A 'must-read'
Dear editor:
Linda Fischer's memoir "For Better Or Worse" is a must-read for history buffs of the revival of downtown Hot Springs in 1979 when Linda and husband Horst Fischer arrived.
The downtown ugly canopy over the west side sidewalk of downtown and the decaying Arlington Hotel were certainly not an attractive designation for tourists or locals alike. With their combined experiences and talents they brought lasting change to this unpolished jewel in the Ouachita mountains. Their story starts as children in Europe, meeting and marrying in Bermuda and continues through their journey in the USA getting experience in the hospitality industry in some of the most exclusive hotels in the country.
Linda's prose depicts some of their experiences as totally human and laughable expect when some are downright degrading.
Horst brought the most elegant New Year's Eve gala in Arkansas to the Arlington in the early 1990s, which continues to this day. I have been a proud participant as the featured vocalist with the Stardust Big Band since 1994.
Linda and Horst's gifts to Hot Springs cannot be overstated. Their generosity and humanity has mostly gone unnoticed except by those benefiting through their efforts such as the two Vietnamese boys they adopted and Linda's 15 years teaching German to first and second-graders at St. Luke's parochial school.
I have not yet finished the book, rather savoring each chapter and reminiscing over the benefits I have experienced from Linda and Horst's efforts, such as enjoying with my husband, Syl Miller, the delights of Linda's Tea Room in the parlor of the historical Stitt House, which they loving restored and occupied for 23 years.
This book may be purchased on Amazon.
Shirley Chauvin Miller
Hot Springs