The Portrait Painter-- And Her First Roanoke Rapids Love
By CARROLL. WILSON
It is not often we put a by-line
on a story unless it is of extreme
significance; neither is it often we
tell of personal matters, particular
ly as a Proud Papa; nor is it often
that Roanoke Rapids has a guest,
one whose talent is so well recog
nized by those who appreciate ex
traordinary talent.
Alice Skjonsby of Marmarth,
North Dakota, and Hollywood, Cal.,
is visiting her cousin, Mrs. Lyle M.
Wilson of Roanoke Rapids.
That is the “town-talk” item,
but behind it lies a story . . just
as there may behind many an item
about which you tell us nothing . .
so how are we to know?
To the left, above, you see a pic
ture of Miss Skjonsby (and you
pronounce it “shonsby” by forget
ting the kj, an old Swedish cus
tom of disguising an H) . . . and to
the right, which some of you have
guessed, is the 8 year old daughter
of the editor, Miss Patricia Wil
son.
(This is just going to make it
harder for the writer to explain
to hundreds of school children that
he is of no kith nor kin to Lyle
Wilson; therefore cannot get them
a free pass to the picture shows.)
Alice (which we will use from
now on because the typewriter
balks on that kj combination) met
her young subject above shortly
after arriving in Roanoke Rapids
and fell in love with her . . a
phenomenon which has puzzled
this writer . . and in one of her
artistic moods, asked the 8-year
old to sit still for a few minutes
while she sketched a profile. The
result did not satisfy Alice so she
asked for another sitting on last
Saturday.
That sad look you see on Pa
tricia’s face is the real McCoy.
For she had just said, “Daddy, I
don’t want to pose for another pic
ture. You know Saturday is my
rest day.” One word of encourage
ment and she would have burst
into tears.
No kidding, folks. There you see
an artist catching a subject in a
perfectly natural and intriguing
mood. It took only an hour to
finish that picture. It was done
with charcoal on brown paper.
Alice’s field is portrait painting.
Her best work is done in oils and
she is today working on an oil
portrait of her cousin, Mrs. Lyle
Wilson. It takes much longer and
what it will be we do not know, for
she permits none to see the work
until completed ... I
From conversation with her, we
gather that she has studied under
Clay Kelly, famous portrait painter
of Chicago, and Will Foster, equally
famous in Los Angeles; that she
loves to roam this country and
paint those who give her some in
spirational mood. Her favorite sub
ject was Jan Duggan, famous stage
star of a few years ago, a copy
of whose painting she carries with
her. Her favorite models are young
children, those who as she says
“still believe in fairies”, for from
them she gets the inspiration of
the natural and beautiful thoughts
of life. She says “beautiful peo
ple” are hard subjects because of
too much regularity of features,
hard to reproduce so as to satisfy
the subject . . and she has a lo;
of other frank statements she
makes at almost any moment.
From her scrap book we find
she has painted such as Zasu Pitts,
whom she liked immensely for her
naturalness; Leatrice Joy Gilbert,
daughter of John; Rupert Hughes,
the author, and many others not so
well known in this neck of the
woods, but just as prominent in
their end of the hemisphere. Feg
Murray, of movie-drawing, fame,
admires her art, while Arthur
Millier, famous art critic of Los
Angeles, says of our guest, “She
has developed an original and
pleasing type of portrait which has
I I
found favor with many sitters
here”.
In case you have forgotten, we
ask you to look once more at the
picture on the right above. Sure . .
just another proud poppa . . who
once in a lifetime gets a chance to
do some right smart bragging.
NOTICE
NOTICE OF RE-SALE
By virtue of the authority con
tained in a certain judgment or
order of re-sale in that certain
special proceeding entitled “Jack
son L. Wade, Administrator of the
estate of J. J. Wade, deceased, et
al, ex parte” duly filed in the office
of the Clerk of the Superior Court
for Halifax County, North Caro
lina, the undersigned Commission
ers will on Saturday, the 27th day
of May, 1939, at 11 o’clock AM. at
or on the premises of 1041 on the
West side of Roanoke Avenue, Roa
noke Rapids, Halifax County,
North Carolina, offer for re-sale at
public auction to the highest bid
der for cash, the following describ
ed property, to-wit:
All those four (4) certain lots or
parcels of land, together with all
improvements thereon, lying and
being situate in the City of Roa
noke Rapids, Halifax County, North
Carolina fronting each 25 feet on
the West side of Roanoke Avenue
and running back each the same
width between parallel lines and at
right angles to said Avenue 140
feet to an alley, and being Lots
Nos. TEN HUNDRED FORTY
ONE (1041), TEN HUNDRED
FORTY-THREE (1043), TEN
HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE (1045),
and TEN HUNDRED FORTY
SEVEN (1047) as shown and desig
nated on that certain map or plat
of the City of Roanoke Rapids of
record in Map Book 3 at page 200,
Halifax Public Registry.
Also all of the equipment con
sisting of personal and-or mixed
property owned by said estate of
J. J. Wade, deceased, and used in
connection with the operation of
said filling station located on the
real property above described.
Said property will be sold sub
ject to a lease to Standard Oil
Company and subject to the pay
ment of all taxes and assessments
accrued for and after the year 1939.
Other terms and conditions will
be announced at the sale.
The bidding at said re-sale will
begin at $17,062.50, pursuant to a
raised bid in this cause.
This notice dated and posted this
the ICth day of May, 1939.
JULIAN R. ALLSBROOK AND
T. S. KITTRELL, Commissioners
2t-A&B-5-18
Hawkins Chapel
Mr. arid Mrs. F. L. Hawkins and
son, Leonard, were visitors of Mrs.
Z. C. Hawkins and family Sunday
afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Hawkins and
son ,of R. R. were guests of Mrs.
B. S. Hawkins and family Monday
night.
Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Hawkins and
family of Roanoke Rapids spent
Saturday in the home of Mr. and
Mrs. P. A. Hawkins.
Willis Hawkins spent th,e week
end with his sister, Mrs. F. C. Por
t
ter, of Littleton.
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Morris and
daughter, Lois Odell, of near Hali
fax, were visitors of Mr. and Mrs.
F. L. Hawkins and family Sunday
night.
Hubert, Willis Hawkins, Lorena
Hux were guests of Annie Jenkins
Sunday night.
Mrs. Perkins Crawley Jr. and
son of Ebenezer spent the week-end
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. P.
A. Hawkins.
Rev. D. D. Broome was the din
ner guest of Mr. and Mrs. F. L.
Hawkins Thursday.
On Monday afternoon a number
of ladies met in the home of Mrs.
T. B. Hawkins for the purpose of
working on the project, a silk quilt.
The money will go for buying new
song books for Hawkins Chapel
Church. We hope everyone will
cooperate.
iqmwj/fteFisiivmm >
DIAL
, -5341;
Anypkce J/r the ■;■
City fcry
PGGHPlj
SEKV8CEI
IB. P. JOHNSON
. Isonofce RftpMs, N. C, ✓
m i*.\ t ■{,. ibS.+'H ■ . ^JVI >■». Aa
1 We're headquarters for |
Mother’s Day
Sunday, May 14th
, It means so much to Mother, the
’ fact that you remembered. Give
Whitman’s, her favorite candy.
Let us attend to it for you!
The Sampler, the finest box of candy, gorgeously deco- |
rated for the day. 17 .$1.50 4
Also 2, 3 and 5-lb. Samplers. I
The Fairhill, beautifully decorated and the outstanding
box of candy at.$1.00Jb. ■
Also 2, 3 and 5-lb. Fairhills.
TAYLOR’S
"The Friendly Drug Store"
DIAL R-321 - WE DELIVER