I have been saddened this month by having learned of the death of former Albert Lea resident Virginia (Bergie) Wamsley.

Thursday, February 14, 2002

I have been saddened this month by having learned of the death of former Albert Lea resident Virginia (Bergie) Wamsley. A graduate of Albert Lea High School, Class of 1942, Virginia has two brothers, Romeo and Bidney Bergie, and their respective wives, Marga and Marie, still living in Albert Lea.

She and her husband, who died some years ago, had been living in Ohio after leaving Albert Lea. They are survived by a son, Brett, and twin daughters, Marcia Cesalu, 6961 Shiloh Rd., Goshen, Ohio 45122; and Marilyn Dobmeyer.

It was Marcia who telephoned me last Friday and asked that her mother’s friends send notes regarding their memories of Mrs. Wamsley to be used in a memorial service.

She will undoubtedly still have many friends here. Years ago I did a story about her and because she was an extremely beautiful woman the entire male segment of Tribune photos passed the press photo around among themselves and with all respect commented on her looks.

She was also a talented woman. An artist, she painted a number of pictures; a talented musician, she sang in the High School Chorale, while in school, and also did some singing professionally. She designed and made her own clothes and could have made a career as a dressmaker had she chosen.

I have not seen Virginia since 1981, when she came to attend a memorial exhibit of the paintings of her youngest brother, Murdoc, who had recently died.

Every death must be attended with regret, but when it takes from view those who have shared so much beauty with us, there is sometimes a deeper and more overwhelming sense of loss.

Kim Barr, who some weeks ago was employed in some capacity in the one-time home of Mark Twain and his family in Hartford, Conn., sparked my interest again in the writer. I’ve been reading his note books.

I’ve also read other things about him. I can’t imagine his books being banned in any library. I’ve also lost a bit of my admiration for Louisa May Alcott on learning that she said if Twain were going to write books like &uot;Huckleberry Finn&uot; for young people he should give up writing for them at all.

It seems to me unlikely that &uot;Huckleberry Finn&uot; was written for young people. Even as a child, though, I preferred it to &uot;Little Women.&uot;

As I recall it was the summer of 1986 when I attended the Mark Twain Writing Conference at LaGrange College in Hannibal. I had no idea what LaGrange College was, I just wanted to see Hannibal. There was, also, a Cruikshank Mansion there I wanted to visit.

LaGrange College turned out to be the most fundamental of all fundamental colleges. A publisher, from a religious publishing firm, read my novel (which I’m still trying to sell.)

He said it was too impure for his house and unfortunately not impure enough for most contemporary publishers. He seemed so sad about my prospects that I tried to cheer him up by telling him that I intended to throw in a couple of rapes in the next chapter or two.

Unfortunately for the purity of the school, one of the students attending was a retired dentist, suffering obviously from some form of senility dementia. It manifested itself in his invading the women’s dormitory in his bathrobe and flashing up and down the hall.

Outraged, the women gathered themselves to complain to the administration. They were somewhat annoyed with me for not joining the group. One thing about being a sleep walker, if you’re tired enough – and I was staying up all night and writing – you can walk through the halls, have your shower, return to your room, dress and be in the process of combing your hair before you wake up. I never saw the flasher.

Questioned by the staff head, I pointed out that I felt too much emphasis on purity was unhealthful and provoked flashing and the like. He was not pleased with me but didn’t throw the dentist out of the conference.

I was afraid that the most pure of my new friends felt I was a bad influence. At the end of the session, though, they took me out to dinner and presented me with a teddy bear. It was wearing blue jeans and had a note in its pocket reading, &uot;To Love from her fundamentalist friends.&uot; I still treasure it.

Love Cruikshank is an Albert Lea resident. Her column appears Thursdays.