Kane, Evelyn Gurley

KANE, GURLEY

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 6/30/2019 at 19:55:50

Evelyn Gurley Kane

Among the early pioneers who settled the Colony which later became Lamoni was the family of Zenos H. Gurley. At that time the settlement was small and the institutions which played such a vital part in the development of a new country – the church and the school – as well as the social gatherings of the Colony, present responsibilities which called for active support and participation, and none entered into these activities more enthusiastically than did the members of this particular family.

Zenos H. Gurley, as history records, was one of the outstanding leaders of the movement which brought so many of the early settlers to this locality, and being one of the motivating figures in all community activities it was but natural for him to encourage other members of his family to participate freely in these activities. One daughter was adept at playing the organ and served in this capacity whenever there was occasion for congregational or community singing. Another daughter, Evelyn, was especially good at “speaking pieces,” as they called it in those days, and few programs of that period were complete without her contributions in that line.

And while her listeners were thinking in terms of temporary pleasure or appreciation of her efforts, her thoughts and dreams were soaring far beyond the confines of that little pioneer village, and in fancy she envisioned the time when she would appear as reader and interpreter of dramatic roles in the large cities where she would appear with the celebrities of the country.

Notwithstanding these dreams and ambitions, romance came into her life and when she reached womanhood she became the wife of Frank Kane. Her marriage, however, apparently had no effect upon the plans she had made earlier in life, and she continued her course of study and preparation for the career she had chosen to follow.

My first acquaintance with her came when as a pal of her younger brother, I spent much time in the Gurley home. A few years later she was elected instructor of elocution and oratory at Graceland College and it was then I had opportunity to work with her and to appreciate her ability and the devotion and enthusiasm she displayed for her art.

In connection with her work at the college she directed the dramatics department of the institution and presented numerous plays which naturally were of great interest to the people of the college and community. She was very thorough in her preparation of these productions, and among other details she always insisted upon having incidental music with each of them. At that time I had charge of the local mandolin club, which was the nearest thing to an orchestra Lamoni had at that time, and she depended upon me to see that the members of the club were there for each general rehearsal of the cast.

This was not always an easy thing to do, as there was no monetary consideration involved, and very often there were long pauses during the rehearsals, which periods of inactivity became very monotonous and it was difficult to maintain interest and preserve control of the group. This condition existed with the musicians and members of the cast alike, and at one time, during such a pause while Mrs. Kane was concerned with some detail backstage, some of the musicians started playing one of the popular tunes of the day. This proved more of a temptation then inactive youth could stand and as there was no one present to restrain them, chairs were rapidly pushed back out of the way, and pairing into couples the idle members of the cast proceeded to join gayly in swinging the light fantastic over the floor of the college chapel.

A moment later Mrs. Kane appeared upon the scene and sensing the situation she commanded the dancers to desist immediately. Ordinarily it took but a word from her to obtain the discipline she desired but in this case it was something different. The youngsters, having obtained a taste of this type of forbidden fruit and finding it to their liking, were not inclined to be subdued by ordinary methods. By turns she scolded and pleaded with them, but failing in these efforts, she commanded me to stop the music only to find me to be as powerless as she. After a time, however, it became evident that her words were having some effect, as one by one couples began dropping out and before too long a time order was restored and the play practice resumed as though nothing unusual had occurred.

Even though her time was well taken up at the school, she often appeared as reader both upon local programs as well as programs in surrounding towns. In this line of endeavor she was really gifted and did not seem to be satisfied unless working at it. At one time she arranged a concert tour for our mandolin club to be presented under the auspices of certain churches in a number of towns surrounding Lamoni. On this tour she accompanied us as reader. This was before the days of automobiles, and transportation then was quite a problem, most of the towns being made by horse-drawn hack. As I remember it, this venture proved anything but successful financially , but it did offer some opportunity for artistic development, and so far as Mrs. Kane was concerned this seemed to be the all-important thing.

She was employed at Graceland but a short time, when she left Lamoni to enter the entertainment field professionally. At intervals she mailed me programs of her appearances upon the lyceum and Chautauqua platforms. At first her appearances were with rather unpretentious companies upon routine circuits, but each one seemed to show improvement over previous ones until finally she was appearing as assisting artist with internationally famous concert performers, recognized as the best in their chosen fields. One of these I am sure must have given her as great a thrill as she knew it would give me – a program listing her on tour with Samuel Siegel, at that time recognized as the world's greatest mandolinist. The last one of these programs I remember receiving listed her as one of the assisting artists on tour of the principal cities of the United States with the U. S. Marine Band – the President's Own. She had reached the top rung of the ladder of her artistic ideals – indeed a far cry from barnstorming with a group of amateurs in the inland towns of southern Iowa.

Evelyn Gurley Kane, by dint of her own effort, had attained the goal she had set for herself in the days of those programs given in that little Sunday school in the Colony which later became Lamoni – an example which should offer a world of encouragement to young people of today, surrounded by numberless opportunities the like of which she knew nothing.

For many years Graceland College and Lamoni have felt justifiable pride in the dramatic efforts of the College Players, and without doubt there has existed upon the college hill a living interest in this activity which is unusual for a school and community this size. Many people have contributed to this development, and to many a great deal of credit is due. In this development, however, I think I can see the culmination of ideals and dreams implanted in the very roots of the institution and nurtured and cultivated by people like Evelyn Gurley Kane. She was a woman of forceful personality and unusual ability, a tireless worker who possessed initiative and drive which recognized only success . . . an outstanding character in Lamoni's passing parade.

SOURCE: ANTHONY, Joseph H. Lamoni's Passing Parade. p. 48. ca. 1948.
Courtesy of Jean Beltzer

IN CHICAGO
Mrs. Evelyn GURLEY KANE, at this entertainment of our lecture course, drew the largest audience we have had, she having an exceptional pleasing personality and possessing rare ability, soon captured the audience and held their rapt attention throughout the entire evening, they expressing their pleasure by continued applause. ~ Chicago, Ill., Jan. 20th, 1905.

The Woman's Club
A most pleasant afternoon was spent at the Ladie's Club on Monday afternoon at which "IF I WERE KING" was given by Evelyn GURLEY KANE, director of the Dramatic Art Department of the Bush Temple Conservatory of Chicago. The piece is one of thoroughly attractive quality from beginning to end, in the interpretation of which Mrs. KANE shows much talent. Verstility in her art marked teh interpretation from the character of Louis XIV, the weak King of France, to Francois Villon, the hero. The mother of Francois, infirmed with age but ever ready to die for the child if need be, the strong virtuous charactor of Katerine DeVaucelles and the many minor characters. With each and all the characters the listeners felt sad of glad, happy of unhappy, and could see the scenes as if they were pictured before them. ~ Sandwich, Ill., Nov. 28th, 1905.

WASHINGTON STAR, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Miss Clara Barton entertained at dinner at her home in Glen Echo, Md. last evening. Evelyn GURLEY KANE Of the Bush Temple Conservatory, Chicago, was present and during the evening contributed several numbers. The first was the Garden Scene from "IF I WERE KING" which, by request of Miss Barton, Chaplain couden of the National Congress, House of Representatives, and other guests, was followed by the the remaining scenes of the play, pleasing those in attendance, and holding them spellbound by the realistic rendition of the story. ~ Washington, D.C., Jan. 1907.

Evelyn Gertrude GURLEY, daughter of Zenas H. and Grace (ROBINSON) GURLEY of Lamoni, Iowa, married Joseph Franklin KANE of Fairmount, in the same state, Nov. 7, 1894.

Children of Joseph F. KANE and Evelyn G. GURLEY, his wife:

Franklin Cecil, born Sept. 7, 1895.

Mr. Joseph F. KANE, occupation, farming and stock raising.

SOURCES:
Traveling Culture: Circuit Chatutauqua in the Twentieth Century, The University Libraries, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.

GURLEY, Albert Ebenezer. History and Genealogy of the Gurley Family. p. 450. Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co. Hartford, Conn. 1897.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2013