Unknown Peoria Newspaper
Circa July 1946
Mr. and Mrs. A. Maywood Courtright, 823 North Sheridan Road, will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary July 26 as their seven children, five sons and two daughters, and their twelve grandchildren look back over those years in which each in his time has been priviledged to share, they pronounce them good.
Mr. and Mrs. Courtright fostered creative independence in their children and as a result just about all of the cultural arts have some place in their family life.
Albert Maywood, eldest son, who lives in Muskegon, Mich., is a musician. Receiving his Master's degree at Columbia University he is a pianist of exceptional ability; he conducts an orchestra and teaches music at Muskegon High School. His wife is a French Canadian and they have two musical youngsters. Yolanda [sic], who plays the piano and violin; and Allen [sic], who divides his time between the piano and the trumpet.
Raymond Douglas, the second son, lives in New York City. He is export manager for the Bowser Pump Company and is a gifted linguist putting 25 languages to commercial use. For two years he was stationed in London and he spent much time in Central and South Americas. He has three children, Grace, Connie and Robert who also speak several languages.
A daughter, Evalyn Ruth, is Mrs. Warner of Columbus, Ohio and her two children are Pricilla [sic] and David who are interested in just about everything. Her husband is a metalurgist and she prides herself on her culinary expertness.
Hiram Brooks Courtright is principal of the High school at Sheldon, Ill., and his three children are John, Joanne and a baby, Terry, who is the youngest of all the Courtright grandchildren.
John Earl Courtright, the fourth son, has distinguished himself as an artist and today is recognized as one of the foremost mural painters in the country. He started his art career at the old Art Institute, Peoria, working under J. E. McBirney, director. Later he painted murals for Mr. McBirney in Chicago. Some of his religous murals are in Central Christian church and in Salem Lutheran church here.
John left Peoria in 1928 to attend the Bauhaus School of Design in Chicago where he studied sculpture under Archipenko, celebrated Russian modernist.
His wife, Lucy Jane, he met at the Art Institute in Chicago. She is an industrial designer working in fabrics and they have two children, Jan and Kathie [sic], who like to paint. The father thinks Kathie [sic] will probably be a circus performer because she is so active! They now make their home in Lakeland, Florida.
Florence and Bill, the two youngest children of Mr. and Mrs. Courtright's highly interesting family are not married. Florence, now a teacher of commercial subjects at Roosevelt Junior High school was a WAC during the war stationed at Newberg, N. Y., where she taught blind flying to West Point cadets . . . the only woman engaged in such work. She is the historian of the family.
Bill, youngest of the seven children has been in Washington for the past five years in the personel department of the Department of Interior.
Evalyn, Brooks, Florence, and Bill are all graduates of Bradley college. John spent two years there and then went to Chicago to study art. The other children received their education in the east. All of the boys are members of the Sigma Phi fraternity and the girls are Lambda Phis.
Mr. and Mrs. Courtright came to Peoria from Paulding, Ohio in 1921, establishing themselves at the Sheridan road address. Since that time they have been active in the social and cultural affairs in the community and in Central Christian church. For many years, Mr. Courtright was an elder in the church and is now elder emeritus.
Mrs. Courtright is prominent in women activities including the North Peoria Women's club; the Missionary society and also the War Mother's club of the church.
Mr. Courtright is still active in business and seldom misses a day at his office in the Board of Trade building.