2 g 6UWPAY. FEBRUARY 3. I'M MEDFORD HAIL THIBUH.. Mturunu, ,
WlrsGrace Fiero, A Woman Who Has Mever Known Mediocrity
Br EVA HAMILTON
MiU Trlbuno Staff Wrlttr
Faith, the size of a mustard
seed, will move mountain;
and it will give a person cour
ase to accept the swing of
life's pendulum, even when
it seems drawn by a magnet
from one extreme to another
- never resting in the middle.
So believes Mrs. Grace
Flero of Medford, a woman
who has never known mediocrity
"It has always been the
Ritz-Carlton or a park bench.
Creoes Suzette or buck
wheat," she summarized the
tempo of her Hie wnen re
cently queried as to the suc
cess of her inventions.
"Oh. I'm fresh out of roy
alties," this former actress of
the legitimate stage, who has
called Medford home for
many years, replied. "The pat
ent on the bottle guard was
good for 17 years. Seventeen
years so by rapidly.
How much did she realize
from the invention?
Baby Sitting Now
"Probably $38,000. I'm baby
sitting now. I love it. I just
adore children."
Then she laughed and It
was as if someone had turned
on a switch.. It was there
again. That same fervor rec
ognfzed by David Belasco
when he gave Grace Andrews
of Minnesota the lead in "The
Rose of the Rancho," when
the star of the show devel
oped laryngitis.
She drew 10 curt-in calls
the first night she played
"Juanlta." She became known
as "David Belasco's find of
1908." It is all reported in
clippings, very yello- and a
little torn, now treasured in
her home on West Tenth
street.
Mrs. Ficro's theatrical ca
reer began in the famous Gar
rick theater in Chicago. She
was the baby of the famous
Andrews Opera company fam
ily. Because she was too
young and "didn't have a
voice," her father, Will An
drews, kept her on the Minne
sota farm when the opera
company went on tour
But she didn't stay there.
She went to Chicago and won
her audience with Belasco
I m
8 J ' .
footlights, Ed Andrews, whose such comments as "appalling
WITH INVENTION Mrs. Grace Flero, one
of the Rogue valley's most versatile citizens,
former actress, former inventor, music
clerk, gardener and baby sitter, poses here
with bottle guards, her most profitable in
vention. She was photographed at 537 West
Tenth st., where she and her sister, Edith,
widow of the late James Stevens, oper star,
now make their home. (Knackstedt photo)
after many weeks of living
on bananas "10 cents a dozen
in those days."
Can Still Remember
Her stage success followed
an exciting and colorful child
hood. Her uncles, Ed and
George Andrews, owned a
beautiful resort at Water
villc, Minn., on Lake Tetonka.
They had a special railroad
spur built to the park. The
hotel was spacious and sup
ported two large verandas
which were used as stages
for summer opera. The An
drews company presented
"H.M.S. Pinafore" rnd the
"Mikado" there with Japanese
lanterns lighting the lake and
the grounds.
I can still remember the
thrilline beauty of It all,"
Mrs. Flero exclaimed, describ
ing a little girl's reaction to
the trips to the resort, which
was always filled with celebri
ties.
In winter, the opera com
pany went on tour. In sum-
meri the company rehearsed
and presented light opera at
the resort.
all," Mrs. Ficro said, "bu;
sho was so deeply religious
she wouldn't go on the stage."
Religion was an imprnant
Influence in the lives of most
of the Andrews troupers. It
was faith that started them
on the singing trail. Mrs.
Ficro's grandfather, John R.
The family, also, had sta
bles and a race track at Lake
Tetonka. Minnesota's famous
horse, Dan Patch, ran there.
"Surely everyone knows
about Dan Patch," Mrs. Fiero
added without gelling a re
ply.
How long did tho Andrews
brothers have this resort?
Always Had Fun
"Until they lost It," their
adoring niece answered. 1 no
Andrews' never had money,
but boy we Always had fun."
Eight members of the fam
ily of 10 participated in opera.
"Aunt Mary Andrews Stone
really had the best voice of
Andrews, was a Methodist
circuit rider in Minnesota.
Singing hymns at his services,
her father, uncles and aunts,
learned they had operatic
voices. This realisation gave
birih to the Andrcwj Opera
company..
After 40 years behind the
name recently appeared in
the Mail Tribune's flight O'
Time column, abandoned the
opera company and came to!
the Rogue River valley, drawn
by the fruit boom. He joined
his brother, Will T. Andrews,
who had led the migration to
southern Oregon. Later,
George Andrews c.-.ie, and
so did opera to Jackson
county.
Grace came to spend her
vacaiion with her parents.
She stayed to marry Conro
Fiero, Chicago millionaire.
She gave up the opportunity
to star in "Beverly of Grau-
stark" to become hostess at
"Woodlawn," Fiero's orchard
home, now known as Mon
Dcsir Inn.
Glamorous years, filled
with entertaining, followed.
Conro was a Yale man and
the valley had become a mec
ca for gay young blades from
several eastern schools. It
suddenly seemed to ha i its
own Ivy league. There was
dancing. There was music.
Dining, wining and theatre -then
the apple boom col
lapsed. Fieroi Lose Orcha.d
The Fieros lost their or
chard in 1917, first year of
World War I. Each ent into
war work in Washington, D.C,
The colorful life resumed.
Their home became a salon
through which moved social'
itcs from many lands. The war
ended, the Fieros ' ent to
Paris, he as representative of
the Buda machinery company.
They went to Africa, Conro
representing the White Motor
company. They lived there
several years and today Grace
describes them as "The most
exciting years of my 'Te."
Next in Fiero's business ca
reer came Canada. In Toronto,
Grace got footlight fever
again and some of the best
press notices of her career,
Starring in "The Three Wed
dings of a Hunchback" in
Hart House theater with the
Players club of the University
of Toronto, her character
work inspired the critics to
effectiveness and Dynamic
power," her scrapbook re
veals. Wonderful Comeback
A wonderful comeback
after so many years at the
bridge table,"- she admitted.
Those years were all "Ups
in Mrs. Ficro's terminology.
no downs." But the ride on
life's elevated was brief. Con
ro decided to leave the Motor
company and returned to the
States to invest in a promis
ing invention. (Not his wife's.)
Speaking today as a former
inventor, Mrs. Fiero describes
the idea as wonderful. It was
for a razor blade vending ma
chine but it didn't materialize
for the Fieros. However, they
were in the money for a little
longer.
Then came the st ck mar
ket crash and the depression.
Conro's health broke and they
moved into a small New York
City apartment with Conro's
sister, a sculptress
Works in Shop
Mrs. Fiero went to work in
a shop. Evenings she made
foundation garments for spe
cial friends, selling them at
$40 each. In search of better
garters for the exclusive mod
els, she called on Venus cor
poration and this started her
on the inventing trail. She
showed the garment to the
manager, Herman Schneit
tacher. "Too expensive," she re
calls his conversation. "Try
some inexpensive gadget."
"I have it," she answered,
and returned with a bottle
guard she had made in Paris
to keep Conro's shavins lo
tion from spilling in his lug
gage. So began her inventing
career. The royalties did not
come in soon. They were very
small for many years. During
those years the Fieros -eally
knew the feel of a park bench
at night, the gnawing sensa
tion of hunger in the day.
Recoupes Standing
Then Conro, who also mov
ed in extremes, recouped his
financial standing the same
way he had lost it, in the
stock market
But health was not so eas
ily reclaimed, and death end
ed the story for Conro, when
he was 56, and out of debt.
Mrs. Ficro returned to Med
ford. The apple trees had been
gone for many years. The
house, the lawn, th hedges
were quite the same. But now
they were for the public,
"Woodlawn" had become Mon
Desir Inn.
She could have lived on
memories,' alone, but she was
an Andrews and no stranger
here.
Works at Store
For a number of years she
worked at the Purucker Mu
sic Slore. With her sister,
Edith, Mrs. James Stevens,
she cared for her mother un
til her death.
She concentrated on her
inventing and her gardening.
her favorite hobby. Her roy
ally checks grew frorr two
to three to four figures and
she was sure that she was
once again on her way. The
patent on the bottle guard ran
out and she went to San Fran
cisco with models of several
inventions on which she had
worked far inio the r.ig.it for
many nights. The patent attor
ney told her she had nothing
to patent.
"Completely defeated I re
turned to my hotel room,"
she described the incident.
"Then I said to myself 'Grade
this is not the way to get
things done. I got out my
Bible and asked God what lo
do. God said, Gracie go see
the other patent attorney' and
Gracie did.
Two Basic Patents
"The other patent attorney
told me I had two basic pat
ents and several possibilities."
The pendulum was swing
ing to the right again. But
not for long. The Korean
conflict broke out and Mrs.
Ficro's inventions were to be
produced in aluminum which I
became a strategic metal. So
ended another well laid plan.
She hasn't quit inventing,
but she has given up the idea
of having inventions patented.
It is too difficult and loo ex- and her 27 volunteers re-
pensive, she said. Her hou'.e
and garden are better places
in which to live because of
her inventions and she is con
tent lo seek no greater satisfaction.
Never Misses Concert
Mrs. Fiero never misses a
concert by the Southern Ore
gon Philharmonic Society,
conducted by Richard Wer
ner, husband of her cousin,
Carolyn Andrews Werner,
daughter of Ed Andrews, who
continued his career in Med
ford later joining the Ameri
can Light opera company.
Challenge to Workers . I
For five years she has been
canteen chairman of the
Jackson County Red Cross
chapter. When she has lo
make a speech she has the
same butterflies in her stom
ach she had on opening night.
But her fellow workers say
she gets the job done just as
she did behind the footlights.
The Dec. 2 flood was a
challenge to all Red Cross
workers here and Mrs. Fiero
sponded adequately to the
need.
Whatever she wins, what
ever she loses, her philosophy
remains the same.
"It is: If you really want
something, pray for it, work
for ii, and you'll get it. You
have to have faith," she de
clared at luncheon at the
Hotel Medford. (The remark
triggered that switch again
and there was no doubt in the
mind of her listener that Mrs.
Fiero has the answer.)
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IffiMiMaimg fiawr ttflne IFmntiuiire is
Public High School
Student Fees Brings
State Board Action
Salem - Student fees In Or
egon's public high schools,
subject of many Inquiries and
some recent complaints from
parents, who feel the fees
have become too high, partic
ularly for families with a num.
ber of children in school,
brought action from the state
board of education at the Jan
uary meeting here.
The board passed a resolu
tion requesting all local dis
trict boards lo adopt a policy
which would limit costs to
students to only those charges
approved by each local school
board m a regular school
mpetinff.
Board members rejected, by
failure to approve, an urcgon
City ftcimoi board appeal lu
continue its post-high school,
vocational-technical program
f- n arHltlonal year.
Raiulied from Tie Vol
The failure to approve the
request resulted irom a lie
vote by the six members of
the board present. The action
limits the Oregon City pro
gram to high school students
nnlv Thrt nrr-sent enrollment
is composed predominantly of
high school students.
Last year the state board of
education approved for one
year the operation of post
high school, technlcal-voca-
t,.,na r.rnsram In the OrCEon
City school dlntriet under the
community college law. This
approval expires June ju
1903.
Two school district rcor
ganiution plans wfre p
nrnved bv' the board. One
forms an administrative dls
nt nrrvlimn district 4. Or
lent district 0-3OOJ. Pleasant
v.it.u 1K.302J. Rockwood 27
Lynch 28 (all In Multnomah
county) and Damascus union
High school district, and all
of the Gresham Union High
ichool district except Clacks-
tnisa Ad.
Tho other nlan nrovldes for
the formation of an adminis
trative school district com
prised of School District 21-J-
Gatcs, 123 J-Mlll Clly and
Santiam Union High school.
Other Board Action
The stale board aiso ap
proved:
-A policy guide pcitaiii!.;g
to the Joint use of state educa
tional radio and television
network facilities by the slate
department of education and
the slate system of higher ed
ucation. This will be the of
ficial guide for the two agen
cies in planning, developing,
and producing ETV and radio
programs for public schools.
The policy statement was de
veloped by the Governor's Ed-
ucstmna! Ccordinaiir.s rns-.n-cil.
-March 25 as the election
date on the question of t ho
formation of the Central
Dougias County Area Educa
tion district.
-Financing; migrant educa
tion programs during the reg
ular 1962-63 school year in
Nyssa (District 28), Malheur
county; and for Monitor (Dis
trict 14.2CJ), Marion county.
Nyssa reported 160 migrant
students and Monitor Indent
ed 21.
-Issuance of elementary
emergency ccrtilicalrs for the
school year 1063 64.
Nina County Students
On Oil Dean's List
Nine Jackson county stu
dents arc on the fall' term
honor roll and dean's list re
leased by Oregon Technical
Institute, Klamath Falls.
All received grades of 3.0
(B) or better to be Included
in the list.
They are Michael T. Dwy
cr, Lawrence A. Brown, Ger
ald R. Gould. Charles J. Good
man and David A. Elro'i. of
Medford: Patricia D. Logan,
Talent; Donald D. Mi-Kelcrs,
Shady Cove; Dean L. Writ
man, Eagle Point, and Frank
H. Thompson, Central Point.
y
i jners -",.
v ;
W3 f.Ma-9'lL.
For 52 years tha Boy Scouts of America hai
bean working to preparo our young men for tho
future . . , to build better cititem. The Boy Scouts
of today are tha leaden of tomorrow ... a largo
part of our country's security rests with them.
Boy Scout Week begins next Thursday . . lasts
until February 13th. So, this week we salute them
tor their outstanding job in fulfilling this goal.
Wa offer them our wholehearted support and wo
hope that you will do the same. Active adult
participation and cooperation art essential to tha
growth and usefulness of this tint youth move
mcnt here in tha Rogue River Valley and through
out tha nation!
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WE CMEAiil
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