When Mickey Met Betty
2 June 2021 WHEN MICKEY MET BETTY Today is the 85th wedding anniversary of my late parents. A few years ago I did a painting based on the story of how they met. In the summer of 2013 I ran across an obituary for Ninalee Craig, the 23 year old subject of the well known Ruth Orkin photograph "An American Girl in Italy." This photo is a favorite of mine and I keep a digital copy in my computer files... This brought back the memory of Dad's story of how he met Mom in 1936, which in turn immediately inspired my painting “When Mickey Met Betty.” Dad told the story of standing by the newsstand in the center of Chester, PA chatting with a friend in the spring of 1936 when he heard the click clack of heels and spotted a young girl approaching, Mary Elizabeth McAteer. His friend seemed to know her, and Michael "Mickey" Walsh, was immediately smitten. He commented (at least in his imaginative memory), “That’s the girl I’m going to marry.” He bribed his