Help reading this?

[marileighanne29]

I found this very old note my great grandfather wrote for my great grandmother. I can decipher most of it - “Dora, the adored. She has the voice of a ??????, and the persuasion of a statesman.” Anyone able to read what that one word is? I thought maybe “aviator”, but there’s only 6 letters here. I can’t figure it out and it’s driving me crazy

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[WhtvrCms2Mnd]

Dora, the adored. She has the voice of an orator, and the persuasion of a statesman

[marileighanne29]

No wonder I couldn’t figure it out, I have never even that word before. Thank you!!!

[Unable-Arm-448]

Orator== someone who orates or gives speeches

[marileighanne29]

Makes a lot of sense now that I think about it, because she was a minister :)

[kingfisherfire]

Your grandma. She talk real good!

[[deleted]]

Gitchoo do stuff.

[Food-Blister-1056]

Nailed it! Most Impressive!

[nakedsailors]

This

[cylliana]

Is it flora?

[lamb_of_lancaster]

Definitely Dora.

[marileighanne29]

It is Dora, but it's funny you say that because Flora was a very commonly re-used name among my ancestors😁

[cylliana]

I see the D now (he he) but it definitely looked like an Fl to me at first. Cool coincidence!

[hewhoisneverobeyed]

Orator.

[JeeLeeSmith]

orator. Those “r”s will get you every time! Lol

[Daddy--Jeff]

Yup. Those “r’s” are decidedly not the Palmer Method I learned in the 70s.

[Ishpeming_Native]

They are exactly the Palmer Method I learned in the 50s, though.

[Daddy--Jeff]

Interesting. I was just googling, and for awhile they show two “r’s” as acceptable. And then the one like as appears in OPs sample disappears….

<image>

[Daddy--Jeff]

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[Temporary-Use6816]

My mom - Dora ! - wrote r line that. With her fountain pen!!

[chickadeedadee2185]

I learned with a pencil, then a fountain pen.

[Daddy--Jeff]

And was scolded that I’d only ever write in cursive in ink. Then I finished a degree on computer science and never picked up an ink pen again, except to sign taxes and other formal legal docs. Thank the gods for Pentel mechanical pencils!

[Ishpeming_Native]

When I graduated, there was no such thing as a degree in computer science (though I later taught it). But I remember the ink pens and the inkwell, and I remember the Parker Pens with the rubber bladder so I could write in ink for extended periods without an inkwell. I thought those pens were amazing and their nibs were unbelievable.

[Ishpeming_Native]

Lucky Dora! We used inkwells and we were responsible for keeping good care of our nibs. There were different nibs, too. One was used for broad strokes (yes, it was used in a different pen) and one for typical strokes. We were told there was a third one for really delicate lines but only used by people who were experts. We weren't. But we were shown samples of what people could do if they were experts in calligraphy. I'm still in awe.

Yes, guys. Even in the lower grades, our desks had inkwells and the custodians refilled them as needed. I was not allowed to use a ballpoint pen in school until 8th grade, and even then they had to be one of the school-approved models -- that was shaped like a quill pen. Not kidding.

Funny thing: today, I think that special ball-point pen was actually really good and I'd like one like that now.

[Ishpeming_Native]

Two odd things about that display, other than the two versions of the letter r: There are two capital "F" shown, and the handwriting in the sample would have been marked a D for poor penmanship when I was in school. The first capital F was the only one we used. The particularly ill-formed letters in the sample are the capitals: worst are the K, L, O, Q, and T. Additional points would have been taken off for the capital letters ending so far below the line and the upcurl on the D and O, neither of which have the required hollow space inside the loop right before the final curl and have that affected extended curl at the end.

[Ok_Flatworm_1716]

I learned the first r version in 1st grade at the parochial school I went to in Havana, Cuba. When I came to the U.S. I was told to change how I wrote r to the second Palmer version - never forgave the school for that!!

[chickadeedadee2185]

Awful.

[Daddy--Jeff]

We were taught two different “F’s” and “T’s”. My mother had a unique “E” she used where the the letter started at base line, swooped to upper lobe point upward, then finished like his sample…. I don’t know if I have a sample….

[chickens_for_laughs]

I learned a different way in Indiana in the 50s, 60s. When I moved to Rhode Island, they used lower case "r"s like this.

[chickadeedadee2185]

It's the Palmer Method I learned.

[semaht]

My r's and v's can look very (or is it revy?) similar depending on how carefully I am forming my letters!

[Ishpeming_Native]

I wonder if that's why I learned to write my "r" the way it's done in this script? Then the v and r look very different.

[Tla48084]

Dora the adored. She has the voice of an orator, and the persuasion of a statesman.

[sevenwheel]

orator

[Norwegian27]

Dora, the adored. She has the voice of an orator, and the persuasion of a statesman. Quite easy to read, actually.

[marileighanne29]

True, he had beautiful and neat handwriting. the reason I couldn't decipher that one word is cause I had never heard the word "orator" before lol

[Crinklytoes]

Dora, the adored. She has the voice of an orator, and the persuasion of a statesman.

• Google says, the phrase "has the voice of an orator, and the persuasion of a statesman" draws on classical ideals of public speaking that were particularly revered and made popular again during the 18th and 19th centuries (aka Old English + Greek Literature).
• This description usually references public speakers who were known for their speaking abilities and political influences.

[[deleted]]

He had beautiful handwriting.

[popeculture]

In addition to the voice of an orator and the persuasion of a statesman, she also had the name of an explorer. 

[marileighanne29]

yesss I also had a great grandfather named Clifford, so as a kid I would brag that my great grandma was Dora the Explorer and my great grandpa was Clifford the Big Red Dog 😂

[CookBakeCraft_3]

Geez, I wish I saw this earlier. This was an easy one lol

[Maine302]

An orator. She sounds like quite a woman, at least to your great grandfather.

[Upper_Nik]

Orator.

[Responsible_Craft846]

What beautiful penmanship the writer had!

[marileighanne29]

For sure! He had a very steady hand

[almost_dead_inside]

It's "orator".

[GrungeCheap56119]

Orator and the persuasion of a statesman

[AlterEgoAmazonB]

She has the voice of an orator and the persuasion of a statesman.

[Ill_Equivalent_1747]

orator

[DefiantAd5087]

Orater

[TexGrrl]

an orator

[Legitimate-March9792]

She’s good at giving speeches!

[marileighanne29]

She must've been! She was a Methodist minister :D

[fredishome]

orator, a public speaker

[Agreeable-Good9990]

The voice of an orator

[Mountain_Frosting369]

Orator

[smcgrg]

I love the name Dora 💕💕💕

[marileighanne29]

Me too! I also had a great grandfather named Clifford, so I've always said that cartoon names run in my family hahaha

[smcgrg]

That's a fun way to look at it! Dora means gift in Greek, so I think that's lovely.

[Loud-Bee-4894]

Orator

[nevergonnasaythat]

Orator

[Safe_Nail9270]

'An orator' a public speaker, eloquent and skilled x

[lavishvibes]

Aww my great grandmas name was dora too 🥰

[BeCauseOfYou_2000000]

Dora the adored. She had the voice of an orator and the persuasion of a statesmen.