Maude Catharine “Teddy” Townsend Saulmon (1914 – 2012)

Teddy was born in Burdett, Arkansas. She was the third child of Alma Boyd Townsend and Will Townsend. She was only five when her father died in a tragic logging accident. She was physically small and was thought to be small like a tadpole, which morphed into “taddy” and then to the nickname she would go by her whole life, Teddy.

After her father’s death her mother and two older siblings moved briefly to Louisville, Kentucky and then settled in Russellville, Kentucky which was very close to where her mother grew up and where lots of family still lived. Being a single mother in the early 1900s would have been challenging. The family got by with everyone pitching in. Within the next decade or so, her sister and brother would have married or moved away and Teddy and her mother took care of each other. This would be true for the rest of their lives. Her mother lived with Teddy and Ernie until her death in 1978.

Early photos show that Teddy was a very attractive and popular young woman. She was athletic and a strong tennis and golf player and a strong swimmer. After high school she was able to get a job in the county agent’s office in Russellville. That in itself is unusual. It was a job many men would have envied during the depression. After her marriage to Ernie she focused her attention on her family and Ernie’s career, moving nine times before settling in their Arlington home.

She and Ernie had four children. Teddy eventually went back to work for the Arlington Schools as a secretary in the central office. She kept that job until Ernie was appointed to the School Board and her position was a conflict of interest. She was very active and enthusiastic. She was an expert seamstress and made many of her own clothes and those of her daughters. Later in life she organized group quilting projects. She was a member of P. E. O., a philanthropic sisterhood. She was involved in the Arlington Historical Society and served as president twice. She was one of the founders of the Arlington Outdoor Education Association and raised funds to purchase land to create the Arlington Outdoor Lab. She was a docent at Robert E. Lee’s home for over 30 years, guiding tourist through the estate and became very knowledgeable about Lee. Her love of history led to her skills as a family history researcher. She spent many hours in archives, graveyards and courthouses tracing her and Ernie’s family history. Because the family lived so near to Washington, D.C., summers were filled with house guests. Teddy was an excellent tour guide for the dozens of family members and friends who would visit. Ernie traveled a great deal for work and Teddy held down the home front, raising a strong healthy family. Once the children were older, she joined Ernie in those travels.