Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 9, 1957)
( If.. sd X to IRescue FsldDditii EVflaunriiaLg 111 by Oneta Aldrich Wakeford One day in June, 1919, an un happy young couple sat across the desk from a Chicago divorce attorney. Their marriage was at an end, they said stonily. They wanted divorce pa pers drawn up immediately. The attorney listened patiently; then, taking a deep breath, he began to point out that it would be folly for them to go ahead with the divorce. An hour later he was still trying to convince them, but without success. To escape the strain for a few minutes, he stepped into the waiting loom. Sitting there was a divorcee who had come to see him about overdue alimony. She had often told him how much she regretted her divorce. Now was her chance to tell someone else someone to whom her experience might prove helpful, the attorney thought in a sudden burst of inspira tion. Would she? She did, and was so convincing that . couple agreed to give their mar- Unhappy couples considering the divorce court now have a 1 i .V.lVffV L better place to go Divorcees Anonymous riage another try. The attorney asked the divorcee if she would like to help with other cases. She was eager for the chance and said she knew other divorcees who would be, too. Thus was formed the nucleus of DU vorcers Anonymous, which has been hihly praisvd by marriaiie coun selors, clergymen, and lawyers. In the eight years of its existence, Divorcees Anonymous has saved many marriages from the divorce courts and has strengthened and freshened others. It has also helped divorced persons adjust to new lives. Headquarters of DA are in Chicago, with branches scattered throughout the United States. Some are in large cities like Grand Rapids, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Miami; others in smaller communities like Newport News, Va., Lubbock, Tex., and Mans field, O. At its first national conven tion, held last Summer in Chicago, 75 cineii were represented. Each month new branches are be ing organized, but even in commu nities where none exists, the indi vidual who has marital troubles may contact DA headquarters by writing to P.O. Box 5313, Chicago, 111. Many letters are received daily. Each gets careful attention and a personal reply. Only the most highly qualified work ers are assigned to this huge task of answering mail. t may seem strange that Divorcees Anonymous, which is devoted to saving narriages, was founded by an attorney whose divorce business was booming. However, each case he car ried through court raised further doubt in his mind as to whether di vorce was a solution for his clients. When he saw them weeks after the divorce, not one seemed happy. In fact, many of them, bewildered and frustrated, said they regretted their action. They spoke about their ex mates in wistful tones they hadn't used before. Now, instead of putting the entire blame on their previous partner, they insisted that they, too, had shortcomings and should have at-en more understanding. Besides," one woman commented sadly, "I'd rather have my husband back with KM) times his faults than to he without him." By the time she I'iime to this realization, it was too late. Her husband had remarried. U
