Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-08-20
By HELEN GULLION

BY HELEN GULLION
Kentucky colonies and
Kentucky bourbon and the
Kentucky Derby they all
have their claim to fame and
their place in the hearts of
Kentuckians, but one Of the
greatest assets Of the Blue
Grass State is the wife of
Senator John Sherman
Cooper.
Mrs. Cooper has a rare
combination of wit, humor,
high intelligence and chic.
She is one of the most popu-
lar women in Washington
a feeling that extends all the
way to- 1000 Pennsylvania
avenue. where the Coopers
are among the very few Re-
publicans who show up regu-
larly on the private White
House dance lists.
Her winning ways are
equally effective in the Ken
lucky mountains. campaign
ing with her husband, or in
the American position in
India when he was Ambas-
SadOr there.
During the campaigns she
never alters her style of dress
or manner and, no matter
what the local scene may be,
she is there with her famous
paraSol, her fashionable
clothes and her great charm.
The parasol is a trademark
-. my dark glasses" ac-
cording to her. She carries
one for a quick peek around
the garden or, the story goes,
a quick dip in a swimming
pool. A becoming habit, it
entails a collection Of smart
little sun shades equal to
none.
Won Nehru's Admiration
In 1855 Senator Cooper
was appointed Ambassador to
India. During the time they
were there Mrs. Cooper had
and took advantage Of
e. every opportunity to ex-
ercise her good taste. In the
American EN- bassy when
they moved in, there was,
according to the inventory,
one ornament. This was de-
Scribed as a pottery duck. AS
a starter this wasn't too con-
filming. and Mrs. Cooper was
able to turn the Embassy
into a residence Of elegance.
Under her direction herbace-
Gus borders appeared in the
gardens and improved rela-
tons bloomed between the
United States and India
due, in part, to Nehru's great
admiration for her.
Mrs. Cooper speaks French
and Spanish faultlessly, and
her Russian is good enough
to have permitted her to
translate Russian papers
during the war. Her knowl-
edge of current events is
such that a prominent TV
news correspondent recently
said "she knows more than
do about what's going on"
In her busy life as a Sen
ator's wife she manages to
carry one extra little burden
that of writing a BIZ
weekly column that is printed
in 10 Kentucky newspapers.
The Coopers' Federal House
in Georgetown is recognized
as one of the city's loveliest.
The blue sitting room, with
four water colors by Duffy on
one wall, has been photo
graphed frequently. Recently
a full page color photograph
of it appeared in House and
Garden.
The blues were inspired by
four Canton tea canisters.
The first two she found in
a charity bazaar in Delhi.
These she has converted into
lamp bases. The second pair
of this very rare foursome
she spied in the windows of
the Orientale as she walked
one day in Georgetown. The
second pair is complete with
tops. Mrs. Cooper knows
where one more is to be
found, and she contemplates
negotiations which will put
it in her blue room with the
others.
Changes With Seasons
Because she feels a house
goes stagnant if it stays the
same all year, both the house
and the garden have seasonal
changes. The winter look of
blue Fortuna on the furniture
gives way in summer to blue
and white glazed chintz slip
covers and matching curtains
lined with heavy yellow felt
that looks like sunshine.
The glass curtains in the
drawing room remain all
summer but are framed with
unhemmed lengths of pale
blue chintz which are easily
(and rather ingeniously)
scotch-taped in place. Nice
fat bows of the same material
at the top of the windows
are simply wired there. In
the winter a polar bear Gin
the form of a rug makes his
appearance by the fireplace.
Mrs. Cooper uses her garden
like another room" and does
much of her entertaining
there when possible. In the
spring it is all mauve white,
and green while the tulips