Frances Glessner Lee is married

This month marks the 125^th anniversary of the marriage of Frances Glessner and Blewett Lee. The ceremony took place on February 9, 1898, in the parlor of her parents’ Prairie Avenue home. It was a small affair attended by family and close friends, but a great effort went into all the preparations. In this article, we will examine the event from beginning to end.

Frances Glessner returned from her fourteen month Grand Tour of Europe in July 1897 and immediately joined her family at The Rocks, their New Hampshire summer estate. Soon, she met Blewett Lee, a friend of her brother George. The relationship developed quickly and just three months later, on October 17, Blewett asked her parents for her hand in marriage. However, Frances had not yet had her formal introduction into Chicago society, so although her parents consented to the union, the announcement was withheld until after her debut took place in late November. (Click here to read an article about the debut). The engagement was announced to the extended family over the Christmas holiday. On the last day of the year, Frances’s mother wrote in her journal that she had spent much of the day writing letters to friends announcing the engagement. The letter read as follows:

“We have a very precious bit of news which we wish to share with you and Mr. ___. Our Frances is engaged and to be married early in February to Mr. Blewett Lee. We should rather have her a little older than she will be then, but Mr. Lee is so nearly everything in the world that is good and perfect that we cannot find it in our hearts to interfere with their complete happiness. Mr. Lee is a well established practicing lawyer and is also a professor of law in the Northwestern University, is a man of very unusual parts, character and education. He comes from old and distinguished families, the Lees and Harrisons of Virginia. He and Frances are heartily in love with each other and if we must lose our only daughter, he is the one man in the world to whom we are willing to give her. So, we ask you to congratulate the young people upon their happiness and us too because our daughter loves so good a man and one whom we cordially love and approve.”

The letter noted the bride’s young age – she was just 19 at the time; her husband-to-be was 30. Chicago newspapers announced the engagement on January 2, 1898, the Chicago Tribune noting this about Blewett:

“Mr. Blewett Lee, whose residence is at the Chicago Club, was educated at the Universities of Mississippi and of Virginia, studied at Leipsic and Freiburg, graduated from Harvard, and, besides his practice here, is professor of constitutional law and equity in Northwestern University, and has recently been asked to take similar positions at prominent Eastern colleges.”

The Inter Ocean provided a few additional facts including the fact that Blewett had been in Chicago for four years, and that following his graduation from Harvard in 1889, he “began his practical legal experience” with Justice Horace Gray of the U.S. Supreme Court. None of the articles provides any information about Frances Glessner herself. In mid-January, the date of Wednesday, February 9 was announced. By coincidence, it was the same date as the wedding of Elizabeth Henderson, daughter of the Glessners’ neighbors who lived three doors to the south at 1816 S. Prairie Avenue.

Over the next month, the journal is filled with entries relating to the wedding planning, including multiple visits to Madame Weeks at 1521 S. Michigan Avenue. She was Mrs. Glessner’s preferred dressmaker and made both the wedding dress and most of the trousseau, with items such as the lingerie coming from Schlesinger & Mayer’s.

Wedding corset, embroidered cotton coutil
(Collection of the Chicago History Museum)

As presents began to arrive, a third floor room was converted into an area to display the variety of costly gifts, and Mrs. Glessner notes many occasions where she took friends up to see the gifts and the trousseau. A notebook was purchased in which to record all the presents and from whom they were received, with sections for silver, china, glassware, embroideries, bed linens, household linens, and table linens. The image below shows a portion of the silver on display in the third floor room. The chest of silver flatware, with service for 18, was made by Gorham in the Antique pattern, and was a gift from the Glessners, as was the hammered silver tea and coffee service at left. The silver platters came from Frances’s favorite uncle, George Glessner, and the silver trays from her brother George. All the pieces have been donated to Glessner House by the family.

On Saturday, February 5, the 900-pound Steinway grand piano was moved up to the second floor. The cook, Mattie Williamson, baked the cakes, and they were taken to Charles Smiley, Chicago’s premiere African American caterer, for icing. Mrs. Glessner noted that the “little brides which were on our wedding cakes” were taken in for repair, and that some of the preserved orange flowers from her bouquet were to be put in with Frances’s fresh flowers.

The day before the wedding, men came in to lay white muslin on the floors, and the florist came to decorate the rooms. White lilies adorned the music cabinet, and the parlor mantel was filled with a bank of ferns and orchids. The northeast corner of the parlor, where the ceremony was to take place, was hung with wild smilax and white orchids, tied back on either side with small wreathes of lily of the valley. The stairway was decorated with palms and azaleas, and a group of these stood in the hall in front of the door to the courtyard. An immense bunch of American beauties stood on the sideboard.

Out of town guests began to arrive, and presents were sent all day. Rev. Philip H. Mowry, who had presided over the wedding ceremony of John and Frances Glessner in 1870, traveled from Chester, Pennsylvania to perform the ceremony for their daughter. More out-of-town family arrived on Wednesday, some staying with the Glessners’ neighbors, the O. R. Keiths, at 1808 S. Prairie Avenue.

Rev. Philip H. Mowry

The ceremony was scheduled for 5:00pm. Madame Weeks and two assistants arrived at 3:00pm to dress Frances. The wedding gown was made of white satin with a deep flounce of double rose Venetian point lace which Mrs. Glessner had acquired from Rome. Frances wore a tulle veil and carried a bouquet of lily of the valley (which was preserved, see image below). She wore a handkerchief and point lace in her sleeves that her mother had worn when she was married. She borrowed a pearl headed pin from her mother and wore a diamond necklace given to her by Blewett’s mother, whose fragile health prevented her traveling from Mississippi to attend.

The bridal party:

·        Helen Macbeth, maid of honor, was the bride’s aunt. She was Frances’s traveling companion during her Grand Tour of Europe in 1896-1897. Helen had served as the maid of honor when her sister Frances married John Glessner in 1870.

·        Alice Hamlin of Springfield, Ohio. Her engagement to George Glessner was announced later that evening.

·        Frances Ream of 1901 S. Prairie Avenue, a childhood friend. She went on to marry industrialist and coal mine operator John Kemmerer.

·        Marion Ream, Frances’s oldest sister. Her first husband was Redmond Stephens and together they owned what is now the Charnley-Persky House. Her second husband, Anastase Vonsiatsky, was a founder of the White Russian Fascist movement in the United States and was imprisoned for espionage during World War II.

·        George Glessner, the best man, was the brother of the bride.

·        Dwight Lawrence was Blewett Lee’s partner in the law firm of Lee & Lawrence, and a friend of George Glessner. Lawrence initiated the introduction between Blewett and the Glessners. He later became a leader in the National Roosevelt Committee when Theodore Roosevelt ran for president on the Progressive ticket in 1912.

·        Leverett Thompson was a banker and later served as mayor of Lake Forest.

Alice Hamlin, Marion Ream, Helen Macbeth, and Frances Ream

Madame Weeks received a pin in thanks, as did each of the servants. The bridesmaids received brooches of stones and pearls, and wore white organdy, with Valenciennes lace, pink sashes and bows, and carried pink carnations. Helen carried white roses. The men each received three pairs of sleeve buttons.

The bridal party formed in the hallway outside of the Glessners’ bedroom. Close friends formed a passage in the main hall for them to pass through, and then followed them into the parlor. Members of the Chicago Orchestra were seated on the main staircase on platforms that had been made especially for them by the Auditorium stage manager. Theodore Thomas selected and arranged the music but was unable to be present due to another commitment. They played the “Swedish Wedding March” by Söderman followed by “Call me thine own” from the opera L’éclair by Halévy. Of the ceremony, Mrs. Glessner wrote:

“Mr. Mowry stood with his back to the corner – and read the full Episcopal ceremony. The young people made their responses clearly and without hesitation. They were married with a ring. Helen removed the veil, Blewett kissed his bride. John, General Lee and I congratulated them, then George, then the grandparents, etc.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the orchestra played Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.” After congratulations were offered all around, George stood by his mother, and Alice Hamlin by John Glessner, and their engagement was announced.

Signatures of the bride and groom, parents, and wedding party from the guestbook

The reception followed:

“Our tea table was set in the library. We put a fine damask cloth and then our old Maltese lace cloth. We had two pyramids of cake, white and black, one on each end. On top of these were the little brides used on our wedding cakes. We had a splendid basket of pink and white roses and ferns on the table. Then there were cakes the shape of a heart – candies with little white bow knots on top of them. We had frozen egg nog in the hall – tea and coffee in the alcove.”

(For cake recipes, see the "Cooking with Mattie" column posted February 1, 2023)

The reception was followed by dinner for 32 – the bridal party, family, Mr. and Mrs. Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, and Governor and Mrs. Bushnell. The bridal party was seated in the dining room, the others were seated at three tables in the parlor.

The menu:
Oysters on the half shell, brown bread and butter, olives and celery
Chicken cream soup
Fish with cooked cucumbers and potatoes
Fillet of beef with brown sauce, with chestnuts, creamed mushrooms, celery, and jelly
Salad with sliced ham and hot crackers
Ice cream in the shape of four-leaf clovers
Cake, fruit, bon bons, coffee
Champagne throughout

John Glessner gave the toast to the bride:

“A toast for the bride – a good and loving daughter, a sweet and lovely bride who is to be a good and thoughtful and loving wife, whose joy is not in riches but in home making and the affection of husband and friends.

“To us old fogies these seem over young to marry yet and start out for themselves – but we old folks did it when we were young. The future is rose colored and rose scented for them as the looking forward was rosy for us and to us the color and the fragrance of the backward glance – the realization – is sweeter still.

“May it be so with these our dear children. Here pledge with me the health of the bride and the peace and comfort and joy of this new household.”

(The toast was later written out by Isaac Scott, and framed, as seen below)

The guests left at 9:00pm. Frances went to her room to change into her traveling costume – blue serge skirt, blue green and yellow plaid silk waist (swatch shown below), blue serge Eton coat, black velvet hat with scarlet roses, and a sealskin cape. Mrs. Glessner recorded how the evening drew to a close:

“Then we five sat down in our bedroom until time to go to the station. Then they – the two – went out alone together never to enter the home in the same way again.”

Waist fabric from book containing swatches of Frances's wedding dress and trousseau

The Elite News published an extensive account of the wedding, also noting the pedigree of the couple, a complicated issue given the role Blewett’s father played in the Civil War:

“Miss Glessner, through Madame Anna Bayard, who came to this country with her brother, old Peter Stuyvesant, the first Dutch governor of New York, and settled on Bohemia Manor, partly in New York and partly in New Jersey, traces her lineage to the family of the Chevalier Bayard, the knight sans peur et sans reproche, and Mr. Lee, through both the Lees and the Harrisons, goes back to Colonial Virginia and old established English families.

“Mr. Lee’s father, Lieut.-General S. D. Lee, was the Confederate officer detailed to demand the surrender of Fort Sumter at the breaking out of the war, and his grandfather, Hon. James T. Harrison, was selected by the whole of the Southern bar at the close of the war to defend Jefferson Davis if action should be brought by the Federal government against him for treason. Happily, this was not necessary, and both sides of Mr. Lee’s family accept the logical results of the war and are true and loyal citizens of our united country.”

Frances Glessner notes in her journal that on Saturday she felt her “first severe reaction” and could hardly get through the day. Serious illness was fast approaching, and on February 20 she underwent surgery in the corner guestroom and was confined to her bed for several weeks. Frances and Blewett Lee returned to Chicago on February 29 after spending their honeymoon in the South, and took rooms at the Hotel Metropole, located at 2300 S. Michigan Avenue.

The Lees held their first post-nuptial reception on April 12 at the Glessners’ home. On the same day and at the same hour, the former Elizabeth Henderson and her new husband, William H. Merrill, held their first reception at her parents’ home three doors away. This was no doubt carefully arranged, as the two families would have shared many of the same friends, making it convenient for them to visit both receptions at one time. John Glessner noted that 252 people attended their reception, but that his wife was not well enough yet to come down from her bedroom.

In early May, the young couple set up housekeeping in a first floor apartment at 120 E. 21^st Street, just a few blocks from the Glessners. On December 5, 1898, their son John Glessner Lee was born. It had been a whirlwind eighteen months since Frances Glessner returned from her Grand Tour.

Frances Glessner is introduced into Chicago society

Frances Glessner was introduced into Chicago society in the fall of 1897, exactly 125 years ago. Events unfolded quite rapidly following her return in July from a grand tour of Europe. She soon met and fell in love with her future husband while at her parents’ summer estate, The Rocks, in New Hampshire. After returning to Chicago in October, plans were finalized for her debut, which took place the day before Thanksgiving. Exactly one month later, her engagement was announced. She was married in February 1898, and by the end of that year had given birth to her first child.

The planning of a formal debut for girls turning 18 grew in popularity during the 19^th century. In England, members of the aristocracy spent months planning for the event which culminated in presentation at court before the Queen. In America, the rituals could be almost as elaborate, with the dress (always white to portray purity), flowers, reception, and guest list all carefully considered. Autumn was the most popular time for the debut as it introduced the young woman at the beginning of the social season, providing the opportunity for countless dinner parties and dances at which to meet potential suitors. The goal was to secure a proposal of marriage by the end of the first or second social season.

Frances was actually 19-1/2 when her debut took place, due to the fact her parents sent her on a grand tour of Europe in May 1896, just two months after she turned eighteen. Accompanied by her maiden aunt, Helen Macbeth, the tour lasted fourteen months and upon her return to the United States on July 29, 1897, she joined her family to spend the remainder of the summer at The Rocks. A letter from her mother, penned on July 4, hinted at her change of status – she was no longer the girl Fanny, but the young woman Frances. Her mother wrote, in part:

“You are grown up now – are no longer a child – we shall be good friends now. I shall depend upon you, and you will help me and let me rely upon you. You are through with the school room and are ready to take your place with me and to take on responsibilities. Heretofore, your father and I have planned for you. Now you can take the liberty which belongs to a young lady and to our daughter.”

Frances and her family at The Rocks, summer 1897

It was while at The Rocks that she came to know Blewett Lee, her future husband. He was eleven years her senior and had come to know the family through his friend Dwight Lawrence, one of George Glessner’s closest friends. Blewett was a promising young attorney and a professor of constitutional law and equity at Northwestern University, and quickly endeared himself to Frances, and the rest of her family. On October 17, less than a week after the family had returned to Chicago, he asked the Glessners for Frances’s hand in marriage.

Although they readily consented, the decision was made to postpone the announcement of the engagement until after her debut. During the first week of November, invitations were mailed out, and soon after, the society columns of the Chicago newspapers announced the event, the following from The Chicago Chronicle being typical:

“Mrs. John J. Glessner and Miss Glessner of 1800 Prairie avenue will give a large reception on the afternoon of Nov. 24 from 3 until 6 o’clock. The affair will serve to introduce Miss Glessner.”

The date would have been carefully considered to avoid any conflicts, as Frances Glessner’s journal notes numerous debut parties during the month to which she was invited. On November 23, just one day before her daughter’s debut, she recorded attending the debut for Marion Thomas, the daughter of Chicago Orchestra conductor Theodore Thomas, where she formed part of the receiving party.

Frances Glessner carefully recorded the details of her daughter’s debut in her journal:

“Wednesday, the day was given up to the debut party. The flowers commenced to come in early in the morning. I had two men here from eleven o’clock on arranging them. We massed them on the library table and book shelves. There were huge vases of American beauties which reached almost to the ceiling and these were put on the south and east end of the table and the bouquets graduated down toward the door. It was a splendid sight. She had flowers from sixty persons.

“Frances’s dress was white crepe de chine with an embroidered polka dot all white. She wore a bunch of lilies of the valley which Mr. Lee sent her and three pink rosebuds from my bouquet in her hair. Miss Hamlin wore a blue and white silk and carried a bunch of white roses and one of crimson sent by John and George.

“I wore a green watered silk and velvet. There was a large number of guests. Frederick ran the dining room and hall and did it splendidly. We had three bunches of white chrysanthemums in the hall and one on the piano, American beauties on the sideboard and one on each side of the table in the dining room. We had a small narrow table across the bay window. This had a white cloth which reached to the floor. This was festooned with delicate green and pink rosebuds. We had no assistants and no one to preside at the table. It was a pronounced success in every way.”

The account of the event in the newspapers was brief, which was typical of the Glessners who preferred not to have long detailed descriptions of their social events published. The Chicago Chronicle wrote:

“Miss Glessner, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Glessner of 1800 Prairie avenue, made her debut in society yesterday afternoon at a tea from 3 until 6 o’clock. Mrs. Glessner was assisted by her guest, Miss Hamlin of Springfield, O. Mrs. Glessner and Miss Glessner will be at home Tuesdays during the winter.”

(Notes: “Miss Hamlin” was Alice Mary Hamlin, who would become George Glessner’s wife in June 1898. “Frederick” was Frederick Reynolds, who had served as the Glessners’ butler since October 1891. The Tuesday “at homes” referred to the social custom of Frances Glessner and her daughter being at home every Tuesday afternoon to receive callers.)

The day after the debut was Thanksgiving Day, and in a distinct step away from formal society, Frances and her brother and their friends attended a 1:00pm football game between the Universities of Michigan and Chicago held at the Coliseum, 1513 S. Wabash Avenue. A dinner for sixteen took place in the evening.

Friday was marked by attendance at the regular concert of the Chicago orchestra, the family enjoying a performance of Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony and Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture. Frances Glessner noted that many people called on her debutante daughter in their box during intermission. The next day, she hosted a “young ladies luncheon” before mother and daughter attended the debut party for Margaret Avery, a childhood friend, and the granddaughter of Thomas M. Avery, president of the Elgin National Watch Company.

On Friday, December 10, Frances attended her first formal ball:

“In the evening, Frances went to her first ball. She wore a charming gown of white tulle with a delicate garnishing of pink roses and green leaves. A pink rose in her hair. She was sweet as a peach. Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey Blair took her. John went after her at 12-30. Unie too went to help her. Mr. Lee went. Frances danced every time and was not very enthusiastic over balls when she came home.”

(Note: “Unie” was Unie Iverson, a servant).

Just six days later, the Glessners hosted a dinner dance for their daughter, with elaborate preparations requiring the relocation of much of the first floor furniture.

“Thursday we gave our dinner dance. We cleared the dining room and parlor of every piece of furniture – took down the curtains, took off doors, etc. The side board and piano were put in the hall and covered with old embroideries and brocades and used for favor tables. We arranged the favors on them and then covered them all up with Japanese parasols opened. The dining room was hung with festoons of green wild smilax and at the lowest point of each festoon we pinned a big bow of pink satin ribbon with long ends. Small rosettes of the same ribbon were put in the greens between the bows. These bows were given the dancers for their last favor.

“Johnny Hand and his orchestra of eleven pieces were in the hall between the stairway and the fireplace. Mr. Bournique came himself and brought his man to put the floors in the best condition. Our bedroom was used as a store room for furniture. The guests came in the drive way and up the winding stairs. There were forty two at dinner. We seated them at small tables in the parlor and dining room. We had a bunch of pinks on each table. After dinner, these pinks were put on the parlor mantel. The camp chairs were all covered with white muslin covers. The chairs were paired off and the numbers were painted on good sized cards and tied on the chairs.

“The dining room was absolutely clear. The red curtains were dropped and the green drapery and bows were on those. Mattie Williamson helped us all day. We had a nice dinner and at twelve o’clock a nice supper. The party broke up at two o’clock. We have been very much complimented over the party.”

The Inter Ocean reported the next day:

“About thirty young people were entertained at dinner by Mrs. J. J. Glessner of No. 1800 Prairie avenue last evening. Later, the cotillon was danced. The affair was in honor of Miss Frances Glessner, a recent debutante.”

The social events for Frances continued, the week leading up to Christmas being representative.

Monday, December 20

Frances and her mother paid calls on the North side. In the evening, Frances attended a dinner at the Lake Shore Drive home of Mrs. E. F. Lawrence and then the first of the Marquette dances. The dance took place at the Germania Club on Clark Street, just south of North Avenue. Attended by 150 people, the dance was considered one of the important events in the social calendar for the winter and inaugurated the season of subscription dances. The club hosting the dance was composed of “young married people and young maids and bachelors who are prominent socially on both the North and South Sides.” Frances’s father went after her at midnight, at which time supper was served and the evening concluded with a german. They came home about 3:00am, Frances noting she had “a fine time.”

(Note: A german, also known as a cotillon, was a popular group dance, usually performed to waltz music. It incorporated elaborate props and favors, such as those mentioned in the Glessner dinner dance of December 16.)

Germania Club

Tuesday, December 21

Mrs. William W. Kimball, 1801 S. Prairie Avenue, gave a luncheon for Frances. In the afternoon, mother and daughter had about thirty callers.

Wednesday, December 22

Frances hosted a “young ladies luncheon” for twelve. In the evening, Mr. Isham gave her a dinner at his North side home.

Thursday, December 23

Mrs. A. A. Sprague, 2710 S. Prairie Avenue, gave a luncheon for Frances.

Friday, December 24

Frances dined at the home of Norman Ream, 1901 S. Prairie Avenue. His daughters, Marian and Frances, would both serve as bridesmaids at her wedding. Frances’s engagement was announced to the extended family.

Frances Glessner’s time as a debutante was active, but short lived. On February 9, 1898, just two and a half months after she was introduced into Chicago society, she married Blewett Lee. A future article will detail the events leading up to and including their nuptials, which took place in the parlor of her parents’ Prairie Avenue home.

John Maxim Lee - A Tribute

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of John Maxim Lee on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 at the age of 93. Jack, as he was known throughout his life, was the first grandchild of Frances Glessner Lee, and the eldest great-grandchild of John and Frances Glessner. Being eight when John Glessner died, he was also the last of the line to have distinct memories of his great-grandfather, thus forming a link to the earlier generation that is now broken. This tribute to Jack is a bit more personal than most of my articles, for in addition to recording the facts of a life well lived and one worthy of celebrating, I also wish to record my personal memories of him and my gratitude for the opportunity to get to know him over the past nine years.
                                                 Bill Tyre, Curator & Program Director

Notation of John Maxim Lee's birth in

John J. Glessner's pocket calendar for 1927

John Maxim Lee was born in Hartford, Connecticut on April 5, 1927 to John Glessner and Percy Maxim Lee, who were residing in Amityville, New York at the time. His parents had accomplished careers and will be the subject of future blog articles. His father, John Glessner Lee, at his retirement, was the director of research at United Technologies (formerly United Aircraft Corporation), was one of the six men who designed the well-known Ford tri-motor plane, and was a co-founder of the University of Hartford. Mother Percy Maxim Lee served as president of the National League of Women Voters from 1950 to 1958, working with several U.S. presidents in various roles with the League from the 1940s into the 1960s.

Jack with his sister Percy, May 1930

Jack with his mother and sister Percy, 1932

By the time Jack was nine, he had been joined by three siblings – sisters Percy and Frances (Nan), and brother Hamilton (Tony). 

Applethorne, the Lee family home in Farmington, CT, circa 1936

The Lees built their new home, Applethorne, in Farmington, Connecticut in 1934; it was designed by the well-known Hartford architect Carl J. Malmfeldt. It would remain the family home for the next forty-one years.

Jack with his grandfather, Blewett Lee, at left, 1936. Jack's father,
John Glessner Lee is at right.

Jack was proud of his Glessner heritage, but also the other lines from which he was descended. This included his paternal grandfather, Blewett Lee (who married Frances Glessner in 1898), a distinguished attorney, general counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad, and the only son of General Stephen Dill Lee, the first president of Mississippi State University.

Jack and Percy at the Maxim summer home, Bill Hill, in Lyme, CT, September 1931.
His mother noted on the back, "Jack is flying a glider, hence the attitude."

His middle name, Maxim, was his mother’s maiden name. Her father's father was Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim, the inventor of the Maxim machine gun, and her mother’s father was William T. Hamilton, governor of Maryland from 1880 to 1884. Her father, Hiram Percy Maxim, invented the Maxim silencer and motor cars/horseless carriages. Jack spent part of his summers at the Maxim summer home, Bill Hill, in Lyme, Connecticut. Built in 1766, it was one of the oldest houses in the state.

Jack, being held by his father at right, holding the

left cuff of the coat of his great-grandfather, John J. Glessner,

at The Rocks, August 1932. Jack's sister Percy stands

in front of John Glessner.

Jack also spent time at the Glessners’ summer estate, The Rocks, in Littleton, New Hampshire, and it was here that he came to know his great-grandfather. His clearest memory was of John Glessner peeling an orange at the dinner table, holding it on a fork at its base, and then removing the peel in one long piece, after which he distributed the sections on separate forks to each person around the table.

In 1937, the Lee family purchased land on Mason’s Island in Mystic, Connecticut and this became an important part of Jack’s world for the remainder of his life, instilling a passion for sailing.

Jack presenting the Maxim trophy at a gasoline model plane meet,
July 1936. His father, John Glessner Lee, looks on at left.

Jack had many memories of “Grandmother Lee,” i.e. Frances Glessner Lee. As a child, he proudly helped produce maple syrup at The Rocks, and then gave some to his grandmother. Soon after, he heard his parents discussing the fact that all her hair had fallen out, and he feared his maple syrup was the culprit! (It was not). He also remembered seeing her diligently at work on her Nutshell Studies, and he treasured the drill press he used, which had come from her Nutshell workshop.

Drill press in Jack Lee's workshop, originally used

in the construction of the Nutshell Studies

As World War II was raging in Europe, the Lee household was suddenly expanded. Anne and Daphne James, the daughters of an Oxford University professor were sent to the United States and lived with the family until the war ended. Additionally, the Lees also took in the Wohl family, who had escaped Nazi Germany.

In 1941, Jack was admitted to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. It was here that he met his future wife, Rosalie Benton, the daughter of his Latin professor. He graduated in May 1945, just days after V-E Day, earning a $50 prize for showing the most improvement during his four years at the Academy. He immediately joined the Army Air Corps, being stationed at Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, and then at Buckley Field in Denver, Colorado. This was most convenient, as Rosalie Benton was by this time a sophomore at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was promoted to sergeant shortly before being discharged in November 1946.

He applied for, and was admitted to, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the GI Bill, and on February 11, 1948 he and Rosalie were married in Boulder. He earned a BS in economics and chemical engineering and it was during this period that his first two children, Virginia (Gigi) and Stephen were born. His sister Percy recalled an amusing incident:

“It was when Jack was at MIT that Grandmother Lee pulled up in front of Jack and Rosalie’s little army house in what my mother called ‘her 27-foot-long Packard.’ She said it took up the whole street and was very impressive, but embarrassing, I think, for Jack and Rosalie. But they had tea . . . Grandmother always sat in front with the chauffeur because it was too bouncy in the back.”

Rosalie recalled on one of these visits that Grandmother Lee brought a box of chocolates as a gift, but requesting that Rosalie return the white quilted liner paper atop the chocolates, as she thought it would work well for the ceiling in one of her Nutshells.

Jack presenting a gift to his grandmother, Frances Glessner Lee,

on the occasion of her 80th birthday, March 25, 1958

In 1951, Jack accepted a position with the DuPont Corporation in Wilmington, Delaware, working as an engineer specializing in developing a process for extracting refractory metals from their ores. In 1954, the Lees’ third child, a daughter Martha (Molly) was born. It was also during this time that Jack and Rosalie were invited to attend a luncheon of the Harvard Associates in Police Science, as a surprise for Grandmother Lee. She was surprised indeed, and they noted the enormous respect that the police officers had for her.

After a short stint at the National Research Corporation working on vacuum processes and equipment, Jack accepted a new position with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Connecticut, remaining there until his retirement 30 years later. He worked on the development of alternative energy systems such as solar, wind, and thermal conversion, but his most significant work was with the space program. In 1960, Pratt & Whitney became involved in the planning and development of the Apollo Fuel Cell program to land a man on the moon. Jack worked on the development, design, manufacture, and testing of the fuel cells, being promoted to the Program Manager of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Fuel Cells, which provided power for the Command and Service Modules on all the Apollo missions.

Apollo fuel cells

Later, Jack also led the development of the fuel cells used for the space shuttle. One day, while looking at a framed photo of the space shuttle in his home, I asked about this work. His comment was that he remembered vividly the day that the last space shuttle mission ended successfully, noting with pride that the fuel cells had performed perfectly on every single mission.

Fuel cell for the space shuttle

Throughout these years, Jack was actively involved in his community, serving as a corporator of the Renbrook School, and as the first president of the Board of Friends of Public Television. He also served as the president of the Hartt School of Music and on the Mystic Harbor Commission.

Upon retirement, Jack and Rosalie were able to fully pursue their passion for sailing. They spent four years sailing the Caribbean in their ketch, Aurora, both becoming Commodores in the Seven Seas Cruising Association. They then spent five years aboard their motor sailor, Aurora II, exploring the rivers and canals of Europe.

In 2002, they built a home on Mason’s Island in Mystic on a portion of the property his parents had acquired in the 1930s.

Jack at the 2011 groundbreaking ceremony

My first opportunity to meet Jack and Rosalie took place on June 1, 2011 when they traveled to Chicago for the recreation of the groundbreaking ceremony for Glessner House, which had occurred exactly 125 years earlier to the day. The original ceremony in 1886 included his grandmother and her brother George each digging a shovel full of dirt to officially start the construction of the house. Jack, using a special spade, dug two holes before a large assembled crowd, into which were planted heirloom roses.

Rosalie and Jack Lee (bottom row, 4th and 5th from left), with
Glessner family reunion attendees, August 2012

Jack and Rosalie returned to Glessner House the next year for a Glessner family reunion. He was one of seventeen direct descendants of the Glessners to attend from around the country, many of the attendees having never met previously.

Rosalie and Jack at their home in Mystic, CT, April 14, 2013

In April 2013, exactly seven years ago this week, I headed to The Rocks estate with Glessner docent/board member John Waters. The Lees had invited us to visit them at their home in Mystic, and we were warmly welcomed, enjoying their hospitality overnight before continuing our journey. We were fortunate to return to Mystic for visits in 2015 and 2017.

Presenting Jack and Rosalie with a certificate honoring
Frances Glessner Lee, from the Chicago Chapter, DAR, April 2015

Jack examining the "Three Room Dwelling" Nutshell Study,
Baltimore, MD, October 28, 2015

In 2015, the 70^th annual Frances Glessner Lee Seminar in Police Science was held in Baltimore at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland. I was asked to come and speak on the life and career of Frances Glessner Lee, and Jack and Rosalie, along with other family members came for the day, enjoying the opportunity to see the famous Nutshell Studies. We were all treated to a fine dinner that evening, reminiscent of the elaborate banquets Frances Glessner Lee would plan for the seminar attendees.

Jack Lee at the dinner following the opening of the "Murder is Her Hobby" exhibit
at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C., October 19, 2017.
Top row (L-R): sister Percy Lee Langstaff, brother-in-law Richard Heminway,
sister Frances Lee Heminway, wife Rosalie Lee.

October 2017 found Jack and Rosalie and many other family members gathered in Washington, D.C. for the opening of the exhibit “Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” which opened at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.  What a special day that was, seeing how much interest people took in Frances Glessner Lee’s career, and her amazing craftsmanship of the Nutshells. A family dinner followed, and I was honored to be invited, the only non-family member included in the festivities.

Bronze medal awarded to Warder, Bushnell & Glessner
at the 1900 Paris Exposition

During these visits, Jack and Rosalie generously donated several items to the house. These included wonderful pen and ink sketches of Glessner house and Blewett Lee’s ancestral home in Columbus, Mississippi, executed by John Glessner Lee. A bronze medal awarded to the Warder, Bushnell & Glessner company at the Paris Exposition of 1900, and several books including one which was the assembled patents issued to John Glessner Lee over the decades, were among additional donations.

Soon after the 2017 exhibit opening, Jack and Rosalie, aided by their daughter Virginia, made arrangements for Fanny’s bed, which had been used by generations of their family, to be returned to Glessner House, and thus the project to restore her bedroom was begun.

My last visit with Jack and Rosalie took place in October 2019. I was quite surprised and pleased when they announced their intention to return the remaining three pieces of furniture to complete Fanny’s bedroom – two side chairs and a side table – and I was most relieved to find that they all fit into my car! Although Jack’s health had declined since I last saw him in 2017, I was still able to enjoy his gentle nature, sharp mind, and quiet sense of humor.

One of the two side chairs returned by Jack and Rosalie Lee,

as it appeared after reupholstering, April 8, 2020

Ironically, the two side chairs for Fanny’s bedroom were returned from the upholsterers on April 8^th, and I immediately took pictures of the room and sent them off to Jack, who by this point was at a skilled nursing facility. I do not know if he saw the pictures before he passed away just four days later. But I do remember specifically how pleased he and Rosalie were that the pieces were coming back home to Prairie Avenue, where they would be cared for and appreciated by visitors.

Jack died on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020, exactly one week after his 93^rd birthday. By coincidence, his great-grandfather, John Glessner, died one week before his 93^rd birthday, so Jack outlived him by just two weeks. He leaves his wife of 72 years, Rosalie, his two daughters, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Jack and Rosalie in the main hall of Glessner House, June 2011

I will always consider one of the highlights of my years with Glessner House to be the opportunity to have known Jack and to have shared many happy times with him and Rosalie here in Chicago, at their home in Mystic, and in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. He first came to me as a descendant of the Glessners, but over the years, I came to have a great deal of respect for his character, his many accomplishments both in his career and in service to his community, and for the fine family he left behind. I mourn his loss, but celebrate a life well lived.