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CHAPTER TWO At the moment when her union with Paul became both a legal fact and a spiritual commitment, Virginia's status was permanently elevated. Socially and economically, she entered the bright-lit arena of public visibility and wealth, with its attendant glamour and prestige, its requisite duties and subtle burdens. Virginia admitted to her new husband that she was shy, but perhaps her shyness was simply a lack of confidence, a quandary about how to measure up, how to live successfully and naturally in a new and rarefied world of privilege she had never known. The minute she married Paul, Virginia inherited his Swedish live-in housekeeper, Alma Althoff. How did one treat someone like Alma? What was the protocol? How did a former medical receptionist adapt to suddenly having help? The wistful, attractive young woman with the stylishly arched brows in the black-and-white photograph, perhaps dreaming of a more glamorous life than the one she was then living, within a matter of months found herself living a life that met, if not exceeded, those youthful dreams. Happy marriages fascinate most people by reason of their success. One of the secrets of Paul and Virginia's happy union may have begun with two gifts they exchanged early in their marriage, nonmaterial gifts demonstrating mutual respect and a high regard for each other's well-being: Virginia's conversion to her husband's faith and Paul's loyal support and guidance during his wife's metamorphosis into a new life. Influenced by her grandmother's Christian Science tenets, the new Mrs. Paul Galvin now bore witness to her husband's similar devotion to his Roman Catholic faith. Each night, she watched as this powerful, self-made executive humbly knelt down to pray by their bedside. Nor had she failed to notice how fairly and generously Paul treated his family, friends, and employees. Beyond that, his record of philanthropy was extensive. Observing how genuinely her husband's faith informed his everyday affairs, governed his decisions, and commanded his values, Virginia made a quiet decision to convert to Catholicism. Without telling Paul, she studied and took the required conversion instruction classes, and at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve 1948, as her husband rose to go to the Communion rail, he turned to find Virginia standing beside him, smiling, then whispering, "Happy Christmas, Darling. I'm receiving Communion with you tonight." As for Virginia's timidity, partially attributed to social unease caused by her meteoric rise in social status, Paul helped to assuage it by taking Virginia under his wing, standing devotedly beside her at the frequent social functions they attended as Mr. and Mrs. Paul Galvin, seeing to it that she was properly introduced and drawn out, and staying beside her not as a controlling gesture but as a courtesy, an act of nurturance. And just as he had once helped his young daughter-in-law, Mary Galvin, shop for clothes on one or two special occasions to ensure that she had appropriate attire in which she could feel comfortable and therefore confident, he did the same for Virginia. He delighted in shopping for clothes with her at the finer Chicago boutiques such as Martha Weathered and Blum's Vogue. He taught her how to play the more popular upperclass games of the day (golf, poker, and bridge), understanding how familiarity with these would build her self-confidence and sense of belonging in new social circles. That a man as busy as Paul Galvin, as focused and disciplined as he had to be to run Motorola, would take the time to help his wife become comfortable and self-assured is a marvelous testament to their marriage. Paul encouraged Virginia to shine. As she became more poised and confident, he looked for opportunities when she might speak at a formal dinner or at a podium, helping her to develop speaking skills previously unimaginable to Virginia. Such thoughtfulness attests to Paul Galvin's character and provides an understanding of Virginia's deep and lasting love for a man years her senior, a man dedicated, in his quiet and tactful way, to helping her cultivate the bright grace and social poise for which she would be renowned and remembered. A man known for his appreciation of women's intelligence and business aptitude, Paul considered his wife an equal partner, a smart woman perfectly capable of her own achievements and success in life. Coming from a similar modest background, he may have identified emotionally with her innocence regarding wealth, as well as with her pleasure in acquiring an upper-class taste in clothing, food, and activities, a pleasure no doubt sharpened by living through the privations of the Depression and the war. Paul must have derived great satisfaction from giving his new wife things she had never dreamed of owning, sharing luxuries and pleasures that neither of them, as children and young adults, had ever enjoyed. The nonmaterial gifts Paul and Virginia exchanged early in their marriage,Virginia's conversion to Paul's faith and Paul's steadfast support of his wife's abilities, demonstrate one of the themes of this biography, that each of us is made greater by those who love us ideally and with an eye toward the manifestation of our individual gifts. Problems that might have arisen from Paul and Virginia's initial economic and social disparities were overcome with mutual respect and love. The potential handicap of Virginia's shyness or lack of confidence was overcome both by Virginia's will and by Paul's gift of support early on and at every turn. This quality of love, based on respect and thoughtfulness, would be a signature trait of Paul and Virginia's lasting, splendidly happy union. At the time of their marriage in 1945, Paul's only son, Bob, then twenty-three, had already wed Mary Barnes. Since Lillian's tragic death, father and son had shared an increasingly close relationship and business association,with Paul continually giving his son greater responsibilities at Motorola,so it seemed perfectly natural that on occasion the four of them, Paul, Virginia, Bob, and Mary, would socialize, as described by Bob Galvin: I knew Virginia as she was being courted by my father; we went on double dates together, so to speak, my wife and I, Virginia and Paul. The four of us would go to a golf game or to some theatrical or social event. We didn't always play together; we weren't playing bridge, gin rummy, and eating meals together with undue frequency. But my wife, Mary, who was a younger woman than Virginia, struck it off very nicely with her, and we both thought Virginia was a very nice young lady. On his father's first wedding anniversary, Bob and his wife sent a telegram to the Roosevelt Hotel in Chicago, where Paul and Virginia were celebrating: This is a very wonderful day for the Galvin family. Mary and I want to congratulate you on your first anniversary. We want you to know that the happiness you have radiated during this past year has added immeasurably to the happiness of our lives. Love, Mary and Bob |
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