Joe, back in early 1977 I was a student at FDU and working as a DJ and newscaster on WFDU-FM.   I was not doing a folk music show, I was just doing DJ work really. I had yet to do an interview.   The film Bound For Glory was out and I had heard about Marjorie Guthrie and her work with the Woody Guthrie Foundation and the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease.   I called her up to ask if I could interview her for a program that I was thinking of doing on Woody Guthrie. She invited me to visit her in her office to talk about it. When I visited her, she gave me a tour of the archives (more or less file cabinets)in the office of Harold Leventhal. She was incredibly cooperative and giving, probably more than any person should be with someone who was still "green" like myself.

About a week later she came to our studios in Teaneck, NJ bringing a musician named Tom Taylor with her.   For nearly 2 hours she opened her heart and told me a fascinating a story of the life of Woody Guthrie and even more importantly, how she formed the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease and the Woody Guthrie Foundation. She was a real inspiration to me. She set an example of how one person came make a change in the world. She did not let roadblocks stand in her way, but she was always (at least to me)very kind and understanding - a great listener. She was also instrumental in keeping the Guthrie archives intact and available for those interested in Woody's works. If it wasn't for her, and now her daughter Nora, we would not have access to some of the writings and the works of Woody Guthrie might not be as recognized as it is.

I don't want to give the impression that I was a close friend, but we did meet a few more times over the years before her passing as I visited her in her office when I started working in the city. It may be just me, but whenever I see or hear Arlo talk, I can see the influence his mother had.   

Her story is an important part of the Guthrie "legend" and she is well represented in Klein's book. I also did an interview with Klein with the book came up and remarked about how cooperative she was, revealing intimate details that others would have covered. She opened up her archives to Klein without restrictions.