Dear Dr Ford,
It has been some time since the introduction of your paper, and I must say I had drifted off to other areas of research, however; coming back to review the paper and all of the comments concerning it, a curious detail came to my attention, this concerning the name that Noonan was said to have called out several times. In Betty's notebook she says she heard Fred call out Marie several times, during the entire episode. Scanning some of the letters Noonan sent home, it appears he never used the name Marie, when referring to his wife, ( Mary Beatrice) or if he did, I missed it, but rather he used a pet name for his new bride, that being a shortened version of his brides middle name Beatrice .... Bee. In all of the letters I have viewed, they begin with or include his pet name for her, ....Bee.
In scenarios such as the one Fred has been described as being involved in, are there any studies or data available to suggest why someone in his suggested impaired state , would revert to calling a loved person by a more formal name, than what he usually tenderly called her?
It just seems puzzling to me that he, in a moment of pure anguish, would try to reach out to that special someone, by using a name or version of her formal name less frequently or never used.
Your thoughts?
Jerry