Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-26

dormitores, say our prayers and
crawl into bed. She didn't tuck
us IN, because we were cadets and
it was unmilitary, but she turned
out the lights in all of the rooms
and babe us a CHEEKY goodnight.
If one of us coughed- in the
middle of the night, or got sick in
any way, Dibby would be sure to
hear It's. She kept her door open
for that reason. and must have
slept with one eye open.
If she thought one of us needed
special attention, but wasn't i'll
enough 10 60 10 the infirmary,
she'd move his cot into her living
room SO that she could watch him
more carefully.
She had no favorites, either
tShe=Was= Just as sweet and=kind
and motherly 10 some tough,
spoiled brat as she was TO the
best behaved of us. And these
spoiled boys didn't remain spoiled
long under her firm, benign care.
Dibby had day off each week,
but l don't recall when she ever
took advantage of it, Another
woman on these days would come
over TO supervise the barracks,
tentatively, but Dibby was always
around, didn't change her own
routine a bit.
When we were 9 we moved into
the intermediate barracks hut We
always went TO Dibby with our
hopes and troubles.
Then into the senior barracks,
where in my last year / was cadet
lcaptain.. and 1T Was my privilege
as such 10 invite anybody pleased
to sit with me at the ball games
and lead the cotillion at the
dances we gave for girls in a
nearby school. Tradition at Fos-
ter was for the cadet captain TO
choose Dibby, and il was a
tradition l was only too happy to
follow.
l went on 10 an advanced prep
school and to college, but l wrote
to her reGu larly, saw her
1 freqeutnly whenever | came home.
| don't know when she found the
| time 10 answer all the letters she
ireceived from the boys she had
mothered in those important years
they were under her care.
She retired several years ago,
but continued TO live in the bar
racks and they tell me that she
continues to read to the little fell
lows at night and nurses them
when they are sick and listens TO
their troubles and makes the new
ones feel at home.
| was grown man before l
learned something of Dlbbys
story.
Many years ago, when she was
a young woman, she was happily
married and had two boys When
they were 6 and S years old, their
father took them on a camping
trip in the High SierraS. That
was before the day of the auto
mobile, and they went by train.
On the way back the train was
wrecked, and DibbyS husband and
her two little boys were killed
She almost lost her mind, but
she finally resolved to dedicate
her life 10 small boys. hundreds
and hundreds of them. and that is
how she came 10 Foster 10 be-
come house mother of the junior
barracks.
You met that big fellow in there
a little while ago. the state SEN
ator? One Of the biggest lawyers
in town. Bihby sent him through
college. rs she's done a lot of
other Of her junior barracks boys.
4 How could She do il out of her
small salary? She doesn't draw
any salary, she owns the school
I'm one of the few who know it,
Her husband left her half mil
lion. and onc-third of the cadets
AZ Foster pay no tuition. but
neither they nor their fellows are
aware Of H.
II would be y better world If
lot more OF the Inherited wealth
of The country went into the
hands Of women like DIbby
TIE END.