A couple of topics
John E. Peterson, Special to the Gazette
Thursday, October 13, 2011
A few columns back I gave you some comments from Betty Schelske. Betty lives in Gainesville, Fla., but grew up in Emporia. She is the daughter of the John Breukelmans.
Betty’s comments were about a movie she had seen years ago at the old Granada Theatre. The movie was “Journey for Margaret” and was about William Lindsay White adopting an English girl and bringing her to Emporia.
Betty wondered if any of our readers could fill her memories of the film. Well! Someone could — and did. Roger Heineken sent an e-mail and then a letter. Roger has long been involved in the White family history, hence, he provided information in which Betty would be interested. Now to the movie, if I have my way.
“Journey for Margaret” premiered in New York on Dec. 17, 1942. It was the first of three films based on W.L. White’s books or stories. This story was also published in Readers Digest and Life. The movie cast included Robert Young, Fay Bainter, Loraine Day and Nigel Bruce. Angela O’Brien was Margaret and used that name afterward.
When “Journey for Margaret” appeared in the Granada Theatre a Margaret O’Brien look-alike contest was held. She is best known for her roles in other movies and earned a juvenile Oscar. The Oscar was stolen from her California home but recovered and returned to her later.
Roger says that Margaret O’Brien was a talented young actress. At age six she was quoted as saying, “When I cry, do you want the tears to run all the way, or shall I stop halfway down?” Roger says she is to appear in a film called “Morella” with Tony Curtis. Thank you, Roger.
A letter on that same topic was sent by Phyllis Dorcas. The movie was shown on the Turner Classic Movies channel a few years ago, and she said “I can verify that there are substantial differences between the two.” Thank you also, Phyllis, for your response to my column.
Roger ended his letter to me with a paragraph on a totally different subject. He said that he could not recall that I had ever written about our “touring the two minimum security federal prisons back when the future of the College of Emporia campus was considered as a site for such use.” One of these was in Yankton, S.D.; the other was in Bryant, Texas. This was back in 1990.
The City Commission, of which I think Roger was a member, visited these prisons. I went on the one to Yankton as a representative of Emporia State. I am not sure why, but the ESU president asked me to go.
I knew little about Yankton. I knew there had been a college there and that our John Breukelman had graduated from it, but nothing else. Consequently, I looked forward to going.
Ten or 12 of us took off in the morning from the Emporia airport and were met by automobile in Yankton and taken to the prison. It still looked like a campus. There was no wall or fence.
We were shown around. The prisoners roomed in dorms which were like the C of E dorms. We had lunch in the big dining room — the former union building — and with the prisoners. One from Emporia happened to be at the table next to mine.
Much of the afternoon was spent talking with citizens. With one exception they were all positive. The facility was good for the town in several ways. We learned that the prisoners caused little trouble. Rules were rarely broken or escapes made because that would have meant being sent to a real prison.
Of course, no prison came to the C of E campus. In my opinion, that is good, but it would not have been bad to have one.
The former campus will continue to look as good as it does, if I had my way.