I received a phone call the other day from Mary Hale Lovett McLean, the oldest grandchild of Edgar Odell Lovett and his wife Mary. I was taken quite by surprise when she told me that the woman on Dr. Lovett’s right in this photo from last week–the one in the dark hat and glasses looking directly at the camera–was in fact her grandmother:

Sadly, Mrs. Lovett, well educated and highly active at Rice and in Houston cultural and social affairs from her arrival, was stricken with severe arthritis at an early age. By the 1930s she was largely housebound and eventually bedridden entirely. For her to be present at this gathering must have taken a supreme effort. I can’t help but feel  the deepest respect and admiration.

Bonus: Her portrait, at left, now hangs in the Woodson.