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The Golden Dream

Page 24

by Birmingham, Stephen;


  Of course, if the direst predictions about future shortages of fuel and energy come true, the suburbs will be in even deeper trouble. There will be no gasoline for the automobiles that propelled the rush to the suburbs in the first place, and are still the suburbs’ lifeline. There will be no gas for the power mowers that manicure suburban lawns, to say nothing of fuel for heating swimming pools. But meanwhile the suburbs continue to expand and proliferate. At latest count there were more than twenty thousand suburban communities in the United States, and the number grows daily. It has been estimated that the suburban population in the last fifteen years has accounted for 75 percent of the nation’s growth. The suburbs are emerging as our newest majority. As Samuel Kaplan, director of the New York City Educational Construction Fund says: “The quintessence of America is now suburbia. It is in suburbia that most of the nation’s growth is occurring—in population, in jobs, and in power. After growing from a nation of farms to a nation of cities, it is clear from all signs that America has become a nation of suburbs.”

  To be able to “move on” is a luxury that is still not affordable by everyone. It is a truism to say that the rich have always had it better than the poor, and that the haves—at every level of society and at every stage of history—have had more mobility than the have-nots, whether the move is by camel caravan or air-conditioned limousine. It is also true that the American rich are often bored, often restless. It seems certain that the restless privileged of America will never be content to be settled in one place for very long, and will always be pushing outward or inward—into the bustling cities one moment, out to the wooded hills the next, searching for something of the past with one hand and something of the future with another, in pursuit of some suburbia of the mind, chasing the dream of the good life, the perfect life, that must exist, or be made to exist, on some patch of real estate or another. Hooked into the dream of the “upwardly mobile”—a term we Americans invented—is the certainty that whatever inconveniences life may present us at the moment, wherever we may be, this, too, shall pass. To help it pass, we move on. To a new house in, we hope, a better neighborhood.

  Index

  ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), 96, 97

  Adams, John Quincy, 45

  Adams-Morgan section of Washington, D.C., 200–203

  Adelante, 201

  age of suburbanites, average, 197

  Ailey, Alvin, 143

  alcohol, availibility of:

  in Hudson, Ohio, 34

  in Salt Lake City, Utah, 22–23

  Ali, Muhammad, 5

  Allen, Ivan, 81

  Allen O’Neill Drive, Darien, Conn., 103–104

  Alta Club, Salt Lake City, Utah, 27

  Amberley Village, Ohio, 51

  American Bar Association, 76

  American Psychiatric Association, 188

  American Yacht Club, 80–81, 117, 120, 173

  Anderson, James Bonbright, 35

  Anderson, William P., 149

  Annenberg, Walter H., 134, 139

  Anti-Defamation League, Southern Council, 72, 76

  anti-Semitism, 78–82

  in Atlanta clubs, 68–73

  See also Jews, acceptance of

  Apawamis Golf Club, 78, 120, 173

  Archbold, John, 127

  Ardmore, Pa., 134

  Ardsley Club, 129

  Arizona Ballet, 15

  Arizona Republic, 15

  Arizona State University, 13, 15

  art museums, as means of social entry, 177

  Ashland, Linda, 160

  Atherton, Calif., 153

  Atlanta, Ga.:

  old families, 75–76

  private clubs, 68–77

  urban life in, 192, 194

  Atlanta Constitution, 75, 76

  Atlanta Journal, 75, 76

  Autry, Gene, 7

  Baker, James A., site of house, 7

  Baker, John, 50

  Bala-Cynwyd, Pa., 134, 135

  Baldwin Hills, Calif., 198

  Barclay Classes, 78, 177

  Barlow, Haven, 28

  Bell, Griffin, 68, 75, 79

  Belvedere, 124

  Benjamin, Allan, 158–159

  Berwyn, Pa., 134, 135

  Best, Mrs. Hugh, 136

  Beverly Hills, Calif., 166, 172

  sex practices in, 181

  Bing, Rudolf, 71

  Birmingham, Mich., 64

  Birnam Wood Club, Santa Barbara, 164

  Black, Mrs. Jennie Prince, 127

  blacks, acceptance of, 174, 198–199

  in Atlanta clubs, 71, 77

  in Grosse Pointe, Mich., 174

  in Philadelphia suburbs, 67, 139

  in Rye, N.Y., 119

  Blood and Money, Thompson, 6

  Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 64, 174

  financial burdens of life in, 183–185

  Bloomingdale’s ladies’ room handbag story, 190 n.

  Boston, Mass., 131, 141

  Quincy Market, 197

  urban life in, 192

  water views, 193

  Boulders, The, Ariz., 16

  Brace, Dr. Charles, 125–126

  Brando, Marlon, 60

  Brigham Young University, 25

  Bronfman, Edgar, 106

  Bronfman, Samuel, 124

  Brown, Franklin Q., 126–127

  Brown, Walston H., 126–127

  Bryce, Mrs. Angelica Schuyler, 165

  Bryce, Peter Cooper, 165

  Bryn Mawr, Pa., 133, 134, 176

  Buffalo, N.Y., sex practices in, 182

  Buffalo Tennis & Squash Club, 182

  Burlingame, Calif., 153

  Bush, George, 5

  Butes, James, site of house, 8

  Butler, Michael, 161

  Camargo Country Club, 48, 51

  Candidate, The, 154

  Candler, Asa W., 76

  Candler, John S., II, 76

  Capital City Club, 68–69, 73

  Carefree, Ariz., 16–18

  Carnegie, Nancy (Mrs. Percy Rockefeller), 94

  Carroll, Gen. Howard, 123

  Carrollcliff, 123–124

  Carter, Frank, 69, 82

  Carter, Jimmy, 68

  Carter, Victor, II, 8

  Carter, Victor, III, 8

  Castellane, Count Paul Ernest Boniface de, 125

  Castro, Raul, 13

  Cedarhurst, N.Y., 197

  Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, 165

  Chambers, Ann Cox, 75–76

  change in suburbs, causes of, 197–200

  Chapin, Roy, 64

  charity, local, as means of social entry, 178

  Charleston, S.C., 131, 193

  Chase, Harold, 165

  Chase, Pearl, 162, 165

  Cherokee Club, 72

  Chicago, Ill., 192, 194–195

  water views, 193

  children, advantage of, in suburbs, 177

  Churchill, Winston, 127

  church membership, 177

  Cincinnati, Ohio, 39–46, 131, 141

  Blue Book, 54

  cultural life, 52

  Fountain Square, 41–42

  Mount Adams, 193, 203

  old families, 44, 49–55

  Procter & Gamble, 43–47

  skyline, 41

  Spring Grove Cemetery, 39–40

  suburbs:

  Amberley Village, 51

  Clifton, 48

  Glendale, 43, 44, 46, 47

  Grandin Road, 48–49, 55–56

  Hyde Park, 42, 43, 48–49, 50, 51, 55–56

  Indian Hill, 39, 40, 43, 47–48, 51, 53

  Madison Road, 48

  Mariemont, 43, 50

  Terrace Park, 43, 53

  urban center, 41–42

  urban problems, 171

  water views, 193

  Wesley Chapel, 45, 172

  Cincinnati, 45

  Cincinnati Country Club, 48, 51

  Cincinnati Enquirer, 45, 53


  Cincinnati Post, 45

  city life, 188–191

  problems of, 171–173

  mental health in, 188–189

  return to, 191, 192–197

  Cleveland, Ohio, 33–38

  crime rate, 190

  old families, 33

  suburbs, 33, 122

  Hudson, 34–38

  Peninsula, 37

  urban life, 37–38, 194–197

  Clifton, Ohio, 48, 171

  club cars on commuter lines, 110–113

  clubs, private, see private clubs

  Coca-Cola families, 76

  Cohen, Dolly, 53

  Cohen, Jeffrey N., 201

  Cohen, John, 71

  Collier Heights, Ga., 198

  Commerce Club, 72

  commute, definition of, 106–107

  commuting, art of, 107–114

  Connecticut Turnpike, 86–87, 99

  Conrad, Barnaby, 161

  Coral Casino, 166

  Coronado High School, Scottsdale, Ariz., 12

  Corbett, Patricia (Mrs. Ralph), 49, 55

  Corbett, Ralph, 49

  Corbett Foundation, 49

  Corcoran, Robert, 200, 201

  Cornwall, Conn., 174

  Country Club of Detroit, 60

  Country Club Plaza, shopping center, 180

  country clubs, see private clubs

  Courtlandt Place, Houston, Texas, 8–9

  Cox, Lori, 11–13

  Crest Hills Country Club, 51

  crime:

  comparative rates, 190

  in Darien, Conn., 100–102

  Custance, James D., 69, 79

  D. B. Cooper’s, 23

  Dallas, Texas, urban life in, 192

  Darien, Conn., 87, 99–105, 172, 174, 175

  Darien Review, 104

  Darlington, Thomas, 17

  Dartmouth College, 93

  Daylesford, Pa., 134

  Daylight Time, 16

  decor, interior, 176

  Denver, Colo., urban living in, 194

  Depew, Chauncey, 130

  Detroit, Mich., 57–64

  old families, 57–58, 61, 62

  Renaissance Plaza, 59, 195

  suburbs:

  Birmingham, 64

  Bloomfield Hills, 64

  Grosse Pointe, 57–64, 122, 135, 174, 183

  relationship to city, 59

  urban life in, 192

  Detroit Symphony, 59

  Devereaux, Marion, 53–54

  Devon, Pa., 134

  Dillman, Bradford, 161

  Disabled American Veterans, 13

  discrimination:

  against blacks, 61, 69, 78–82

  against Jews, 68–73, 78–82

  against single women, 156–158

  divorce, incidence of, 190

  in Hudson, Ohio, 35

  reasons for, 187–188

  in suburbs, 182

  Dodge, Marcellus Huntley, 90–91

  Douthit, Claude, Jr., 146

  Dow, Earl, 4

  Downs, Hugh, 17

  dress:

  Main Line, 136

  Santa Barbara, 161

  Scottsdale, Ariz., 14

  Watch Hill, R.I., 148

  Drulie, Sylvia, 143

  Drury, Samuel S., 147

  Duchin, Peter, 148

  Dykema, Mrs. Raymond, 63

  Eagle’s Nest, 14

  earthquake at Santa Barbara, Calif., 163

  East Aurora, N.Y., 182

  East Ridge Shopping Center, 154

  Eccles, George, 26

  Einstein, Albert, 145

  Elite Directory, 128

  Elson, Edward, 72, 76

  Emeny, Brooks, 92

  Emery, John, 49–50

  Emery, Mary M., 43, 50

  Emery Auditorium, 50

  Fadiman, Clifton, 161

  Fairfield County, Conn., 87–105, 122

  family room, 187–188

  Federal Heights, Utah, 21

  financial burdens of suburban life, 183–185

  Finneran, Jane, 54–55

  Fish, Mrs. Stuyvesant, 147

  Five Towns area of Long Island, N.Y., 197–198

  Flagler, Henry Morrison, 133

  Florestal, 165

  food, in suburbs, 176

  eaten by rich people, 74

  Ford, Eleanor (Mrs. Edsel), 62

  Ford, Emory, 62

  Ford, Frederick Clifford, 62

  Ford, Henry, Sr., 61, 63

  Ford, Henry, II, 61–62, 64

  Ford, John B., 62

  Ford, Walter Buhl, 62

  Franklin, DeJongh, 71, 72

  Franzen, Ulrich, 185

  Frisch, Mrs. Robert, 81

  Fromm, Erich, 188

  Gable, Clark, 75

  Galleria Shopping Center, 6

  Gans, Herbert, 183

  Gasner, Beverley, 198

  Geier, Inga, 51

  General Motors families, 165–166, 183

  Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation, 97–98

  Ghirardelli Square, 194

  Gilligan, John, 55

  Giralda, 90–91, 98

  Gladstone Car, 111–113

  Gladwyne, Pa., 133

  Glendale, Ohio, 43, 44, 46, 47, 171

  Godfather, The, 60

  Goldwater, Barry, 11, 12

  Gone with the Wind, 75

  Goodsell, Almira Geraldine (Mrs. William Rockefeller), 89

  Goodstein, Jeanette (Mrs. Leonard), 186–188

  Goodstein, Leonard, 15, 186–188

  Gordon, Ernest, 201, 202

  Gordon, The Rev. Ernest, 146

  Gould, Anna (Duchesse de Talleyrand), 125

  Gould, Jay, 124

  Gracemere, 129

  Grand Central Station, N.Y., homosexual rendezvous in, 182

  Grapple St., Rye, N.Y., 119

  Grasso, Ella, 111

  Gratz, Helen (Mrs. Godfrey Rockefeller), 93

  Gratz, Rebecca, 93

  Great Salt Lake, 27–29

  Green, Adelaide Browning (Mrs. H. Stuart), 129

  Greenwich, Conn., 87–98, 99, 117, 167, 172, 174, 175

  railroad station, homosexuals in, 182

  Grey, Mrs. Horace, 165

  Griffin, Merv, 167

  Grosse Pointe, Mich., 57–64, 122, 135, 174, 183

  automobile people in, 183

  development of, 63

  Ford families in, 61–62

  Lake Shore Road, 64

  relationship to Detroit, 59

  Grosse Pointe City, Mich., 59

  Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., 59, 60

  Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., 59, 60

  Grosse Pointe Shores, Mich., 58, 59

  Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., 59, 60

  growth of suburbs, vii–viii, 122–130

  Gulph Mills Golf Club, 67

  Hall, Seymour, 111, 113

  Hamilton, Alexander, II, 127

  Handy, Helen Parmalee, 58

  Hanna, Mark, 34

  Harvard University, 93

  Harkness, Rebekah (Mrs. William Hale), 143

  Harkness, William Hale, 143

  Harlow, Harry, 79–80

  Harness, Edward G., 43

  Harrison, Benjamin, 51

  Harrison, Charles Learner, III, 51–53

  Harrison, Edmond, 52

  Harrison, Learner Blackman, 52

  Harrison, Molly (Mrs. Charles L., III), 51–53, 178

  Harrison, Pegram, 69

  Harrison, William Henry, 45, 51

  Haverford, Pa., 133

  Heirloom Cities, 131

  Heminway, Mrs. John, 148

  Herring, Joanne (Mrs. Robert), 4–5

  Herring, Robert, 4–5

  Hewlett, N.Y., 197

  Hill, Jesse, 77

  Hill, Joan Robinson (Mrs. John), 6

  Hill, John, 6

  Hillsborough, Calif., 153, 154

  Hitchings, Nancy, 102

  Hite, Kathleen, 17

  Hodge, Sh
elby, 5

  Holliday, Benjamin, 124

  homosexual rendezvous points, 182

  hospital work as means of social entry, 177–178

  Houston, Texas, 3–10

  Courtlandt Place, 8–9

  crime rate, 190

  Heights, 7

  old families, 7–8

  River Oaks, 3–7, 9–10

  urban life in, 7–9, 194

  Hovas, Alessandra (Sandra) (Baroness di Portanova), 5

  Hovhaness, Alan, 154

  Hudson, David, 34

  Hudson, Ohio, 34–38, 141

  social distinctions in, 35–36

  Hudson Country Club, 35

  Hughes, Howard, 25

  Hurley, Mrs. Collier, 4

  Hussein, King of Jordan, 4–5

  Hutchins, Robert, 165

  Hyde Park, Ohio, 42, 43, 48–49, 50, 51, 55–56, 171, 172, 193

  Indian Hill, Ohio, 39, 40, 43, 47–48, 51, 53, 171, 173

  Indian Village, Rye, N.Y., 117

  Ingersoll, Anna, 131

  inner city life, see urban life

  interior decor, 176

  Inwood, N.Y., 197

  Ireland, Harry, 108

  Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Keith, 3–4

  Jackson, Maynard, 71

  Jagger, Mick, 161

  Jamail’s, 6–7

  Jews, acceptance of:

  in Atlanta clubs, 68–73, 76

  in California suburbs, 166

  in Cincinnati, 51

  in country clubs, 67–82

  in Darien, Conn., 103

  in Five Towns, Long Island, N.Y., 197–198

  in Grosse Pointe, Mich., 61, 174

  in Hudson, Ohio, 37

  in Los Angeles Country Club, 37

  in Philadelphia suburbs, 67, 133, 134, 139

  at Procter & Gamble, 47

  in Twigs, 117–118

  in Watch Hill, R.I., 145

  Joy, Helen Newberry (Mrs. Henry B.), 57–59, 64

  Kansas City, Mo., suburbs of, 179–181

  Kanzler, Mrs. Robert, 62

  Kaplan, Samuel, 204

  Kelly, Ken, 199

  Kimball, Spencer W., 27

  King & Spalding, law firm, 73, 79

  Kinsolving, Arthur Lee, 146

  Kirbo, Charles, 75

  Korda, Michael, 159–160

  Krumm, John M., 146

  Ladera Heights, Calif., 198

  La Grange, Gerald, 120

 

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