January 13, 2025

Thomas Erwin Phipps, or “Erwin”, as he was known to his friends and loved ones, was born on October 24, 1895, in Stony Point, Tennessee to Reverend Joshua “Jot” Phipps and Ann “Ro” Tadlock Phipps. He had five siblings, Pella “Peggy” Phipps, born 1881, Helen Phipps, born 1883, Foster Phipps, born 1887, Edgar Phipps, born…

January 13, 2025

Over the course of 1918-1923, Erwin and Eleanor exchanged hundreds of letters. The novel depicts the start of the correspondence accurately; Erwin sent Eleanor a 1919 New Year card, to which Eleanor responded, but then thought better of the situation, and burned it before she left Norman in May of that year. The letter that…