I received an email from Esther Phillips Headrick asking me about my book. She shared she had heard my interview on KMAN radio and the fact my mother was adopted in 1925 from a home in Kansas City jumped out at her. You see, Esther was born in September of 1929 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was adopted by her parents when she was 3 weeks old. She shared that her parents were unable to have children and had unsuccessfully been able to adopt a child around their home in Norton, Kansas. They went to Kansas City by train to visit Esther’s dad’s sister and her family. While visiting, they were discussing how they had not been able to adopt a child. Esther said her uncle was a big wig with the postal service, and he told her parents he knew of a place that had babies for adoption. He took them to this place and they were shown a beautiful baby girl and they adopted Esther and took her home the next day on the train. They had no plans when they went to Kansas City to be bringing a baby home so it was quite a surprise to return home with a baby. The adoption became final in December of 1929 and Esther’s mother tied the adoption papers on the Christmas tree as they had received a very special Christmas present that year.
Three years later Esther’s parents decided they wanted to adopt a son. Esther went with her mother and grandmother back to Kansas City to the place they had gotten her and adopted a boy that they named Gale. Esther never knew the name of the facility where she was adopted from but she remembered that it was up on a hill and there were steps they climbed to a big porch. The inside was very nice. They brought out a baby boy and her mother was delighted to bring her new son home. After reading MLV, Esther is almost positive it must have been The Willows where she and her brother were born from her memories of their visit to get her brother. This is one of Esther’s stories she has written. Thank you for letting me share it here.
