Meet the Stewarts

Meet the Stewart family, the main heroes of “Family Album, USA”, a wonderful book that gives a glimpse of the United States (its cities, its special places and its people) and makes it possible for us to better understand American ways.

Let us begin with Richard because it is he who introduces the Stewarts to us.

Richard is young man of 30. He is a photographer, he is married. His wife’s name is Marilyn. Marilyn is … Well, she is, say, 25 (we don’t know for sure) which makes her 5 years Richard’s junior. She is a fashion-designer and a salesclerk in a boutique.

Next comes Susan, Richard’s sister who works for a toy company; actually, she is the company’s vice-president. Susan isn’t married yet but she has a friend, a Mr. Harry Bennett, a widowed father of a little girl named Michelle. Susan rents an apartment where she lives by herself. The rest of the family live together at 46 Linden Street. N.Y.

And this is Robbie, Susan and Richard’s younger brother. Robbie is his pet name, it’s short for Robert. Robbie Stewart is a teenager; he is 17 and goes to high school.

And what about their parents?

Their father is Philip Stewart, Dr. Philip Stewart. He is a pediatrician, a children’s doctor.

Their mother is Ellen Stewart. She is a home-maker. But if you think that Ellen is only busy with the household chores, you are very much wrong. She has responsibilities outside the house. She is a very energetic person who can’t just sit around and do nothing. She believes that there are lots of places to go and lots of things to do. So, she attends school-board meetings and works on various committees. It’s important to her.

There is also Malcolm Stewart, Philip Stewart’s father which makes him a grand father to Richard, Susan and Robbie. (By the way, Susan is Malcolm Stewart’s pet: she reminds him of his late wife, Mrs. Bernice Cassidy Stewart, and he keeps saying that “Susan looks just like Grandma”). He is a man well advanced in years; as a matter of fact, he is 72.

Malcolm Stewart is retired and lives in Florida. He comes to New York to stay with his son’s family. They look forward to his coming and want him to live with them permanently. But Grandpa is not sure he would like it because “he is pretty independent”. All the Stewarts appreciate the importance of independence. At the same time he is not sure he would like to be alone. Some people don’t mind being alone but he does. Will he make up his mind? Let us listen to what Philip Stewart has to say:

“Malcolm Stewart would not be alone any more. That’s for sure. In fact, he would have his family around him every day of his life now. Finding some peace and quiet may be a little difficult. But my father would not be lonely any more. He would have me, Philip Stewart, nearby, and the rest of the family. He would have Ellen, his daughter-in-law. You know I met Ellen when I was a student of the University of Michigan. Later, she became my wife. We have three children now. Our oldest son Richard is very talented, like his grandfather. Marilyn is talented too. She designs clothing. Marilyn is Richard’s wife and she is also a sister-in-law to my daughter Susan. Susan reminds us of her grandmother, Bernice Cassidy Stewart, my mother. She was kind, intelligent and loveable, like Susan. Our younger son Robbie is the pet of the family. Well, that’s our family, the Stewarts. That’s our family tree.

Ex. 6. Describe the members of your family (appearances and traits of character). Use the text “Meet the Stewarts” as an example.