Transcription of a recording of family members by my grandfather to celebrate my grandmother's 70th birthday. The printed text doesn't capture the charming, but funny, voices of the very young grandchildren! You've got to listen to it!
GRANDPA: [July 4, 1965 is the one-hundred and] eighty-ninth birthday of the United States of America, but more important, to all of us that are present today in this room, is the fact that it is the seventieth birthday of Virginia Sparks Measday, who is the wife or the mother or the grandmother of everyone present here. Virginia was born in 1895 in New York City, on the lower west side of Manhattan. She attended public schools in Manhattan and in Brooklyn and, in 1915, was graduated from Erasmus Hall High School. As a matter of fact, it was at Erasmus Hall that she and I met. And so I suppose it is appropriate that I lead off the felicitations of the day (since she has had to put up with me for almost 47 years) by wishing her a particularly affectionate "Happy Birthday".
Virginia went on from Erasmus Hall to Adelphi College, which was then in Brooklyn, and she was graduated from that college in 1918. The following fall, on October 26 (while I was still in the Army in World War I), she and I were married. And out of our marriage has come three children: Walter (born in 1920), Jim (born in 1922), and Marion (born in 1923). These three children, in turn, have married Jeanne, Trudy, and David and brought them into the family, so now we are very proud to have six children. And these six children, in turn, have given us fifteen grandchildren.
And so, at this time, we will start hearing from those children and grandchildren who are with us today and, as opportunity presents itself, we will add those members of the family who, unfortunately, couldn't be with us today.
[We'll start the] recordings this afternoon with our second son, Big Jim ...
UNCLE JIM: Happy Birthday, Grandma. And may there be seventy more—birthdays, not children! I think you are extremely fortunate to have your birthday celebrated all over the United States because, even though most people assume they are celebrating the Fourth of July, we know that it's all in honor of your birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandma. Now, here comes Danny.
DANNY: Happy Birthday, Grandma—this is Danny—I'm glad to be here on another one of your great celebrations all over the country and hope to be here for many more. Thank you.
GRANDPA: Now, this is Grandpa Measday back again. Now I'll introduce another one of the grandchildren, this time, Kathy Measday ...
KATHY: Happy Birthday, Grandma! I'm glad to be here with you and the rest of the family to celebrate your birthday this year.
GRANDPA: And now, here is Patty Ann Matthews, who has been with us for the last two weeks. All right, Patty ...
PAT: Happy Birthday, Grandma! I am happy to be here to celebrate your seventieth birthday and I hope to be here to celebrate your hundredth, too.
GRANDPA: And now, here is Grandma's little baby, Marion ...
AUNT MARION: Now, with all the blarney that's been going on, what in the world is left for me to say, but a very, very Happy Birthday!
CAROL: This is Carol, Grandma. I'm glad to be back down here to celebrate your birthday this year. Happy Birthday!
DEBBIE: This is Deborah, Grandma. I'm happy to wish you a Happy Birthday ... and I have enjoyed the two weeks I have been here with you.
JOAN: This is Joan, Grandma, and I am happy to be here on your seventieth birthday.
BEN: [To] the only Grandma in the world who has the country celebrating her birthday with fireworks and everything, I'd like to say "Happy Birthday", too. Happy Birthday, Grandma! This is Ben Matthews III.
GRANDPA: Now, here's one of Grandma Measday's favorites. I'll let him introduce himself ...
On this special day,
I really want to say
that there is none so grand
across this great, wide land.
It surely is appropriate
that two events incorporate
are celebrated far and wide
on this the fourth day of July.
Happy Birthday, Mom, from Dave.
GRANDPA: I said at the beginning of this broadcast that Grandma and I had acquired three additional children through their marriage to our children. One of the nice things about our life has been the fact that our children not only married three wonderful persons who are part of our life, but, as a matter of fact, their relatives, in turn, have become part of what we regard as our larger family. For example, Gertrude Kortright, who is Trudy's mother, is as close to us as anyone could be. And certainly, her father, before he died, Rex, was very close to us. Stella Ivey and Louise Schriner are also very close.
And then, Dave's father and mother have always been very close to us. May Matthews was a very intimate and close friend of ours before her death. And Ben Matthews, Dave's father, has been as close as could be. As a matter of fact, we have a message here from Ben to Virginia, which we received yesterday:
Dear Virginia,
When you were at my birthday party in April, you looked so pretty and young, I never would have suspected that when I crossed the 75th line you were nearing the three-score-and-ten mark. May I extend affectionate congratulations and greetings, and add my profound regret that I cannot make the trip down with Dave and Marion.
But, hold your breath; because, after my talk with Marion and Dave on Monday, I hope I may be able to call you up and say (if you all can put up with me for a few days later this summer) I may drop by. I plan to spend this weekend in Vermont, where many things need my personal attention, and then plan to go up again late in July (except for a trip now and then back to the office) and stay through Labor Day.
Separately, I am sending a token of my love and of admiration of you. I never knew as happy and wonderful and loyal a relationship from the beginning as has been May's privilege and mine with you and Walter.Sincerely,
Ben
We now close this record for today with a song with a selected chorus of grandchildren, who are ... wait now, wait a minute ... who are Kathy and Patty Ann and Debbie and Carol and Joanie and little Danny and little baby Ben. Happy Birthday now to Grandma ...
SOMEBODY: ... and baby Jim.
SELECT CHORUS:
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday to you.
Happy Birthday, dear Grandma.
Happy Birthday to you.
GRANDPA: And now we'll add a few more of the family since the birthday party.
AUNT TRUDY: This is Trudy, very late, but with sincere good wishes for a Happy Birthday, Mom. Added to those for you are some for Alex, whose birthday we celebrated today. It's been a lovely day, a lovely weekend, and, as usual, we've had a wonderful time with you.
UNCLE WALTER: Here's Walter III now, Mom—almost 4 weeks late, but still very happy to be down here again and wishing you "Happy Birthday" with all my love. And thank you and Dad and Trudy and Jim and their children so much for the birthday that you gave to Alex today ... now? ... now, Dad?
GRANDMA: ... many thanks ...
GRANDPA: And now, Grandma, you're going to have a professional radio announcer in the family to take over.
TOM: Well, greetings! This is the voice of the Esotera(?) and sorry we're a little late to celebrate your birthday, but we hope you enjoy the Social Security check which will come from our working that weekend. And, Happy Birthday! Now, let's see ... Judy, do you want to say something?
JUDY: No.
TOM: Come on, Judy ...
JUDY: This is Judy. You're such a little girl to be 70 years old. Happy Birthday, Grandma!
TOM: And now, here's Jimmy "Chip" Measday ...
JIMMY: Happy Birthday, Grandma!
TOM: And now, let's see, we have Alex coming up—another one in the long line wishing Grandma "Happy Birthday!" ...
ALEX: Well, thank you, Grandma, for giving me such a nice birthday cake on my birthday. Happy Birthday to you. And I thank you all for giving me a nice birthday.
TOM: And there comes Andy; it looks like the last for tonight. We had to do it in a lot of rounds, didn't we, Andy?
ANDY: Yes.
TOM: Yeah, so many people wishing Grandma "Happy Birthday!"
ANDY: Grandma, this is for your 70th birthday. Happy Birthday!
GRANDMA: Very good.
GRANDPA: We're now in August and still continuing the birthday greetings. And here is Peter ...
PETER: Hi, Grandma! I send my birthday wishes and, I'm sure, the wishes of my mother and her mother and her mother's sister to you. It may be 5 weeks late, but it got here. Happy Birthday!
WALTER: This is Walter IV! My best wishes to Grandma, Happy Birthday, Amen, and Good Night!
GRANDPA: And here we are, we're in the middle of September. Gertrude Kortright has been with us for the past week and she has something to say ...
NANA KORTRIGHT: Virginia, I want to add my birthday greetings: Many happy returns of July 4. I wish I could think of something clever to say, but that's it! Happy Birthday, Virginia!
GRANDPA: Grandma and I are now in DeWitt, up in New York State, to Marion and Dave's new home to celebrate Thanksgiving with them tomorrow. And we have been very fortunate to be able to get another member of the family, David James, to come down all the way from Kimball Union in New Hampshire to make his contribution to this series. Okay, David, here we are ...
DAVID: Of all, probably the last to wish Grandma "Happy Birthday!", I'm probably far from the least! I'd like to congratulate her on being able to keep up these past 70 years, especially with her problem children and her adorable grandchildren! So, I'd like to wish her a very Happy Birthday and hope that I can be there for the next one, next summer, with all you other people. Thank you.