DEAR ABBY: The letters you printed from people sharing memories of President Harry Truman delighted me. May I add my own:
I was 10 years old. It was summer, and I was visiting my aunt and uncle, who happened to live just a mile west of the Truman Library in Independence, Mo. One afternoon they took me for a tour. To top it off, we walked around to the northwest side of the building where the former president's office was.
To our amazement, there he stood with his chauffeur, getting ready to leave in the biggest, shiniest black car I had ever seen. Instead of leaving, he greeted me, told his driver to unlock his office, and invited us inside for a visit! My only regret is that none of us had a camera.
Mr. Truman sat me down with him at his huge desk and told me I reminded him of his daughter, Margaret, because of my long blond hair and blue eyes. I was spellbound, to say the least. Then I noticed his big, black piano, and he asked me if I could play. I told him yes, and he insisted that I play something for him. I told him my favorite piece was the U.S. Marine Corps Hymn because my brother had joined and I had practiced long and hard on it. Mr. Truman said, "Play away!" Believe it or not, I made it through the whole hymn without missing a chord.
Today my husband and I live only 16 miles from Truman's birthplace, Lamar, Mo. I have visited it often and have shown it to every out-of-town visitor we've had.
I will always treasure the memory of one of America's most important men, a U.S. president who made time for an awestruck 10-year-old from southeast Kansas. -- JEANNE ECCHER, LAMAR, MO.
DEAR JEANNE: Thank you for sharing your heartwarming encounter with Harry Truman. And you didn't have to pony up a dime for it. My, how times have changed!