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
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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.
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i "BIG MACHINE" RIGIDITY
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i ACCURATE-FAST CUTTING
Th. Wolkw-Tunwr 12' land Saw b a (ompkMy
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Naw fraiM-and-badV In unique tnrao-ploco catf Iran
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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