LETTER: Autograph letter signed to Mary Margaret McBride.
Rombauer, Irma. Autograph letter signed, “Irma S. Rombauer,” to “Mary Margaret” [Mary Margaret McBride], “Wednesday,” (1944); one leaf, recto and verso, folding crease in the middle for sending.
Irma Rombauer, author of The Joy of Cooking, writes to Mary Margaret McBride, a household name in radio programming, to thank and commend her, both professionally and personally. Drawing millions in the 1940s, McBride’s NBC radio show was at its peak when Rombauer appeared on it.
The letter reads in full:
Dear Mary Margaret,
It was grand to be on your program, but better still to meet you.
I think I recognize ability when I meet it but in your case you have an added touch of genius. That is not, however, what makes you the successful woman you are. You have a compelling, human quality that makes everyone who meets you feel that you are a warm personal friend.
I have found this only in one other person – Schumann-Heink.
So, dear Mary Margaret, thank you for many things. For a chance to speak on your program, for your encouragement, and above all for the opportunity of meeting you.
Most cordially yours,
Irma S. Rombauer
Reflecting on McBride’s warmth, Rombauer compares the host to Enestine Schumann-Heink, the famous opera singer who died in 1936.
Both Rombauer and McBride – 22 years her junior – grew up in Missouri. While continuing her work as a radio host, in 1958 McBride published her own Encyclopedia of Cooking: America's Most Complete Cook Book, Volume 1, thus following in the footsteps of Rombauer.
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