History of The Trillium Doll Club
In the early 1970’s led by two special ladies, Pearl Hannah and Lea Ray Greenburg, groups of doll lovers met informally at each other’s homes to talk “dolls”.
On July 22, 1974 The Toronto Star featured an article by Pearl Hannah about her 1100 dolls after she returned from a meeting of the International Doll Association with 13 ribbons for the 14 dolls she had entered into competition. She invited persons interested in forming a branch of the International Doll Association to call her. The article obviously struck a chord.
On October 17, 1974 the newly minted Trillium Doll Club met at the home of Anne North, then at 701 Don Mills Road in Toronto, with 15 people attending that meeting.
Pearl Hannah was elected president, Lea Rae Greenberg, vice-president and Wendi Yates, secretary. Mildred Fournier was appointed membership convenor.
On July 22, 1974 The Toronto Star featured an article by Pearl Hannah about her 1100 dolls after she returned from a meeting of the International Doll Association with 13 ribbons for the 14 dolls she had entered into competition. She invited persons interested in forming a branch of the International Doll Association to call her. The article obviously struck a chord.
On October 17, 1974 the newly minted Trillium Doll Club met at the home of Anne North, then at 701 Don Mills Road in Toronto, with 15 people attending that meeting.
Pearl Hannah was elected president, Lea Rae Greenberg, vice-president and Wendi Yates, secretary. Mildred Fournier was appointed membership convenor.
Celebrating 40 Years October 2014!
At first meetings still took place in members’ homes but it did not take long for the number of members to increase to 49 members. At that time membership cost $2.- per year. In 1977 it was decided that people’s homes were no longer large enough for meetings and the club moved to the Don Mills Library at 888 Lawrence Ave East.
Another article in the Toronto Star dated Saturday September 4, 1982 featured John and Jean Francis with some of the dolls of their doll hospital and museum –all run from their home in Scarborough. The couple stressed that they were unwilling to give away their secrets on how to fix composition dolls. We are lucky that nowadays we just have to Google it to get answers to these old secrets!
In the 1980’s Jean Francis took over as president.
Another article appeared in the Toronto Star on November 22, 1983, this time about the handcrafted doll collection of Dorothy Jane Fockler (one of the founding members of the Trillium Doll Club).
These articles in the Toronto Star undoubtedly helped swell the membership numbers.
In the 1990’s the Don Mills Library was being renovated and the club moved around to several temporary locations and this caused many members to drop out and they never returned. When work on the library was finally finished, the club returned to the Don Mills Library, but found that they no longer had a kitchen and no storage facilities for supplies. It meant tedious carrying back and forth of supply boxes. Not surprisingly, the rent went up after the renovation, not a problem at first but for later years when the club membership decreased with the waning popularity of doll collecting.
In its heyday the club had about 75 members, and during the Don Mills Library renovations had to meet in a facility such as the local Scarborough Bendale library (re an article published on Thursday March 22, 1990 in the Toronto Star again about Jean Francis’s doll collection).
On October 20th, 1994 the club celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Don Mills Library with what appeared to be a most enjoyable party.
But as the doll collecting hobby craze ran its course, membership declined to eventually about a dozen people by about 2005. With such low numbers the club was able to hold its meetings first in private homes, but later in a more permanent location: in January 1997 a small meeting room at the Wexford Presbyterian Church on #7 Elinor Avenue in Scarborough became its home.
Allistair Clarkson one of the elders took excellent care of the club members during the first few years.
About 20 members attended the 25th anniversary party in October 1999.
We are all looking forward to the 40th anniversary party, due to be held in October 2014.
Another article in the Toronto Star dated Saturday September 4, 1982 featured John and Jean Francis with some of the dolls of their doll hospital and museum –all run from their home in Scarborough. The couple stressed that they were unwilling to give away their secrets on how to fix composition dolls. We are lucky that nowadays we just have to Google it to get answers to these old secrets!
In the 1980’s Jean Francis took over as president.
Another article appeared in the Toronto Star on November 22, 1983, this time about the handcrafted doll collection of Dorothy Jane Fockler (one of the founding members of the Trillium Doll Club).
These articles in the Toronto Star undoubtedly helped swell the membership numbers.
In the 1990’s the Don Mills Library was being renovated and the club moved around to several temporary locations and this caused many members to drop out and they never returned. When work on the library was finally finished, the club returned to the Don Mills Library, but found that they no longer had a kitchen and no storage facilities for supplies. It meant tedious carrying back and forth of supply boxes. Not surprisingly, the rent went up after the renovation, not a problem at first but for later years when the club membership decreased with the waning popularity of doll collecting.
In its heyday the club had about 75 members, and during the Don Mills Library renovations had to meet in a facility such as the local Scarborough Bendale library (re an article published on Thursday March 22, 1990 in the Toronto Star again about Jean Francis’s doll collection).
On October 20th, 1994 the club celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Don Mills Library with what appeared to be a most enjoyable party.
But as the doll collecting hobby craze ran its course, membership declined to eventually about a dozen people by about 2005. With such low numbers the club was able to hold its meetings first in private homes, but later in a more permanent location: in January 1997 a small meeting room at the Wexford Presbyterian Church on #7 Elinor Avenue in Scarborough became its home.
Allistair Clarkson one of the elders took excellent care of the club members during the first few years.
About 20 members attended the 25th anniversary party in October 1999.
We are all looking forward to the 40th anniversary party, due to be held in October 2014.
