Art & Dotty, a love story in letters

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

ARTHUR STORY BUSHING,

son of Sgt. Alvin C. York’s personal secretary

by Lisa Soland

Dr. Arthur Story Bushing was born in 1922 in Oroville, WA, but spent most of his childhood growing up in rural Jamestown, TN. His father, Arthur Samuel Bushing, was personal secretary to WWI hero Sgt. Alvin C. York, and in 1939 Art “Junior” graduated from the Alvin C. York Institute. He began his teaching career in 1943 as instructor of physics at Maryville College while still in the midst of obtaining his undergraduate degree. It was at Maryville College where he met and proposed to his wife, Dorothy “Dotty” Bushing.

During WWII, Art Jr. served in the United States Army in the European Theatre and earned the Bronze Star, the Battle of the Rhineland, and the Battle of Central Europe medals. In 1947, he returned to his alma mater, Maryville College, as an assistant professor of English and taught there for 50 years. Art has since passed away, but Dotty just recently celebrated her 100^th birthday.

I had the pleasure of first meeting Dotty Bushing during the technical week of my new one-man play Sergeant York, which opened in Knoxville on April 20, 2018.

My friend, Mary Bogart (wife of MC president Dr. Tom Bogart), arranged the meeting because Dotty knew Alvin York, and Mary thought that Dotty might offer some personal insight into the WWI hero. It was during that initial meeting that Dotty informed me of her late husband’s WWII diary and her unfulfilled desire to have his diary published.

Our initial approach to the publication began only with Art’s diary of Army life from January 1945 to April of 1946, but because of the family’s fine collection of artifacts, it was difficult to be content with this well-told but partial story. As Art writes in a letter to Dotty from Mainburg, Germany, dated March 30, 1946, “The big job would be to choose and delete.” Well, the “big job” was mine, and Art wasn’t kidding! The two lovebirds were prolific to say the least, setting the goal of writing to each other every day they were apart. Over three and a half years, that is a lot of letters! Though I tried to be ruthless in my editing, it was an impossible task because, through their letters, I had quickly fallen in love with them both. The two volumes total close to 1,200 pages and include diary entries, a plethora of letters, newspaper articles, and original photographs, many depicting the life and times of Appalachia families.

The history buffs will enjoy a few references to Sgt. Alvin York as told from the viewpoint of Art’s father, who worked, as mentioned, as Sgt. York’s personal secretary. Art Sr. served on the Fentress County Draft Board along with Sgt. York, as noted in the photo below.

Art & Dotty, Volume I: 1943 to 1944 covers Art’s experience in the Army prior to leaving for the European Theatre. Art Bushing, Volume II: 1945-1946 covers Art’s time overseas, during and after his four months in actual combat. I find the time following combat most compelling, while Art waits patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for his redeployment and his return home to Dotty’s arms. Even under the conditions in which they were living, with all their challenges—the war, and separation from each other—the reader can clearly see how intelligent, kind, loving, and expressive they both were, as also were their family and friends. These volumes capture the sweetest of exchanges on every front, and I have been honored to play a role in bringing these rare values back to the forefront of whatever public is drawn to them.

In the letter dated February 25, 1945, Art wrote to Dotty: “I am trying to keep up with my notes reflecting something of the life of the G.I., my surroundings, and my own thoughts and feelings regarding these things…. I hope that I shall be able to return with my little black book filled to the brim. The squad already expects me to publish what I am writing and they are extremely curious as to what I put down. I hope that it will prove of interest to our little ones.” It is to these “little ones,” Art and Dotty’s descendants, that I have dedicated my part in bringing these two books—their story—into the public’s hands. The story of an ordinary soldier from Appalachia, doing his best to honor his country, love his family, and make a positive impact on this world.

LISA SOLAND is senior editor of Climbing Angel Publishing and All Original Play Publishing. As author and playwright, she has over fifty publications but is most known for her recent work, Sergeant York: The Play. Ms. Soland teaches playwriting at Maryville College, Lincoln Memorial University, and other institutions throughout the country.

More WWII letters to home:

She carried his handkerchief with her for over 50 years(Opens in a new browser tab)