Evening star., 1944-02-27
american Pen Women Plan
Annual Election IN Abril
Voting by Mail
BY Gretchen Smith,
Womens Club Editor.


With the approach of spring
thoughts of the National League of
American Pen Women turn to elec-
ton day the latter part of April.
Time passes rapidly, but it hardly
seems possible that two years have
passed since Mrs. Victoria Faber
Stevenson, q Washingtonian, was
elected to the head office of the
league. At that time, the bylaws
were amended to permit voting by
mail, the first time in its history
this procedure had been permitted.
AS world events tranSpired. it was
a fortunate decision, as with in
creased transportation difficulties,
attendance of distant members to
the biennial convention would in
the majority of cases be impossible.
Three candidates will run for the
Office of president this year and two
for the office of vice president, none
of them residents of Washington.
Presidential candidates are Mrs.
Blanche Smith Ferguson of Balti-
more, Mrs. Francesca Falk Miller of
Chicago and Mrs. Grace Warner
Gulesian of Boston. Vice presiden-
tial candidates are Mrs. Lulu Gable
Geise of Sewickley, Pa, and Mrs.
Grace BolleS Hedges of San Fran
cisco.
Prominent Candidates.
All of these women hold high
honorS, with distinction, in fields of
writing and music, and members of
the National League will be for
tunate in the possession of gifted
/. leader. no matter which of the
candidates is chosen
Mrs. Ferguson, past president of
the Baltimore branch of the Ma
tional League and at present chair
man of novels of the organization,
is the wife of DR.. James H. Fergu-
son. jr. She has had more than
1000 short stories published in mag
azines, juveniles and syndicateS and
is the author of six published novels.
Two of these, "Boxwood" and
Blossoms in the Moon," have been
best sellers.
Mrs. Miller Is past president of
the Northern Illinois branch and in
1940-42 was second vice president
of the National League. She is a
poet and dramatist and has had five
books of poetry accepted for pub
lication. Much of her poetry has
been set to music. In 1910, she won
a $1,000 prize for the best play on
the life of Abraham Lincoln in In
diana offered by the Southwestern
Indiana Civic Association.
Music is the muse followed by
Mrs. Gulesian, who was national
chairman of music in 1940-42 and at
present is first vice president of the
National League. She is a men,
ber of the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers
and of the Song Writers Pro-
tective Association and in collabora-
ton with Mrs. Larz Anderson, for
merly of Washington and long
time member of the league, COM
posed the music and lyrics for the
operatic fantasy, Princess Mar
iana." She is also the author of
play, 1.-THE Immigrant" which was
produced both In Boston and on
Broadway.
Pittsburgh Entry.
Radio and script writing is the
speciality of Mrs. Geise, a member
OF the Pittsburgh branch and chair
man OF Radio Markets of the Ma
tional League.
Mrs. Hedges, past president of the
Ban Francisco branch, is also mu-
sician, having written and published
a number of songs and compost
ttons. At present she is chairman of
organization for the national league
and Is residing in Arlington, Va.
No definite announcement has yet
been given regarding candidate for
Office of treasurer. The name of
Mrs. Merle Lyon, playwright, of
Washington has been suggested and
1t has also been hoped that Mrs.
Nellie de Armand Bryant, who now
holds the office, would accept the
nomination. Mrs. Bryant agreed to
carry on the duties of treasurer last
October when Mrs. Bess Heath Ohm
stead was obliged to resign, due. to
her departure from Washington
with her husband, Brig. Gen. DaW-
son Olmstead, former chief of the
United States Army Signal Corps,
whose sudden illness caused his re-
tirement from the Army.
Declines to Run.
Mrs. Bryant has been urged to
run for election as treasurer, but
she declares that other duties are
too pressing and that she cannot
do justice to the office.
A pretty woman with blue eyes
and gray hair, Mrs. Bryant has been
q resident of Washington for over
20 years, but was born and educated