Harold Ross, 27, who has made a name for himself around the publishing world by being the successful editor of the U. S. Army’s newspaper, The Stars & Stripes, in Paris during the Great War, is doing quite well now that he is state-side. Ross has just signed a contract to become editor of the American Legion Weekly, the house organ for veterans adjusting to their new lives back in the States.
The contract is his wedding present to Jane Grant, also 27, who he is secretly eloping with later today.
Ross and Grant met in Paris during the war, when she was there with the American Red Cross, entertaining soldiers.
Jane Grant and Harold Ross
They had discussed marriage a few times, and this week she said to him,
How about Saturday?”
So he agreed.
They plan to live on Grant’s salary as the first full-time female reporter for the New York Times, and save Ross’ earnings to start the magazine about New York they are planning.
*****
The next day, the rest of the country is thrilled with a different wedding. “America’s Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford, 27, is marrying her co-star, “Everybody’s Hero,” Douglas Fairbanks, 36. The worst kept secret in the movie business is that their affair began while they were each married to others. But America is willing to forgive their beloved “Hollywood Royalty.” The Fairbanks are off to Europe for their honeymoon.
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks
*****
Down south in Montgomery, Alabama, Zelda Sayre, 19, is planning for her wedding. The handsome young soldier she met during the war when he was stationed nearby at Camp Sheridan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 23, now living in New York City, has been wooing her with love letters and presents: An ostrich fan. His mother’s ring. A diamond and platinum watch. They were nice. But what really did the trick is when he signed a contract with Charles Scribner’s Sons to publish his first novel, This Side of Paradise. And Metro Studios bought the rights to one of his short stories for $2,500.
That’s when Zelda had said yes.
The novel was published this week and she’s getting ready for the wedding in early April.
Zelda Sayre and F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Such Friends”: 100 Years Ago… is the basis for the book, “Such Friends”: The Literary 1920s, to be published by K. Donnelly Communications. For more information, email me at kaydee@gpysyteacher.com.
In 2020 I will be talking about writers’ salons in Ireland, England, France and America before and after the Great War in the University of Pittsburgh’s Osher Lifelong Learning program.
Manager as Muse, about Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins and his relationships with Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe, is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle versions.
If you want to walk with me through Bloomsbury, you can download my audio walking tour, “Such Friends”: Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group.
I liked this one with all the snapshots of various folks being various folks, KD. Keep ‘em coming. They are important in these sequestered days; keep a sense of continuance going. I’m going to put up another—short!—blog piece t’row.
Still working on the last pass through “Dark Star” and “Milan,” after which I’ll get to the madness essay and we’ll be done—after I figure how to load it all onto the website.
Speaking of which: did you ever figure out about the ads?
And what is The Irishman doing now that he’s out of work?
Hugs many as always…
Jim
James L. Spates, Ph.D
Professor of Sociology Emeritus
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Web: http://whyruskin.online
Address: 715 South Main Street
Geneva, New York 14456
Cell: 315-521-2805 (preferred)
Fax: 315-781-3422
Home: 315-789-9163
“In the brief time you have, be kind and do all the sure good you can.”
Probably because I get comments from you [and not many others!] advertisers think I’m a good place to be. NOT. I think it’s just a WordPress thing. There will be a couple of Fitzgeralds in the next few weeks. He was very busy…