Letter, Jane Frink to Miss Marian, September 9, 1974
Item
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Title
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Letter, Jane Frink to Miss Marian, September 9, 1974
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Description
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Hoosier Jane Frink was an avid singer in high school and college. She garnered numerous awards and medals, according to print media accounts (The Terre Haute Tribune 1974), (The Terre Haute Tribune 1976). She married in 1981, though it was uncertain as to whether her vocal career blossomed (Frink n.d.).
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In her letter to Miss Anderson, she acknowledged that her home economics teacher's homework assignment tasked her with writing a report on a famous woman that she admired. Jane, a teenager, shared traits about herself which included her love of singing at various churches and community contests and a desire to attain a university degree so as to teach vocal arts education at the high school level. While Jane humorously said that she, herself, had "a pretty good start", she believed that "any woman in this world that I would like to shape my career after, it would be you". Nicely, Jane implored Miss Anderson to answer her letter by writing back so she could complete her homework.
Letters like these reflect the breadth of Anderson’s influence on Americans across lines of geography, race, and circumstance in the mid-20th century. Miss Anderson's 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 (at 762 South Martin Street 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 mother's. 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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September 9, 1974
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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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Dana, Indiana
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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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2 pages
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Identifier
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Ms. Coll. 200 Box 124
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Subject
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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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Vocal music
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Fan mail
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Curiosity
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transcription
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Jane Frink
RR#1 Box193
Dana, Ind. 47847
Sept. 9, 1974
Mrs. Orpheus Fisher
Mariana Farm
Danbury, Con. 06810
Dear Marian,
I feel as though I know you personally through reading the biographies and other articles that have been written about you. After reading about your career, I admire you very much.
Recently, our Home Economics teacher asked us to write a report about the famous woman we admire most. Well, if there is any woman in this world that I would like to shape my career after, it would be you.
Through the research I have done, you started at the bottom and gracefully worked your way to the top. You had a very early start at the age of seven. I am seventeen years old and I sing at various churches and contests. I've received three medals at our district contests and two at our Indiana State contest. I guess I can say that I have a pretty good start on my career. I plan to attend Indiana State University at Terre
(see page 2)
Haute, Indiana in 1975. I would like to study for my master's degree in music so that I can teach vocal music at the high school level.
To make my report more interesting, I would like for you to write to me. Would you please? It would be nice to learn more about you and your wonderful family and friends.
Thank you very much.
Lover of Music,
Jane Frink
