A Waldorf Water Goblet Story

My mother, Lita Santos, worked at the Waldorf-Astoria New York (as did two of my aunts and an uncle) during World War II (1941-1945). Her nickname was “Sparky” because she lit up the room. She enlisted in the Army in 1944 and on her last day her co-workers engraved a Waldorf-Astoria clear water goblet with her nickname on it and gifted it to her.

The following year, the war ended and my family moved to California. My grandmother brought the goblet to California on the train. My mother has kept the goblet safe all these years. Last year, my mother turned 94 and gave it to me.

I hope to eventually donate it to the Waldorf-Astoria if they maintain a museum space in the reconstructed hotel. It’s certainly one-of-a-kind and has such a great history attached to it!