Woman’s Literary Union Met Oct. 25 At Park-Danforth

Pat Larrabee, children’s librarian at Westbrook’s Walker Memorial Library, presented an interesting program Oct. 25 at the Woman’s Literary Union meeting at Park-Danforth, Stevens Avenue, Portland. Her subject was “Children’s Books, Now and Then.”

Mary Jean Pearce opened the meeting and Anne Foote introduced the speaker. Pat has been children’s librarian for 34 years and at present is also Acting Sirector of the Walker Library.

She had recent books on display for us to peruse, many of them paperbacks. Among them were “Plain and Fancy,” “Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen,” and two of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books, one a pop-up, which the youngsters enjoy. We members enjoyed Milne’s books, too, and were pleased that they are still popular. Pat told us of the prices of books, selling for quite a price today – paperbacks for $3 or $4, and some hardcovers at $19.95 – quite a jump from years ago.

She mentioned the continuing popularity of the Harry Potter books, and those of Robert McCloskey. His “Blueberries for Sal” is one she reads at her story hours at the library. His book “Make Way for Ducklings” won the Caldecott Medal in 1942. Pat gave us printed lists of the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal books. Two brief descriptions of these medals were printed on our cards: “In 1938, the first Caldecott Medal, donated by Frederic G. Melcher (1879-1963) was awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the United States during the preceding year. The name of Randolph Caldecott, the famous English illustrator of books for children, was chosen for the medal because his work best represented “joyousness of picture books as well as their beauty.”

“The Newbery Medal was first offered in 1921 by Melcher as an incentive for better quality children’s books. Named after John Newbery, the famous 18th-century publisher and seller of children’s books, it is now donated annually by the Melcher family to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published during the preceding year.”

Pat mentioned Bemelman’s books as popular now, as they were when our children read them. “Madeline” is my favorite children’s book. “Madeline’s Rescue” won the Caldecott award in 1954. Another of my favorites is Robert Charles’ “A Roundabout Turn,” illustrated by Leslie Brooks.

Pat had talked with a few members during the coffee hour preceding the meeting and learned that, in their youth, they had read the “Honeybunch” series, the “Bobbsey Twins,” Nancy Drew mysteries, and Zane Grey’s westerns. Pat said she is pleased to have several grandmothers coming into the children’s room with their grandchildren. “It’s a good combination,” she said. Many of our members are in that category.

We are glad to know that many children are still library borrowers.

Opening Reception At The Castle At Deering Oaks

A reception in Portland’s Deering Oaks from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 29, was a popular place to be, with many visitors.

The building, known as the Castle-in-the-Park, was designed by a noted Portland artist, Frederick Tompson. It has now been restored, with a vaulted ceiling, a restored fireplace, stained glass windows, and brick work. The $675,000 restoration has been aided by a volunteer group, “Friends of Deering Oaks,” and by the city of Portland.

Plans are to lease space in the castle to a food vendor for cafA?©-style dining, and to occasionally open the castle to skaters, on the Oaks pond.

Anne Pringle, president of the friends group, spoke on the entrance porch of the castle at 11 a.m., introducing and thanking various people and groups who had worked on the restoration project.

Many visitors were there to recall their youth and enjoyment of the Oaks park. I talked with Dick Robbins, who grew up nearby, and considered the Oaks as the neighborhood playground. I admired his dark green sweater and he opened his jacket to show me the “Griffin Club” inscription on the sweater. He was a friend of Dick Doyle, the well-known sportswriter, who was my Deering High School classmate. Dick passed away recently and will be missed by many friends.

I was pleased to see Claire Putnam there. She worked for our newspaper for several years. Whenever we weren’t sure of some event or fact, the words were “We’ll ask Claire.” She was very well-informed. And she had quite a story to tell me there at the castle. When she was 10 years old, she and her grandfather rented a rowboat at the Oaks pond. Her grandfather has been rowing, and they rowed to the shore to give Claire a chance to row. Her grandfather was on shore, holding the boat, and she started to climb into it, when she fell into the water. There was no danger, as they were not in deep water, but she was quite wet, and her grandfather was slightly wet too. Claire said that they had no car then, and had to take the bus to Deering Center, where they lived – not much fun when they were both in wet clothes. But they weren’t hurt, of course. She said that her grandfather recounted that story many times, so he wasn’t too upset about it.

I also recall a young Portland boy skating at the Oaks Pond, named Holt – Billy, maybe. He was a skilled figure-skater, though only a youngster, and we all admired him. I think that he settled in Bridgton years later, but perhaps the Shoreys, who own the Bridgton News, can fill me in on more details.

I spent many happy hours playing tennis on the Oaks courts, where my neighbors, Shirley Sears and Jeannette Landean, and I bicycled from our homes in the Deering Highlands. I recalled Harold and Deke Thompson (with help from Dick Robbins), brothers who were in charge of the courts. I’m sorry I can’t recall the name of the champion tennis player whom I unfortunately had as my opponent in the summer tennis tournament. I had slept very little the night before the match, dreading playing against her, but I wouldn’t allow myself to default. Of course she beat me, probably 6-0, 6-0, in two out of three sets, and she was the final winner of the tournament.

Let’s forget the tennis courts and return to the castle. Over the fireplace was a slate with the last verse of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “My Lost Youth,” inscribed on it. The words were hard to see from where we stood, before the fireplace, but Claire Putnam read them to me:

“And Deering’s Woods are fresh and fair,

And with joy that is almost pain

My heart goes back to wander there,

And among the dreams of the days that were,

I find my lost youth again.”

I know the first lines of that poem, and recite them to myself whenever I drive along the Baxter Boulevard in Portland.

“Often I think of the beautiful town

That is seated by the sea;

Often in thought go up and down

The pleasant streets of that dear old town,

And my youth comes back to me.”

Among guests at the reception was our U. S. Sen. Susan Collins, whom I was pleased to meet.

Listening To Enrico Caruso’s Recording

Among our records collection is an album by the famous tenor, Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), Italian Dramatic singer, greatest of this time. He sang in his church choir at the age of 11; he began a career as apprentice to a mechanical engineer, but later returned to music and studied in Naples. He was gifted with an extraordinarily powerful and beautiful voice.

We have a 3-record album of his operatic recordings, including arias by Verdi, Donisetti, Biset and Puccini. Included in the records is his singing of Cohan’s “Over There”, recorded July 11, 1918. It is perhaps the most famous song of the First World War.

The conductor Toscanini, said of him, after Caruso’s great success at the LaScala opera house, in “L’Elisir d”Amore,” “By God, if that Neapolitan continues to sing like this, he will make the whole world talk about him.” And, of course, he did. He is immortal.

As I listened to a quartet from “Rigoletto,” I wondered why we had to listen to a soprano, contralto and baritone, singing with him. When I looked at the description on the record, I found that the soprano was another singer the whole world was talking about, Amelita Galli-Curci, the contralto was Flora Perini and the baritone, Giuseppe DeLuca. It was a wonderful combination of singers, recorded in 1917.

RECIPE

I often buy fresh crabmeat, mix it with 1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs, cut up, and mayonnaise, and serve it on lettuce – easy and tasty, tool.

In an Alaskan paperback cookbook I bought when I was in beautiful Alaska a few years ago, comes this recipe, under “Klondike Willie’s Favorite Crab Recipes.”

Large pieces of king crab

1 egg

Bread or cracker crumbs

1 Tbls. water

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix egg, salt, pepper and water. Dip pieces of crab in egg mixture. Roll in crumbs. Fry in hot skillet in melted butter until brown. Turn once.

Willie doesn’t give us amounts, but I would just use my 6 oz. box of fresh crab, instead of the large pieces he suggests. You could use canned crabmeat if you prefer.

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