Eloise Buck was born June 18, 1906 to Alpheus Buck and Hattie Hoem Buck. Her father Alpheus owned a lumber business. She had a sister Florence and two brothers Robert and Peter. Eloise grew up in Eugene, Oregon and was quite an equestrian and loved to ride horses. Her parents had a ranch which had horses and she grew up around them. Eloise was very extroverted and outgoing and was about five foot nine. All of Eloise’s siblings were very close to one another. Eloise was kept out of school for awhile because she was so much younger than her classmates. She was a brilliant student as well as her sister Florence. Robert tended to not do his homework and would love to play tennis and basketball. His older sister Florence was always trying to reform him and get him to do his homework whereas Eloise thought that it was wonderful that her brother could play tennis and basketball.
While attending high school Eloise won the Sidney Terrill cup award for an oration contest. In 1911, A.C. Terrill, the first general secretary of the Eugene Y.M.C.A., offered a silver cup in honor of his deceased wife. This prize was given to the two best orators at the high school for each year. The winners would have their names inscribed on the cup and they were kept at the school. The orations were delivered at an assembly at the high school gymnasium and Eloise gave a speech entitled “Memories of the Last Island.”
Eloise was a graduate of the University of Oregon graduating in three years. She was Phi Beta Kappa like her sister. She was on the Mortar Board, the senior women’s national honorary society, and was president of the campus chapter. The organization was established at the University of Oregon in 1923. A 2.9 scholarship average was required to be eligible for the Mortar Board in addition to activity and service qualifications. Eloise, as president of the chapter, had given the word one year that instead of active senior members electing new women the choices would be made by the junior women. “We want every girl to give her honest opinion, and it must be an individual, not a group vote, every girl signing her name to the vote. Political pull must not enter into the election at all.”
Eloise arranged for a full weekend program of entertainment for the Mortar Board biennial section convention on the University of Oregon campus on the weekend of November 21-22, 1925. Representatives arrived from different Universities of the northwest including the University of Idaho and Washington University. Eloise urged that every house welcoming guests to extend the utmost cordiality. “They are leaders on their respective campuses and will undoubtedly carry their impressions of Oregon to their colleges”. A campus tour was scheduled first thing for Saturday morning. Noon would bring lunch entertained by the various houses. A business meeting was held from 1pm to 3pm and then a tea was given in honor of the guests at the Alumni Hall. At 4pm the business meeting resumed and then at 6:30 a formal dinner was given at the Eugene Hotel.
Eloise won the Gerlinger Cup while attending the University of Oregon which was an award for the most outstanding student who was a junior. It was awarded to her at the annual junior prom but wasn’t given to her that night because it was still at the jewelers. That night must have been wonderful and beautiful for Eloise with a combination of fifteenth century French decorations and beautiful lighting effects.
Eloise was on the honor roll several times at UO along with her sister Florence. Florence was elected president of the Y.M.C.A. and was chosen to be a delegate to the national convention of the Y.M.C.A. held in New York. Eloise was always active in the Y.M.C.A. as well. In her sophomore year at UO she was in charge of membership education work under the membership chairman. The following year she handled the financial part of the organization as chairman of finance. While under this capacity she organized a finance campaign which was very successful. She also was in charge of the senior breakfast given by the Y.M.C.A. in honor of the senior women on the campus. For her senior year she was on the Y.M.C.A. council as the chairman in charge of meetings.
Eloise was on the committee for the Women’s League during her time at UO also. She would be involved in such things as a style show for a high school conference and was also on the executive council as president of the heads of houses. She was also president of the French Club. She had also taken part in the doughnut athletic games sponsored by the women’s Athletic Association. Her average was always well above the University of Oregon average. She was known for two aspects….poise and leadership.
She received a master’s degree from Wellesley College outside of Boston in 1929. She was very close in age to Florence and they had both attended Wellesley College together. Both sisters got their master degrees in English. At one point during this time Eloise stayed in a house owned by Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the words to America the Beautiful. She wrote a letter to Eloise that was eloquently put talking about the accommodations she had to offer to Eloise.
Eloise, at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, lived at Apartment 510 1000 Chemeketa Street in Salem, Oregon. She wrote a letter to her sister Florence in St. Louis on the evening of December 7th which says in part….”Well, it’s here, and it is much stranger than anything Orson Welles thought up. All our radio stations are off the air here and black-outs have been ordered at eleven tonight and every night until further notice. From mid west radio stations has come word of planes – unidentified – over San Francisco, but I guess it was a false alarm. It’s a curious feeling to try to imagine what it would be like if a bomb came through the roof of the Royal Court!”
“Everything that seemed important on Saturday has sunk to the rank of trivia or unreality. My smugness at having finished almost all of my Christmas shopping has vanished, and I am almost apprehensive at moving into a somewhat more expensive apartment. However, things will get back on a more normal basis after we have become used to the idea of our actually being participants.”
Later she writes “I am eager to hear what Warner (Florence’s husband) has to say about the possible length of the conflict – most people seem to feel it will take many years. Peter was here for a few minutes last night and seemed to take it for granted that he would have to go – probably volunteer – eventually, and I suppose that nothing can save Robert now.
Nothing seems clear or simple any more. All my love, Eloise”
During the war Eloise was a hospital aid at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. One time, in idle moments, Eloise and other members of the staff would make scrapbooks to send overseas to soldiers for army camps and troop trains. These scrapbooks contained everything from clippings of pin-up girls from magazines to cartoons.
Eloise worked at the Katherine Gibbs School at the time of the fire and lived at the Barbizon on Lexington Avenue in New York City for a time. A letter to a friend suggests that she was trying to acquire an apartment at one point. She also says in the letter…”I shall be traveling this year, but I’m hoping for a tour through the Carolinas and Georgia in November. We shall see.”
Eloise listed her address on the Winecoff Hotel register as being from St. Louis, Missouri. She was on a speaking tour at the time so it is not known exactly if she was living with her sister Florence or not. Her stop before Atlanta was in Charleston, South Carolina. She was in Charleston since the day before Thanksgiving because she writes a letter to her sister Florence on Francis Marion Hotel stationary Thanksgiving night. She says that the food at the Francis Marion Hotel was horrible and planned to go to the Fort Sumter Hotel for dinner. “And how I wish for your car! You’d be surprised how hard it is to cover all Charleston by foot.” Later she writes “Happily, the rain has stopped. It was pouring last night when we arrived at the airport. The office still has not been able to get a hotel reservation for me in Atlanta, but the moment they do I’ll either write or wire you, in case you decide to make the trip.” Florence never made the trip for some reason. Eloise had invited her to join her in Atlanta so they could go antique shopping and also planned to make a trip to New Orleans.
She also wrote a postcard to Florence on December 2, 1946. She says in part “Charleston enthralls me completely.” Later she says “If only I could buy a house and settle down here!” During her stay she also mentions visiting Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston and seeing the beautiful gardens and thousands of camillias blooming.
When Eloise arrived in Atlanta she checked into the Winecoff Hotel in room 1124. It is not known what happened to her in the fire but it was believed she died of smoke inhalation with her body found in her room.
When Eloise died her brother Peter never got over it. He was afraid of fire for the rest of his life. He would get nervous in a confined space particularly below the surface of the ground. Eloise was his champion and he had trouble coping without her. All of the siblings were crazy about Eloise so it was a shock to all of her siblings. Florence was somewhat introverted but a very talented person and she looked up to Eloise because she was so vivacious and outgoing. Robert loved his sister dearly but didn’t know her as well because she was out of the house by the time he was growing up.
Her sister Florence received a heartfelt telegram from the University of Oregon College of Education…..”From the grieving faculty and students of the Oregon College of Education we send to Eloise’s family sincerest sympathy….and that her beauty and literary spirit may be an enduring memory for us and a precious tradition for all who love beautiful words. We are establishing today the Eloise Buck memorial award for excellence in English Scholarship. With humility and devotion may we in this way perpetuate her presence among us.”
Her brother Robert really didn’t talk about Eloise that much. It seems that he didn’t know much about what happened to his sister in the fire. It was a tragic family event that the family didn’t talk about. In fact relatives never told Eloise’s mother that she had died in the fire because they felt it would be too upsetting for her. They told her that Eloise had died of a heart attack. Eloise’s mother Hattie was very difficult to deal with and were afraid of how she would react.
Sources:
Hazel Buck/Wallace phone interview – February 2012
Eugene, Oregon newspaper
Bill Buck/Wallace phone interview – February 27, 2012
Hazel Buck/Wallace phone interview – February 2012
Eugene, Oregon newspaper
Bill Buck/Wallace phone interview – February 27, 2012
