America's homemakers of the twentieth century were its heart and soul. Their quiet dedication, compassion and patience served as a strong foundation not only for their families but their associates and country as well.

Mary Louise Smith personified the type of woman that worked behind the scenes. Born in Chicago in 1917, she spent her childhood in California, and learned the value of hard work as her family struggled during the Great Depression.

An excellent student, she graduated with a teaching credential from UC Berkeley. While teaching at Chaffey High School in Ontario, California, in 1943, she agreed to be a hostess at an Officers Club dance. There, she granted a dance to Second Lt. Richard H. Smith.

Over the next twenty-six months, she would write more than four hundred letters to Richard as he served overseas. Their romance was a cautious one, but they grew closer over time and eventually married in 1946.

In the years that followed, Mary Louise was a homemaker with a quiet, joyful spirit. However, she was just one of many, and in this touching tribute, her husband explains how her tasks and challenges were typical of A 20th Century Homemaker .