A True Christmas Story featuring my late sister Frances.
In the early 1950s when I was in the 6th th or
7thth grade and my sister Frances was a teenager in high school.
During Christmas season the local newspaper, THE MARIETTA
DAILY JOURNAL published letters
To Santa every day.
Frances, a witty person, but quiet, and shy told her close
friends she was going to write Santa in care of THE MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL’S LETTERS
TO SANTA PAGE this:
Dear Santa,
I don’t want much for myself, but would you please send my
parents a son-in-law?
From,
Frances Hunter
It appeared in THE MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL. She had nothing to do with it. THE
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL put it on a news network and in went nation-wide. Frances started receiving proposals, care of the
Marietta Journal daily. She received a
sack full.
Frances was horrified.
THE MARIETTA JOURNAL photographer and reporter visited our
home on Manget Street. I was jumping
around saying “Frances is more popular than Margaret Truman!” (Margaret Truman, daughter of then-President
Harry Truman, was getting a lot of press over her piano playing.
In the interview my parents told the reporter to put an end
to it, it was only a joke that someone went too far with it.
Whoever sent that letter never admitted it. I think it was either Barbara S. or one of the Hobby brothers.