The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

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HYDE PARK, Monday—I should like to say a little bit about the program I attended at the Berkshire Music Festival, Tanglewood, Mass., last Friday evening. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, with Charles Munch conducting, played Brahms' "Deutsches Requiem." The soprano was Miss Lois Marshall of Canada, who once was afflicted with polio but it did not affect her voice, which was really lovely. The baritone was William Warfield, who toured Europe last year with the company doing "Porgy and Bess." While over there recently I heard what a magnificent Porgy he was, and after hearing him I can well understand the enthusiasm of his audiences. His voice is a wonderful instrument and I know of no better baritone in this country.

I was in Beacon Saturday afternoon for a funeral and when I stopped there at a service station the man in charge told me the story of a little girl living in the town who has been practically adopted by the whole of Beacon.

She is Patricia Ostrowski, 10 years old, a victim of leukemia. Her parents have been told the disease is incurable, but a fund has been raised in the town to do everything possible for her, keeping her alive in the hope that something will be discovered which might effect a cure. The garageman told me he had just bought her a little bicycle, which she may not be able to use but which certainly will lend encouragement. He is not only trying to raise money, which is needed to do everything possible for little Patricia, but he begged me to tell her story so that the fund may grow. Also, if there is any place in this country where new treatments may be known, such a discovery may quickly be brought to the attention of Patricia's parents!

At Sunday noon I went over to the library to meet a group of some 250 strong, mostly Cubans or those of Cuban descent, from New York City who brought along a little bust of a famous Cuban general to present to the library.

Also, the United Nations interns—students who work at the United Nations during the summer months—picnicked on my grounds at the cottage, and I answered questions for them for about an hour after lunch. They wanted to know about my trip, about Senator McCarthy, about European and Asian conditions from the point of view of a United States traveler.

There are 49 interns, but all of them were not here on Sunday. They come from 33 countries, and some of them are studying in this country while others have come just for the experience of internship. There are among them, of course, some Americans, but the majority come from foreign lands.

At lunch on Sunday my cousin, Forbes Amory, from Boston turned up, and I was glad to see him to tell him how well his plans for my trip around the world worked out.

We were all saddened last night to hear the news of the death of Mrs. Harold Edgell at her summer home in Keene, N. H. She was my husband's first cousin. She was one of a family of four sisters and I am sure the other three will feel her departure very deeply.

E.R.

(WORLD COPYRIGHT, 1953, BY UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE, INC. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART PROHIBITED.)


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  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, August 18, 1953

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
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Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

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MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

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Transcription created from a photocopy of a UFS wire copy of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library.
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