What is

This Thing
Called Love?
Is it the girl? Why marry them?
And other Cole Porter conundrums

Story and photos by Judy Crowell

hat Valentines Day

would be complete
without a hot-house rose,
love letter words, a silver moon,
dancing to just one of those things
and a table for two? How about a
sight-seeing tour, dinner by candlelight at The Siding? The side-car
setting is wonderful andbetween
you and methe only place to eat
in Peru, Ind., birthplace and early

Westleigh, the Porter family farm in Peru, Ind.

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home to Cole Porter, one of the

most famous, most prolific
American composers, whose
romantic lyrics are so easy to love.
What a priceless pleasure, what a
charming afternoon and weekend
affair with your Valentine: a stay in
Porters recently restored childhood
home, now including the Cole
Porter Suite, the Anything Goes
Suite and the Night and Day Suite.
Kate the Great, Porters mother
and true love, encouraged her sons
extraordinary musical talent
unlike his maternal grandfather,
J.O. Cole, a curmudgeon and
millionaire, who, for no rhyme or
reason, mercilessly badgered his
grandson to study law. I know its
not meant for me, countered the
young prodigy and from this
moment on, it was written in the
stars that he would get out of town.
At the age of 10, a defiant Cole
wrote on his bedroom wall, I dont
want to be a lawyer!
At Worcester Academy, Porter
was the only student with a piano in
his room. At Yale, he served as
president of the Yale Glee Club and

Porters 1955 Fleetwood Cadillac at Miami County Museum

was an original member of the

Whiffenpoofs. Realizing that
opportunity knocks but once and
vowing to follow every fancy, he
got away from it all in Paris. Here
he metand to the surprise of
allsaid, I do, marrying the
wealthy and beautiful Linda Lee
Thomas, a Kentucky-born divorce
several years his senior. The
marriage of this closeted homosexual genius and the sophisticated,
well-connected Linda was as
complex, loving and ultimately as
enduring as the composers incomparable music.
Although it may not be a destination or a big town, a visit to Peru
and Cole Porters birthplacelike
another sentimental songwill
have your Valentine sweetie saying,
Lets do it, lets fall in love.
Cole Porter composed both the
melodies and lyrics to almost 1,000
songs. Ive included 33 titles within
the text of this article, in the order
in which they appear. If you can
identify 25, youre sensational. If
you find 30, youre the top.
Oopsthat makes 35 titles!
Find the answers on page 47.

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