By Marion Roach Smith
WHEN NEWS OF ROZ LEIBOWITZ’S recently acquired collection of 18 vintage photos of twins Maurine and Noreene went up on TSP last week, we experienced a grand collective “Oh!” That quickly expanded into an “Oh, my goodness,” as one photo after the other built upon the sisters’ story. But it was a story we were making up, each of us, in response to what we saw. What was the real story? We all began to wonder.
Then Kevin, a visitor, began his comments. North Carolina-based Kevin has never even been to Texas, where the mystery twins were from. He reveals himself offline to be an amateur genealogist (though expert in his eye and reporting skills, I’d add), and first saw the photos on the Retro Renovation blog (which had written about our TSP story) then clicked to Flickr, where Roz’s whole collection lives, then to us. In his comments, he filled in the who, what, when and where of the tale. (Looking into the whys of these photos—as well as photos like these—is something I’ll do soon in upcoming posts on my blog, and spurred by Kevin’s good deed I also plan to begin a TSP category on genealogy.)
If, like me, you’ve gotten caught up in this, you’ll want to know what we now know about the sisters. So here it is:
The twins were born on November 18, 1915. Our next update came in a yearbook photo Kevin sent us, which you can see here, along with the detail that Maurine Elizabeth Everett died on October 12, 2004, four months before her sister, Noreene Dodd. Apparently Maurine lived to be 88, and Noreene to the age of 89.
“It was really a miracle that their yearbook photo was online,” says Kevin, “because I never would have expected that.” The yearbook photo contains a third Everett girl whose name likewise rhymes: Lorine. We haven’t got more to share on her…yet.
With each fact I found myself looking again and again—each time more deeply—into the photographs. As I did, what entranced me was the pride with which the sisters showed off their matching outfits. I just couldn’t quite understand what they were trying to tell us, though there it was, plain as the boots on their feet or the matching hats on their matching red heads: true pride in what they were wearing.
And then Kevin emailed us with the detail that Maurine and Noreene’s mother was a seamstress. We just can’t thank him enough on that count, since that single detail weaves together the obvious joy of the sisters in what they wore with the homespun source of that pride. Of course these women were fashionable: It was a value taught in the home.
One of Kevin’s comments suggests that he fears details may ruin the mystery. With mysteries like the one these 18 photos posed, “Sometimes the fantasy turns out to be much better than reality,” said Kevin.
For me, it’s quite the opposite, especially as I begin to wonder what might happen next. TSP of course introduced Roz to Kevin, and the conversations and explorations continue. We’ll keep you posted.
_______
Feb. 16 update: Kevin is interviewed on the Retrorenovation blog, where he first learned of Maurine and Noreene.
Feb. 17 update: The twins have made it to Italy, reports Roz.
No related posts.
Enjoy this post? Don't miss anything on The Sister Project network. Sign up for our new email newsletter, and subscribe to our RSS feed
First time here? Here's the idea: TSP is a network of blogs about the many facets of the word sister, and the concept of sisterhood. A sisterhood of sister blogs, you could say. Whatever sister means to you, from identical twin to sister-in-law (or in-friendship or in-feminism), we’ll make room to listen in about it or express it on TSP. Like the slogan up top says, “Don’t you have something to say to your sister?” We've got galleries of art and literature by and about sisters, and a Sisterpedia of sisterly trivia...but now we're getting ahead of ourselves. The quick study: 
As the suffix of its name suggests, 
No surprise, really, that sisterhood, often life’s longest relationship and always one of its most important, has been the Muse for so much creative self-expression by women, and also by men. 
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I just love seeing more and more details of this unfold!
Hi, Sarah: Welcome back. We love it, too. I keep hoping to hear from someone in Denison, Texas with something else to move us along in the tale. You can be sure we’ll let you know when we do. Please keep checking.
Such a great mystery!
Welcome, lg, all the way from Seattle. Nice to “meet” you. Yes, Noreene and Maurine continue to fascinate us, too. I keep clicking through those photos of them in those amazing outfits. See you soon again.
Just in from Roz, caretaker of the photos:
“Hi Margaret–
The twins have made it to Italy! Here is the site on La Republica newspaper. http://www.repubblica.it/2006/08/gallerie/spettacoliecultura/maurine-noreene/1.html ”
The journey continues.
I’m a few months late on discovering the twins, but, WOW. I’m so curious about the rest of their lives… and about the third Everett girl. Either she must have been related in some way (considering her name and the slight resemblance), or that’s just a creepy little coincidence there.
Welcome, A. Yes, it is riveting; I can still look again and again at the slideshow and wonder all the things you are asking. We think she was related, as you do. See you again soon we hope.
I am from Denison Texas and I worked in a camera store in downtown Denison for 25 years from 1971 to 1996 in that time I sold cameras to the twins and processed and printed many of their photos in that time the twins worked in Denison for Southwestern Bell Telephone as operators until their retirement. They were identical almost, I could tell them apart but most people did not know the littlest difference in them. In the latter years they lived with their mother until her death. I never knew the third sister.
Welcome, Gary. Amazing; so you knew them and actually had a hand in the making of these photos. Wow. Thanks for your visit, and comment. What a fascinating turn of events.