Evening star., 1953-07-19
Mrs. Carney Recalls
Dream Assignment
Wife Of Newly Named Chief of Naval
Operations Tells of Years in Naples

all stood up and sang God Bless
America There was hardly a
dry eye on the ship"
Funny Mistokes
Mrs. Carney made a stab at
learning Italian during her two
years there. II make frightful
mistakes, but fortunately they
usually are funny"
The Admiral's wife likes to col
lect cookbooks. although she
admits she isn't too enthused
about day-to-day routine cook
ing. II like to make a real pro-
duction once in a while. Nothing
Sordid like gravy. My specialtieS
are chicken Kiev, beef Stroganov.
Pizza."
Her husband doesn't take a
very cooperative attitude toward
some of her culinery MASTER
pieces, she said sadly. HE
doesn't like chicken Kiev because
to be good it has to squirt out
when you pierce it with q fork.
He takes dim view Of having
his shirt front squirted.
But he loves pizza, particu-
larly Neopolitan pizza." He even
went SO far as to disagree with
his boss, the newly-elected Pres
ident Eisenhower. who was re-
ported to have told New York
City pizza-makers he thought
their pizza surpassed all others.
When the Eisenhower quotes
reached Naples the admiral reg
iStered a dissent.
His Staunch defense of the Ne
opohtans touched off a massive
"pizza day" in Naples which, ac-
cording to Mrs. Carney, "left me
holding the bag, with Is photo
graphers taking pictures of every
thing I ate-and I'm camera
Shy!"
Her husband became ill the
afternoon of the big pizza dinner,
at which all the city's pizza-
makers were to display samples
OF their wares, she said. Mick
felt he just couldn't pull out at
that late date. He was to be the
big star of the evening. But he
knew he was too sick to eat. So
he came long enough to make a
brief speech. and get his picture
taken. Then he went home to
bed and left me to do the eating.
II do think it was diplomatic
OF him to get sick before the
dinner, not after, don't you?"
Born in Maryland
Mrs. Carney is beautifully
groomed and has smartly-coiffed
blue-white hair. Most of her
clothes were purchased in Italy,
despite her frequent visits to
Paris.
The former Grace Stone
Cratcfort was born in Woodville,
in Southern Prince Georges
County, Md. about 30 miles from
Washington. She lived In South
Africa from her fifth to eleventh
year, where her father repre-
sented Armour & Co., meat pack
erS..
Some Of her fondest childhood
memories go back to the years in
Africa-"I guess because they
are all tied up with memories of
my mother. She died in child
birth when I was IL. That's why
We came back to this country to
live. was raised by several old
maid aunts."
A less pleasant memory from
her South African days concerns
the time big baboon sprang
at her. The animal was chained
in the hotel garden, a fairly
common custom in that part of
the world at that time, the ad-
miraFS wife recalls.
"Her keeper took me in to see
her. He was holding my hand.
I guess she was jealous. I can
still see that big thing springing
at me. It tore my dress from
the neck to the hem. But I
didn't get scratch"
Her father liked to 60 big
game hunting. and the old fam
lily home in Woodville still con-
tains many trophies he brought
back from successful forays
against rhinoceroses, spring.
boks and Glands.
Young Miss Craycroft, who