Part 2 of Judy Mottier Frank
Hey faithful followers! I apologize for letting so much time pass between my blog posts. Things have been a bit busy in my life; as well as with the restoration association (more on that later), but I finally have some time to get back to documenting the story of this wonderful building and the people who walked its halls.
You may recall the post I created around one of Gibson City's early residents - Judy Mottier Frank - who wrote a book about growing up as a little girl in the countryside around Gibson City, IL. I promised there would be more to this story, and without further adieu, we will now get into part 2.
If you read my last post you know the role that Jeanette Hensley played in getting me access to Mrs. Frank's book Time That Was. Ms. Jeanette has been going through some of her pictures and shared these with me. The first is a painting of the Old Mottier Homestead - this is the house that Judy/Julia grew up in (and has since been torn down). The picture below is an actual picture of the house. Date of when this photo is taken is unknown.
As you read the book Time that Was you can almost see Judy in the house - trying to warm her body by the fire before running upstairs to jump in bed. The upstairs wasn't heated when Judy was growing up there (at least not in her early years), so they had to warm in front of the fire as best they could before heading upstairs to "snuggle down between homemade outing flannel sheets and a heavy wool comforter. Muslin sheets were much too cold for Illinois winters in unheated bedrooms."
I also see the bay windows that Judy describes in her book. "The farmhouse sitting room where Judy spent this and nearly every other evening of her childhood was large with eleven foot ceilings, its square shape broken only by the bay windows looking south, which on this sultry summer night were open wide to catch any movement of air outside."
It was such a treasure to see pictures of the homestead that Judy describes in great detail in her book. At least for me, it helped to make her story come to life.
After reaching out to Judy's grandchildren, I have since received a copy of Judy's other book, Freighters West. It tells of Judy's travels around the world upon a Norwegian freighter ship. What a wonderful story she tells. And oh, how brave she was to take on such an adventure all on her own. Could you imagine, traveling around the world by yourself, visiting foreign countries in the 1950s? This gives me a whole new appreciation for Judy and her life. Oh, the sights she must have seen!
I thought it would be nice to give everyone an idea of who Judy Frank was. Born Julia Mottier, she spent her childhood growing up on a farm near Gibson City. She earned her B.A. at the University of Illinois, married a college friend, William L. Frank, and settled with him hear El Campo, TX. Her young husband died shortly after their marriage and Judy was left with a young daughter, Rosemary, to support. She moved back to Illinois and became a Home Bureau Adviser for the Extension Service of the University of Illinois, and later taught school in Rockford and Gurnee. From there, she went to the University of Wisconsin where, with the help of fellowships, she earned her M. S. and Ph. D. degrees. After teaching at the University for 11 years, she moved to Seattle, WA. and then later to Juneau, AK. She became an agent for the Occidental Life Insurance Company for several years in Seattle. She made the Quarter Million Round Table Club for the amount of insurance she wrote in her first year. For some years she spent much of her time in traveling both the US. and in foreign countries. In 1960 she married Arthur F. Erickson, then president of the Carrington Company of Seattle and Alaska.
Ms. Jeanette was quite excited one night coming in to play Queen of Hearts with the Restoration Association. One of her family members had come across some photos and letters written by Judy Mottier Frank to Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Speedie. Who are Mr. and Mrs. Speedie, you ask? Well, they are Ms. Jeanette's grandparents! Jeanette was not sure why Judy would be writing to her grandparents but was tickled pink that they knew each other. And apparently, from the letter, knew each other well.
The contents of the envelope are actually what appears to be a Christmas card from Judy sent in 1960 along with some photos. She talks about going to see her daughter, Rosemary, and her family for Christmas. She talks about spending her days on the golf course (one of her favorite hobbies although she admits she doesn't keep score), sunning in bathing suits all afternoon and then being ready for "whatever the evening might bring." Sounds like quite a fun life to me.
There were photos included in this treasure trove of memorabilia. There were pictures of Judy at a young age on a horse. I have to think this was taken at her farm outside of Gibson City. She talks about the animals on their farm and the large barn that housed them.
The other picture was such a treasure! It shows a lady sitting in a horse drawn carriage. The back of the photo reads "Judy as a calesa driver in Manila, April 1955". This exact moment was described in her book Freighter's West. She writes "It was near the Bayview Hotel on Dewey Boulevard that I saw my first calesa - the picturesque little two-wheeled carriage often decorated with silver-like designs and drawn by the trim, small, but evidently tough little horse of the Philippines. The driver allowed me to get into the calesa and hold the reins while he delivered a package and the Chief took my picture."
How fun to have found a picture that was described in her book. Just like seeing the pictures of her house, it helps to make the story come to life. You might be wondering why Julia signed her name "Judy" on everything. Well, she explains in her book Time that Was, that she never felt comfortable with the name. In college, friends began calling her Judy and she "welcomed it and has remained Judy ever since." Thank you Ms. Jeannette for sharing your wonderful memorabilia with us. We hope this isn't the end of the Mottier family discoveries.
Now, I promised an update on the Burwell Building. This past summer we were able to replace our roof. It required some masonry work to be done on our parapet walls first, but once those were shored up by D. Grey Masonry, our roofers - Bash Pepper - came in and replaced the roof. This was such a large job and we appreciate these contractors working together, along with our historical engineer Dave Leonatti, to make this happen. No more leaks in the old lady!
Now that the roof is finished, our next big job is the West wall, which is literally crumbling before our eyes. It is also bowing in the middle and pulling away from the upstairs Opera House wall - therefore making it a priority. We are working closely with our engineer and Solid Rock Masonry to complete this job. They hope to complete it this winter. So stay tuned...
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