Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the best-selling novel about Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt, "No Ordinary Time," paid Baltimore a visit yesterday. She was invited, by an old friend, Lois Shofer, to participate in a book-signing to benefit Network 2000 and its programs for women and the Margot and Diane Dippold Women's Collection of books that deal with women's issues. This collection is housed at the Central Enoch Pratt library, where the book signing party was held last night.
The party began about 5 with wonderful box suppers provided by Gourmet Caterers for the party's planners. And although Goodwin had been moving all day, she arrived at the party glowing. She and Lois had just come from a tour of Oriole Park at Camden Yards with the Maryland Stadium Authority's historian, Nolan Rogers. Yep, she loves baseball, especially the Boston Red Sox. She says she was the first woman journalist to enter the Red Sox dressing room. It was her interest in baseball that led her to work with Ken Burns on his PBS baseball series -- she even sang "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," in one scene.
Besides signing books, she told entertaining tales about her experiences writing three books in 23 years. These are "Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream" and "The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys."
Among the names on the guest list were Deborah Barron, who works for USAir and flew in for the party; Carl Sferrazza Anthony, who was the instructor of a 12-week course at George Washington University, "The President's Spouses." Anthony's course featured guest speakers that included First Ladies Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Rosalyn Carter and Hillary Rodham Clinton. He's also the author of "First Ladies: The Saga of President's Wives and Their Power, 1789-1991."
Others invited to the party were Judge Diana Motz, Jennifer Burdick, Betsy Hayes, Nell Strachan, Frances Booke, Gary Goldstein, Frances Reaves, Tom Koch, Network 2000 president Carolyn Maguire and her husband, Dr. Jimmy Frenkil, B. J. Cowie, Sandy and Bob Hillman, he's COB of the Pratt, Barbara Oski, Lois Baldwin, Virginia Adams, Susan Gauvey and, of course, the director of the Pratt, Carla Hayden.
Another highlight took place earlier in the day, Goucher president, Judy Jolley Mohraz, welcomed Goodwin to the school where she gave a free lecture for area high school, college and university students. Also in the audience was Jean Baker, a noted Lincoln historian, who asked the first question.
should mention that Doris is married to attorney Richard Goodwin, the congressional investigator who discovered that the television quiz show "Twenty-One" was rigged. In the movie "Quiz Show" about that scandal, Rob Morrow portrayed Richard.
Doris will be up at the crack of dawn today so the Shofers, Lois and Howard, can whisk her to the airport. The Shofers then will -- to Annapolis with Essex Community College President Don Slowinski and his wife, Val Jean, to board the Pride of Baltimore II. The Pride is supposed to dock in the Inner Harbor today at 1 p.m. and the ride to Baltimore is supposed to be a work-related experience for Lois, who is the director of the air and sea community program at Essex.
On Jan. 1, I plan to run a list of January, February and March events. If you would like your event to be considered for publication, send the information, including a phone number for inquiries, to me at 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore 21278; fax, (410) 783-2519. I must receive your announcement by Dec. 16.