A pen pal communication that started n 1952 is still keeping connected in 2025.
Annamae Baker started communicating with her pen pal Nina Wolfe in 1952.
In 1969, after 17 years of communication, the two pen pals met at a New Year’s Eve party in the United States.
Now, decades later, one of the young children who was in the photo, was making a surprise visit to the Baker household.
David, the son of Nina, and his wife, Sue, made a return trek to Iowa over Heritage Days weekend.
David made his first trip to the United States in 1969 at the age of 5. That was also the first time that Annamae and Nina met face to face.
Annamae said that this ongoing pen pal relationship has proven very special for her.
The two families also share a weird amount of similarities. Both Annamae and Nina were married at about the same time frame. They have the same number of grandkids, all about the same age.
Nina passed away shortly before Annamae’s husband, Vern, had as well.
“No one had told me that Nina had passed away, so when I connected with George via phone, that was a big shock,” Annamae said.
In 1998, George made a solo trip to the states to visit Annamae, and he kept those visits ongoing for another 10 years.
David said that he and his family have visited the United States previously to visit Florida, especially Disney World, but this was his first time being back to Iowa since the 1969 visit.
“It’s been a wonderful trip,” David said.
“Just the amount of peace and quiet has been lovely,” Sue said. “And meeting so many friendly people.”
That’s the one thing David and Sue note – It’s odd to have people say hello and welcome you in London.
The two were able to see some firework displays a day after landing, and they’ve witnessed a crop duster flying over fields, things they’ve not experienced before.
They’ve also ridden on boats on Lake McBride, made a stop at some local wineries.
They’ve also made some surprise visits to people who knew Dave’s dad, George, in the area.
“That’s the thing about Dave is that he’s a spitting image of his dad, George,” Annamae said.
And the Baker family wants to keep this tradition and connection going, hoping their grandchildren keep communicating together as things move forward.
David had wanted to keep his visit secret and a surprise for Annamae, communicating with Lynette about the planned visit, but the weekend he planned to arrive for the visit was Heritage Days weekend. Annamae said that was a busy Saturday for her, with class reunion to attend.
It all worked out in the end, though, and they arrived safely stateside.
Other sites they plan to visit include Galena, Ill., as well as Sutliff Bar and Tavern, and Big Grove in Solon.