“Sara(h) Smile”

In celebration of my mother’s 90th birthday yesterday, in addition to a great party, we (many of her relatives) presented her with a large book of memories.  From that book, I include my entry, the following “brief history” which I hope you will enjoy. I have NO idea what we will do when she hits 100!

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A Brief History of Sarah Harding (Braine-Frost) and the World She Affected

• February 15, 1925: Sarah Craft Harding is born—Anticipating Sarah’s future readership, F&R Publishing produces the first issue of the “New Yorker” magazine a week later.
• May, 1925 Sally has numerous crying fits— On a Yankee team visit to Waterville, NY, Wally Pipp, Yankee 1^st baseman develops chronic headache after meeting Sally, and on Jun 1st – Lou Gehrig replaces Pipp (due to his headache) in the starting lineup (1^st of record 2130 consecutive games)
• February 11, 1929 Sally’s younger sister Lolly is born. Sally is immediately jealous of her – Three days later, the St. Valentine’s Day massacre ordered by Al Capone occurs in Chicago.
• October 23, 1929 Sally and older sister Virginia have major hair pulling fight— the next day is “Black Thursday”, start of stock market crash, Dow Jones down 12.8%.
• May 28, 1937 12 year-old Sally signs peace truce with her younger sister Lolly– Neville Chamberlin becomes Prime Minister of Great Britain
• February 15, 1938 Sally officially becomes a “wild” teenager- One month later, on March 12^th Nazi Germany invades Austria.
• September 1941 Sally “forced” to go off to Fox Hollow boarding school after great protests – December 1941–Three months later Japanese respond by bombing Pearl Harbor.
• May 1943 Sally graduates from Fox Hollow– Frightened by the prospect, Axis forces in North Africa surrender.
• May 1945 Sally elected president of student body at Vassar — May 8^th Victory in Europe VE-day when Germany unconditionally surrenders
• June 1946 Sally graduates from Vassar in three years plans to enjoy her summer by the pool – June 3 — First bikini bathing suit ever displayed (in Paris)
• August 1946 Starting her career in the capitalist world, Sally joins secretarial program at Vicks –George Orwell publishes anti-Communist novel “Animal Farm” on August 17^th .
• June 1948 Sally resigns her hated job with Vicks after being told by her future husband, Jack Braine that she was going to be fired– June 8^th The last Broadway revival of the musical comedy “Sally” (an original Ziegfeld production in the 1920s) closes at Martin Beck Theater NYC after 36 performances. In the show, “Sally” is a “waif dishwasher”
• May 29^th 1949 Sally and Jack marry in Utica; honeymoon during major black fly season at Elk Lake lodge in the Adirondacks.–“It Pays To Be Ignorant” game show debuts June 6th on CBS-TV
• July 1949 Sally and Jack rent their first apartment together in Peter Cooper Village in New York City— July 14^th USSR explodes its 1st atom bomb
• November 28^th 1951-Sally and Jack’s first child Bonnie (the “angel” baby) is born. A day later the first underground atomic explosion occurs in Nevada.
• May 20^th 1954- A second child, Bruce (the “devil” baby) is born. On June 9^th, Joseph Welch asks US Senator Joe McCarthy “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” during Senate-Army hearings.
• December 31^st 1956 Geoff Braine is born only hours before New Year’s. Sally misses chance at having the first New Year’s baby but there is a tax deduction!—Three months later on March 10, 1957 Osama Bin Laden is born.
• August 1965- Braine family spend August in England and Scotland including viewing of new Beatles movie “Help!” in London –Buoyed by all five members of Braine family enjoying “Help”, Beatles single “Help” goes to #1 in the US on September 4^th.
• July 1970- Braine family (minus Bonnie) take 2 week Mediterranean/Black Sea cruise including stops in Athens, Istanbul (where at the bazaar they hold Turkish merchants at bay by saying “Isaac Asimov”)–Following the footsteps of the Braine’s intrepid voyage, on July 12, Thor Heyerdahl (“Kon-Tiki” author) completes crossing the Atlantic on raft Ra II, arriving in Barbados.
• June 1973 – Sarah Harding Braine graduates from Bank Street College with her Master’s in Education—June 27^th John W Dean tells Watergate Committee about Nixon’s “enemies list” (recently “radicalized” thru her M.E. training, Sally is on “the list”).
• June 1975 – Exhausted and at times frustrated by teaching/ disciplining young children, Sally completes second year as teaching assistant at Bank Street—Movie “Jaws” opens on June 21st.
• April 1977- Ted Frost is reacquainted with Sally on a business trip after both of their spouses passed away in 1976 — Anticipating an active dating/courtship between Ted and Sally, New York’s famed disco Studio 54 opens on April 26^th .
• October 4^th 1980- Ted Frost and Sally are married in Cleveland— Three weeks later, inspired by the marriage, John Lennon releases a song “(Just Like) Starting Over” in the UK on October 24^th.
• Late July 1984- Bruce, Bonnie and Geoff join Sally, Ted and other Frosts on vacation at Squirrel Island, Maine —-August 4^th inspired by the athletic Braine/Frost vacation, Carl Lewis wins first of four gold medals in track at the LA Summer Olympics.
• April 1991- Sarah Frost baby sits for her first grandchild, Kathleen Sarah Braine while Anne and Bruce go to Palm Beach. –April 4^th “Lucifer’s Child” opens at Music Box Theater NYC.
• February 15, 2000—Sarah Frost celebrates 75^th birthday! –Six weeks earlier on Jan. 1 midnight there is a worldwide “early” celebration of Sarah’s milestone birthday.
• February 15, 2015—Sarah Frost is 90!– How will the world react?