Helena Modjeska Chase

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Helena Modjeska Chase Johnson Drea (née Chase, September 23, 1900 - December 22, 1986) was an American artist, author, musician and a photographer. She was best known illustrator of children's books and oil paintings.

Early life[]

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Helena was the youngest of four children.^[1] Her father, Clement Chase, who owned a newspaper and a bookstore, was a women's rights advocate and encouraged Helena's energetic nature and belief that she could do what she wished with her life. Her mother, Lula Belle Edwards, tried unsuccessfully to mold Hinton into a more traditional woman's role. Both her parents were ahead of their time by giving her a wide and liberal education. Helena Chase J. Drea (as she was later known) remembers a delightful home life, with opportunities of meeting guests from everywhere, especially artists, writers, actors and dancers. Her grandfather Col. Champion Spaulding Chase had been mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, USA, and her parents entertained a great deal. Her grandfather Champion Chase brought the first Wagnerian Operas to Omaha.

Education[]

In addition to taking art lessons and dancing lessons (at the same Chamber's Academy Ballroom where Fred Astaire and his sister Adele were training), she took piano lessons from Miss Effie Ellis and her 'Method'. After kindergarten and public school, she attended Brownell Hall, an Episcopal Church School for young ladies, whose aim was to make them 'as the polished pillars of the temples of the church.

She started the "Adventure Trails Publications" in 1945 at her ranch in Steamboat Springs. Her daughter, Elizabeth (then 19) wrote "The Vengeance of the Vixen" in 1945. Her daughter Priscilla (then 15) wrote and published "How the Eggplant Came to Be" Her daughter Elizabeth's book "The Travels of Chiquita" was printed in 1947.^[2] She was known to have published books under the Pseudonym name of Charity Chase^[3] such as her book "Peanuts' (And cowboy Jimminy)" ^[4][5]

The family was fortunate in that her father owned several banking papers and a 'Weekly Society' paper; the advertisers therein often paid in the form of free lessons, clothing, groceries, hats, dentistry, and other necessities. At the age of 11 Chase studied at the Chicago Art Institute, followed by the Chicago Girls' Latin School; Mary C. Wheeler School, Providence, Rhode Island; Woodstock, New York, Art Students' League; Colorado Springs Art Centre; Parsons Art School, and other establishments.

She went to Omaha Public Schools, Brownell Hall, Chicago Girls Latin School, Art institute of Chicago (Juvenile Dept.), Mary C. Wheeler School in Providence R.I., Chicago Art Institute, and the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts where she graduated in 1923. She married just after the graduation.

A member of the Arabian Horse Registry of American, incorporated, Chase raised Polish-bred registered Arabian Horses. Over many years she bred and raised Shetland ponies and 2 wild Mustangs from Douglas Mountain, North West Colorado (she learned to ride by herself along with her five children).

In later years, after bringing up five children, she joined the Putney Graduate School of Teacher Education's "World Study Trip", and received a Masters of Education degree in 1958. During the preceding years, 1956–57, she travelled though 38 countries with sleeping bag and tent, visiting Europe, the Middle East, Russia and Africa.^[6]

Artist and Writer[]

Winning recognition as an artist and writer, Drea has been a publisher of books for small children, Adventure Trails Publications. These have found a place in the Library of Congress, by request. Her book "The Child's World" appeared in 1971,^[7] and she has contributed to the anthologies "Timberlines" (1943–64), "Golden Harvest" (1921–71), "Quaderni di Poesa" (1971), and " Skylines" (1964-79). Many of her poems have been set to music, and she has received a number of honours and awards for her work, of which she declares 'I can't remember most of them'.

Her paintings have been exhibited across the US,^[8] winning many prizes, and her name has been listed in the "Dictionary of International Biography", "Who's Who in the West" and "Who's Who of American Women", amongst other biographical works. She was very active with her painting and writing throughout her life, Drea had a family of five children, 22 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

From "The Child's World" she quotes her own verse:

'Let every child in any land
Have food, and space for growing:
A Chance to learn - and understand.
With love that's overflowing'."

She had 5 children in under 8 years and was widowed at the age of 31 (when Harry Johnson died). She published children's books^[9] and magazines, exhibited paintings in public Libraries coast to coast, taught at Putney, VT and Hickory Ridge Schools, and raised Mustangs, Palominos, and Arabian Horses on the old Rock Cliff Ranch and in Steamboat Springs, CO. A lot of her poetry was published (first published at the age of 6).

Real Estate[]

She often was an operator in real estate. In 1939, Helena Chase Johnson bought "The Little Hotel by the Sea" (now called the Grande Colonial Hotel) in La Jolla, CA and named it "La Posada".^[10] It had seven small rooms for guests.^[11] After renovations she owned and operated the hotel for more than 25 years. It was known as the "Smallest hotel in the World with an Elevator" as its elevator held six people and was made of solid mahogany wood.^[12] After renovating the hotel, Helena C. Johnson and her 5 children opened the hotel with a grand opening celebration in 1940. They also had their two small Shetland ponies called Peanuts and Pardner help as official greeters in the hotel. These two ponies were considered as part of the family and were included in everything such as parties, birthday celebrations, holidays, and daily evening suppers.^[13]

She purchased a ranch at Steamboat Springs, CO (after selling her Winnetka, IL mansion) so that her oldest daughter, Mansi, could attend the Perry Mansfield Girls Camp. It offered super good Music and Dance and Theater programs. She raised her 5 children on a 1000-acre horse ranch which they called "Pines Spring Ranch."^[14] It had the Continental Divide as a backyard. It used to be called Storm Mountain but now it is called Mount Warner and is a famous ski area. When World War II broke out she rented out her farm in Vermont and went into buying and selling property, and wrote a book "Horse Trading in Houses".

She started her large herd of horses initially by going on a wild horse round up in the Sand Wash country between Utah and Colorado and brought back a wild black filly who produced palomino offspring. She loved adventure, took cold weather and hardships in her stride and would rather ski up a mountain than down it. She rode her mustang and Arabian horses on many rugged packtrips high on the Continental Divide in the Mount Zerkel Wilderness area.

She sold her Shetland ponies (Peanuts, Pardner and Popcorn) to the youngest son Hannes Von Trapp (of the Trapp family singers) up at Stowe, VT.

She studied Asiatic dancing, studied ballroom dancing, taught rhythms at Putney, could play the piano, viola, banjo, drums. She was interested in painting, writing, travelling, raising horses, real-estate, children's books, reading, art, and music. She was also very interested in her Genealogy! She embarked in a world trip for a thesis on Children's Art, she had been collecting children's things (dolls, etc.) since a child.^[15]

Helena was a very colorful personality, courageous and adventure loving. She had poems published in many papers and magazines. She was also an amateur musician herself playing several instruments, including the viola, on which she was 3rd Solo Violist in the Bach Brandenburg Concerto in the Putney Chamber Orchestra under Norwood Hinkle. She played the piano since she was a child and studied the cello in California. She played the drums in Hull House in Chicago and was a virtuoso banjo player.

She had great concern about the state of the world and always championed the cause of the down trodden and the oppressed. After being a widow for 33 years (from 1932 to 1965), she married the well known Colorado Springs Physician, Dr. William Frances Drea in 1965.

Helena Modjeska Chase Johnson Drea, 86, a former Colorado Springs resident of more than 40 years, died on 22 Dec. 1986 at 2:10 p.m. in Santa Fe, NM.

References[]