Name/Title
AU Smith, Malcolm Lambert - 1975-12-16 letter to Mary Elizabeth 'Bette' (Lambert) KnappEntry/Object ID
2004.1.50Context
Dec. 16, 1975
Dear Bette,
It was nice to have your letter a week ago which crossed with mine to you in the mail. This Christmas letter talks about our immediate family and some of our doings.
Margarette Wheeler and I were married June 3, 1933 when I was still in graduate study at the University of Chicago. She has only the one sister, Violet, who lives in the Detroit area, in contrast to the ten Smith Children on my side. We lived for rather short periods in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and St. Paul before settling - in for the long term here in Washington. Now we enjoy getting back to the Midwest for visits but don't think seriously of moving from here - or even from our very old house on 1 1/4 acres of a hill top. We did rather major remodeling twenty years ago so it is reasonably comfortable, but too full of our accumulations.
Our one child, Grace Marie (named for her two grandmothers), was born March 30, 1942. She married Stephen Lipman and taught school for a few years to help him get through seminary. Now he is an American Baptist minister in Cuba, New York. They have one son, David Paul, age 5, and are expecting (a daughter they hope) in April.
I'm sorry to hear that your sister is gone, too. Betty's papers and letters are piled around our place, waiting to be used in some way. A file of all her letters from over seas is very interesting and I may try to prepare a life narrative using much of that material. But many people got copies of all those letters as they were written so I'm not sure there would be enough interest to be worth the time and effort.
Hope you have a nice Christmas and enjoy the Florida trip.
Sincerely,
{Malcolm}
[End of Page 1]
3332 M Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C., 200l9
December 1975
Dear Relatives and Friends,
A light snowfall here and reports of a few major storms around the country remind that winter and Christmas are coming soon. But we have enjoyed exceptionally mild weather this fall.
At the end of March Malcolm finished three months of part time Navy work after officially retiring December 31, l974. This followed some 40.5 years of government service started back in the middle of the great depression, in June 1954. In recent months he has enjoyed a change of pace and a wide range of interesting volunteer and self-initiated activities. Margarette keeps right on with about her same round of household and church activities. In November she had a full month of jury duty with long hours and Malcolm is now taking his turn there for a month.
Last summer we traveled with a group, largely from our church, to the Baptist World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. Enroute before and after we made sightseeing visits in Norway, Denmark, Scotland and England — and we like to talk about that with our slides to any who have time and show interest. The weather was generally favorable for us but too dry for crops and gardens. We returned with new appreciation for the people from 98 countries who attended the Congress, with much pleasure from long anticipated visits in five countries, and with stronger friendships with traveling companions.
Washington is getting ready for the bicentennial rush of visitors in 1975 slowly and inadequately. Transportation is likely to be difficult part of the time with far too many cars and very limited parking available during office hours around many places of special interest. Six years ago we mentioned that groundbreaking had occurred for Washington's new subway. Although the city has been torn up ever since it is not yet half finished and it will be several months yet before limited operations begin on the first five miles of a 98 mile system. But the city will have some new facilities and many new exhibits opening around July 4th, even if some incompleteness appears here and there. Certainly much of our history and heritage will be featured here; so come if you can and enjoy it, despite a few incidental problems.
Apples have been such a vital part of the Smith family over the years that we went back to the old home at Ozark, IL, for fall apple picking. Brother Homer has the nine acre block of extra-red jonathon and delicious which Father planted in 1949 and it was a beautiful crop. Margarette and Violet did some pioneering by using the fireplace for heat in the big house where ten children were raised. They kept us going with plenty of applesauce and other basic foods in between bountiful dinners which Ellen served out at Homer's. Unfortunately, apples still aren't worth much on the farm when the crop is so large as it was in most states this year. We also visited some with other Smith and Wheeler relatives in Illinois and Missouri.
It was fun to have grandson Dan, now five, around for two weeks in the spring and a week this fall. Now we hope court schedules and the weather will cooperate to let us have a few days at Christmas with Grace Marie and family at Cuba, NY. Happy Christmas wishes to all.
Margarette and Malcolm Smith
[End of Letter]
