Bertha M. Rice Explained

Bertha M. Rice
Birth Name:Bertha May Davison
Birth Date:February 20, 1872
Birth Place:New Hampton, Iowa
Death Date:June 27, 1962 (aged 90)
Death Place:Santa Clara, California
Occupation:Writer, clubwoman, conservationist, philanthropist

Bertha Marguerite Rice (February 20, 1872 – June 27, 1962) was an American writer, philanthropist, conservationist, and clubwoman based in Santa Clara County, California.

Early life

Bertha May Davison was born in New Hampton, Iowa, the daughter of Lorenzo Benjamin Davison and Esther Jane Anibal Davison. Her brother, Charles W. Davison, was mayor of San Jose from 1908 to 1910.[1] [2]

Career

Rice, an active clubwoman in San Jose, volunteered to work with children in refugee camps after the 1906 earthquake.[3] [4] As an extension of that work, she became founder and director of the 80-acre Boys' Outing Farm[5] in the Santa Cruz Mountains, initially to serve earthquake refugees[6] and later as a fresh-air experience for disadvantaged boys from San Francisco.[7] The camp also offered a convalescent program for "the little ones who are not strong enough to avail themselves of the privileges of the farm."[8] [9] The camp was open from 1907 to 1938,[10] though there was an unsuccessful petition for her resignation as the camp's director in 1912,[11] citing her "incompetency and inefficiency".[12]

Rice founder and president of the California Wild Flower Conservation League,[13] and co-director of the annual State Exhibit of California Wildflowers.[14] [15] "Mrs. Bertha Rice and her son Roland Rice are to the flowers of California what John Muir was to the trees," commented one writer in a 1920 book review.[16]

Rice was involved in women's suffrage work in California.[17] She co-founded the Santa Clara County Historical Society and the local chapter of the Audubon Society.[18] She was an officer in the local chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.[19] She was a member of the San Jose Consumers' League[20] and of the California Library Association.[21] She was active in the work of the People's Place settlement house in San Francisco's North Beach.[22] In 1912 she arranged a concert by Ernestine Schumann-Heink for the children of San Jose.[23] During World War II, she organized the San Jose Garden Forum to encourage home gardening.[24]

Rice wrote several books, including Tales of the Pioneer Mothers of California (1904),[25] Popular Studies of California Wild Flowers (1920, with Roland Rice and illustrator Myrtle Hill McQuarrie),[26] The Women of Our Valley (2 volumes, 1955, 1956),[27] The Builders of Our Valley (1957),[28] and the introduction to a photography book about Stanford University.[29] She also wrote a column on flowers for the Oakland Tribune, was society editor for the San Jose Mercury,[30] and contributed articles for national periodicals including the Sierra Club Bulletin, The Volta Review[31] and Overland Monthly.[32]

Personal life

Bertha M. Davison married Warren M. Rice in Iowa in 1892, and had a son, Roland Davison Rice (1895–1962) before they divorced in 1898.[33] She lived with Roland in San Jose for many years,[34] and died in 1962, aged 90 years.

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 1938-10-14. Judge Davison to be Honor Guest this Afternoon. 5. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: 1941-04-25. Judge Davison is Called by Death. 10. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: July 11, 1906. Playthings are Asked for Refugee Children. 9. San Francisco Call. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  4. News: August 2, 1906. Seeking Homes for Waifs. 7. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  5. News: April 1, 1908. Outing Farm Directors Discuss Future Plans. 9. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  6. Book: Kennedy. Patrick Beveridge. https://books.google.com/books?id=x8EYAAAAYAAJ&dq=Bertha+M.+Rice&pg=PA10. Annotated List of the Wild Flowers of California. Rice. Roland. 1917. Levison Print. Company. 10. en. The Boys' Outing Farm.
  7. News: June 20, 1909. 22 Tiny Tads Enjoying Life at Outing Farm. 7. San Jose Mercury and Herald. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  8. News: November 25, 1908. Convalescent Home for the Boys' Outing Farm. 13. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. News: 1908-11-24. Boys' Outing Farm Convalescent Home. 7. San Francisco Chronicle. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  10. News: February 17, 1907. County Board Approves Outing Vacation Home. San Jose Mercury and Herald. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  11. News: 1912-04-05. Bitter Attack on Manager. 3. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  12. News: March 6, 1912. 'Quit, Mrs. Rice' Says Petition. Reply: 'Never'. 5. San Francisco Call. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  13. News: 1924-01-13. Bertha M. Rice Summons Lovers of Wild Flowers. 85. Oakland Tribune. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  14. Dunn. Harry H.. May 27, 1922. Conservation of California's Wild Flowers. Dearborn Independent. 10.
  15. News: November 12, 1919. Mrs. Rice to Address Audubon Association. 3. San Francisco Call and Post. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  16. November 1920. Book Reviews. The Western Journal of Education. 26. 10.
  17. News: 1938-06-24. Mrs. Rice Invited to Park to Honor Suffrage Leader. 4. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  18. Web site: Saratoga's Women's History. live. 2021-09-01. Saratoga Historical Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20110930013857/http://www.saratogahistory.com/History/saratoga-women.htm . 2011-09-30 .
  19. Book: Woman's Christian Temperance Union of California. Minutes of the Annual Convention ... with Reports. 1899. 93. en.
  20. News: 1902-12-14. News of the Women's Clubs. 10. San Francisco Chronicle. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  21. June 1919. Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting of California Library Association. Western Journal of Education. 25. 8–9.
  22. News: September 22, 1910. San Jose Woman Aids in S. F. Organization. 7. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  23. News: February 17, 1912. Mme. Schumann-Heink to Sing for Young Folks. 3. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  24. News: 1944-10-27. Garden Forum to Celebrate Fourth Anniversary. 6. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  25. News: November 26, 1903. Tales of the Pioneer Mothers of California; Valuable Book by Talented Authoress of this City. 9. San Jose Daily Mercury. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  26. Book: Rice, Bertha Marguerite. Popular studies of California wild flowers. 1920. San Francisco, Cal.. 2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t10p0xm1p.
  27. Book: Rice, Bertha Marguerite. The Women of Our Valley. 1955. en.
  28. News: 1958-01-02. West Valley People Chronicled. 3. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.
  29. Book: Davey. Frank. Leland Stanford Jr. University, Palo Alto, California, before and after the earthquake of April 18, 1906. Rice. Bertha M.. 1906. San Jose, Cal.. 2027/loc.ark:/13960/t4zg7jt7t.
  30. Book: San Jose City Directory Including Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties. 1901. Mrs. F.M. Husted. 373. en.
  31. Rice. Bertha M.. November 1922. The Disadvantages of Soundless Speaking. The Volta Review. 24. 395.
  32. Rice. Bertha M.. Rice. Roland. February 1922. Toyon or Christmas Berry. Overland Monthly. 79. 15–16.
  33. News: February 11, 1898. Referred to Commissioner. 8. San Jose Daily Herald. September 1, 2021. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  34. News: 1952-08-29. 'Doing' is Life Theme of Former Saratogan. 6. Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 2021-09-01. Newspapers.com.

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