Never Ask Permission: Elisabeth Scott Bocock of Richmond, A Memoir by Mary Buford Hitz
Not since Clarence Day has an author writing about a real-life parent done so with such verve. Although she would probably have never used the label, Elisabeth Scott Bocock was certainly a feminist—one who could persuade powerful men to do her bidding. In this way she resembled, but vastly outdistanced, many southern women reformers of her day.For all of us who came to love Elisabeth Scott Bocock, almost as much as we feared the purity and ferocity of her commitments, Mary Buford Hitz has performed a minor miracle. She has captured her mother's iridescent personality, with all of its complexity and baffling charm, in this courageously candid memoir.(Anne Hobson Freeman, author of The Style of a Law Firm: Eight Gentlemen from Virginia)This candid memoir of the life of Elisabeth Scott Bocock of Richmond by her daughter, Mary Buford Hitz, is a pleasure to read on two levels. It is the biography of an effective local historic preservationist of our time (she died in 1985) with lessons for others in this field. It is also an engaging, fast-paced, detailed account of life as it goes on behind the drawn blinds of the homes of the wealthiest families in Richmond.(M. Rupert CutlerRoanoke Times)The book is a well-paced, engaging narrative. It includes lots of good information about the history of Richmond and the importance of preserving the past. Hitz is successful in conveying the strength, creativity, and grace of her mother.(Melissa SimpsonNewport News)Full of humor,Never Ask Permissionchronicles the lively and passionate life of Elisabeth Scott Bocock, middle child of Frederic and Elisabeth Scott, wife of lawyer John H. Bocock, mother of three children, and savior of Richmond's rich architectural heritage. The result is a funny and grateful book about life among the elite and their passionate interest in social reform.(Barbara BatsonVirginia Libraries)It appears that what began as an attempt to gather vivid impressions and recollections grew into a reasoned and incisive analysis of a complicated personality. Implied throughout is a desire to understand, rather than simply to record memories. In addition to her own keen perceptions, Mrs. Hitz drew upon a variety of sources - letters; interviews with family, friends, business associates; numerous published works; and historical records.... Following her death, the Virginia House of Delegates issued a joint resolution stating that "the best of the past, preserved at [ESB's] insistence, insures that her indomitable spirit will always be remembered." Now, thanks to her daughter, that spirit lives in a striking full-length historical portrait for all to appreciate.(Welford D. TaylorRichmond Times-Dispatch)