important as clear comprehensible speech. speech seems to have been degraded and penmanship is almost a lost art. tracy smith will be reporting our sunday morning cover story. ♪ i'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter ♪ > how is your handwriting? chances are it's not as good as theirs. does our legibility get better as we get older? >> no. what happens is we tend to peak around fourth grade. so that's it. >> reporter: a primer on penmanship and whether it matters anymore later on sunday morning. >> osgood: jan's story is is a story of love and devotion in the face of a terribly sad but increasingly common condition told by our barry petersen. >> yes, you look... yeah, i'd say. i like people. >> reporter: her name is jan carleton. she has early onset alzheimer's disease. >> darling. >> reporter: but she is not just a stranger. to me, this story is personal. how are you? >> there are survivor of heart attacks. there are survivors of cancer. there are survivors of lung disease. there are no survivors of alzheimers disease. >> reporter: a story i never thought i would tell as a reporter later on sunday morning. >> osgood: natalie portman is a highly accomplished star of the screen whose high profile award last sunday night may be just the beginning for her. this morning mo rocca pays her a visit. ♪ >> reporter: she's beautiful, talented, and very hard working. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: and did we mention she's also really smart? when you graduated from high school, you were voted most likely to? >> to be on jeopardy. >> reporter: instead she's the talk of hollywood. natalie portman, later on sunday morning. >> osgood: a one track mind is what many a determined collector has been accused of having. in the case of the collector martha teichner will be dropping in on, there are many tracks and many trains. >> reporter: a lot of people have model train sets in their basements. but believe me, they're nothing like what jerry green has. >> i was obsessed. i just went at it as if it was the most important thing in the world to me. >> reporter: now he's selling his collection. but first a good look. be prepared to become a kid all over again. later this sunday morning. >> osgood: we'll have the latest on keith olbermann's abrupt departure from cable news on friday night. serena altschul will take us to here a pianist. we'll get two perspectives on the so-called tiger mom controversy and more. but first here are the headlines for this sunday morning, the 23rd of january, 2011. two weeks after congresswoman gabrielle giffords was shot in the head, doctors at the texas medical center in houston say their new patient is progressing nightly. her doctor says she's grown even more alert since arriving on friday from tucson. those anti-government protests in tunisia seem to be echoing thousands of miles away in yemen. yesterday thousands of protesters, upset with their president's 32-year rule demanded his ouster during a demonstration in aden. the technology in china just unveiled stealth fighter likely came from the united states. according to the associated press some experts believe china collected the wreckage of an american f-117 stealth fighter shot down over serbia in 1999. washington dignitaries turned out yesterday for the funeral mass of sergeant shriver. peace corps founder and 1972 vice presidential candidate. later he was laid to rest at a cemetery in barnstable massachusetts. apple says its apps store has hit the 10 billionth download mark. the company announced that milestone on its website yesterday. the nfl conference champions will be determined today starting off in chicago where the bears take on their arch rival the green bay packers. and later in a game you can see here on cbs, the pittsburgh steelers play host to the new york jets. today's winners will meet at the super bowl. as for the nation's weather, the cold may be a factor in both football games. in chicago, pittsburgh, and across much of the north, temperatures won't get any higher than in the low teens. snow and rain will move across the middle of the country. and the days ahead will bring more cold along with the possibility of snowstorms in the north and northeast. in the sun belt, it should get back to being sunny and mild. >> we're going to do it the same way. down. >> osgood: next, is penmanship being written off? >> natalie. >> reporter: later, golden glgl,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >> osgood: generations of school kids learn penmanship from blackboards like this one. whether future generations will learn to write their abcs by hand at all, however, is very much in doubt. signing off is the title of our cover story reported now by tracy smith. >> boys and girls, i'm going to show you how you make these letters. so watch how i do this. down, up and over. see that? ♪ i'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter ♪ >> reporter: if it's been a while since you felt the excitement.... >> that is amazing. >> reporter:... or the pain. >> can you erase it and try again. >> reporter:... of putting pen to paper, spend a few moments with krystal walters' kindergarten class in upper arlington, ohio. >> you can see so much meaning and passion in their penmanship. you know, even if it's, you know, all in capitals and a mix, it makes you smile. >> reporter: handwriting is still an essential skill for kids, but in the world beyond school, the one filled with computers and cell phones and you name it, we're losing our grip on penmanship. it's not that we're not writing. every day we send 294 billion emails and nearly five billion text messages but for adults the tactile personal art of handwriting-- you're looking at mine-- has pretty much been reduced to shopping lists and credit card signatures. >> we don't use it as much, but that's an old story. we haven't used handwriting the way we used to use handwriting for well over 100 years. this is from the 1880s. >> reporter: this woman is a history professor at the state university of new york at buffalo. and the author of a history of handwriting in america. what was the handwriting of the pilgrims like? >> well, first you have to recognize that not everybody could write. and then even more strangely there were people who could read but not write. the two skills were taught separately and uchbd to have separate purposes. >> reporter: in the 1700 and 1800s, if your handwriting was good enough, you could actually make it a career. >> well, there were professional penmen, professional writing masters who would produce penmanship tour de forces as a kind of calling card. this is what i can do. >> reporter: flat rogers spencer was the first american penman to create a national model for handwriting. it was a fancy one. >> spencerian was very fussy and time consuming. you had to get the shading just right. it would flow. >> reporter: we know spencerian today as the script used in the coca-cola leaguer but that's about all. because the arrival of the typewriter in the late 19th century presented enormous competition for handwriting. a new man took up the challenge, a.n.palmer. >> he really was the penmanship emperor of the 20th century. >> reporter: palmer said speed it up. >> what palmer was thinking and to some extent saying is we have to have a modern 20th century script for modern 20th century business conditions. fast. efficient. that way we can keep up with the typewriter. it's big on drill work. >> reporter: regimentation that palmer believed would do more than just create good handwriting. it could make model citizens. >> penmanship could reform delinquents. penmanship could assimilate immigrants. penmanship could do just about everything except cure acne. >> reporter: moreover handwriting was seen not just as a product of good habits but of your character itself. that gave rise to handwriting analysis. >> it was all the rage particularly in the early 1900s. >> reporter: there were even graphology columns in magazines to which readers could submit their handwriting. >> what handwriting reveals. >> reporter: and find out their true self. >> what i see in your handwriting, i see a great deal of conscientiousness and sincerity. on the other side i can see prigishness, considerable self-satisfaction. >> reporter: and get this. before the 1920s, students weren't taught to write in print. they only learned curs i have been. so abraham lincoln never printed. >> he would not have printed. >> reporter: and learning script took a lot of time. >> and we recommended back then, and most teachers did, about 30 to 45 minutes. >> reporter: kathleen wright is with one of the largest handwriting instruction companies. >> practice those. we're going to do it the same way. >> reporter: she says they've had to adapt to all the subjects crammed into a student's schedule. >> so we've simplified it to about 15 minutes of direct instruction. >> reporter: today children start with print and then move on to cursive. >> the script we teach kids today is simple and efficient. americans are all about efficiency. >> reporter: steve graham is a literacy expert at vanderbilt university. graham says that just as computers are a technology, so are pencils and paper. our pen and pencil still the most practical technology we have? >> well, they're clearly the simplest. they're the cheapest. and in many ways the most portable. are they the most effective? that's a different question. if you take a look at having kids write on word processors over a period of time versus writing by hand, kids who write on word processors over time have better quality writing. >> reporter: so if kids just by passed handwriting altogether and started on keyboard, would they suffer? >> probably not. >> reporter: others disagree with graham. citing studies that show that for kids handwriting is more effective than typing for stimulating memory and language skills. and with computers still scarce in some classrooms and keyboards a poor fit for kids' hands, all agree penmanship counts. >> it does matter. people form judgments about the credibility of your ideas based upon your handwriting. >> reporter: so a kid with good handwriting could get better grades? >> yes. and a kid with poor handwriting gets lower grades on writing assignments. >> reporter: does our legibility get better as we get older? >> no. what happens is you tend to peak around 4th grade. so most handwriting instruction stops at about 4th grade. >> reporter: some of us are reminded of that fourth grade peak the hard way. >> penmanship was the problem from the handwritten note from gordon brown. >> reporter: when british minister gordon brown wrote a letter to a mother of a soldier killed in afghanistan his sloppy hand and spelling errors so incensed her she released the letter to the press causing a penmanship scandalment most of us don't give our own handwriting glowing reviews. a sunday morning poll finds that while eight out of ten of us write at least some of the time, only 18% call their handwriting excellent. >> your handwriting is good enough. it doesn't have to be something from a medieval monastery. >> reporter: noted calligrapher marg it shepherd has written two books encouraging readers to step away from the mouse and pen handwritten notes. >> the worst handwriting is still way ahead of the best, trickiest, cuteest little email. >> reporter: after all, so much of our national history has been written by hand, and our personal history too. >> whenever i come across a letter of my mother's, it's like i hear her voice. she's in the room with me. and for communications between you and someone you really value, a handwritten letter is just awesome. ♪ i'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter ♪ >> reporter: why does handwriting even matter? >> because you can't just have a computer everywhere you go. it could be out of batteries or it crashes. you can still pick up a pencil and paper. >> reporter: even these fourth graders still struggling with how to form those cursive capitals seem to get that handwriting has a place at least somewhere. >> sometimes maybe if you're stranded on an island or something, then you'll know how to write. ♪ i'm going to sit right down and write myself a letter ♪ >> reporter: on a desert island, on a job application, or for the history books, it just may be too soon to sign off on penmanship. >> osgood: which bring us to john hancock's john hancock next. when you've lost interest in everything. when you've had one too many days feeling sad or anxious... aches and pains, fatigue. when it becomes hard to ignore that you need help. that's the day you do something. depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. is today your day? talk to your doctor... and go to cymbalta.com for a free 30-capsule trial offer. depression hurts. cymbalta can help. ♪ >> osgood: and now a page from our sunday morning almanac. january 23, 1737. 274 years ago today. the day penmanship met statesmanship. for that was the day john hancock was born, just outside boston. after inheriting a huge fortune from his uncle, hancock became the city's most prominent merchant, frustrated by british restrictions on trade, hancock took a leading role in revolutionary politics, first in boston and then in philadelphia. as the presiding officer of the second continental congress. john hancock was the first to sign the declaration of independence. with such a flourish it became part of our history and folklore. >> we're about to brave the storm in a skip made of paper. >> reporter: as depicted in the movie 1776 with david ford as hancock. >> that's a pretty large signature, johnny. >> so fat george in london can read it without his glasses. >> reporter: though hancock's quote is likely improbable his indisputeably bold curs i have been tile made the name i don't know hancock with the word signature forever more. he went on to serve as governor of massachusetts and as a chair of the state convention that ratified the u.s. constitution. john hancock died in 1793 at the age of 56. his name and his distinctive signature live on. since 1862 an insurance company has honored his memory. >> john hancock, the future is yours. >> osgood: and sky scrapers bearing his name on landmarks in both boston and chicago. and from 1979 to 2000 john hancock's name and signature could be found on an active duty u.s. navy destroyer. even john hancock himself would have needed help signing that one. >> osgood: so how did pianist simone dinnertein get to carnegie hall? stay tuned. for three hours a week, i'm a coach. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >> osgood: that is the late glen gould performing the goldberg variations by bach. for years critics have considered his interpretation to be the best, the gold standard. now there's a new contender. with serena altschul, we take note. ( applause ) >> reporter: simone dinnertein has played some of the world's biggest stages from london to new york. ♪ and she's released two critically acclaimed number one albums. quite an accomplishment for a 38-year-old pianist who not that long ago found out the only way she would play carnegie was to pay for it herself. >> i feel incredibly lucky because i am really having the career at the moment that i dreamt about having when i was a kid. it's kind of hard to realize that it's actually happening. >> reporter: but it's been a highly unusual road to stardom. her father sigh moan an artist and mother renee didn't give her lessons until she was seven. a late start by classical music standards. >> i remember her saying to me that when i grow up, i want to be a solo pianist. and i want to play on the new york stage. i remember thinking, oh, my daughter is in for so much pain. ♪ >> reporter: mom was right. long hours of practiceing, isolated dinnertein from friends and often left her lonely. >> i very much identified myself as being a musician. that was a very important part of my personality. i probably would have had an easier time with the other kids if i hadn't made such a point of it. >> reporter: but while music can isolate, it can also inspire. ♪ >> reporter: and at 13 dinnertein discovered legendary interpreter of bach, glen gould, and his recording of the goldberg variations. it was thought to have been written as a lull buy by bach and first performed by german composer johan goldberg. >> i was at a friend's house. he put that recording on. i remember it just stopped me in my tracks. i couldn't believe how great it was. >> reporter: after attempting to play it, dinnertein set the piece aside. >> i didn't think i could play it. i mean not only did i think i wouldn't be able to play it physically, but i just felt that i would not have anything worth saying that glen gould had not already said. >> reporter: dinnertein went on to study at juilliard, but shocked her family and friends by dropping out. determined to find her own voice, she headed to london to study and be with her boyfriend jeremy greensmith. there she became an accomplished pianist. but try as she might, never a star. eventually she packed it in and returned to juilliard and brooklyn with jeremy who became her husband. they started a family while she gave piano lessons and played small concerts wherever she could. you've played in retirement homes. you've played in a prison. >> um-hum. >> reporter: you didn't play your 90-minute goldberg. >> i didn't play a goldberg variations. >> reporter: but bach's goldberg variations were never far from her mind. feeling washed up as a musician at 30, she decided to make her own attempt to master the music she had fallen in love with as a child. ♪ what do you love about it most? >> it's almost not like a piece of music. i mean it's almost like a meditation. you are really taken to a different place. it's actually the same feeling to play it. ♪ >> it took me a while to perform it well. it was a really hard piece. >> reporter: so dinnertein scraped together $15,000 from friends and family to record her performance. the first tracks soon leaked out on the internet and caused a flurry of excitement in the music world. >> i thought that this was just really gutsy and really cool. >> reporter: david patrick stearns is the music critic at the philadelphia inqiner and was at the recording session. >> the gold bering... goldbergs really take you on a journey. the most important thing is she takes you on her journey. it's all hers. >> reporter: with the recording in hand dinnertein had her own ideas about what to do next. rathe