dofieandtaitelder

Her father, a navy Lt. Commander, was stationed in Shanghai, China at the time. Dorothy, nicknamed “Dofie” was preceded,in both birth and death, by her sisters Clara Beatrice (Billie) Corn and Margaret (Margie) Blackburn Corn . In order to get better-quality medical care, Bill moved Bea to Manila for Dorothy to be born. Shortly afterwards, she came back to Shanghai, where the Corn family stayed another year.

As all military families do, the Corn family moved frequently, living in many cities on both US coasts over the next 22 years.

In 1926, Bill, a Naval Academy graduate, who eventually became an admiral, was assigned on a long cruise. During this time, Bea and the kids moved back to Ogden, Utah, where they stayed with Bea’s parents for a year. In 1927, the Corns moved to Washington D.C, where Bill was now stationed at the War Department (now the Pentagon). In 1931, the family moved to Long Beach, California, where Bill was engineering officer on the warship California. In 1935, the Corn family spent four months living in Bremerton, Washington while the California was refitted. They moved to Newport, Rhode Island in 1937, where Dofie took piano and drawing lessons. In 1939, the family was again moved to California, staying in Coronado, California, where Dofie graduated from Coronado High School in 1941. Once again, the Corn family moved to Annapolis in 1941, where they moved into a house right across the street from the Captain Fred Kingsley and Ethel Tait Elder household. Tait, their middle son quickly showed an interest in Dorothy. Although Tait and Dofie spent long periods apart over the next few years, their relationship grew.

Meanwhile, James Tait Elder was also born in 1925, on March 9 in the Presbyterian Old People's Home in Baltimore. Tait was the middle of three sons; his older brother was Fred Kingsley Elder Jr, and younger brother Samuel Adams Elder. Tait's father, Fred Kingsley Elder of Altoona, Pennsylvania, also educated at the Naval Academy and a captain in the Navy, was stationed in Annapolis at the time. While at the academy, Fred had studied physics and was a star wrestler, nicknamed “Toots”. Tait’s mother, Ethel Tait Elder, of Norfolk, Virginia was one of eight daughters of a wealthy North Carolina seed merchant, James Tait.

In 1931, with the great depression, Fred was passed over for promotion. He retired from the Navy. The Elder family moved to Montreat, NC and stayed for two years in a large summer house, which had been part of Ethel’s inheritance. Fred worked for a presbyterian retreat organization (Mountain Retreat) during this time. Tait and his brothers did odd jobs and enjoyed playing and camping in the woods. King and Tait started a weekly newspaper, which developed a subscription of 40 customers. Tait also took piano lessons and sang in the church choir.

In 1934, Fred moved the family to Chapel Hill, NC so that he could pursue a PhD in education from the University of North Carolina. By 1938, he was recalled to duty as commander by the Naval Academy to teach physics. Ethel and Fred, with their three sons, Kingsley, Tait and Sam, moved to Annapolis, Maryland. Fred and Ethel lived there until Fred’s retirement, when they moved to Clearwater Florida.

All three Elder sons were later awarded PhD's in Physics

In 1941, at the age of 16, Dorothy began attending the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. During this time, she sang and appeared in stage shows. She graduated in 1945 with a BA in English and History. In 1941, Tait, also 16, began attending the University of NC in Chapel Hill, belonging to the NROTC and majoring in math. In 1943, before he could finish his degree, he was commissioned as an ensign on the USS Black to help in the WW2 effort. He became a lieutenant and, at the age of 19, was responsible for commanding 20 men. When the war was over in 1945, Tait went back to Chapel Hill, where he completed his degree in math. Dorothy came back to Annapolis to live with her parents and worked for two years for the Naval Academy Alumni Association.

On March 16,1947, Tait and Dofie were married in the Naval Academy chapel, and briefly lived in Chapel Hill. Tait was then accepted to graduate school at Johns Hopkins, and they moved to Baltimore. Tait pursued a PhD in physics, while working in Dr. RobertFowler’s research lab and teaching classes. During this time, Dofie worked in a large department store (Stewart’s), starting as a salesgirl and ending as the director of personnel. They stayed in Baltimore until 1952, when Tait got his PhD, and then a job as a researcher at the New Jersey Zinc company in Palmerton, Pennsylvania.

By 1968, Dofie and Tait could build a house on Amber Drive in Shoreview. The house was in an idyllic setting. In the midst of a wooded area, it was near a huge horse pasture, with square miles of open space to the north, many nearby lakes, and had lots of neighborhood kids of all ages. Here, Dofie installed and maintained beautiful gardens and landscaping, laid patios of flag stones, and created pottery of rapidly-improving artistic and technical quality. Meanwhile, Liz had a horse, and in the natural surroundings, all the kids had a chance to explore and learn who they were and what they liked by experiment.

By 1973, Tait had been made head of the New Products Division at 3M, and oversaw the development of many commercially-successful inventions. He co-invented TattleTape. Mom quickly became a proficient, prolific potter.

In 1981, Tait was hired away from 3M by Allied Corporation to be the General Manager of New Business Ventures in that company. Dofie and Tait moved to a grand mansion in Montclaire, NJ, which needed complete renovation. Dofie made it a project to direct its renovation, and over the next two years, made it into a showpiece. After this, seeking a simpler life, they sold it and moved into a nearby condominium.

In 1987, Tait retired from Allied, and they moved to a 4-acre parcel on the beach of the North Shore of Lake Superior, adjacent to Gooseberry Falls Park and a few miles north of Two Harbors. This began a magical period for them both. They designed and built a house and two-story garage/office space here, along with a designated pottery building. Tait began a consulting business for companies developing new products, and would fly all over the country to do so. Dofie opened up a pottery shop in Two Harbors which was very popular with North Shore tourists, and soon had lots of commissioned work and mail-order sales. Because their property was surrounded by a square-mile of woods, which was part of the park, they had complete privacy, silence and darkness to see stars at night. Dofie and Tait enjoyed the wildlife, gardening, fishing,peace, and even the outdoor maintenance necessary in an isolated location. They were here for 15 years.

In 1998, Dofie and Tait moved to Olympia WA to be near Jay and Liz and their families. They designed and built a house near Jay’s high school on Victoria Court. Just before they were to move in, Dofie suffered a stroke, which left her weak on her left side. Although she eventually almost fully-recovered from the stroke, this event marked the beginning of many falls and broken bones. Each time, she fought her way back to health with a determination that few people have. By 2006, it became clear that a house was too much to maintain, so Dofie and Tait moved to a large apartment (Chinook) at Panorama City Retirement Community. Here, Dofie had a small pottery and continued to turn out lots of beautiful ceramic pieces. They enjoyed the next six years here, exploring Olympia and making new friends.

In 2013, they moved to a smaller apartment at Panorama in the main building (Quinault) , and shortly afterwards, to an assisted living space in that same building.