Mrs. Patton
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Beatrice Ayer Patton never wanted to be known. All she ever wanted was for people to remember her husband, General George S. Patton Jr. Yet, she was instrumental in him reaching his destiny, and was “a person in herself, with a great deal to offer.”
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For General Patton, there was nothing more beautiful than a well-executed dress parade, especially when his wife composed the music. Beatrice Patton possessed an “artistic temperament” and an ear not only for languages but also for music. She had a perfect understanding of harmony, “played the piano by ear, could transpose as she played, liked
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Beatrice Patton knew after years of experience that the trick was “not to say goodbye at all” but to be “very casual about it.” The plan had been for the Pattons’ leave-taking to take place at Bolling Airfield just outside Washington, but when they stood on the tarmac on the afternoon of October 23, 1942,
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Beatrice Banning Ayer (left) was born in one of the upstairs bedrooms at the Ayer Mansion in Lowell on January 12, 1886. She had blue eyes, blonde hair, and a little dimple in her chin just like her mother. Ellie named her daughter Beatrice not because of a family connection, but because of its meaning.
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On December 21, 1945, General George Patton died from his injuries sustained in a car accident. His wife, Beatrice Ayer Patton, spent the last eleven days of his life by his bedside, strengthening and sustaining him.
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Frederick Ayer — born on December 8, 1822, in Ledyard, Connecticut — was a man of character, honesty and hard work. He possessed a “quick vision and keen judgement,” but the one characteristic which defined him above all else was his firm belief in progress. His “extraordinary youthfulness of mind” allowed him to discuss “all
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The modern pentathlon was tailor-made for Lieutenant George S. Patton, Jr. Conceived by Baron de Coubertin, the father of the Modern Olympic Games, it tested “the fitness of a perfect man at arms” through a series of five (pen) competitions (-athlon): shooting, swimming, riding, fencing and cross-country running. De Coubertin considered these the five skills a
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About three years ago I celebrated my birthday at Keens, a famous steakhouse close to Herald Square in New York City, known for its collection of church warden pipes. Due to the fragile nature of clay pipes, a tradition sprung up in 17th Century England of leaving one’s pipe in the capable hands of a
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