On April 17, 1941, Dorothy signed the surrender. The birth father had been drafted, and there was no way to be certain about the future. Before he left for training camp, he wanted to give Dorothy an engagement ring.
The file says the birth father came to Spence-Chapin himself to ask about adoption. Both parents wanted to keep the baby. They talked about boarding him for a year, then marrying and taking him home. They deliberated for 8 months.
He met her kids. They took a DNA test. Half-siblings — proven. But he never met his birth father. On Richard's birth certificate, the father's name is blank.
In 2002, Richard requested his non-identifying background info from Spence-Chapin. In 2009, with the help of an online researcher, he found Dorothy — his birth mother.
Richard was born June 26, 1940, in New York City, and given up for adoption in 1941. In between: hospital until July 11, the maternity residence with his birth mother, Spence-Chapin from August 7, 1940, and a boarding home from November 1.