Family and personal, 1941 - 1966, bulk: 1950 - 1966

Series 2: Family and personal includes letters to first wife Thelma (1947-1950) and letters to his children (Janet, Karen, Bob, Dan, Margaret) circa 1947-1950 during a period when Art was away from home and had moved back to Chicago ahead of his family. This series also contains miscellaneous letters and notes from Hodes to his children and notes, greeting cards, and Christmas lists from his children to him. Contains some letters from his sisters, Sema and Zena as well as ephemera pertaining to all members of his family including Zena's Chicago Public Library card from the 1930s. Art Hodes and his wife Thelma made a trip to Denmark and Norway in 1970-his diary entries for this trip which include commentary on his television appearances abroad. Also included are very personal entries written during Thelma's struggle with cancer April-November 1980. In this is a letter to his attorney outlining his wishes for a will. Also, his closeness to his wife enabled him to write her detailed and candid accounts of his musical career. This documentation can be seen in his letters to Thelma from 1947 and 1950 when he was both on the road and also when he had moved back to Chicago before his family. These letters document his work in Chicago circa 1949-1950 as well as events and topics relating to New York City scene.