Your May 30 story and editorial upon the death of Mildred Benson, original author of the Nancy Drew stories, gave me two laughs and a groan.
I had a rueful laugh at the regret that my wife, also a Millie from Toledo, would never be the Toledo Millie.
A heartier laugh came at the implication that Nancy Drew helped bring forth our current women who have “brains, pluck and independence.” My mother and at least three aunts all had brains, pluck and independence, but they were already between 25 and 35 when Benson wrote the first Nancy Drew tale.
The groan came from the editorial. Developing the statement that Nancy Drew books presented “modern young women in a fresh, invigorating way,” the editorial said, among other things, “There was no mother to nag her about keeping her room clean or doing the dishes.”
Aha, to create a model, modern woman, give her a roadster at 16, let Dad do the dishes and have her believe that a messy room will create a creative woman.
