TWELVE MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday, May t, I95S
System of 'Guilds' Develops in Camp White Handicraft
Pursuits, Preparations Made for Annual Hobby Showing
Br SID HOLLINGSWORTH
Camp White The 4,old world"
tradition of crafts and guilds
dominates the activity in arts,
crafts and hobbies of members
at Camp White.
Approximately 100 men at
various times are engaged in
some craft or lucrative pursuit.
While the program comes under
supervision of the medical and
special services division of the
Veterans Administration domicil
iary, the natural inclination of
the men to form "guilds" for
congeniality arid mutual assist
ance, is noticeable. These include
woodworking, copper and leather
work, weaving, painting and
gem work, and flower making.
Classes for Beginners
As in any well organized craft
system, there are schools for be
ginners. These have been estab
lished with volunteer instructors
in art, novelties, flower making
and lapidary. '
"Smoky" Hines is the general
supervisor in arts and crafts
where the new members start
in. He is adept at a number of
skills and helps the men to get
started. He represents the mem
bers in their problems and
gripes.
"Bud" Ash, a trained therapist,
is in charge. He maintains order
and provides the tools, machin
ery and materials as well as the
place to work. There are rules
that must be followed both in
arts and crafts and in the Hobby
shop, and 'each "guild" assists
in acquainting new men with
the code, as well as the diffi
culties encountered in master
ing a craft.
Have Typewriters
The writing guild has - now
been provided with typewriters,
and a place to use them, in the
arts and crafts building. They
also have the editorial offices of
Dominews as a place to congre
gate, and hash over the merits
of any particular writing style
or achievement.
There has never been a time
when artists have been lacking
at Camp White. Some of them
have had exceptional talent for
painting, sketching, or other ac
tivities calling for artistic ability.
A class has been meeting each
week to receive instruction from
Vola Tolman, a member of the
Southern ' Oregon Society of
Artists. There was an exhibition
of their work at the Medford Art
Center during April.
Flower Making
Another class allied with art
has been that of flower making.
The corsages made by this group
appear real in every respect but
fragrance. Mrs. Audrey Sims,
Medford, for some time conduct
ed this class.' Now Asa Kimball,
one of the experts among the
Home members, has volunteered
to give instructions to those in
terested in this kind of creative
work. The poppy making, gen
erally during the winter months,
is a preliminary step in the more
advanced flower making art.
When any member feels he
has mastered a craft, he is en
titled to move over to the Hobby
shop, a plaee set apart for men
Mother's Day
PINNERS
Free Flowers
RALPH'S
MILL CAFE
NO. PACIFIC HI WAY
CENTRAL POINT
I
11
WEAVING AMONG MANY CAMP CRAFTS
The weavers shown at their looms are only
two of some 100 or more members of Camp
White who are devoted to various' arts and
crafts, developed at the Veterans Administra
tion domiciliary for the benefit of the resi
dents there. Culmination of the years work in
the arts and crafts department, and the hobby
shop, is the annual hobby show which this
White Rock club, and was put on
year will be May 22 in the theater building.
The public is invited to inspect the wide
varieties of handiwork, which include every
thing from mats and weaving to woodwork
and metal craftsmanship. The "guild"-like
groups which have grown up among the Camp
White craftsmen are described in the accom
panying article , by the Mail Tribune's Camp
White correspondent. f
who are capable of doing their
work without supervision. This
section is divided into depart
ments for wood working, leather
craft, copper work and a number
of other crafts.
Other Specialties . ''
R. S. Van Loan, who has been
a tailor for 40 years, has a shop
where he is kept busy with work
supplied by the members. Guy
Vinson, whose hobby is "star
gazing" through his improvised
observatory, also does expert
watch repairing. He is the unof
ficial time keeper of the camp.
Joe Ferrier has a radio shop
where he follows an interest he
had back on the ranch. ' He has
taken several radios, apart and
has put them back in perfect con
dition. Sign lettering, chair repairing
as a major project for members
with nothing else to do, pho
tography, and other crafts and
skills have adherents and prac
titioners in the organization of
guilds under sponsorship of the
VA.
As in all work of this nature,
there are differences to iron out
and disagreements, as well as
misunderstandings with the man
agement to reconcile. But these
pastimes and activities are un
covered as long as the rules are
followed. " . " ' .
Individual Qualities
There is an individual quality
in all that these men do, and
their hobbies are sustaining them
at this stage in their lives. Some
of the experiences of this work
ing group, and something about
the personalities themselves, are
worth recording. v
One of the first pieces of equip
ment donated to Camp White, for
the use of members pursuing
hobbies and crafts, was a lapi
dary outfit. Suitable for grind
ing and polishing the many gem
stones found in the agate desert,
it was furnished by the Roxy
Ann club of Mefiford.
The interest in gems resulted
in the formation of the Camp
Eaton's Dinner House
-. . ..
812 Crater lake Avtnue
TAKE MOTHER OUT
FOR; DINNER!
Open 1 :00 p.m.
TODAY
Serving Delicious Mother's Day Dinners
a paying basis by Leland Green
and Hans Sorenson, with their
lapidary and gem shop, where
rings, brooches, ear pendants and
numerous other items, were
made by these experts.
Still Runs Shop
Green still runs the shop and
continues to handle odd jobs for
the members. He has been a
consistent winner at Hobby fairs
with his fine ' collection of fin
ished and semi-finished speci
mens of stones found in this part
of the country.
Another 'old timer" among
the professional craftsmen ' is
Deane Stewart. Deane is an
artist to his finger tips, which
he also uses, on occasion, to
play the piano. He has a stall
in the . Hobby shop where he
works with sheet copper, to
bring out embossed figures,
scenes and effects. This special
art he has developed profitably,
as one of the disabled company
determined to . overcome " their
handicaps.
Stewart comes from Seattle.
His son is an artist with one of
the leading advertising agencies
there. Deane will no doubt dis
play one of his Eisenhower por
traits in copper at the Hobby
Fair this' month. lie has made
a feature of this effort lately.
His work adorns the walls of
several service organizations and
clubs in Medford.
Youngest Member
George W. Lord is probably
the youngest : member of the
Home. It is certain that he, is
the sole representative of the
youngest war at' Camp White.
He was badly shattered when
he arrived while the Korean
conflict was in full swing. He
stayed.f or weeks beside his bed
and refused to talk to. anyone
other than the doctor.
.One day, Dn Schulz, then chief
medical ' officer, began to tell
him about arts and crafts and
what the men were making over
there. s -
"I can't do anything like that,"
Lord argued.
"What makes you . think you
can't? I'm putting you on detail
there; now let's go over and find
something you'd like to do."
That was the beginning of on
of the most remarkable transfor
mations of .interest and develop
ment of skill in spite of handicap
that has been made at Camp
White or elsewhere.
Tries His Hand
. Lord watched the men work
ing at weaving small mats and
thought he would try that. - He
made several nice looking ones
and showed them around. Every
one was amazed that he had done
so well.
"I think I could operate one
of those looms,"' he told Recrea
tion Director Franklin Girard
one day, having become fascia
ated by the manner in which rags
and pieces of silk and cloth of
different colors form a pattern
when completed that becomes
a marketable article.
George tried his hand at weav
ing at a loom and after learning
the craft, decided to go in busi
ness for himself. He bought his
own loom and went into partner
ship in the Hobby Shop, where
the team turns out numerous
salable and attractive rugs.
John Sharp has an interesting
story, if he can be persuaded to
tell it.- But being- a newspaper
man, he . prefers telling stories
about what other people do.
Tries Crafts
Sharp wanted to do something
in craftsmanship as a hobby. For
a while he tried designing sport
coats, being somewhat adept with
a needle and scissors. His flair
for design led him to try another
medium myrtlewood whjch
was being fashioned into lamps,
novelties and articles of furni
ture. .-:
Sharp hs been turning out
smart? pieces in wood for a num
ber of years, now. He invented
a magazine racK mat is con
venient and useful as well as
ornamental.
T ....
xie is now specializing in
novelty lamps for desk or bed
room, equipped with electric
clocks and other modern conven
iences and attachments. He has
put them up for sale and has
invested rather heavily in time,
effort and money to make them
works of art which they, are
Only Old Training
It is quite an achievement for
a newspaperman to become
cabinet maker, and Sharp claims
he had nothing more than man
ual training at grade school to
fall back on when he turned to
tooling and finishing his wood
work. All of his creations he
designs himself. f
Sharp comes from Salt Lake
City, where he did most of his
newspaper work on the Salt
Lake Tribune. His great-grandfather
and grandfather, under
contract, constructed the first
two railroads in Utah, and the
tunnel work of the Union Pacific
railroad. Perhaps his . talent
traces to this source.
; Incidentally, Sharp is one
member of the armed forces who
was with the 91st Division at
Camp White during the last war.
At present, the various groups
and members are busy putting
the finishing touches on some
of their recent efforts to exhibit
in the Hobby fair, to be held Sun
day, May 22, in the theater build
ing. .
This event is one to which
they look forward during the
year, when the opportunity to
gain recognition for their work
is afforded. The fair was sched
uled for April 17, but due to the
epidemic of flu at camp, the
show was postponed.
Elaborate Preparations
Elaborate preparations .were
made to publicize the fair
throughout the valley, and the
committee in charge has been
able t ogive extra attention to
the promotion of interest in the
interim. .
Cliff Howard of the Elks is
general chairman, with Bud Ash,
of Special Services, as coordin
ator of arrangements. . Austia
Barneburg is chairman of the
awards committee; Helen Lusk
is chairman of publicity; Char
lotte Lehman, refreshments com
mittee; Thelma Williams, recep
tion committee, and Frieda Law
rence, decorations.
The three judges were selected
i.''. 1 ..! . JCD9 o o'hr
mil m Wsk ti
m i g"
BUYS SNO-CAT FOR TIMBERLINE Shown
above, center, is Richard Kohnstamn, who
recently started operation of Timberline
lodge, on Mt. Hood. Kohnstamn has pur
chased a Sno-Cat, oversnow vehicle, for use
at the lodger from Tucker Sno-Cat company,
Medford. With him are J. Morris Tucker,
manager of Tucker Sno-Cat, left and E. M.
Tucker, president, right. They are pictured
with one of the oversnow vehicles.
a
Hey Folksl Ifs MOTHER'S DAY and TONITE
WE'LL TREAT MOM!
O O On Scr n at 9:40 p.m. Q Q Q O O O ' "O On Screen at 7:50 A 1 1:40 p.m. Q Q O O
1 i W Alan tADD SSfS zO -AvJ" """BALL
-0 Van HEFLIN "ST R jSSrSnj
M Jean ARTHUR i ttjv AlMJ
o
Sno-Cat Purchased
For Timberline Use
Richard Kohnstamn, new op
erator of Timberline lodge on
Mt. Hood, has purchased a Sno
Cat and trailer from Tucker Sno
Cat comDanv. Medford. accord-
f rom' nearby schools, and include ing to E. M- Tucker, president.
Don McGovern, art teacher at The Sno-Cat, a Model 443 with
Eagle Point High; Verne Voss, a 115 horsepower Chrysler en
shop instructor at Medford Jun- gine and a four-pontoon double
ior High, and O. J. Wilder, art , drive mechanism, will be used
Fuel represents about 40 per
cent of the costs of operating a
tractor.
World's production of nickla
in 1954 reached a high record
of 390,000,000 pounds.
teacher at Southern Oregon col
lege, Ashland.
A special room has been set
aside where the exhibitors can
establish stalls for the sale of
their articles. This will permit
each exhibit at the Fair to re
main intact. In the past, many
of the best items have been sold
before the public, which is in
vited to the Fair, have had an
opportunity to view the display.
, Another feature this year will
be the hobby exhibit of person
nel, which, however, will not be
eligible for prizes.
Air View of Valley
Attractive to Flier
Tourists and visitors to the
Rogue valley have been attract
ed here in a number of different
ways, but the Chamber of Com
merce last week reported a new
one.
The chamber received a letter
from a serviceman, who said:
"Recently I had the pleasure
of flying over your city and the
surrounding area on a flight to
Salem. I- was very impressed
with the beauty and expanse of
the country, and particularly the
abundant streams and rivers
which appear to provide excell
ent fishing and recreation."
He asked for folders and in
formation on fishing, points of
interest and accomodations, and
added that he, his wife, and their
16 year old son' plan to vacation
here.
to transport ' skiers to Palmer
snow field, on Mt Hood.'
The .old ski tows will be out
of commission while Kohn
stamn's new concern is refur
bishing them. The Sno-Cat can
be used to haul as many .as 35 or
40 people, and the trailer will
carry 10.
Kohnstamn also is erecting a
$100,000 chair lift which will
have a capacity of 900 skiers per
hour.
Local Lions Speak
At Jacksonville
Jacksonville Larry Neeley
and Leland Knox, members jof
Medford Lions club, were guest
speakers at the seventh anniver
sary dinner of the Jacksonville
Lions club at the high school
here Thursday night. .
About 45 members and their
wives attended the dinner,
which was served by the Jack
sonville Parent-Teacher associa
tion. Neeley spoke on Lionism and
what it means to the community
and the club itself, and Knox
spoke on finances of the Lions
International. Other Medford
guests included Willard Buch
anan and Eston Humphrey.
The club announced that more
than $134 was turned over the
Band Boosters club for pur
chase of uniforms for the Jack
sonville High school band. The
amount was raised at a Lions
carnival recently. '
Despite Lack of Rainfall,
Fruit Growers Welcoming
Warm, Sunshiny Weather
The Dance of The Year!
Medford Musicians Ansad
OIHJIEKflEIFIITP
Monday. May 9-9 p.m.-1 a.m.
. AT THE
DREAMLAND DANCE HALL
2 Bands Will Play For Your Dancing Pleasure
DREAMLAND'S REGULAR 6-PIECE ORCHESTRA
... Rose Cash, Leader Will Start Playinr at p.m.
'.. THE ZEPHYRS-16 PIECE DANCE BAND
John Drysdale, Leader, Ernie Hood, Music Manager and Ar
ranger Will star playinr at 10:30 will play until 1 ajo.
John Drysdala Master of CeranioniM
Men $1.00 Ladias and Children fr
-. Bring Your Family and. Enjoy an Evening of Variety -
Despite the fact that rainfall
has been below normal in the
valley this year, most fruit
growers; of the area are glad to
see the current spell of warm,
sunny weather, . Don Berry,
county horticultural agent, said
yesterday. .
He stated that, the warm
weather is "very welcome" be
cause it shortens the blossom
period, which is a susceptible
time for blight in the orchards.
As long as days are warm and
dry there is also less likelihood
of scab infections, Berry pointed
out. . I , . ,
When daytime .temperatures
are high, it is normally not ne
cessary to heat orchards at
night,, Berry reported. Temper
atures are not likely to fall to
the danger point when they go
as high as 72 degrees in the
day, he said. He added, however,
that there have been exceptional
occasions : when temperatures
reached 76 in the daytime and
dropped to freezing level at
night.
Most fruits of the area, ac
cording to Berry, have . just
passed the stage of full bloom.
Most varieties of pears ' and
peaches and apricots are in this
HARRY
JAM US
; AND HIS ; K
Mosie (Mers
featuring Jilla Webb
lob Mario - Juan Tizol
Willi Smith
Buddy Hayes
KLAMATH FALLS
ARMORY
TUES., MAY 10
category. Bosc pear trees, ap
ples and sweet Cherries general
ly' now are in full bloonv
M X MM ML
on OTHER'S DnV
AT BEAUTIFUL
A Real Compliment To Mom and the Kids!
BRING THE FAMILY
Children Are Most Welcome
'Enjoy the Fine Music of Vie McFarland
At the Hammond
Phone Gold Hill 5-9230 for Reservations
OPEN AT 1 SUNDAY - CLOSED WEDNESDAY
. ' .. ." ". .
In Southern
Oregon It's a
TRADITION
" for Mother to
. En joy. Dinner
at
MOM
D
MOTHER'S
: DINNER SERVED STARTING
JOE NEWMAN at the Piano
Playing All Your Favorite Selections
FOR RESERVATIONS
L Phone NOrmandy 4-2513
ESIft -
DAY i?'
3 P.M. .
A. r X " with Jk P.Ue. v v x 1lJ2Z New, a
Cartoon