Darsie Beck - and Betty MacDonald fan club fans,
this is a photo of Betty MacDonald's very witty sister Alison Bard Burnett.
You can order our new
Betty MacDonald and
Alison Bard Burnett CD and DVD!
DVD
and CD are different. You can see Betty MacDonald, her sister Alison
Bard Burnett and other family members and friends in front of the camera
for the first time!
We can offer you new wonderful Betty
MacDonald Fan Club Items and a new Betty MacDonald and Alison Bard
Burnett CD and DVD. More
exciting news about Betty MacDonald's filmed interview will come soon.
Anne
Elizabeth Campbell Bard was born March 26, 1907 in Boulder, Colorado,
the second child of Sydney and Darsie Bard. Betsy and her three sisters
and brother had an adventurous, somewhat unconventional childhood owing
to the strong and creative personalities of their parents and Darsie's
mother, "Gammy," and the many lessons in independence they survived
gracefully. ( see story Betty and Gammy written by Wolfgang Hampel
published by Betty MacDonald Fan Club and Interviews with
Betty MacDonald and her sister Alison Bard published on CD/DVD . The interviews on CD and DVD are different
ones )
When Betsy was 12 her father died of pneumonia, but the
family's strong relationships and optimism remained intact through this
sorrow and the ensuing financial trials.
Betsy (who later preferred
the nickname Betty) said that for the Bard children, there were really
only two household rules: "We were expected to be polite and to tell the
truth, no matter how appalling. "Apart from that, the Bard children did
as they pleased and went forth into the world with well-defined
personalities, acutely-developed senses of humor and adventure, and a
remarkable zest for life.
Betty married at 20 and went to live on a
chicken ranch in the Olympic mountains. Her experiences there are
chronicled in her first book, The Egg and I . ( see books The Kettles'
Million Dollar Egg, The Egg and Betty, The Tragic end of Robert Eugene
Heskett by Wolfgang Hampel published by BMC)
Life in such
isolation and hardship palled after 4 years and she returned with her
two small daughters to her Seattle family just as the Depression hit.
The amazing stories of their survival and triumph are related in Anybody
Can Do Anything. Betty and her family had a wonderful friend who
supported them during this very difficult time.
( see Betty and Mike
by Wolfgang Hampel published by BMC 2009 and Wolfgang Hampel's
interview with Alison Bard published by BMC )
Alison Bard tells some delightful treasure stories about this wonderful friend.
But
Betty's career as a businesswoman was cut short when she contracted
pulmonary tuberculosis and entered Firlands, an endowed sanitorium north
of Seattle. Lying flat on one's back for 8 1/2 months doesn't seem the
stuff of which humor can be made, but Betty did indeed spin gold out of
straw, in The Plague and I.
( see Betty MacDonald's illness written
by Wolfgang Hampel and published by BMC and comments of Betty
MacDonald's family and friends incl. Betty MacDonald's wonderful friend
Kimi )
After her recovery, Betty married Donald MacDonald and
they moved their family to Vashon Island, leading an idyllic and
interesting existence as portrayed in Onions in the Stew. While on
Vashon Betty also wrote her works for children: the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
series and Nancy and Plum.
Betty and her husband bought a ranch
near Carmel, but illness forced her to move back to Seattle. She died of
cancer at the age of 50 on February 7, 1958. ( see Betty MacDonald's
illness by Wolfgang Hampel, published by BMC and Wolfgang Hampel's
interview with Alison Bard, published by BMC )
Why is
Betty's writing so beloved among so many people all over the world? The
first and most obvious reason is that it's hilarious - sharp, sometimes
irreverent. vivid and unexpected. Betty manages to find humor
everywhere: on the early morning streetcar, in a hospital ward, in a
home with two cranky adolescents, in job situations from farm work to
secretarial duties. To read Betty's writing is to laugh -- often out
loud, in public places, whether you want to or not. She has a terrific
eye for the absurd and can paint a striking and side-splitting word
picture in a few succinct strokes.
But Betty fans also love her
optimism, her strength, her intense love for her family, her times of
self-doubt, and the zest with which she approaches all of life and
relishes simple pleasures.( see many comments of Betty MacDonald Fans in
books, stories and interviews with Betty MacDonald's family and
friends published by BMC )
Betty's indomitable sister
Mary Bard, whom we encounter in all four books but meet most vividly in
Anybody Can Do Anything, also went on to write (her first book is
dedicated to Betty, "Who Egged Me On"). Mary's books, The Doctor Wears
Three Faces, Forty-Odd, Just Be Yourself, and the children's series Best
Friends, are also much beloved by Betty fans who find themselves
quickly becoming Mary fans as well. ( see Wolfgang Hampel's interviews
with Alison Bard. She tells the most interesting stories about Mary,
Betty and the Bard family. )
The CD and DVD interviews are different ones.
For more info send a mail to lindelund2000@yahoo.com.
Thank you so much for your support and interest!
Dagmar
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald forum
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
