Letter, Mary Helen Stanek to Marian Anderson, February 21, 1952
Item
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Title
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Letter, Mary Helen Stanek to Marian Anderson, February 21, 1952
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Description
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Mary Helen Stanek, age 71 was never married but was a lifelong cat lover (Mary Helen Stanek Obit 1941 ). The birthday card and brief letter was from Mary age 10, of Lehigh, Iowa, to Marian Anderson, dated February 21, 1952. Stanek writes to wish Anderson “years and years of happiness” upon discovering they share the same birthday, February 27th.
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She notes she is in the fifth grade, takes weekly piano lessons from her church organist, Mrs. Florence Thomas—who also shares the February 27th birthday—and that she and her mother recently read an article about Anderson in her mother’s Sunday school paper. The enclosed card includes a printed verse: “On your birthday, it’s a pleasure, finding words that will express, most sincerely, these good wishes, years and years of happiness,” signed in Stanek’s hand.
Letters like these reflect the breadth of Anderson’s influence on Americans across lines of geography, race, and circumstance in the mid-20th century. Born in Philadelphia, Miss Anderson's (1897 - 1993) life and legacy is well documented in books, online and in physical institutions. In 2024, a Philadelphia orchestra hall was recently rededicated to her contralto voice (Wikipedia contributors 2025). The Marian Anderson Historical Residence Museum in Philadelphia is an epicenter for the life and legacy of Marian Anderson (National Marian Anderson Museum, n.d.). Married July 17,1943, she and her husband Orpheus Fisher bought acres of property in Connecticut and called it Mariana Farm, a synthesis of her first name and that of her stepson's middle name. She lived there until 1992, a year before her death on April 8, 1993.
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Miss Anderson
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Rights
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.
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Date
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February 21, 1952
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Format
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Text
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Language
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eng
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Spatial Coverage
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Lehigh, Iowa
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Contributor
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University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
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Extent
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3 pages
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Identifier
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Ms. Coll. 200 Box 124
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Subject
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Birthday cards
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Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993
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Contralto
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Personal correspondence
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Letter writing
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Fan mail
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transcription
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[PAGE 1]
Lehigh Iowa
Feb 21, 1952
Marian Anderson
My dear friend
I am a little girl
of 10 years old. I will be 11 on
the 27th of February 1952. So we
have the same birthday date.
That is why I am sending you
a birthday card wishing you
many Happy birthdays to come.
I am in the fifth grade this
year and I take piano lesson
every Friday afternoon. The lady,
Mrs Florence Thomas, who
plays the organ in our church
also has a birthday on the 27th
of February.
My mother and I were reading
(Mother’s)
her Sunday school paper last Sunday
and in it was a short article about
you and your singing.
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[PAGE 2]
Sincere Birthday
Wishes
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[PAGE 3]
On your birthday,
it’s a pleasure,
Finding words that will express
Most sincerely,
these good wishes
Years and years of happiness!
Mary Helen Stanek age 10
