Eva McGown nÃÆ' Â © e Montgomery (1883-1972), "hostess Fairbanks", best known for three decades helping newcomers, wife - military staff, construction workers, students, and visitors looking for shelter in Fairbanks, Alaska over a period of time - especially World War II - when demand for housing far outstrips supply. Named as the Official Hostess of Fairbanks and Alaska Honorary Honor, McGown is featured in an article in Reader's Digest and broadcast a popular biography television program This is Your Life, and the basis for the character of Bridie Ballantyne in the 1958 Ice Palace novel and its 1960 film adaptation. He died in 1972 in a fire at Hotel Nordale, where he has lived for the last 28 years of his life.
Video Eva McGown
Early life and marriage
Eva Montgomery was born on June 23, 1883 in Antrim, County Antrim, Ireland. Little is known about his early life other than that he was director of the choir in Belfast in the early 1900s.
In 1914, when he was 31, he came to the United States to marry Arthur Louis McGown, the owner of the Cafe Model section in Fairbanks. His journey from Belfast to Fairbanks included a journey across the Atlantic Ocean on what he later described as a "dirty boat" and a cross-country trip by train to Seattle, where he boarded a steamboat to Valdez, Alaska, followed by more than a month of winter travel with a horse-drawn sled and rushed to Fairbanks, staying in guard homes along the way. "There are rough and tough people on the street", he then remembered. "But there was never a word of curse they uttered in my hearing, they gave me hot bricks for my feet and wrapped the fur around me." He arrived at Fairbanks on February 26, 1914, and married Arthur McGown on the same night.
Arthur fell ill five years into their marriage and remained invalid for the rest of his life. He died in 1930 from a bone tumor.
Maps Eva McGown
Hostess of Fairbanks
Immediately after that, Eva leaves the cabin where she lives with her husband and moves to Room 207 from Hotel Nordale on Second Avenue in Fairbanks, where she lives for the rest of her life. She supports herself by selling magazines and taking on odd jobs, and occupying herself as a hospital visitor and by visiting a lonely woman who has just arrived in Alaska, doing what she can to make them feel welcome.
When World War II arrived, his service as a greeter with a complex knowledge of the rooms available at Fairbanks became important, and the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce placed him on a $ 75 monthly payroll to help military wives, construction workers and others find lodging. He later became a city clerk for $ 110 per month. "It is said that Eva brought supplies in her head from all the spare bedrooms at Fairbanks", writes Stanton Patty. "He also arranged a bed to be set up in the church basement and auditorium - sometimes even in a city jail." McGown's work was completed from a table in the corner of the lobby of the Hotel Nordale.
From 1940 to 1951, McGown assisted about 50,000 newcomers, construction workers, students, and visitors to find a place to live.
National exposure
McGown's fame spread far beyond Fairbanks. In 1951, he was the subject of an article on Reader's Digest and on April 22, 1953, he was featured on NBC's television biography television show This is Your Life with host Ralph Edwards. His appearance on TV was also included as part of the first broadcast of the Fairbanks KFAR-TV television station in early 1955. In his 1958 novel about Alaska, Ice Palace, Edna Ferber based the character of Bridie Ballantyne, officially greeter of the fictional city of Baranof, in McGown; this section was played by Carolyn Jones in the 1960 adaptation film of the novel.
Personal life
McGown belongs to the Pioneers of Women, the Eastern Star, Salvation Army, Soroptimis, Wainwright Fortress, and the Eielson Officers Club Club. He is a member of the St. Episcopal Church. Matthew, where he plays the organ and leads the choir. He continued to play the organ until he developed arthritis in his hands, but after that was still singing with a strong soprano voice.
Death
In one of the deadliest hotel fires in Alaska, Hotel Nordale caught fire on February 22, 1972, killing four people and destroying the hotel. Among the four killed in the fire were McGown, then 88 years old. One of the items found from the hotel safe after the fire was a small box of hers, which contained a piece of Irish grass. The Alaska Supreme Court decision then ruled that Fairbanks City had an obligation to protect the hotel's residents through fire inspections.
Recognition and honor
McGown was the first woman to win a distinguished award from Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce.
In 1953, territorial governor B. Frank Heintzleman issued a proclamation calling the honorable hostess of Alaska McGown.
In 1971, the University of Alaska Fairbanks dedicated a music practice hall in honor of McGown. Eva McGown Music Room is located in the Fine Arts Complex. It is specially designed for chorus practice and comes with steps for group exercises.
Stained glass windows designed by Helen L. Atkinson and made by Debbie Mathews of more than 500 pieces of glass were created for St. Episcopal Church. Matthew in 1999. The Window commemorates Eva McGown and the choir St. Matthew in the early 1900s and described McGown playing the organ.
Note
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments