Doris June Struble

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Doris June Struble
A grainy black-and-white photograph of a young white woman with short curly bobbed hair; she is wearing a dress with a scooped neck and bare shoulders
Doris June Struble, from a 1922 publication
BornJune 21, 1895
Sioux City, Iowa
DiedJune 1976
Fresno, California
Other namesDoris Struble Harmon (after first marriage), Doris Seyller (after second marriage)
Occupation(s)Singer, pianist, dramatic reader
Years active1910s, 1920s

Doris June Struble (June 21, 1895 – 1976) was an American pianist, singer, and dramatic reader, based in California. As a young woman, she toured North America, Australia, and New Zealand, and performed on radio; in her later years, she wrote poetry and was a popular children's hospital entertainer in Fresno.

Early life[edit]

Doris June Struble was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Michael A. Struble[1] and Sarah June Pattenden Struble. She studied piano from childhood,[2] and graduated from Sioux City Central High School in 1913.[3] In 1914, she starred in a large church pageant in Sioux City.[4] She trained as a performer at the Columbia College of Dramatic Art in Chicago, and as a singer with Oscar Saenger in New York.[5]

Career[edit]

Struble toured as a pianist, singer, and dramatic reader on the Chautauqua circuit in the United States and Canada in the 1910s and 1920s.[6][7] She appeared in Australia and New Zealand in 1918 and 1919, as a member of the Southern Seas Sextette (an all-woman musical ensemble),[8] as a soloist, and accompanying singer Carrie Lanceley.[9][10] She performed her own works, and pieces by Edna Ferber, Mana-Zucca, Edgar Guest, Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Charles Wakefield Cadman, and other writers.[5] She was especially active in California, often seen on women's club programs and at other community events.[11][12][13] Her act also worked on radio.[14] She continued performing her dramatic readings for community groups into the 1940s.[15]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Doris Struble Harmon wrote short poems that appeared in newspapers including The Wall Street Journal.[16][17][18][19][20] In the 1970s, she was known as the "Fairy Godmother" of Valley Children's Hospital, because she would dress up in a silver cloak, a tiara, and carry a magic wand to visit the young patients to tell them stories.[21][22][23]

Personal life[edit]

Doris June Struble married Sturges Harmon of Chicago in 1923.[24][25] They had two children, James and Sarah. She was widowed in 1973, and married again in 1974, to Kennard Burdette Seyller Sr.[26] She died in 1976, aged 81 years, in Fresno, California.[21][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Doris Struble Gets the Doll". Sioux City Journal. 1902-12-25. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Music". Sioux City Journal. 1909-02-28. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ The Sioux City High School Maroon and White (1913 yearbook): 75. via Ancestry
  4. ^ "Pageant of 'Book Beloved'". Sioux City Journal. 1914-01-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Doris June Struble, the Versatile Artist, Will Give a Recital" La Jolla Journal (June 9, 1922): 1. via California Digital Newspaper Collection
  6. ^ "Schubert Serenaders Bring Joyous Music to Chautauqua" Red Bluff Daily News (May 3, 1918): 4. via California Digital Newspaper Collection
  7. ^ "Musicians and Dramatists in Varied Events". The Los Angeles Times. 1924-08-03. p. 64. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Evening Session". Northern Star (Lismore, NSW : 1876–1954). 1918-12-12. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Trove.
  9. ^ "The Sentimental Bloke". Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885–1939). 1919-10-09. p. 25. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Trove.
  10. ^ "Advertisement". Evening Post. May 17, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Papers Past.
  11. ^ "Woman's Club Program Told" Riverside Daily Press (November 4, 1922): 7. via California Digital Newspaper Collection
  12. ^ "Patriotic Spirit at Sing Tonight" San Pedro News Pilot (February 22, 1923): 3. via California Digital Newspaper Collection
  13. ^ "Miss Struble to Entertain Woman's Club". Bakersfield Morning Echo. 1923-03-25. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Gay Music on KIIJ Program". The Los Angeles Times. 1922-12-24. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Resume Sing Programs This Week". Daily News. 1942-01-06. p. 10. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Harmon, Doris Struble (1954-11-13). "Saturday Afternoon". Quad-City Times. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Harmon, Doris Struble (1955-03-24). "Metamorphosis". Ventura County Star-Free Press. p. 36. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Harmon, Doris Struble (1958-12-03). "Old Golfers Never Die". Quad-City Times. p. 6. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Harmon, Doris Struble (1961-03-25). "Snake in the Grass". The Daily Times. p. 18. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Harmon, Doris Struble (1967-09-02). "Shirt Tale". Quad-City Times. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b Petersen, Jan W. (1983-12-11). "Fresnan Reminisces About the 1914 Howlin' Normal Huskies". The Fresno Bee. p. 40. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b "Volunteer's Magic". The Fresno Bee. 1976-07-07. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Clarey, Kathey (1973-02-04). "Doris Harmon: Godmother to Many". The Fresno Bee. p. 76. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Announce Approaching Marriage". The Herald-Press. 1923-07-17. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Popular Musician to Wed". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. 1923-06-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-05-31 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Obituary for KENNARD BURDETTE SEYLLER, 1896-1994 (Aged 98)". The Fresno Bee. 1994-07-16. p. 60. Retrieved 2021-06-01 – via Newspapers.com.
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