A native of Washington, D.C., Maggie Kirkpatrick grew up in Alexandria and graduated from Hammond High School in 1969. She is now a commercial sign consultant in Marietta, Calif. Her memoir, "Mom, Dad, And The Greatest Generation: Their Stories and Mine," was published Dec. 6 by PublishAmerica and is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
<b>Why did you write this memoir?</b>
I had a story to tell that I felt was unique. My parents were very interesting people, and they lived in interesting times. I had an uncle that was involved with CIA, and although I didn’t come out and say that in the book, I alluded to it.
<b>What parts of the story take place in Alexandria?</b>
I write about going to Hammond and then staying in Alexandria to work at the Pentagon. I was trying to paint a picture of the brick homes and the schools. People in Alexandria will be able to relate to at least one part of the book, which is my high-school years.
<b>What was Alexandria like when you were in high school?</b>
I feel like it was kind of a cross between New England and the Carolinas. I always think of the brick and the cobblestone and the colonial flavor. It was very traditional. That’s the word I would use if I was going to encapsulate it in one word. My friends were very close, and I would say Alexandria was a tight-knit community at that time. People in Alexandria wanted to distinguish themselves from Arlington. It was a big community, but Alexandria had a small-town flavor. People were friendly.
<b>What was Hammond like at that time?</b>
Tradition was a big part of it. We were very proud of our football coach at that time, who was later part of the transition when they went to T.C. Williams. One part of my story is about how the graduates each year would ring the bell at Hammond. After graduation, we would all line up in the courtyard and ring the ship’s bell, which I’m sure is still there today.
<b>What can people learn from the Greatest Generation?</b>
Values and patriotism. I feel they were much closer to their families than we are today. We’ve had too many people going off in different directions, and I think that’s been very hard on the family. I see kids today take way too much for granted. My mom and dad’s generation knew the value of what it was like to make a living and support your family and take care of each other.
<b>The subtitle of the book is "Their Stores and Mine." How do they intertwine?</b>
It starts with my mom and dad, how they got together and how I entered the picture. My dad was not my biological father, but the story explains how he came into the picture and took care of us and took care of us as a family.
Why did you feel like the story of your family was something that needed to be told?</b>
I just think my mom and dad had a lot of great experiences, whether it was contributing to the war effort or work experiences in different environments like the federal government or private industry or the people they met along the way. My mother worked as a young girl at the Willard Hotel, and I felt these were great experiences.
<b>Why should people read this book?</b>
There’s a lot of relatability. I feel the Baby Boomer generation looks back on their parents as the example we should have set for our children. But so many of us did not. Somehow we’ve lost their values along the way.