500 Letters of Love

On Dec. 7, 1941 the Japanese surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Base in the Hawaiian Islands killed over 2,300 Americans in 90 minutes and thus began the United States’ official entrance into WWII. Though exempted from the draft, many husbands and fathers volunteered for service in WWII.  The war years were difficult not only for the soldiers but for their families back home as well. Many families were affected by death and divorce. However, many couples weathered the typhoons of war. One such couple was Gilbert Steingart (’26) and Eleanor Sharlip Steingart (’27), two Samo alumni who are now being commemorated on a blog started by their daughter Linda Steingart Frumkes (‘57) called “Dearest Eleanor” for the salutation that begins all of Gilbert Steingart’s 500 letters to his wife from July 1944 to Nov. 1945. Though Gilbert Steingart experienced the hardships of war in the Pacific Theater, his letters to Eleanor Steingart served to comfort her as she was raising her two young daughters alone and often felt ill and isolated.“I know it is hard on you but believe me, though I haven’t complained and won’t now, this is no picnic out here either,” Gilbert Steingart wrote in one of his letters. “Of course I’m safe, but seeing the same faces of several hundred men daily and living in the confines of an area under 500 feet long and 40 feet wide does have its drawbacks. It is really surprising how little friction exists and how well we all get along with one another.”Despite the conditions aboard the USS Ocelot, Gilbert Steingart kept the promise he had made to Eleanor Steingart that he would write her one letter every day while he was in the Pacific Theater. According to Frumkes, her father missed a few days of writing due to extreme circumstances. For those, he apologized profusely in the next letter.Eleanor Steingart was often depressed, unhappy and frightened, and Gilbert Steingart’s letters offered her suggestions and support, according to Linda.“Please, honey, don’t get discouraged,” Gilbert Steingart wrote. “Get back into organization work. If you want entertainment or recreation, or even companionship you’ve got to go and get it so, go get it! Stay home with your pride and hurts, and you’ll stay home all the time. (This is a lecture — take it to heart.)”During his time in the military, Gilbert Steingart realized true purpose or his letters to home.“After censoring many letters, and from my own personal experiences, I’ve come to the conclusion that much of the mail is to raise the morale of the civilians at home rather than the men away from home,” Gilbert Steingart wrote.The couple first met on the campus of Samo in 1926. While at Samo, Eleanor Steingart was involved in school-related clubs and activities. According to the 1927 Nautilus, she was publicity manager for the senior play and belonged to the French Club, Music Club and Band Box Club. She spoke at a Girls’ League Convention and was secretary of the Honor Scholarship Society. She graduated from the UCLA (then known as the University of California Southern Branch) in 1932 and took courses at the University of Southern California (USC) to obtain a teaching credential in English. Eleanor Steingart was a substitute teacher at Samo during WWII. Gilbert Steingart also attended UCLA and USC dental school.After having Linda and Norma, his two daughters, Gilbert Steingart volunteered for the navy and became the dentist, librarian and welfare officer on the USS Ocelot which was the flagship for Service Squadron 10, a floating supply base. There were 12,000 workers and 400 pieces of floating equipment on Squadron 10. The USS Ocelot was later destroyed by a typhoon in Sept. 1945.After returning to civilian life, Gilbert Steingart continued his dental practice and traveled with Eleanor Steingart to countless destinations around the world. He became interested in psychosomatic medicine and hypnosis in dentistry and became an authority in the field, lecturing on the topic worldwide.When Eleanor Steingart died in 1992, Gilbert Steingart wanted to toss the letters that Eleanor Steingart had saved in a box, but Linda convinced him to let her keep them. Gilbert Steingart also passed away in 2003.Years later, when a cousin asked her to write something about her parents, Linda found the letters in the box and combed through them. After re-reading the letters several times, she decided to start a blog where she has already started publishing a letter a day according to the date it was written.“His writing reveals my parents’ personalities, thoughts, hopes and dreams,” Linda said. “Happily, most of the plans they made during their exchange of letters came to fruition. The letters serve as an extraordinary memoir of a remarkable time.”From writing about their daily activities to exploring what they wanted to do once they reunited, these letters demonstrated their commitment and love for each other.“For my father, writing the letters meant that he kept the promise he made to my mother,” Linda said. “The exchange of ideas via correspondence kept the lines of communication open — making plans for their future together laying the groundwork for life together after the war.”To find out more about Gilbert and Eleanor Steingart’s war story and read the original letters, visit their daughter’s website at steingart.blogspot.com.bgonzalez@thesamohi.com