October 1944 cover of Merrimack Monthly Messenger featuring Pauline Phelps. Frank Scruton’s Mother would fortuitously tell him to find Pauline and marry her after seeing it.
Fairy tales often start with a twist of fate. For Frank and Pauline Scruton, that twist came in the form of an October 1944 issue of Merrimack Monthly Messenger, a periodical published by the Merrimack Farmer’s Exchange. That particular issue featured a young Pauline Phelps on the cover. The story goes that Frank’s Mother saw the magazine and told him, “Go find that girl and marry her.” While Frank didn’t always listen to his mother, this time he did. Their first date was at the Rochester Fair in 1945 and in June of 1946 Frank and Pauline were married.