Description:

Obama Barack 1961 - Barack Obama's stepmother, his father's wife Ruth, writes from Kenya to his father in Cambridge, Massachusetts Typed Letter Signed "Ruth and / Okoth, Opiyo, Bobby, Rita, Ogosa" by Ruth, on both sides of a pictorial aerogramme air letter sheet, 6" x 12" when opened, 70c Kenya postage stamp affixed, postmarked Nairobi, Kenya, January 4, 1972. Addressed to "Mr. Barack H. Obama / c/o Omar Obama / 17 Perry Street / Cambridge, Massachusetts / United States of America." Return address: "Mrs. Ruth B. Obama / P.O. Box 30265 / Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa." Very good condition.


Barack Obama met his father, Barack Obama, Sr. just once, when he was 10-years-old, in Honolulu at Christmastime, 1971, just two weeks before this letter was written. Barack Sr. had attended Harvard University in Cambridge for a doctoral program in economics, but left with a master's degree. At Harvard he started dating Ruth Baker. She went with him to Kenya in 1964, married on December 24, 1964, and had two sons, Mark Okoth Obama and David Opiyo Obama. The couple separated in 1971 and divorced in 1973.

In part, "Haven't heard from you in ages - perhaps you have forgotten us? Anyway, one piece of good news has come along: Bobby was accepted to Lenana School - but I don't have the details yet … Also Okoth started Kilimani yesterday and says that the teacher is 'slow'. I told him it is too early to judge (he is a bit impatient already because he knows 'sums' and the others don't) … Both Bobby and Rita were quite ill with malaria towards the end of and at the their stay in Alego and upon returning to Nairobi, however it has now mostly cleared up (I hope). They say all are well at Alego except that Sarah, your sister, is ill with some sort of blood disease which causes her to faint every so often … Ogosa seems to be doing well at his job - I think he is fairly hardworking … My parents seem definitely to be coming at the beginning of February and I have made a booking for them at The Fairview Hotel for the first two weeks in February … We haven't received the suitcase from HongKong yet - I really hope it is not 'lost' in the mail … Meanwhile, I hope you are doing well - and that you are managing satisfactorily…"

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