ANITA PETERSON NELSON

  Anita Peterson Nelson is an artist living in
California. She graduated from Onalaska High
School in 1956. Her childhood was spent in an iso-
lated area of rural Onalaska where her parents,
Stanley and Irene Peterson, operated a mink farm.
She credits the natural beauty and serenity of these
surroundings for her early interest in art and the
culmination of her choice of art as a career. At 18
Anita began her formal training at Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa, where she majored in Art for
three years. She later developed her skills with spe-
cialized training from five leading Orange County
artists and four semesters of study at Laguna School
of Art. She has been an art instructor in California
for seven years.
  Anita's art work focuses on Biblical and naturalis-
tic themes using oils, pastels and acrylics. Her work
employs dramatic colors refined by delicate glazing
and has strong composition balanced with fine
detail. This combination tends to draw the casual
observer into each scene she creates. It is Anita's
hope that each of her paintings deepens the
viewer's appreciation of beauty and enriches his
knowledge of the God who created it.
Submitted by Mrs, Stanley Peterson


KATHRENE GEDNEY

  Kathrene Gedney was born in Minneapolis, but
grew up and attended school in Onalaska at about
the turn of the century. Her family started and
managed the Gedney Pickle Company in this city
during that time. Following her graduation from
the University of Wisconsin in 1909, she served as
a field secretary for the Wisconsin Anti-tuberculosis
Association in Milwaukee. There she met and
married a dashing young newspaperman, Robert
Pinkerton. In 1912, a year after their marriage, they
moved to the Canadian wilderness, built a log cab-
in and lived off of the land and money they could
get from the writings that they could sell for the
next five years. They collaborated on two books
and numerous articles about the out-of-doors. Both
of the Pinkertons wrote several non-fiction books
and a number of adventure stories for young peo-
ple.
   Mrs. Pinkerton wrote of the Canadian years in
 her 1939 book, Wilderness Wife. A more complete
 autobiography entitled, Two Ends of a Shoestring, tell
 about the beginning of her marriage to the foot-
 loose Robert. It was published in 1941.
   Six years later, she published another unusual
 book for these times entitled, Bright and Silver. It is
 a story about the Fromme family and how they de-
 veloped the strain of Fox in Wisconsin.
   Kathrene Gedney Pinkerton is considered a
 notable author of Wisconsin, depicting different life
 styles of the mid-1900's.
 Source: old clippings  scrapbook collection



FRANK (MICK) POOLER



Frank Pooler, Professor of Music at California State University



  Frank Pooler was born, raised and received his
early education in Onalaska. Today, he is well
known, both in academic and professional music
circles for his mastery of contemporary choral rep-
ertoire. He is Professor of Music at California State
University, Long Beach, and is Director of Choral
Studies there.
  As a guest conductor, clinician lecturer, and adju-
dicator, Pooler has appeared throughout the conti-
nental United States, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia,
Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii
and Alaska. His published compositions, arrange-



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