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.

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
DiedJune 1976
Other namesDoris Struble Harmon (after first marriage), Doris Seyller (after second marriage)
Occupation(s)Singer, pianist, dramatic reader
Years active1910s, 1920s

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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  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.