A photograph that appeared in the West Schuylkill Press & Pine Grove Herald, April 25, 1952, featured four Tremont High School girls who performed at the Tremont Women’s Club at its April meeting.
The photo caption stated the following:
ENTERTAINERS: The THS “Agony Quarter,” a foursome of good singers, behind the black-face makeup are, left to right: Diana Reinfort; Fay Fulmer; Dolores Lehman; and Clara Mae Precise. Polaroid Photo by Press Herald.
The article accompanying the photo was entitled “Gift Presented to Retiring President.”
Installation of new officers highlighted the monthly meeting of the Tremont Woman’s Club held last Friday evening in the social hall of the Methodist Church….
Following the business session, a program was presented by the Literature and Education Committee, Mrs. Norman Fetterolf, chairman. There were selections by the “Agony Quarter” of Tremont High School, comprised of Clara Mae Precise, Diana Kemfort, Dolores Lehman, and Fay Fulmer. The black-face group made a big hit with their close harmony of popular songs….
According to the article, the following members of the sponsoring organization attended the meeting:
Mrs. Albert Kutzer [new president]; Mrs. Paul Bechtel [treasurer]; Mrs. George Lindsay [recording secretary]; Mrs. William Hoff Jr.; Mrs. Clarence Kohr; Mrs. Wilbur Brown; Mrs. Laine Mack; Mrs. Marlin Imschweiler; Betty Heinbach; Mrs. Harry Bixler; Mrs. William Connell; Mrs. Walter Kreis; Mrs. Edith Ochs; Helen McCaughley; Mrs. Arthur Dillman [vice president]; Mrs. David McCaughley; Mrs. Harry Yocum; Mrs. Mae Schoffstall, Mrs. William Morgan; Mrs. Ammon Rentschler; Mrs. Norman Fetterolf; Mrs. Joseph Bambrick; Mrs. Gabriel Derr; Mrs. Ivan Hand [named also as a performer, but not in black-face]; Mrs. Alfred White; Mrs. Elmer Hoffman [retiring president]; Mrs. Richard Smith [new member]; Mrs. Charles Miller; Mae Bashore; Helen Miller [past president]; and a guest Mrs. Helen Gay Sheley of Pine Grove.
Persons named in the article as officers, but not listed as “present:” Mrs. Frank Dimon [recording secretary].
White men and women, who blackened their faces, and performed emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans, for the purpose of getting laughs were often the most prominent people in the community. In the case of this quartet, it was an official musical group of the Tremont High School, Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, supported by the Board of Education of Tremont, and it was invited to perform at the Tremont Women’s Club meeting, held at the Methodist Church.
This post is part of a series in which news articles, photographs and other “memorabilia” are presented to show how “black-face” was infused into the culture of the Lykens Valley area. Readers are invited to submit photos and recollections on how long this offensive “entertainment” lasted and what locals thought of it as part of the culture of the area.
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News articles from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.