Letter to the Editor- June 4, 2018

Thank you for the great article honoring the volunteers of the Women’s Auxiliary Cemetery Association.

However, there was one omission: the W.A.C.A. was organized by our mother, Elizabeth (Libby) Wilson in 1954 following the death of our father. The women listed were, indeed, on the Board of Directors. The officers elected at the organizing meeting October 21, 1954, were Elizabeth Wilson, President; Lucy Allmaras, Vice President; Adeline Leske, Secretary and Jean Baeder, Treasurer. Our mother, Elizabeth Wilson, continuously served as founding member and President of the W.A.C.A. for 18 years until 1972, when Mary Ellen Turcotte took over as President.

As the picture you included shows, Prairie Home and St. John’s Cemeteries are truly lovely today. In 1954 there was no landscaping and nothing but weeds. Our uncle Walter Christianson, a landscape architect in Fargo, provided the W.A.C.A. with a landscaping plan. These volunteer women solicited donations door-to-door, acquired all the trees and plants, rolled up their sleeves and did all the original planting themselves.

It’s wonderful to see today’s W.A.C.A. carrying on mom’s vision. The New Rockford Cemetery was her pride and joy. Thank you for correcting this omission.

Sincerely,

Lew Wilson, Fargo

June Wilson Hagen,

Helena, Mont.