Evening star., 1952-11-05
Husbands Duties
Have Taken Her to
Far Parts of World
By Betty BeoIe

Eisenhower will become the most
widely known wife of a President
ever to have entered the White
House First lady of the United
States Army in Washington and
first lady of SHAPE. the Allied
Command in Paris, under tle
North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
ton. her face and pane are house
hold words throughout the United
States, Europe and other parts of
the world. Yet nobody has sought
the limelight less.
When Mamie smiles and waves
to the crowds who will line their
path on Inauguration day, it will
be only because Dwight D. Eisen-
hover made good again, and she's
proud and happy for him. When
she moves into the White House,
she will do as much as any one
can to convert the formal.
guarded Executive Mansion into
a normal home for her hard
pressed husband. For Mamie Eli
senhower, the consuming interest
Of her life is her family.
The polished, stately halls of
public domain have no appeal as
a dramatic background for Mrs.
Eisenhower, who "has walked
with kings and yet retained the
common touch" But she will
carry out her official duties there
with an ease born of an unaf-
fected nature and years of train
ing.
DislikeS FOrmality.
She dislikes formality, but she
will take her place in it with the
same charm that made her a
strong political asset during the
past months of facing the Ameri-
can public. She may, in fact. sue
ceed in taking some of the tradi-
tional stiffness out of the newly
painted White House, because
stiffness is the antithesis of Mamie
Eisenhower.
She is master of the warm smile
and ready remark. because both
come from the heart. She has the
delightful habit of passing on the
kind and thoughtful comment
that makes the other person feel
good. Despite her own reluctance
to appear in the limelight, she
has no difficulty in putting the shy
stranger at ease. When she and
the President-elect received for
the first time members of the Re-
publican National Committee at
the close of the national conven-
tion, it was she who had special
word for each, although they were
all strangers to her. Her face was
animated and her smile gay and
she looked genuinely interested in
each person and absorbed in what
each had to say.
To Keep Bangs.
She has pixie quality about
her face when she smiles. The
corners of her mouth turn up,
and underneath her controversial
bangs her eyes almost close. She
intends to keep the bangs, though
utter strangers have written her
about changing her hair-do. She
has worn bangs for IS years be-
cause she has a high forehead and
she has announced that she has
no intention of doing away with
them.
Although she's never been a
robust person and has to conserve
her strength. the new first lady
should be able to come through
the largest White House reception
with flying colorS. She is not like
ly to have to shake more than
$500 hands on any given occa-
sion; and in Chicago. at the open
ing reception Of the national con-
vention, she shook hands with an
estimated 5000 people. while her
husband greeted over 5000. Her
hand wasn't a bit sore afterwards,
she reported.
EntertainS Small Groups.
Mrs. Eisenhower has already
gone on record that she will con-
tinue if possible in the White
House her long-established Gus
tom of entertaining small groups
of friends at informal Sunday
night suppers. HoW informal they
can be at 1900 Pennsylvania ave-
nue. is another question. but they
definitely will be small, intimate
gatherings. She doesn't like big
parties, she says, but she loves
people.
Its because like people," she
has said. that I don't like big
parties. You can't get to really
know any one then"
At any one of these gatherings,
Mamie may take her place at the
piano and play one favorite after
another. with her husband and
guests joining in vocally. She
plays entirely by ear. and so does
her son, John, though he doesn't
play as well as his mother. When
Mrs. Eisenhower says she can't
read a note, she means it. Once
while at the piano a friend sug-
gested:
Put it in the key of E."
Mamie retorted Immediately:
you sing it in the key of E, and
I'll put it there. I don't know
where it is.'
Native of Iowa.
Mamie Geneva Doud was born
on November IA. 1896, in Boone,
Iowa, the second daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. John Sheldon Doud.
Able to retire at the age of 36
from the meat-packing business,
her father moved his family to
Denver to settle when Mamie
was 6.
She went to school there in the
Beautity WOod,COrk, Par
o'BRIEN'S