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Correspondence: George Kephart to Michael Frome

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  • 9501 St. Andrews Way Silver Spring, Ihryland 20901 July 26, 1966 Ify dear 2-lr, Frome: I have received from Doubleday and Company, Inc., a copy of your latest book, "Strangers in High Places." Apparently it was sent me because of the following statement (page 37^-) concerning your source material for Chapter XII, ''Horace Kephart." "Those who knew Horaqe Kephart intimately shared their candid recollections for the preparation of this chapter. George Kephart, Cnief Forester of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was interviewed in his Washington office on the family life in St. Louis and subsequent long estrangement," I am shocked beyond measure to find my namo linked, even indirectly, to your account of a man for whom I have a deep affection ~ an affection based upon a clear understanding of his faults as well as his virtues. From the statement quoted above, your readers may easily assume that you obtained a substantial amount of information from me, or that I reviewed the data you had gathered from other sources, or that I had seen a preliminary draft of Chapter XII. Hone of such assumptions is correct. I met with you only once, briefly. To the best of my recollection, I provided only fragmentary information regarding the Kephart family. Ono fragment appears, in slightly garbled form, at page JUS of your book. I loaned you a copy of my father's brief autobiography, to which you have reforred. I also spoke of the family's decision not to permit a rewrite of "Camping and Woodcraft", and mentioned a letter received from my father when creation of the Smoky Mountain National Park was assured. That lotter you have sadly misquoted at page 159. Had I been granted an opportunity to review pertinent portions of your draft I would have corrected your impression that my father was completely withdrawn from personal contact with members of his family. Such contact was maintained, including my brother's visits at irregular intervals, he being the member of the family best able to make such visits, I would have givon you a picture of my mother quite different from the ono you present at page 1^-9. Your picture stems from your conversations with an eig.ity-s even-year-old man, who recalled a statement which, he alleged, was made by my father "almost a half century" previously. In contrast, I would have told you of the long hours my mother spent in making canvas tents, out of whole cloth, from designs sketched by my father; and of her working with him in testing food recipes, and discussing with him the many gadgots and camp gear that he devised. 2$r parents understood each other, and the reasons which made their separation necessary. None the less, the affection, one for the other, continued throughout their lifetimes.
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