SOCIAL NOILS
— Homemaking —
Happenings About Town
— Gardening —
Of This and That
By BETHA DIGREE
The boys of Kodiak have no
corner on being good Junior Citi
zens . . . The girls do their share,
too. An example is the project of
Senior Girl Scout Troop No, 10,
who will wash windows next week
in order to earn money for Griffin
Memorial Hospital Fund . . . Our
congratulations to these energetic
young ladies for their willingness
to contribute to the welfare of
their own town. Youngsters like
these make us feel a little less
bitter toward mankind, and bring
hope that some day this mess
called “living” may be much bet
ter . . .
Happy Birthday wishes were in
order for Eudora Preston Monday,
May 16 . . . And much good luck
to her in all the years ahead , . .
It was nice to see Mrs. Jackie
Luque when she returned from
Oakland, California this week.
Jackie spent the winter in Oak
land where she has been having
medical treatment. She said that
she is feeling much better now,
and plans to spend the summer at
her home at Moser Bay. Her
nephew, a student at the Univer
sity of Colorado, will arrive soon
to spend the vacation months with
her.
Jackie studied photography and
journalism while in Oakland and
hopes to get many good pictures
while here. She will continue her
studies later in the year.
Jerry Clark, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Basil Clark, is expected to arrive
home this weekend. Jerry has been
attending the University of Alaska
and will drive to Homer from
College, then fly to Kodiak . . .
—o—o—o—
There has been an exchange of
homes in town recently . . . Mrs.
Alexandria Madsen has moved in
to her small house and sold the
large one to Walter Kraft. The
Kraft family will move during the
coming week. New owners of the
house formerly occupied by the
Walter Kraft family are Lorren
and Germaine Chester, who will
also move within the next week
or two . . .
Maurice H. Stans, U. S. Budget
director: “The simple idea that
whatever is spent must somehow
be covered with what is earned
would help tb dissipate the delu
sion that when money comes from
Washington it doesn’t cost any
body anything.”
Kodiak BPW Club
Installs Officers
New officers were installed by
Kodiak Business and Professional
Women’s Club at a candlelight
ceremony Monday evening at the
Island Fountain, with Mrs. Fostina
Johnson acting as installing offi
cer. /
Mrs. Lillian Smith, outgoing
president, presented her report on
the work accomplished during the
past year, then turned the meeting
over to the new president, Mrs.
Melanie Draper.
Mrs. Marion Johnson, Scholar
ship chairman, announced that
Miss Kathryn Brooks, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brooks, had
won the BPW scholarship this
year. “It is with great pleasure
that I announce the award of the
$250 scholarship to Miss Brooks,”
said Mrs. Johnson. Miss Brooks
plans to enroll at Central Wash
ington College, Ellensburg, Wash
ington.
The drawing for the painting
donated by Mrs. Eudora Preston
will take place at the business
meeting to be held June 6 at the
home of Mrs. Margaret Lightfoot.
Mrs. Lillian Lamme and Mrs. Ruth
Arneson will act as co-hostesses
at the meeting.
GS Troop No. 10
To Wash Windows
The Senior Girl Scout Troop No.
10 will sponsor a window washing
drive on Wednesday, May 25,
weather permitting. In case of
rain, the drive will be held Thurs
day or Friday, May 26 or 27. Only
the outside of windows will be
•washed.
Contributions of 50 cents per
house will be collected, and the
monies donated to the Griffin
Memorial Hospital Fund.
Anyone wishing to have their
windows washed is requested to
call 4161, 2053 , 3523 or 6063.
GARDEN CLUB MEETING
There will be a meeting of the
Kodiak Garden Club on Wednes
day, May 25 at 8:00 p.m. at the
home of Mrs. Marge Farrell, Qtrs.
MEMQ-AAB, Naval Station.
The program for the evening,
by Alice Given, will be Primrose
culture. New members and guests
are invited. For further informa
tion, call 4592 or 616.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to thank everyone for
their sympathy and kindliness
during our time of bereavement,
(s) Mrs. Dora Gregoroff
and family.
'pKMtten, Second "ptotoen.
cwd SA&fr
New shipment of Shoes
Heels and Flats
Phone 2631
9-6 Weekdays
10-8 Friday
Painting, Teaching and Politics
Add Up To Full Life For Mrs. Preston
By Miriam J. Angell
Three years ago Douglas and
Eudora Preston left their home
and busy life in Fairbanks in
search of the old Alaska they had
known and loved for many years.
They believe they have found, in
Kodiak, a good deal of the friend
ly spirit and helping hand on
which Alaskans, as pioneers the
world over, have depended for a
way of life.
Mrs. Preston hastens to add,
“It’s not that we are opposed to
development. But we would hate
to see Alaska get to the point
MRS. EUDORA PRESTON
Photo by Ameigh
where people were no longer con
cerned with the welfare of their
neighbors. I think we surely do
need development but not at the
sacrifice of the spirit of friendli
ness.
“We moved to Kodiak from Fair
banks because as a city it h&d
become superficial. You can get to
the stage where you are interested
in people, but not in the indi
vidual.”
This was far from true when
Eudora MacDonald arrived in
Alaska on Saint Patrick’s Day
1927. Born in Calgary, Canada, she
had grown up on a cattle ranch in
North Dakota, then entered the
University of Washington where
she was majoring in fine arts
when she decided to visit her
mother. Mrs. MacDonald then lived
in Fairbanks.
“It took us eight days by ship
from Seattle to Seward and three
days from there to Fairbanks be
cause of a snowslide on the raili
road tracks in McKinley Park. We
stopped in Anchorage for lunch
and again at Curry where the pas
sengers spent the night in a beau
tiful, old fashioned hotel. The
girl who was my traveling com
panion, and I, washed out our silk
stockings and other things, hung
them to dry, opened the windows
as usual and went to bed. In the
morning, minutes before train
time, we found our undergarments
frozen stiff as boards. We had to
take them to bed and thaw them
out before we could dress.”
Once in Fairbanks, Mrs. Preston
settled down for a visit with her
mother. The town was a rambling
collection of frame houses lacking
many of the refinements we late
comers expect as a matter of
course, but surprisingly conscious
of protocol and the social niceties.
There was no running water, the
streets v^ere not paved but the
ladies of Fairbanks called on all
new lady arrivals within two weeks
to present their cards. Return
calls were expected within another
two weeks.
“Everyone had a well but the
water was extremely hard, unsuit
able for cooking or drinking. It
turned an inky black when you
added coffee, tea or whiskey, or
anything else. The mineral con
tent of the water was so high that
many a new bride cooked beans
all day and they would be as hard
at night as when she started them
at morning. In summer we bought
our water in five gallon jugs; in
winter we stacked tons of ice and
melted it down as we needed it.
“We learned the art of cooking
frozen potatoes and other root
vegetables long before packaged
frozen foods were ever heard of.
We baked bread and pies, froze
them quickly outdoors and stacked
them in our greenhouse like so
much cord wood.”
Though she had intended to re
turn to school in the fall she never
did; she met Douglas Preston, the
young office manager of the North
ern Commercial Company, mar
ried him and lived in Fairbanks
for the next thirty-one years. The
way of life then was hard, in a
hard country.
“It was a testing ground. People
either became mature men and
women or derelicts. Up until the
second world war and the influx
of the military which brought in
an entirely new culture, Alaskans
counted only what, not who, you
were. You had to stand on your
own two feet. We were so depend
ent upon one another for survival.
We had to count on helping one
another or perish. This is still true
even now in the remote areas and
in the small villages.”
The Prestons have a son and
daughter, both born in Fairbanks.
When they reached high school
age and Mrs. Preston could take
more time from home duties she
went back to her art. She painted
scenery for local theatrical pro
ductions, and in time flew with
the bush pilots to Eskimo villages.
During these trips she sketched
and painted the Eskimo houses
and people, the children, festivals
and activities. She was a guest of
the villagers, sharing their home
and board. A visit lasted at least
a week and as long as five weeks.
From these experiences she has
stored a wealth of knowledge and
hundreds of pictures.
Back in Fairbanks she was an
active worker in civic affairs; just
before and through the war years
she was chairman of production
and services for Red Cross. From
January, 1941 until August, 1945
she taught English to Russian
ferry pilots and servicemen sta
tioned at Ladd Air Force Base. For
two years she was chairman of the
Tanana Valley Chapter of the
American Foundation of Infantile
Paralysis; has been a member for
some years and was state presi
dent for a term, of the National
League of American Pen Women
fan organization of professional
artists, musicians and writers) and
is now North Pacific regional di
rector. For six years she taught
night classes in art for the Uni
Kodiak-Aleutian
Realty Services
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For appointment call 2761
or 4511 Sundays
versity of Alaska as well as private
lessons in her home.
Wien Airlines commissioned her
to do a series of pictures and she
was off on more flying junkets to
her friends in Kotzebue, Nome
and isolated Eskimo villages. She
found that almost every Arctic
village and family group were
represented in Nome, each group
living in a section to itself. “If you
were well acquainted with the
Eskimos of Nome you could al
ways run into their relatives or
tribe members in the outlying
villages and find a cordial wel
come.”
Eudora Preston’s pictures have
established her as an artist of
note; she is the only Alaskan
artist listed in Who’s Who of the
West. One of her oils, a gift from
the city of Fairbanks to President
Eisenhower, hangs in the White
House on the stairs leading to the
staff dining room. Her pictures
also hang in the University of
Alaska and she has exhibited in
the Frazier Gallery in Vancouver,
B. C.
In 1957 the Prestons decided the
time had come to move on. Doug
las Preston resigned, after one
term, as mayor of Fairbanks and
they have made their home here
since then. He is City Clerk-Treas
urer; she has taught art in her
home for the past three years and
this year as set up and taught art
in Kodiak high school. Mrs. Pres
ton recently filed as a candidate
for the Alaska State House of
Representatives.
Eudora Preston is a woman of
great warmth with a limitless love
for Alaska and Alaskans. Her com
fortable home houses a priceless
collection of Alaskana, from books,
many of them collectors’ items, to
native spears. These last even
come in special sizes, one for seals,
one for birds. In a corner of the
sunporch stands a fine specimen
of whale baleen which she brought
back from a whaling feast on the
arctic coast. “That particular
whale was the first muktuk I had
ever eaten and I have baskets and
models of native sailing ships
made from its baleen as well as
the baleen you see here.” There
(Continued on Page 11)
ROGGEDNESS
to spare
• Oil tanned leather
uppers
• 17-iron composition
sole
• 1” wide steel shank
i
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