Ce "8S ms First Ladies of the White House Doll Exhibit xe; @ = Aproject dedicated to the commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the founding of the : United States of America Sponsored and funded by the people of Uintah County and the Utah American Revolution Bice: nial Commissio. Sie, eee. oe Cen ee aay Uintah County Library Home of the First Ladies 155 East Main - Vernal, UtahPhyllis Juhlin Park Doll Creator Doll creator for the Uintah County Bicentennial Doll Exhibit of the First Ladies of the White House was Phyllis Juhlin Park, wife of D. E. Park of Murray, Utah. Although a devoted mother and grandmother, she has ventured into many of the arts and has received national recognition asa doll maker, artist, writer, and lecturer. Her creation of this exquisite collection of porcelain, portrait, miniature First Ladies has evolved into a very special exhibit which has made Phyllis Park known to doll collectors all over the United States. She isa member and past president of the Salt Lake City branch of the National League of American Pen Women, Ladies Auxil- iary of the American Legion, the United Federation of Doll Clubs, the Salt Lake City Doll and Craft Guild, and is listed in Who's Who of American Western Women. . . oo Compiled By Doris Burton Published By Uintah County Library Printed 1988 ‘ Photos Courtesy of Arnold Baker 3 Mh kG? SIE eye * T=A Doll Collection is Born Mrs. Hugh (Margurite) Colton was appointed chairman of District 6, Utah American Bicentennial Committee. Mrs. Colton with two members of her committee, June Stewart and Alta Winward, were traveling to a Bicentennial meeting in Salt Lake City. They were discussing projects the commit- tee might undertake in Vernal for the 1976 Bicentennial year. Mrs. Colton came up with the idea of presenting a pageant with local ladies dressed in costumes depicting America’s First Ladies. After discussing this idea, it was decided it would cost too much to make the gowns, and in the discus- sion, the idea was born for a First Lady doll collection. The exhibit in the First Ladies Hall of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. would be used as a guide. Isobel Batty, a talented and enterprising lady, would be asked to chair the project since she was a local doll collector. Isobel accepted the challenge and in December of 1975, the project got underway. Five ladies were chosen to assist Isobel. They were Arin King, June Stewart, Helen Bennett, Sheila Wheeler, and Maurine Spencer. Later, the committee was enlarged to include Gladys Phillips, Alice Guerin, and Amelia Manker. Although there were a few collections of dolls dressed like the first ladies in the country, this would be the only collec- tion with the heads sculptured to have portrait likenesses. June Stewart traveled to Los Angeles, California, to the Mark Farmer Doll Company, to investigate commissioning the company to make the dolls. After seeing these dolls, which were lovely but not sculptured, the committee decided they wanted dolls more representative of the ladies. Phyllis Park, a doll sculptor, of Murray, Utah, was commissioned to make the dolls. Each time Phyllis completed a few dolls, June and Isobel would travel to Murray to pick them up, because they were afraid they would get broken in the mail. The committee was given $1,500.00 for its project. They decided the dolls would have to be housed in glass show- cases. Cases large enough to accommodate the thirty-eight dolls would cost $1,850.00. The Uintah County Library Board accepted the offer to house the dolls in the library. The library agreed to pay half the cost of the cases, which were made by the Ute Fab, a Ute Indian cabinet-making enter- prise. COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Front | to r, Gladys Phillips, Helen Bennett, Ann King, Back | to r, Isobel Batty, Alice Guerin, Sheila Wheeler, June Stewart, Amelia Manker (Maureen Spencer, not present). 22