Julilly House Kohler
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Julilly House Kohler (October 18, 1908 – December 24, 1976) was a member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin and was writer of books for children. She lived in
Kohler, Wisconsin Kohler is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Sheboygan River. The population was 2,120 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Originally called Ri ...
. She was active in social work and community projects, and was well known for advocacy for the preservation of
burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...
constructed by the North American
Mound Builders A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than 5 ...
at
Sheboygan Indian Mound Park The Sheboygan Indian Mound Park is a public park in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Its main attraction is 18 Indian burial mounds distributed over 15 acres. The Kletzien Mound Group, located within the park, was added to the National Register of Histori ...
.


Biography

Julilly House was born in
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, Ohio, on October 18, 1908, the only child of William Henry House and Mary Lilly Waller. The family moved to
Morganfield, Kentucky Morganfield is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Union County, Kentucky, Union County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the county seat, seat of its county. The population was 3,285 as of the year 2010 United States Census, ...
, and then to
Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...
, where Kohler spent most of her early years, graduating from Central High School in 1926. She then attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1930 with a degree in French literature. Kohler was a member of
Theta Sigma Phi The Association for Women in Communications (AWC) is an American professional organization for women in the communications industry. History Theta Sigma Phi The Association for Women in Communications began in 1909 as Theta Sigma Phi (), an ho ...
, a national fraternity for women in journalism. While she was working in Chicago at Marshall Field & Co, she met John Michael Kohler III, who was at the time assigned as manager of the
Kohler Company Kohler Co., founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, is an American manufacturing company based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and ...
's Chicago branch office. John Kohler was the son of Walter J. Kohler Sr. They were married on January 7, 1933. The couple resided in the Chicago area until Mr. Kohler was transferred to the Kohler Company home offices in 1937. In 1948 they purchased Riverbend, the Tudor estate in Kohler originally built by Mr. Kohler's father, Gov, Walter J. Kohler Sr. The estate is currently a private resort operated as part of the Kohler Experience. The couple had four children: John Michael Kohler IV (1935–), William Collin Kohler (1937–), Julilly Waller Kohler (1942–), and Marie House Kohler (1951–).


Writing career

Kohler began her writing career as a hobby, beginning with children's stories that were published in Story Parade, Child Life, and
Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...
and gained notability for publication of the children's books, ''Farmer Collins'' and ''Football Trees'' in the 1940s. She also made contributions to adult magazines like
McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-f ...
,
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, and Library Journal. Julilly Kohler achieved a degree of national prominence through her writing, particularly as the author of 10 children's books and two non-fiction books. Her best known book was ''The Boy Who Stole The Elephant.'' Walt Disney Productions purchased rights to the book and adapted it to television in two one-hour shows on the Walt Disney Hour in 1970. Many of her stories were drawn from experiences of her Kentucky childhood.


Social and philanthropic work

In 1954 she was elected an alumnae trustee of Wellesley College at Wellesley, Massachusetts, and served on the board for a six-year term. Her Wellesley association involved invitations to be a visiting observer of classes and administration. In 1956 she co-founded the Town and Country Garden Club based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. One of her early community activities was organizing and producing a radio quiz show program, Readers Roundup, under the American Association of University Women, which was designed to encourage reading by young people. She was active with the Sheboygan Community Players, both as a performer and board member. In 1967, she organized and led a campaign to preserve the historic Indian mounds, south of Sheboygan, which resulted in the site being designated as
Sheboygan Indian Mound Park The Sheboygan Indian Mound Park is a public park in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Its main attraction is 18 Indian burial mounds distributed over 15 acres. The Kletzien Mound Group, located within the park, was added to the National Register of Histori ...
. In 1968 Kohler was the registered agent for the incorporation of the Sheboygan Indian Mound Park Association, Inc. In 1981, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In recognition of that work, she was awarded the Sears Roebuck National Civic Improvement Medal presented by the National Council of State Garden Clubs. After her husband died in 1968, Mrs. Kohler was asked to take his place as an active trustee of Ripon College, serving in that capacity for five years from 1968 until 1975. In addition, she was appointed to the visiting committee of Harvard University's Department of Anthropology. Other recognitions included the City of Milwaukee Award of Merit and the first annual Civic Development Award from the Sheboygan Area Garden Clubs.


Bibliography


Children's books

#''Farmer Collins'', (1947), Kohler and Englebrecht #''Football Trees'', (1947), Kohler #''Daniel in the Cub Scout Den'' (1951), Kohler #''Harmony Ahead'' (1952), Kohler #''The Boy Who Stole The Elephant'' (1952), Kohler #''Crazy As You Look!'' (1954), Kohler #''Friend to All'' (1954), Kohler #''The Sun Shines Bright'' (1956), Kohler #''Razzberry Jamboree'' (1957), Kohler #''Collins and his Rabbit'' (1969), Kohler


Non-fiction

#''You and the Constitution of the United States'' (1963), Witty, Kohler, and Finney #''Plants and Flowers to Decorate Your Home'' (1977) (posthumous), Kohler,


References


External links


Riverbend
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kohler, Julilly House 1908 births 1976 deaths People from Sheboygan, Wisconsin Wellesley College alumni Kohler family of Wisconsin Philanthropists from Wisconsin Writers from Cincinnati Writers from Wisconsin People from Kohler, Wisconsin