When cleaning out the personal effects of members of the “Greatest Generation,” it’s fairly common to find boxes of letters. Short of pushing them to the back of another closet, what do people do with them? Some suggest to ceremoniously burn them and return their energy back to the universe. Tragically, others choose to declutter them straight to a dumpster. Fortunately, over the course of a few years, author Bonnie Bedford Park transcribed her family’s correspondence and created the book, Brides of 1941.
In February 1934, T. Wayne and Dr. Lelia Skinner leave their three children behind in North America. Lelia’s hand-wringing letters from “Campamento Americano,” the residential section of a Chilean mining camp, describe an over-worked existence. The Skinners commit to keep up with the expense of three college educations. It is through her candid correspondence Lelia opens the door to an authentic multi-general family saga.
Their eldest daughter, Roberta, lands on the campus of Smith College in 1937. Beaus who rank on Roberta’s “man-score” include a “townie,” several ivy leaguers, and a Montana cowboy. Over Christmas break 1939, in St. Pete, Florida, she dances with Buster Bedford, a Princeton “Tiger” graduate and Columbia Law School first year. As the Roosevelt administration strategically guides the nation toward U.S. involvement in WWII, Buster prepares himself for the effort while courting Roberta long distance. He implores her to join him in an uncertain future and presses for her hand.
The testimony of struggles, hopes, dreams, laughter, and fun of real people who are no longer with us fueled Park’s desire to share her parents’ letters. “At this moment in history, ‘We the People’ need to dig deep for hope and restoration of civility. I appreciate now more than ever the patient teaching moments of Roberta and Buster, and how they informed my values,” said Park. These lessons are universal. “We humans are often too quick to judge. This is why others may hide from uncomfortable conversations with family and friends that we can, and must, learn from,” continued Park. In the author’s case, anxiety, depression, and suicide were woven into the family fabric before mental health mattered enough to dominate headlines.
When asked how her ancestors might feel about her sharing their story in Brides of 1941 with the world, Park has this to say. “They may not like it, but I say it’s time for those skeletons to begin the conversation other American families might want to have.”