Barbara Murphy thought it'd be “neat” to have a pen pal.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Barbara Murphy, of Auburn, and Sue Simmonds, currently residing in Andover, England, have been corresponding between the two continents.
Barbara Murphy, of Auburn, and Sue Simmonds, currently residing in Andover, England, have been corresponding between the two continents.
That was in 1958, when Murphy was 10 years old. And what might have been a fun but fleeting activity for any other child turned into a lifelong relationship.
Murphy is currently hosting her correspondent from across the ocean, Cranbrook, England native Sue Simmonds, during her stay in Auburn.
Murphy and Simmonds started writing each other when Murphy's Episcopal church in Medina exchanged priests with Simmonds' church. As the friend of a fellow young girl with a pen pal, Murphy saw an opportunity to find one of her own. She asked the visiting Reverend Reginald Bradshaw if he could connect her to a girl her age from his home country. Sue Peirson, as she was then known, immediately sprang to his mind.
“He said I'd get along with her well and we'd be a good match,” Murphy said.
Almost half a century of sending letters and eventually e-mail across the Atlantic Ocean would follow.
In the early stages of their correspondence, Murphy and Simmonds often discussed school. They were both surprised to discover the differences between their school systems, such as the abundance of entrance exams in England.
Murphy was also taken aback by the extent of Elvis' popularity across the pond.
“I was more into the Beatles in high school,” she said.
Although Murphy and Simmonds shared an affinity for music, an appetite for lasagna and activity in their church choirs, they weren't completely alike. Simmonds sent her letters on thin blue paper with flawless penmanship, while Murphy replied on colorful stationary with flowers and felt her handwriting was “awful.”
“My mother saw hers, and suggested I print all mine,” Murphy joked.
Meanwhile, Simmonds felt Murphy's letters bested hers in another area.
“She always wrote such wonderfully long letters, I felt guilty I could never write that long,” Simmonds said.
Murphy and Simmonds would send each other a new letter once a month due to mailing times that may seem slow by today's standards. The high cost of airmail at the time was another obstacle.
But when a new letter arrived at Murphy's house, reading it was a family activity. Because her family didn't travel, correspondence from a friend in another country was a big deal, Murphy said. Her sister, Donna, even started writing to her own pen pal, who operated an orphanage in Korea.
As the two young women entered college, they wrote each other less often. But the paths each took in life reflected the other's. They both returned to school in their early 30s to ready themselves for new careers. They also wedded at similar ages. Murphy once again delighted in seeing the differences between the countries after Simmonds' wedding pictures made their way through the mail.
“They're a lot more low key (in England),” Murphy said. “The men have the pinstripes and tail coats and top hats, but they don't do the bridesmaid thing so much.”
The ages of the pen pals' children strengthens the parallels between them. Murphy's daughters, Shannon and Meghan, are each one year older than Simmonds' sons, Nick and Rob.
The two families first met at Disney World in 1988, but the nerves one might normally expect to take hold in such a situation were not on Murphy's or Simmonds' minds. They met by mistake at the hotel pool the morning after Simmonds and her sons arrived in the states.
“We literally bumped into each other,” Simmonds said. “We didn't have time to be worried.”
Soon the camaraderie Murphy and Simmonds built in their letters carried over to their conversations in person.
“I just felt like I knew her,” Murphy said. “We were even finishing each other's sentences.”
The two found themselves defusing a small-scale international incident when Simmonds came to stay at Murphy's house in Auburn a few years later. Simmonds' sons were sharing a room with Declan, a foreign exchange student from Belfast, Northern Ireland, at a time when the conflict between their countries was especially heated. But there was no conflict between the young boys - particularly with a Nintendo Entertainment System in the house for them to play.
“Then it didn't matter where they were from,” Murphy said. “After a few wary looks, they got along great; it was eye-opening for both of them.”
Simmonds' sons did get agitated when Murphy drove them on a round tour of New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. The hours-long car rides were an unfamiliar experience to the boys, who could travel anywhere in England in much less time.
After visiting the largest cities in the Northeast, the Simmonds family found much to appreciate in Auburn's collection of historic houses and its well-maintained landscapes.
“And the people are so nice, everyone says 'hello,'” Sue said. “We're very much a keep-to-ourselves country.”
When the Simmonds aren't staying in her home, Murphy is still graced by visitors from afar. Her international relationship with Simmonds has motivated her to transform her house into the home of many a foreign exchange student. Young men and women from Russia, Brazil and China have traveled to Auburn to stay in Murphy's home while they pursue their studies. At any given time, a student from a faraway place is likely to be lodging in one of her rooms.
While her house has been the destination of travelers the world over, Murphy is still working up the will to take her first trip to England to visit Simmonds at her home.
“I'm really happy when the plane lands,” she said. “I'm not a flier.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Murphy is currently hosting her correspondent from across the ocean, Cranbrook, England native Sue Simmonds, during her stay in Auburn.
Murphy and Simmonds started writing each other when Murphy's Episcopal church in Medina exchanged priests with Simmonds' church. As the friend of a fellow young girl with a pen pal, Murphy saw an opportunity to find one of her own. She asked the visiting Reverend Reginald Bradshaw if he could connect her to a girl her age from his home country. Sue Peirson, as she was then known, immediately sprang to his mind.
“He said I'd get along with her well and we'd be a good match,” Murphy said.
Almost half a century of sending letters and eventually e-mail across the Atlantic Ocean would follow.
In the early stages of their correspondence, Murphy and Simmonds often discussed school. They were both surprised to discover the differences between their school systems, such as the abundance of entrance exams in England.
Murphy was also taken aback by the extent of Elvis' popularity across the pond.
“I was more into the Beatles in high school,” she said.
Although Murphy and Simmonds shared an affinity for music, an appetite for lasagna and activity in their church choirs, they weren't completely alike. Simmonds sent her letters on thin blue paper with flawless penmanship, while Murphy replied on colorful stationary with flowers and felt her handwriting was “awful.”
“My mother saw hers, and suggested I print all mine,” Murphy joked.
Meanwhile, Simmonds felt Murphy's letters bested hers in another area.
“She always wrote such wonderfully long letters, I felt guilty I could never write that long,” Simmonds said.
Murphy and Simmonds would send each other a new letter once a month due to mailing times that may seem slow by today's standards. The high cost of airmail at the time was another obstacle.
But when a new letter arrived at Murphy's house, reading it was a family activity. Because her family didn't travel, correspondence from a friend in another country was a big deal, Murphy said. Her sister, Donna, even started writing to her own pen pal, who operated an orphanage in Korea.
As the two young women entered college, they wrote each other less often. But the paths each took in life reflected the other's. They both returned to school in their early 30s to ready themselves for new careers. They also wedded at similar ages. Murphy once again delighted in seeing the differences between the countries after Simmonds' wedding pictures made their way through the mail.
“They're a lot more low key (in England),” Murphy said. “The men have the pinstripes and tail coats and top hats, but they don't do the bridesmaid thing so much.”
The ages of the pen pals' children strengthens the parallels between them. Murphy's daughters, Shannon and Meghan, are each one year older than Simmonds' sons, Nick and Rob.
The two families first met at Disney World in 1988, but the nerves one might normally expect to take hold in such a situation were not on Murphy's or Simmonds' minds. They met by mistake at the hotel pool the morning after Simmonds and her sons arrived in the states.
“We literally bumped into each other,” Simmonds said. “We didn't have time to be worried.”
Soon the camaraderie Murphy and Simmonds built in their letters carried over to their conversations in person.
“I just felt like I knew her,” Murphy said. “We were even finishing each other's sentences.”
The two found themselves defusing a small-scale international incident when Simmonds came to stay at Murphy's house in Auburn a few years later. Simmonds' sons were sharing a room with Declan, a foreign exchange student from Belfast, Northern Ireland, at a time when the conflict between their countries was especially heated. But there was no conflict between the young boys - particularly with a Nintendo Entertainment System in the house for them to play.
“Then it didn't matter where they were from,” Murphy said. “After a few wary looks, they got along great; it was eye-opening for both of them.”
Simmonds' sons did get agitated when Murphy drove them on a round tour of New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C. The hours-long car rides were an unfamiliar experience to the boys, who could travel anywhere in England in much less time.
After visiting the largest cities in the Northeast, the Simmonds family found much to appreciate in Auburn's collection of historic houses and its well-maintained landscapes.
“And the people are so nice, everyone says 'hello,'” Sue said. “We're very much a keep-to-ourselves country.”
When the Simmonds aren't staying in her home, Murphy is still graced by visitors from afar. Her international relationship with Simmonds has motivated her to transform her house into the home of many a foreign exchange student. Young men and women from Russia, Brazil and China have traveled to Auburn to stay in Murphy's home while they pursue their studies. At any given time, a student from a faraway place is likely to be lodging in one of her rooms.
While her house has been the destination of travelers the world over, Murphy is still working up the will to take her first trip to England to visit Simmonds at her home.
“I'm really happy when the plane lands,” she said. “I'm not a flier.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
