range and water in this country as most everyone else is shipping water.
What are you doing for flying? I haven't had any except a couple hours in light planes since January. Will be going east toward the end of the month, and hope to see you there, unless you and Daisy get west sooner.
My friend has a place with good bass and cat fishing about 90 miles east of Amarillo. They have a furnished house we could use right by the lake.
What would you think of you and Daisy meeting us there for a couple of days? It wouldn't be a long drive from K.C. We might meet there around the 25th.
Let me know if you think you could make it, and I will plan accordingly.
Best Regards,
Jack
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the Jack and Helen Frye Story