Correspondence between Mark Keller and Thelma Pierce Anderson (1963-1990)
Following up on the new discoveries in Mark Keller’s papers from the previous issue of the CAS Library Newsletter, several typed letters resurfaced written by Thelma Pierce Anderson, also known as Thelma Jellinek. The CAS Library is still processing these letters, and has not given up the hope to find more. Here is Part I of a sneak preview to the recently discovered correspondence between Mark Keller and Thelma Anderson.
The background: Thelma Ada Pierce was Jellinek’s second wife (first in the United States, with one marriage documented in Hungary). They got married on October 18, 1935 in Keen, NH. He was 45 years old and she was 24 years old. Their daughter, Ruth Surry was born on June 29, 1936. They divorced on March 2, 1946. Thelma died on December 6, 1995 in Santa Barbara, CA.
Thelma met Jellinek at the Worcester State Hospital. Thelma worked for Jellinek as a statistical assistant starting in October 1932. She found out after three months that her salary was paid by Jellinek personally (together with many others), as the Foundation could not afford paying assistants. According to Thelma, Jellinek had the job of Statistical Director, even though her opinion was “I doubt that Bunky knew his ear from his elbow, biometrically speaking” (Anderson to Keller, December 2, 1963).
Thelma and Keller knew each other from the Yale years. Keller often visited the Jellinek family in their home. Keller seems to have been genuinely impressed by Thelma:
“I visited your apartment the first time Bunky came to our office in Bellevue—but you were not home that afternoon. Bunky served me some chartreuse, but he didn’t drink any. When I first met you later, I was bowled over, and it raised my estimation of Bunky a notch….” he writes (Keller to Anderson, December 6, 1963).
After Jellinek’s death in 1963, Keller reached out to Thelma before his planned trip to California to assess the status of the Encyclopedia after Jellinek’s death. At that point, a correspondence started between them, mostly reminiscing on the past. Keller was eager to locate sources of information on Jellinek’s life for an obituary in QJSA, a Jellinek bibliography, and a potential biographical article. Apparently, Thelma had a lot to offer.
She is being modest in the letters, and at first she is trying to stick to the years spent together during Jellinek’s Worcester and Yale years. She points out several other possible contacts who might know or remember more about Jellinek. Thelma shares some stories about Jellinek’s personality, e.g., his talent to become an expert overnight, first in the bridge story:
Parenthetically — on some occasion, I believe it was while he was with United Fruit, he was asked to supervise the construction of a bridge. Now, you and I know that Bunky had the mechanical sense of a billygoat but — he had a weekend to get the bridge project worked out. He gathered together a pile of books and went to bed. On Monday morning, the plans for the bridge were ready! (Anderson to Keller, December 2, 1963).
Parallel with the bridge story is Thelma’s recollection how Jellinek got involved in alcohol science:
So far as I recall, it went something like this: Bunky had to go to New York on some business of the Foundation, a meeting perhaps. In some way, Sam Bernard Wortis was connected with this occasion. Bunky and Sam fell into conversation and the matter of the Research Council’s getting some money for a review came up. Bunky expressed some interest and one thing led to another. I do remember Bunky coming home and saying, ‘How would you like to be married to an alcohol expert?’ I said something along the line of, ‘But you don’t know one damned thing about it‘. Bunky reminded me about the bridge episode (mentioned earlier) and I said I thought he could probably learn enough to bull his way along until he needed to know more.
Again, Bunky took to the books, and I swear that within ten days he had developed a number of really good and original ideas on a subject about which he (nor anyone else as it turned out) had had not one reasonable notion in 50 years. (Anderson to Keller, December 2, 1963).
Also noteworthy is Thelma’s very precise description of the mysterious banana book written by Jellinek during his years with United Fruit Co. (according to one source under the pen name Nikita Hartman):
“ ….bound in dark green, hard cover; about 5″3~x8 in size, and approximately 3/4 inch thick” (Anderson to Keller, December 2, 1963).
Thelma claims to have seen a copy. This is probably the first time anyone gave the specifics about this enigmatic publication. Thelma also suggests that a biographical article should begin not earlier than the banana book, and preferably with the Worcester years. She explains:
“I should be happy to tell you my reasons privately, but I do not want to put them on paper;
believe me they are good reasons!” (Anderson to Keller, December 2, 1963).
Published in the March 2014 issue of the CAS Information Services Newsletter