Trust

In the museum library, Partenza sees that no one has touched Mildred’s papers since they were stored. She’s disappointed to see there are no journals, only day planners and bundles of thank-you letters from the hundreds of people and institutions Mildred gave money to. As the years progress Mildred’s handwriting becomes increasingly hieroglyphic.

1920, the year of the Bevels’ wedding, is the first year Mildred records in her day planner. The year is largely absent of social engagements. Partenza senses Mildred’s boredom and loneliness, though she realizes that faced with mostly blank pages, she can’t know with certainty how Mildred felt. Partenza uses Mildred’s address book to systematically decipher her handwriting.

Starting in 1921, Mildred begins attending concerts and holding recitals at her house. She meets many preeminent modernist composers and musicians, such as Igor Stravinsky and Charles Ives. In 1923, she founds and endows the League of Composers, the only American organization dedicated exclusively to funding contemporary music. By 1935, the league’s board is primarily composed of musical luminaries, most of them women.

Mildred’s detailed records of her charity show her to be the opposite of the reckless philanthropist Bevel portrayed her as. She does the accounting for her charitable fund and gives charities detailed instructions for how she wants them to use her donations.