The Engagements (13 page)
I must start by thanking two incredible women whom I am fortunate to have in my life: My editor, Jenny Jackson, and my agent, Brettne Bloom. Both read several versions of this book with the kind of insight and generosity that is the stuff of writers’ dreams.
I set out to write a novel about worlds unknown to me—the world of paramedics, the world of classical music, the world of advertising in the nineteen forties, and so on. To get them right, I conducted dozens of interviews. Throughout the process, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for the many people who were kind enough to share their stories and expertise.
The relationship between De Beers and N. W. Ayer and Son made its way into this book after I read a remarkable 1982
Atlantic Monthly
article by Edward Jay Epstein, entitled, “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?”
I first heard the name Frances Gerety in Tom Zoellner’s brilliant book
The Heartless Stone
. Tom was generous with his time and knowledge. Portions of his book also informed the story of the work Kate and her colleagues do on African diamond mines and the Kimberley Process.
Many people helped me create a portrait of Frances Gerety. I am grateful to her former Ayer coworkers who shared their recollections of both the woman and the agency. Thank you to Howard and Hana Davis, Deanne Dunning, Peter Elder, Jeff Odiorne, Margaret Sanders, Tricia Kenney, and Mary Lou Quinlan. And to Ted Regan and Chet Harrington, who invited me to Merion Golf Club so I could see where Frances spent so much of her free time. Wherever possible, I used the real names of Ayer employees, with their permission.
Some of Frances’s words here came from an interview she did with Howard Davis. A recording and transcript of this interview are available at the Smithsonian Institution, along with other official documents about Ayer and De Beers, and full color copies of every De Beers ad from 1938 onward. The Dorothy Dignam Collection at the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study was full of fascinating personal and professional information, including the original copies of Dorothy’s daily questions from men, all her letters home, and articles
she wrote under the byline “Diamond Dot Dignam.” The book
The History of an Advertising Agency
by Ralph Hower and the DVD,
Celebrating 50 Years of Ayer & De Beers
, created by Robert and Deanne Dunning for the 1988 London celebration, provided further illumination.
Phil Trachtman gave me background on Frances Gerety’s time at the Charles Morris Price School. And Richard DiNatale helped me figure out how to gain access to vital records when I got stuck.
Just as I was completing the final draft, a gift fell into my lap, courtesy of Susan Christoffersen, who bought Frances Gerety’s home in Wayne when she moved out. For two years, I had searched for the annual reports and memorandums that Ayer created for De Beers. If only I had thought about the94spoto look in Susan’s garage sooner! This lucky discovery enhanced the story at the last minute, and I will be forever grateful. Susan also provided me with Frances’s family photographs and a tour of her house. Leslie Post, Frances’s longtime next-door neighbor, joined us for tea and cookies, and shared her memories too.
I am indebted to the great violin soloist Anne Akiko Meyers, who spent so much of her precious time answering my questions. Her beautiful music served as a daily inspiration while I wrote.
When it came to writing about paramedics, I had the help of several experts. Thank you to Chris Kerley and everyone at Pro EMS in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for welcoming me in and teaching me about how you train. To Adam Shanahan and Nick Navarrett, for letting me ride along. To Sara Stankiewicz Pitman, Linda Stankiewicz, and Justin Pitman for pointing me in the right direction, and providing lots of important information along the way. And thanks especially to Will Tollefsen and Bill Mergendahl, who saved me from myself more times than I’d like to admit.
The former mayor of Cambridge, Michael Sullivan; chief of the Cambridge Fire Department, Gerry Reardon; and Cambridge city manager, Robert Healy taught me a lot about the way their city has changed over the years. Richie Sullivan gave me additional details about one-way streets and the roast beef special at Elsie’s.
I received insight into the lives of French women in Paris and New York from my French editor, Marie Barbier, as well as Sandrine Cullinane, Pascale and Ludovic Blachez, Nina Sovich, and Marie Delecourt, whose blog
Paris in New York
, was also a terrific resource. Brad New-field, a guide for a company called Paris Walks, spent many hours with me, covering the city on foot, and helping me create Delphine’s personal historytemplate.xpgt"
to Henri’s inherited apartment, to the Jeu de Paume. After I returned to New York, I found that I had more questions, and Brad answered them all.
Thank you to David and Brenda Troy for the wisdom about Boston, to Charlie McCarthy for the lesson in Quincy geography, and to Delia Cabe, who so generously went to the Belmont Historical Society on my behalf.
