Mamie Doud
... as travel and the arts. As a girl, her father appreciated more “ladylike accomplishments” and Mamie had ballroom dancing, singing and piano lessons. One of her travel vacations took place in Antonio Texas, where the family stayed during winters. This was the place of introduction to Lieutenant Dwight D. Eisenhower, since the location of vacation was near Fort Sam in Houston. The two claim there was an “instant spark of attraction.” On February 14th, 1916 (Valentine’s Day) Mamie and Dwight announced their engagement. Soon after, her father and Mamie had a talk about the duties of being an army wife, which would be a huge change from her life of being served by servants and pampered. Mamie concluded that she was willing to pay any price to be with Ike. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Geneva Doud were married on July 1st, 1916 in the Doud house, of Denver. This also happened to be the day Ike was first promoted to Lieutenant. As an army wife, Mamie had to learn to do many things she wasn’t accustomed to. Making beds, cleaning, and cooking were tasks Mamie weren’t used to. Her mother’s famous line “if you don’t learn to cook, no one will ask you to do it” soon didn’t apply to her as she married Dwight. Ike and Mamie had two children, Doud Dwight, was born in 1917 but died at the age of 3 because of scarlet fever, and it greatly affected the two parents. Their second son however, John Sheldon was born in1922, and grew up in the army like his father. This filled her role as Wife/Mother. Dwight became president in 1953, and Mamie enjoyed the publicity and instantly became a fashionable figure in politics and media. Her hair-do, styled by the famous Elizabeth Arden of Paris, was imitated frequently. Females of the country looked up to her because she was very feminine and young at heart, despite the fact she was a grandmother when Ike was in office. The “Mamie Look” included a pearl necklace, button earrings, a charm bracelet; glittery pins, little fitter hats and a mink stole of full-length coat. Mamie loved the color pink a...