Evening star., 1961-12-17
BY ISABELLE SHELTON
Star Staff Writer

BY ISABELLE SHELTON
Star Staff Writer
When Secretary Of State
Dean Rusk and his family
celebrate Christmas this year
they will have a record of the
day for posterity.
One of the first adjust
ments the Rusks made to the
intensified pace of their lives
since Mr.. RuSk joined the
New Frontier was the pur-
chase Of a tape recorder -
two Of them, in fact - so
that they could keep in touch
with their family even
though too busy to write let
ters.
The recorders were the
Rusks' gift to themselves and
to their son David, at college
in California, last Christmas.
Mr.. Rusk had been nominat-
ed just two weeks before, and
would not take over his new
post until January 81. But al
ready the family could see
the handwriting on the wall.
What had once been a brisk
correspondence with David
had tapered off to a trickle
as new responsibilities came
along.
Always a close-knit family,
the Rusks wanted to retain
as much Of the closeness as
possible.
Christmas has always
been a time Of many tradi-
tions for us. as I'm sure it is
for most people," Mrs. RuSk
said in an interview last week.
Grateful Reminder
II was not aware what an
impression this had made on
the children until the first
year David went away to COL
lege," she said. II tried to
keep alive for him all the lit
tie meaningful things I could
through the mails. He told me
later that there were many
things he rem e m ber e d
through the years. and he
was so grateful to me for
bringing them back to him"
David recently wrote his
mother that he and his bride
Of this summer, Delcie, who
will be home in California for
Christmas, intend to follow
many of the same traditions
in their own family.
The tape in the Rusk house
here. which Mrs. Rusk says
she expects to keep playing
much Of Christmas eve and
Christmas Day, will promptly
be dispatched to California.
The Rusks traditionally
have their big turkey dinner
on Christmas eve.
Christmas Day Mrs. RuSk
likes to devote to playing
games with the family, and
since she thinks servants
should have the day at home
with their families too. she
does anything that is done
about food.
= "I found long ago that
mother simply can't be ex-
.pected to play games and be
in the kitchen at the same
. time" she said.
Cold Turkey
Her solution is to set out q
whole cold turkey, which has
been baked in advance,
: -decked with cranberry neck
lace and other trimmings.
Everyone helps himself
whenever he is hungry" she
said.
She and Mr.. Rusk select
some new good family game"
each year. she said.
"The children have learned
many things through games,"
she declared. They learned
arithmetic through cards and
sdominoes."
,>s Scrabble and M nopoly
each had its turn, and one
Christmas, with considerable
difficulty, Mrs. Rusk located
q game of Nah Jong, which
she remembered from her
.ehildhood.
= Every member of the Rusk
family hangs his stocking by
the fire, and each has a
- stocking gift" for the others.
Sometimes they are funny lit.
tie things, with a poem or
silly story attached. Other
%t5mes it could be a nice small
.6ift, such as a ring. This Gus
tom may go by the boards
this year for lack of time,
Mrs. Rusk said regretfully.
,: The Secretary of States
wife, who maintains an in
Credibly busy schedule for her
self entirely apart from her
husbands activities (last
Monday, for instance, she
toured the city all day with
women U. N. delegates, then
attended no less than three
EN- bassy parties. says
christmas for herself and her
husband and their two
younger children will have to
be very simple" this year.
Capable Children
- She is turning over pro-
Curement and decorating of
the tree to her daughter, Peg
,sy, almost 13, and son Rich
ard, almost 15-who is handy
With tools and expects to be
pretty busy making a doll for
1sAA1z -;