RichmondHobson,acivilengineeringstudent.Thanksto
theGreatDepression,itwasn’tuntilsixyearsaftertheir
graduationthattheycouldafford togetmarried. Inthe
earlyyears, Aliceand Richmovedoftenforhiswork.
Theyhadtwochildren,Jim,myfuturefather-in-law,and
then Chuck. Rich was hired by the Army Corps of
Engineersandbecameanexpertinlargedamandbridge
construction.Adecadelater,he waspromotedto ajob
workingwiththecorps’schiefengineeratheadquarters
outsideWashington,DC,whereheremainedfortherest
of hiscareer. He and Alicesettled in Arlington.They
boughtacar,tookroadtripsfarandwide,andputaway
somemoney,too.Theywereabletoupgradetoabigger
houseandsendtheirbrainykidsofftocollegewithout
need of loans.
Then,ona businesstriptoSeattle,Richhad asudden
heart attack. He’d had a history of angina and took
nitroglycerin tablets to relieve theoccasional bouts of
chest pain, but this was 1965, and back then doctors
didn’thavemuchtheycoulddoaboutheartdisease.He
diedinthehospitalbeforeAlicecouldgetthere.Hewas
just sixty years old. Alice was fifty-six.
WithherpensionfromtheArmyCorpsofEngineers,she
wasabletokeepherArlingtonhome.WhenImether,
she’dbeenlivingonherowninthathouseonGreencastle
Streetfortwentyyears.Myin-laws,JimandNan,were
nearby, but Alice lived completely independently. She
mowedherownlawnandknewhowtofixtheplumbing.
ShewenttothegymwithherfriendPolly.Shelikedto
sewand knitand made clothes,scarves, and elaborate
red-and-green Christmas stockings for everyone in the