Pearlretta DuPuy

Pearlretta Weller Severance DuPuy (June 27, 1871 – April 27, 1939) was a noted zither player, and later she became a member of the San Pedro Woman's Club, in addition to being a lecturer and parliamentarian.

Early life

Pearlretta Weller was born on June 27, 1871, in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Zachariah H. Weller and Eliza Klingaman, and moved to California in 1887.^[1]

Music

 

Zither

Pearl Weller Severance Dupuy was a noted zither player, usually performing with her sister, Daisy Weller.^[2][3]

On June 24, 1893, Professor M. S. Arevalo gave a successful concert at the YWCA Auditorium, Los Angeles; Arevalo was a well known musician of rare talent, and the concert was a triumph; the prelude of the concert was a march, arranged by Arevalo, given by the guitar club composed by the following artists: L. L. Taggart, Pearl W. Severance, Lizzie Thayer, Mabel McFarland, H. T. Longstreth, H. Brodrick, V. Wankowski, and M. Carrizosa.^[4] On November 23, 1897, she gave a zither concert at Blanchard-Fitzgerald Hall in Los Angeles, assisted by Maud Priest and Lillian Weller, guitars, Daisy Weller, zither, and M.S. Arevalo, guitar.^[5] She performed also outside California; on February 23, 1894, she played at the Baptist church in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the record, every seat available was filled and included the elite of the city. The concert was far above the average and she was highly praised for the performance.^[6] On February 3, 1906, she performed at the First Brethren Church in her native Waterloo, Iowa.^[7]

Club leadership

 

Ebell of Los Angeles

Pearlretta DuPuy was president of the San Pedro Woman's Club in 1908;^[8] she resigned from the position but in October 1916 she was named again president replacing Mrs. Richard C. Goodspeed, resigning on account of serious illness. The Woman's Club of San Pedro, Los Angeles District, was organized in January 1906 and federated in November 1907. The members met every first and third Tuesday first at Liberty Hall, 264 Fifth St. and then moved at the Masonic Hall, 525 1/2 Beacon St., San Pedro, California.^{[1][9][10][11]}

DuPuy was the first vice-president of the General Henry Martyn Robert Parliamentary Club of Los Angeles. During the meeting of the Robert Parliamentary Club, parliamentary questions were asked at members and Robert's Rules of Order was the reference manual. On November 27, 1920, she led a debate upon the subject "Shall Women Give up the Battle for Community Property Rights?"^[1][12][13]

She was active in civic and club affairs. She was a charter member of the Los Angeles Women's Athletic Club, Ebell of Los Angeles, the Republican Study Club, the San Pedro Golf and Country Club, the California Bridge Club, the Wednesday Afternoon Whist Club, the Dutch Club.^[1][14]

In 1908, DuPuy was on the organizing committee for the 8th Annual Meeting of the Los Angeles District of the California Federation of Women's Club to be held in Venice, California.^[15] On January 15, 1912, DuPuy was on the committee organizing the visit of leading members of Women's Clubs in Los Angeles.^[16]

In 1924, DuPuy was among the 150 Republican women of Los Angeles supporting the presidential campaign of Calvin Coolidge; in particular DuPuy was representing San Pedro.^[17]

Personal life

Pear Weller firstly married William Mulholland Severance (1863–1895), in San Francisco, who died of typhoid fever. On December 3, 1898, she secondly married Robert Gay DuPuy (1867–1946), a music teacher and later an employee of the Harbor City Savings Bank.^{[1][11][18][19]}

Soon after her marriage to DuPuy, she lived at 1386 West 13th St., Los Angeles, and then at 4074 Bluff Place, San Pedro, California. She later moved to 657 6th Street, San Pedro.^[1][10][20]

She died on April 27, 1939, and is buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles.^[21]

References

1. Binheim, Max; Elvin, Charles A (1928). "Dupuy, Pearlretta (Mrs. Robert G.)". Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of America. p. 38. Retrieved August 8, 2017.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. "Single Tax and Money". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 43, no. 139. February 27, 1895. Retrieved September 4, 2017. The exercises will begin at 7:45, with music by Mrs. Pearl W. Severance, the noted zither player
3. "Enjoyable Concert". The Los Angeles Times. July 13, 1893. p. 4. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
4. "Amusements". Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 40, no. 75. June 25, 1893. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
5. "Mrs. Severance's Zither Concert at Blanchard-Fitzgerald Hall". Music Notes. Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 25, no. 55. November 24, 1897. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
6. "Singing, Playing and Reciting: Concert of Mrs. Pearl Severance an Artistic Success". Arizona Republic. February 24, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
7. "Rare as Radium: A Sunday Night Sermon at the First Brethren Church". Waterloo Daily Courier. February 3, 1906. p. 4. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
8. "Captain Fries Talks", Los Angeles Herald, p. 3, November 25, 1908, Capt. Fries was introduced by Mrs. Robert G. DuPuy, president of the Woman's club
9. Van Graham, Mrs. Clarence (October 1916). "Los Angeles". The Clubwoman. Vol. VIII, no. 12. California Federation of Women's Clubs. pp. 18–19. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
10. "Woman's Club of San Pedro". San Francisco Blue Book. San Francisco: Charles C. Hoag. 1909. p. 351. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
11. "Woman's Club of San Pedro". San Francisco Blue Book. San Francisco: Charles C. Hoag. 1912. p. 430. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
12. "Clubwomen Find Fun in Dry Subject". The San Bernardino County Sun. June 26, 1936. p. 17. Retrieved September 3, 2017. Mrs. Dupuy acted as hostess to the meeting for the thirteenth year
13. "Parliamentary Club". The Los Angeles Times. November 27, 1920. p. 17. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
14. "San Pedro". The Los Angeles Times. October 14, 1906. p. 82. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
15. "Woman Delegates to be Guests of Club". Los Angeles Herald. November 17, 1908. p. 6. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
16. "Fair Voters See City's Harbor". The Los Angeles Times. January 19, 1912. p. 23. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
17. "Vote is Citizen's Duty: Coolidge Campaigner Points Out Obligation of Americanism to Los Angeles Women". The Los Angeles Times. April 4, 1924. p. 23. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
18. "William Mulholland Severance". Obituaries. Waterloo Courier. April 24, 1895. p. 7. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
19. Hostetler, Harvey (1912). "298. Pearlretta Weller". Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, the immigrant of 1736. Brethren Pub. House. p. 101. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
20. "Dupuy–Severance". In Society. Los Angeles Herald. Vol. 26, no. 72. December 11, 1898. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
21. "Dupuy, Mrs. Pearlretta". Death notices. The Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1939. p. 25. Retrieved September 3, 2017.