Hart, Marjorie 1924–

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Hart, Marjorie 1924–

PERSONAL:

Born April 15, 1924, in Story City, IA; married William Hart (a dentist; died 1981); married Peter Cuthbert; children: three daughters and one son. Education: University of Iowa, B.M., San Diego State College, M.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—La Mesa, CA.

CAREER:

Musician and writer. Worked previously at DePauw University and the University of San Diego as a professor of music.

WRITINGS:

Summer at Tiffany, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

In the summer of 1945, two young coeds from the University of Iowa decided to experience the glamour and excitement of city life by getting summer jobs in New York City. During their short stay the women both experienced history—they were witness to the excitement of Victory over Japan (VJ) Day in Times Square and the devastation of an accidental plane crash into the Empire State Building—and made history as the first women to work on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. One of the women, Marjorie Hart, shared in an interview with San Diego Union Tribune contributor Arthur Salm what compelled her to write of those experiences at the age of eighty-three: "I don't consider myself a writer, but I wanted a legacy for our family." Recalling love letters belonging to her mother that she found and read as a child, Hart continued: "From then on, I thought of her differently. I'd had no idea that she had those feelings. My children and grandchildren don't really know me, and I thought, maybe they'll know me like I got to know my mother when I found those letters." The resulting memoir, Summer at Tiffany, was described by Michelle Jones in a BookPage review as "charming and fun." Jones further commented: "Every once in a while a book comes along that is everything one wants it to be; such is the case with Marjorie Hart's Summer at Tiffany." Booklist reviewer Carol Haggas wrote: "Hart's infectious vivacity resonates with a madcap immediacy, delectably capturing the city's heady vibrancy." Writing for USA Today, Deirdre Donahue remarked: "Neither sentimental nor saccharine, this book offers insights into the women who lived through World War II."