Joanna: I think/hope that the usages you mention are just joking
pleasantries, and that "Mrs. Professor" wouldn't include her husband's
degree if she were to prepare something like a resume or job application for
herself, to publish or to submit to a potential employer.

Also, in the example, Betty was Albert's sister, not child or spouse.
Although I'm not sure that would make a difference in the conversations you
describe. Kenni

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news:3Wlhf.3510$Qs2.1889@trnddc03...

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
snip
Much like the Smith family mentioned above. Just because Albert Smith
gets
a Ph.D, that doesn't mean his sister Betty Smith gets to call herself
"Doctor". G.

Kenni,

Unless the Smith family lives in Austria, and they encounter someone like
the Austrian swimming instructor of friends of my family, who would always
call their 3-year old son Dr. SoAndSo because his father had a P.h.D. :-)
While that is a silly extreme, some titles that technically should not
apply
to spouses get applied nonetheless, a lot of wives of college professors
get
called Mrs. Professor, at least in many European countries they do. I
guess
orchid nomenclature is a bit more consistent on that point, an award given
to a seed parent of a hybrid is not applied by association to the pollen
parent. :-)

Joanna