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Elizabeth Post, America's leading etiquette authority, has died at age 89. She was the author of over a dozen books on etiquette, and wife of the only grandchild of the famous Emily Post. She also wrote for Good Housekeeping magazine and had a syndicated etiquette newspaper column. She updated the classic book, "Etiquette," which had been originally authored by Emily, five times in order to keep it current.
Her views were known for being refreshing and contemporary. The press release issued by the Emily Post Institute quotes her, and describes her approach:
"Etiquette is meant to smooth the path between people to better relationships," Mrs. Post said. "It isn't meant to be something restrictive or unpleasant." She drew upon her personal interactions with readers and the thousands of letters she received each year to make her advice more practical, direct and contemporary. She was the first Post author to tackle such subjects as public breastfeeding, how to introduce same-sex couples and the etiquette of second and third weddings.
In 1992, one reporter described Mrs. Post this way: "Post strives to be human, the neighbor you would chat with across the fence. She is as she is in print, polite, informed and not at all snobbish."
Mrs. Post headed up the Institute until her retirement in 1995, but kept active as an adviser.
Photo source: www.emilypost.com
The legacy will go on. Elizabeth's children and grandchildren now operate the Emily Post Institute, and continue to champion business and personal etiquette. According to The New Yorker:
Various Post relations write deportment columns for, among other publications, Good Housekeeping, Parents, and the Boston Globe. On its Web site, the Emily Post Institute provides guidance on subjects ranging from holiday tipping (for a pet groomer, one session’s fee is appropriate) to exercising at the gym (“Wipe up your sweat, please!”). There is even a feature called “What Would Emily Do?” which each week takes up a new, post-Post question, such as whether it’s permissible to text-message from a luncheon party and “How do you tell a co-worker that she has an odor?”
In the Institute's obituary, an image of a vibrant woman shines though. Far from being idle in her retirement, it shows a woman who was no stranger to a zestful life.
Mrs. Post was also an artist, her specialty being watercolors. Her artwork graces the walls of her family's and friend's homes, as well as those of collectors. She exhibited frequently in art shows. Mrs. Post often donated paintings and other pieces to charity auctions. She was an accomplished golfer and an avid fisherman. One year, she landed the largest tarpon caught by a woman in the United States. She was particularly proud of the day she and her husband, Bill, each registered a "grand slam" on the flats of the Florida Keys, a rare feat for one person much less for two in the same boat on the same day. Mr. and Mrs. Post were also avid SCUBA divers and made numerous trips to exotic parts of the world to pursue the clearest waters and the most colorful fish.
What is the everyday etiquette question that stumps you? What point of etiquette are you a stickler about, whether online or offline?
~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs right along at Time's Fool
