Evening star., 1946-08-18
Abont Washington
By Hope Ridings Miller

~
When tall, good-looking 1t. Col.
Robert Dahlstrom became a bene-
dict the other day, he gave up
job that innumerable young Army
officers in Washington would like to
have-that of White House aide.
In exchange for that choice plum,
however. he got a peach. the for
mer Miss Beverly Ellsworth. daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs w. w. Ellis
worth of st. Paul. Mimi
The wedding took place early this
month in the First Baptist Church.
With minimum of fanfare, the
handsome colonel and his pretty
bride walked up that familiar aisle.
They were off to New York on a
+ honeymoon before most of their
Capital friends had heard of the
event.
Col. Dahlstrom, who boasts that he
Is "a Swede who grew in Brooklyn, u
gave up top-ring job as an illus
traitor in the New York advertising
world before he went into Army uni
form. His job during the war was
as fascinating as it was important |
AS chief photographer for the Army
Air Forces, he directed a staff that |
made maps of every locale where
our soldiers were fighting, or might |
fight; and he circled the globe HIM
self to- gather material for still
more maps.
During the last year of the war.
he negotiated dual duty as Air
Forces photographer and White
House aide; managed both jobs
nicely Col. Don Lowry. of the
General Army Staff, who picks most
of the Army aides for the Executive
Mansion-although he won't admit
it-couldn't have been more sur
prised than he was one fine morn
ing not long ago when Bob Dahl
strom informed him he was going to
be married.
You mean you're giving up your
White House job?" asked Col.
Lowry.
Il mean I am" was the answer.
I'D give up anything-for Beverly"
One of the rules, really the only
definite rule so far as I've been
able to find out. governing the
choice of White House aides is that
they can't be married. l asked Col.
Lowry which other requirements
we're entailed. He beat about the
bush considerably F.. in his own
charming, Southern way. .'Wel-l-l,"
he drawled. the aides must be per-
sonable. They must know how to
receive White House guests. make
them feel at home, and make the
proper presentations. They're kind
Of auxiliary hosts, you know
. Col. Lowry, by the way, knows
exactly what to tell them to do.
He has watched, and helped man
age, White House functions for
wears. He can negotiate an intro
duction as gracefully as any person
in Washington, and when hes
around everything seems to move
on smoothly creased wheels. Incl
dentally, if he ever wants to shelve
his Army uniform-which isn't
likely-this Georgia-born gentleman
could go on the stage as one-man
show. He has a fascinating fund OF
amusing stories and he tells them
with the fair of professional
entertainer.
Last week end, while visiting Mrs.
George Mesta in Newport, he We'd
with another top-ring raconteur,
Admiral E. Kalbfus former head Of
the Naval War College) at several
parties. Which of them won Is still
a question. Rotund and jolly Admiral
Kalbfus' stories generally have
salty tang cas- would be expected
from an old sea dog" he says. Col.
Lowry's repertoire has a strong
Southern accent. "a Jah-jan never
leaves home no HatteI aoW
far he travels" he AYERS. II
First time I saw Col. Lowry was
at one of Mrs. Evelyn Walsh NC
Leans Sunday night dinners. Diplo1 |
mats were all over the place and
talk turned on far-flung capitals,
considered in those prewar days
as being extremely remote from
washington. Col. Lowry said to
the nild-mannered man seated next
to me, all this international chatter
inspires me with an ambition to
travel more. We Americans miss a
lot sy spending too much time IN
our own country-don't we?"
i've never felt that way about
It." said the colonel, who, in his
long and distinguished career, has
been all over the world many times.
ct think America has everything.
But, of course" he added with
twinkle, 'I started out in life right.
I was born in Rome and edu-
Gated in Athens. Rome and Athens,
Georgia." II