In preparation for the obituary for Daddy, I did quite a bit of research on his professional career. One of the things that aided me most was a big box of letters from Daddy written to my grandparents. Grandma saved many of the letters and post cards written by Daddy while he traveled the world.
His career as the President of the International Division of a large corporation that built farm machinery and large trucks took him around the globe. He visited over 130 countries in 25 years. On average, he made return trips to 107 of these countries per year.
Of course there were all of the European countries, but there were also visits to many of the African nations, all of the South American ones, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, India, all of the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Japan and more.
With each visit, he never failed to mail post cards and letters to us. His extensive collection of photos educated us in the culture and customs of the diverse nations of our world. Once after his return from a trip to India, I was fascinated by his photos of the Taj Mahal. The next day in school my teacher asked each of us to draw a picture of a house. Of course mine was of the Taj Mahal! I have a huge collection of dolls from every corner of the globe, yet I think that I love the letters the most because they are full of detail of the wonders he experienced.
I love the air mail envelopes and the beautiful stamps. Thank you Grandma for saving these letters for us. Now that Daddy is gone, they are all the more precious. Below is the business portrait of Daddy. It was taken by the famous portraitist Fabian Bachrach. Bachrach took the famous photo of JFK while he was the Senator from Massachussets. That portrait was used for the cover of Time Magazine. Bachrach died this past February at the age of 92. He photographed the Presidents through the first George Bush as well as Joe DiMaggio, Robert Frost and many others.
Thank you for visiting me today. Be sure to stop by to visit our dear friend Suzanne The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday!!
No Bentley, your Grandpa never brought back any dog toys for you from foreign lands. You were not born yet.
Love,
Susan and Bentley
xxoo
Your father sounds like he was an amazing man who led an incredibly rich life. Imagine all the wonderful people he met on his trips! What a great education you had as well...
ReplyDeleteRegards to Bentley, who missed a lot! ;-D
xoxo
Jane
What a sweet post about your dad, honey.
ReplyDeleteI already have my obituary written because I want it to say who I really am. Not ghoulish at all I think. I'm just being prepared.
xoxo,
Connie
What a wonderful box of memories to have Susan and what a rich tapestry of experiences your dad left to all of you...thanks so much for sharing something so precious.
ReplyDeleteHugs little Bentley!
Tina xo
Hi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to read about your Daddy's passing. Really big hug!!!
What a fascinating life he had. The letters are a true treasure and a insight to his life, beyond his family. He sounds like a very special man indeed. I'm sure your heart is full of memories and love. You were blessed to have had such a great man for your father.
Hugs, Elizabeth
Susan,
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful keepsakes you have from you Dad:) I know they are special treasures you will find comfort in. Your Dad was a special man, indeed. What a wonderful, full life he had and the blessing of a special daughter, you!
Love and hugs,
Robin
xo to Bentley, too!
Susan,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about your father. It's very good that you have such special memories of him. You can go back in time with all those letters and postcards your grandmother saved. All of your blog friends are thinking of you during this difficult time.
Rosemary
These letters are treasures. Especially as the practice of letter writing has just about vanished. ~olive
ReplyDeleteThis is a fine tribute to your Dad. How fantastic that he left all of this. This is a wonderful road map for you to share with others. My thoughts are with you at this time.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your daddy's recent passing. It sounds like he was a very special man, and one who lived a very full life with all of his travels, etc. How neat that your grandma saved those letters and the precious memories of your father in his younger days.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post telling us about your Dad and his travels! What an education you must have gotten from his letters and his stories!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazingly wordly man your daddy was, I'm sure he had many stories and adventures to share about his travels, and meeting people from around the globe.
ReplyDeleteHis letters will be a comfort to you over the years, I read the letters my grandma used to send to me, some when I was in college, others as a new transplant and bride living in a new country.
My thoughts and prayers are with you, and your family, as you face these difficult few weeks ahead, you will honor his memory to the best of your ability and he would be proud.
Special hugs to you,
Jo
x
Hi Susan, just to see a hand written letter in itself was a treat...but then to hear about your Dad was even better. Thanks for sharing this special treasure with us. Debbie
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry and saddened to hear of your father's passing Susan. Sending lots of hugs your way. This is such a lovely tribute to him.
ReplyDeleteMy father traveled a lot too when I was little but only to the East Coast, nowhere exciting and exotic, like your Daddy. There would always be postcards with funny notes and gifts on his return. Thankfully my mom saved quite a few of the postcards and letters he sent to me.
What a wonderful and expansive life your father lived and also gifted you with. Thank you for sharing him with us.
Sally
You shared some very special information and memories. I remember the airmail envelopes. In fact, used them with several family members having been in the service. I still have some of those letters too.
ReplyDeleteSusan, what a interesting post....I am sorry to learn of your father's passing. What a wealth of treasure you have there. I was finding myself wanting to read all about his travels. It is amazing when someone saves this type of thing...one day, it will be a thing of the past! Have a great VTT!
ReplyDeleteMy father didn't take many business trips, but I still have the postcards he sent when he went to conventions.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting career your Dad had. Sorry to hear of his passing.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Gail
Hi Susan
ReplyDeleteYou must be so proud of your dad! What an amazing life he lived. How wonderful that you have all these letters. I so wish i had something like this of my dad. I know how much it means to you.
I really enjoyed this post!
Pamela xo
Good morning Susan and Bentley...girl I loved this story about your Dad and to have all those letters are just PRICELESS to say the least...Thanks for sharing my friend...Hugs and smiles to ya, Gl♥ria
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing treasures for you to have. Thank you for sharing your special mementos.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely tribute. Those are some amazing treasures you have.
ReplyDeleteJocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/
What a wonderful tribute to your father...what an amazing man. Thank you for sharing this with us.
ReplyDelete