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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 18, 1950)
Medford ' 'r- Tribune Second Section MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 1950 Pages 1-8 76 -Year-Old Medford Artist Active In Painting Flowers, Nature Scenes Mrs. Edmondsor Fills Life-Long Ambition in Art By Frances Bulkin Mall Tribune Staff Writer Mrs. Elizabeth Edmondson, 854 West Second street, has an impressive faculty of painting nature in its naturalness, an art she has pursued since she first could hold a paint brush. The 76-year-old artist, who specializes in paintings of wild flowers, says she doesn't feel that anyone can "improve on God's work," and that she wants her works to look as nearly as possible "the way God made them." So natural do her paintings of wild flowers appear, that one feels the urge to reach out and pluck the flowers. Entered Art School One of nine children, the art ist was born near Plymouth, Ind., and so possessed was she with the desire to draw and paint that at the age of 12 years her family sent her to an art school in Valparaiso, Ind. There she worked energetically at her easel from seven in the morning until evening. Though she par. ticularly likes to do wild flow ers or land or seascapes, she also learned at school to do portraits, generally considered one of the most difficult types of painting. Before finishing her course, she began to get orders from friends, and then from their friends, to do portraits. She now has a por trait of a granddaughter which won second prize in its division at the Oregon State fair. Later, after teaching school for a time, she married and be came the mother of a daughter. Her husband had an apprecia tion of art and encouraged her in her painting. So in her spare time she kept up with her urge to paint. After his deatn, in Wis consin, she decided to tike her family and "go west to Oregon." Remains 48 Years Here she had visualized a "perfect heaven for painting na ture's subjects." Not being dis appointed in her vision, she has 'remained 48 years. For many years she lived on a homestead on Butte creek, near McLeod. Two of her most interesting scenes are of the home on that homestead one done after a snowfall and the other a sum mer scene. Another of her homey and interesting paintings which she calls "Haying on the Home stead," shows a horsedrawn wag on from which hay is being mowed into a barn, with barn yard animals in the foreground. Uses Many Mediums Just as Mrs. Edmondson is versatile in portraying different types of subjects portraits, an imals, landscapes, seascapes and flowers so is she in mediums of her work. In particular, she uses water colors, but as easily can switch to pastels, oils, char coal or tempera. As an experi- kM Wir mm ?i 1 " CONTINUES TO PAINT AT 76 Mrs. Elizabeth Edmondson, 76-year-old Medford artist whose hobby since childhood has been painting, continues to wield her brush to fill orders fbr those "who see my paintings and like them." Specializing in wild flowers and nature scenes, she is versatile in portraying other subjects and in the use of various mediums. With a talent for painting nature in its naturalness, Mrs. Edmonson still believes no one can "improve on God's work." technique, she tried her hand at using india ink. with water lil ies as her subject. Though she does not consider it her best work, with the flowers and foli age in white, the background shaded In black, one can only imagine the hours of patience it took to finish. After coming west Mrs. Ed mondson remarried, and became mother of two more children. After her second husband passed awav, she taught in rural schools in Washington and Oregon. In 1920 she moved to Medford. Up to the year 1945-1946 she was teaching in puonc scnoois oi me state. Helps Form Art Group After moving here she was in strumental in organizing the Southern Oregon Art associa tion, which banded together the few artists there were in the county. Through this group, art exhibits were arranged with dis plays from Paris, New York and San Francisco, which Medford residents were able to view with out charge. For a number of years. Mrs. Edmondson taught classes in her many as 100 students, with sep arate classes for children and adults during the day and eve ning. She recently spent a year and a half at Gold Beach, where she went with "the purpose of paint ing wild flowers for the children of the future." More Than 100 Always painting her subjects first-hand, she has done well over 100 different Oregon wild flowers. In natural colors, all ment. and without knowing the home, and at one time had as O & C Administrator To Talk Here Friday Daniel L. Goldy. regional ad ministrator of the bureau of land management (including the O and C revested lands administra tion) will be the guest speaker at a meeting next Friday of the Southern Oregon Conservation . J T TTr.m nn-nnlnlinn I ttTSC V1 M II ft? r CI III flWUtiailun, , . nva Goldv will explain the recent ly announced O and C road right of way regulations, which have created considerable controversy in lumber circles, and other re cent changes in O and C timber sales policies. The dinner meeting will be at 7:30 p.m.. Fririav. June 23. at the Pioneer room of the Jackson hotel. L. L. Simpson, secretary-manager of the association, said the regulations present a grave prob lem tn the entire lumber indus try throughout the northwest and that the group is fortunate in having the administrator com ing to Medford to discuss the regulations, in person, with in dustry representatives. Invitation Extended Simpson emphasized that any one concerned with the lumber industry, and not just members of the association, is welcome to attend. Those who have not re ceived personal invitations are sked to write or call Simpson 't the association office in the Goldv building. Medford. The regional administrator will also attend a meeting of the regional advisory committee of the O and C administration Thursday afternoon, according to District Forester E. K. Peterson. New officers of the committee will be selected at that time. George Flanagan of Elk Lumber company is present chairman. Delegates Named for Eagles Conclave Delegates who will represent Crater Lake aerie, Fraternal Or der of Eagles, Medford, at the 1850 Oregon State aerie conven tion of the FOE at Grants Pass, June 22, 23 and 24, have been announced by Aerie President Ray Watkins. They include O. H. Bengston, Frank Shafer, George Tucker, Jack Meacham, Fred Johnson, Howard Brooks, John Black. Percy Culley, Art Klatt, Earl Mercer. Alvin Lucas, Ed Olson, Bay Watkins. Damon Floyd. George Denney. LeRoy Smith and Hans Rammin. The drill team will also ac company the delegation. The convention will be held at the Memorial gymnasium of the Grants Pass senior high school. HAGEN'S GROCERY At P. Hagen Bill C. Hagen FR ESH VEGETABLES DAILY FREE DELIVERY 'Reasonable Prices Dr. Inskeep Back From Inspection Tour of Hospitals Dr. L. D. Inskeep, president of the state board of health, return ed to his home here Friday after the board's week-long tour of eastern Oregon hospitals and communities where hospitals are under construction or contem plated. The board sought first hand information on progress In hos pital construction since enact ment of the Hill-Burton act which provides one-third the cost for construction. Inspections were made at The Dalles, Red mond, Bend. Prineville, Hepp ner. Pendleton. LaGrande. En terprise. Vale. Nvssa. Ontario and Burns. Funds Awarded Funds have been awarded at Bend. Heppner, Enterprise and Burns. A number of hospitals in other communities were private ly financed but come under state licensure provisions. The eastern Oregon hospital program is elim inating the region's medical iso lation. Making the trip with Inskeep were Dr. Thomas Griffith, The Dalles: Dr. Harold M. Erickson, Portland, state health officer; Mrs. Inskeep and Mrs. Griffith. are easily recognizable as the familiar flowers one often sees but frequently passes without notice. Included in her collection are two plates of wild roses, one in full bloom, the other with their cheery red seed pods. Others portray bird bill, manzanita pond lilies, daisies, fly catcher, grass of parnassus. fox gloves. moccasin flowers, chicory, rhod odendron, trillium, and wild iris, to name a few. On many the artist has spent countless hours, putting down what she has found in explanation of the flow ers either from library research or first hand. Paints "Mother Madrone" One of the paintings is of the "mother madrone" which she found in Thompson's meadows in Curry county. She says it is claimed the tree is not known to grow anywhere but in that vicinity. Painted principally for chil dren who might be unable to view the actual flowers, the re productions would hold the in terest of anyone, both for pleas ure and for information included with them. With a twinkle in her bright blue eyes, the 76-ycar-old artist, who is still filling orders for those who "see my paintings and like them," actively continues her life-long desire to paint, paint, paint. Western Pine Report Shows Orders Increase Portland, Ore., June 17 U.R) The Western Pine association to day issued a report which show ed orders for the current period of 1950 were 25 per cent more than for the same period in 1949. weekly averages for June dur ing the past three years were 63.448.000 feet as compared with 67.862,000 feet for the current period of this year. Cambridge, Mass. (U.ft Bow and Arrow streets Intersect here. Posthumous Honors Due Emil Britt for Weather Bureau Aid The late Emil Britt. Jackson ville, will be posthumously hon ored at informal ceremonies to morrow night for the 58 con secutive years he spent as a vol unteer observer for the United States weather bureau. A medal authorized by the department of commerce will be presented to his sister, Mollie Britt. Bob Church, official in charge of the Medford weather bureau, will make the presentation on behalf of F. W. Reichelderfer, chief of the bureau. The cere monies will take place on the steps of the old Jackson county courthouse in Jacksonville, ai 8 p. m. Monday. Lions Arrange Program The Jacksonville Lions club is arranging the program, and will appear in a body. Mayor Al bert Hackert of Jacksonville will represent that community, and girl students of the Eve Prentice accordion studio will furnish music. Mr. Britt began his service with the weather bureau as a cooperative observer for Jack sonville on Aug. 1, 1891, and continued in that capacity until his death last January. Throughout this entire period he performed the daily observa tions of temperature, precipita tion and other weather factors for Jacksonville, and like the many thousands of other coop erative observers never received cent for this work. His only compensation, weather officials report, was the satisfaction he gained in performing an im portant public service well, and First Rehearsals Of Summer Music Classes Monday First rehearsals for summer music classes and concert groups will begin this week, according to I. A. Mirick, supervisor of in strumental music for the Med ford schools. Membership in the concert or chestra, which will rehearse at 8 p.m. Mondays, is open to all ad vanced string players in the high school, to college students at home on vacation, and to adults. The group is being formed for the first time this summer in connection with the summer mu sic school. A concert is being planned for the group in July. Those wishing to participate may telephone Mirick at 2-4609. Plan Two Concerts All adults who were members of the concert band last summer, as well as any new musicians in the valley, are invited to partici pate in this organization Mirick said. Two concerts are planned. All classes and group rehear sals will be held in the senior high band room. No. 32. starting at 9 a.m. Monday. Classes wil end July 26. Those who have been unable to register may do so at the first scheduled class this week. Grade school band and orches tra, and junior and senior high school beginners will hold class es during the day. The Junior high school band rehearsals will be held Mondays at 6:30 p.m., and the concert band will rehearse Tuesdays at 8 p.m. WAC Enlistments Now Accepted by Army TSgt. Gene Davis, army and air force recruiting officer here, said Saturday that women with out previous military service are now eligible for enlistment in the women s army corps re serve for specific vacancies In reserve units. Applicants be tween 18 and 34 years of age are eligible, with those posses sing special skills acceptable up to 45. Non-combat posts In the sig nal corps, quartermaster, mili tary intelligence, censorship. personnel, historical, finance and other units are available. Full details, Including Infor mation about officer candidate schools, are available at the re cruiting office in the Medford post office. If KENflLE. Kentile Rubber Tile i III (II If ARMSTRONG 1 1 i&L LINOLEUM FLOORS AND DRAINBOARDS I A VAnA We Can Install and Do Wonders for Your Homo I; jvfcV CALL US FOR ESTIMATE - NO OBLIGATION Ai 'Lj jjjj FLOOR COVER SHOP in the knowledge that he was building a wealth of scientific knowledge about Jacksonville and the Rogue valley. Records of Value Not only are these records of immeasurable value as they are being compiled, but weather men point out that there is a value which will continue to in crease as more and more inter ests of all types engineers, ag riculturists and industrialists are only a few make repeated use of them. Mr. Britt's record of public service has been equalled by few men. Exact comparative rec ords are not available. But a 1947 pamphlet issued by the weather bureau gave a descrip tion of Mr. Britt's service, and at that time only one man had served longer (by one year) and only four others equalled his service in the entire country. A letter to Church from the weather bureau chief recently took note of the planned cere mony where the medal will be presented to Miss Britt, and con tinued: Extends Congratulations "... I am grateful of this opportunity to extend sympa thetic greetings to her as well as my sincere congratulations for this well deserved resogni tion of Mr. Britt's unselfish and devoted service to the bureau. "Mr. Britt was one of the deans of the bureau's volunteer cooperative observer service and his contribution with those of his fellows for the foundation for the present knowledge of the climate of the United States and its territories. "Please present this letter to his sister as an expression of my appreciation for Mr. Britt's serv ice to the weather bureau." Elecfrii Work Bids Asked at National Park An invitation for bids on elec trical Installations at Munson Springs pump house at Crater Lake national park has been is sued by the park administration. Plans and specifications are available to bidders upon pay ment of a small deposit which will be refunded if plans are re turned. Applications for plans should be addressed to the superintend ent, Crater Lake national park. Crater Lake, Oregon. Bids will be opened at 3 p.m. July 5. DOG MISSES SIGNALS Chicago tU.R) Sandy, a cock er spaniel, romped playfully about as two robbers taped his master, Dr. Ralph T. Ball, but snapped and growled at the po liceman who came to make a re port of the $10 robbery. Copco Applies for Power Development Salem, Ore., June 17 (U.PJ A $2,200,000 expense by the Cal ifornia Oregon Power company for development of additional power facilities In southern Ore gon was indicated here today on the basis of an application filed with the state hydro-electric commission. The application asks for a li cense to cover the proposed de velopment. It would include im provement of a concrete diver sion dam with fishways on Fish creek, a tributary of the north Umpqua river in Douglas county, and five miles of canals and flumes. The commission will review the application during Its Jury 25 hearing. mm V I J 4 r i "BIG MACHINE" RIGIDITY 4 BLADE SHOCK ABSORBER i ACCURATE-FAST CUTTING Th. Wolkw-Tunwr 12' land Saw b a (ompkMy mw machine., ravoMlonory h anion and amftvetton. Naw fraiM-and-badV In unique tnrao-ploco catf Iran dcilgn, for accuracy and (random from vlhnriim ij dlitortkn. "Ilg-Modib." rigidity In a compact m. . , . Complain protection wffli 1t wamI and blada guordi. Capacity, llodo to ftamt 1 2", guldn to labia 7 maximum. Hit mod.1. (W740, Int. at (89.30, and ovaHabl. far Immadloto dolhrwy. t.nc.,mltr.goug.,.tond,motcondollianoclimwhcontfuralilld. ualkeiN 1 TurnerJ HUBBARD-WRAY CO. 25 S. Riverside Phone 2-4011 Here Are FOUR Delightful Outings For YOU and YOUR FAMILY SNIDER'S suggest these Hps for your enjoyment . . and to that you may know how easy and pleasant they are and can pais tha word on tour tourist guest this summer. The vacation business is on of the most important industries, her in southern Oregon, and w can make it even more profitable if we are GOOD HOSTS to tourists. Snider't, in the public interest, will offer suggested trips each week . . . why not make every on of them ... see for yourself how many outstanding tourist attractions right here close' to home! W11'!8" - T,.ltVtl VALLEY VIEW DRIVE (Driving time 1 hour). Follow the old Military Road from Gold Hill through Jacksonville and Into Medford. A pleas ant drive. This scenic tour skirts the western rim of the valley and grants spectacular views of the valley and the mountain ranges in the distance.' THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY (Driving time 45 minutes). Located off Highway 99 about 14 miles north of Medford, this fascinating f-he- . nomena has been publicized in magazines and newspapers throughout the world. We were puzzled, and we'll bet you will be too! CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK 82 miles away (Driving time 2 hours.) The drive along the Rogue, and through scenes of majestic beauty is a trip long to be remembered. What can w say about thit Wonder of the World that hasn't already been said , . . and countless times? CRATER LAKE IS OPEN THE YEAR AROUND. The Lodge, however, is open to guests only in the summer months. MaYvelous ski ing in winter. You just mustn't go home until you have seen this awe inspiring crater. LAKE OF THE WOODS (Driving time 2 hours.) A favorite summer retreat for many Rogue Valley residents, this forest-snuggled recreational area can be reached via the Dead Indian or Butt Falls roads. A pleasant drive through primeval forests. Cabins, dining service, boats are available. Fishing? Good! lllll Phone 2-6217 I We Give S & H Green Stamps PHONE 2-4211 SOUTH RIVERSIDE 534 E. Main
