Document text
45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 6, 2004 Beverly Pelton of the First United Methodist Church in Ashland arranges some of the dolls in the late Dot Graham�s collection for the Holiday Faire, which continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Kewpies and cuties By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — The mystery of Dot Graham’s dolls has been solved. As anyone who visits today’s Holiday Faire at Ashland’s First United Methodist Church can see, dozens of dolls from Kewpies and Effanbees to the Campbell’s Soup Kids were found, safe and sound, after all. Until this week, however, the extensive collection donated from the estate of Graham, who died in February 2003 at age 82, was nowhere to be seen. Beverly Pelton, who helps with the annual fund- raiser, searched attics and storage areas last year, to no avail. "They were lost and then they surfaced," Pelton said. Advertisement That’s good news for the annual fund-raiser that provides $3,000 to $4,000 for the church’s charity work at home and abroad, said Toby Deller, event chairwoman and co-president of the United Methodist Women. The dolls should be a big draw for the event that also includes silk flower arrangements and painted pumpkins, houseplants and homemade pies. Most of the dolls are priced at $10 or below, even though some could appeal to collectors. There are chubby-cheeked Kewpie dolls, an Effanbee doll named Sugar Plum and a Cherokee Indian doll garbed in a tiny buckskin dress. "It was a very fine collection," noted Pelton. Dorothea Mae Graham was an active church member, a Methodist minister in Southern California and an avid lover of dolls, her colleagues recalled. Her comfortable Talent trailer was furnished with several kinds of collections, including milk glass and, of course, dolls. "She had a good-sized bedroom and it was FULL," Pelton recalled. Upon her death, Graham left most of the contents of her house to the church — furniture, dishes, "everything," Deller said. Such generosity was in keeping with the character of Graham, who volunteered tirelessly for church projects. "I was just so appreciative of the fact that she loved these dolls," Pelton said. "And now we have them." The Holiday Faire continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at 165 N. Main St. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities