Dennis Sciama agreed to propose the toast to Stephen and this he did very generously, listing all Stephen’s many scientific achievements which, he said, would have more than justified his faith in him without this culminating honour of the Fellowship of the Royal Society. The children and I stood together in a glow of pride. It was Stephen’s turn to reply. It was a measure of the change in him since our marriage that he was well accustomed to making speeches in public these days but, of course, on this occasion the party had come as a surprise and he had had no chance to prepare what he was going to say. He actually made quite a long speech, speaking slowly and clearly, though faintly. He talked about the course of his research and the unexpected way in which it had developed over the past ten years or so, since coming to Cambridge. He thanked Dennis Sciama for his support and inspiration, and he thanked his friends for coming to the party, talking as was his habit always in terms of “I” not “we”. With my arms round each of the children, I waited at the side of the room for him to turn towards us with a smile, a nod, just a brief word of recognition for the domestic achievements of the nine years of our marriage. It may have been a mere oversight in the excitement of the moment that he did not mention us at all. He finished speaking to general applause, while I bit my lip to conceal my disappointment.
— Travelling to Infinity (Jane Hawking), Loc. 3085–95