Elizabeth Taylor and my Grandfather

A few months ago, I was going through some of Bob Davis' (my late grandfather's) things. In a certain portion of the big box I was going through were cards, bulletins, and obituaries from his funeral. Folded neatly up was a letter on a single page, detailing how sad and upset the sender was on the untimely death of Skeet (Bob's nickname). The letter was signed, Elizabeth Taylor.

It had always been a part of our family's history that the mother of a dog belonging to Skeet named Pepe was owned by Elizabeth Taylor--and after buying the young poodle puppy from Elizabeth, they quickly became great friends. We know this story to be true, but didn't know how deeply the friendship actually ran.

My curiosity peaked and I got it out of the box again today. Not thinking this could actually be the real Elizabeth Taylor (sometimes I'm a pessimist--what can I say?) I went online to look at her signature to find out if it was legitimate or not. Sure enough, it was not a match. Not even close.

Just as I was packing it away, the thought occurred to me that perhaps her professional signature is different than her printed, handwritten signature. I did another search, and sure enough, it was as close to an exact match as possible.

If there needed to be any more proof of the letter's legitimacy, part of it states: "...I just want you to know that the thoughts and prayers of one who has suffered the same loss are very much with you." Mike Todd, Taylor's husband, had been killed when his plane, Lucky Liz, crashed in New Mexico --just two short years before the death of Skeet.

The question has been solved. I love it when a plan comes together.