24 April 1957 “Happy Easter”

Of course, in 1957 Easter Sunday was on the 21st.

I think I have mentioned the Easter Seal before, but here is a quick bit of it’s history:

The organization that would become Easter Seals was founded by Edgar Allen, an Ohio-businessman who lost his son in a streetcar crash. The lack of adequate medical services available to save his son prompted Allen to sell his business and begin a fund-raising campaign to build a hospital in his hometown of Elyria, Ohio. That hospital continues to operate today as Elyria Memorial Hospital. After the hospital was built, Allen learned that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view. Inspired by this discovery, in 1919 he founded what would become the National Society for Crippled Children, the first organization of its kind.
     The birth of the Easter Seals seal
In the spring of 1934, the organization launched its first "seals" campaign to raise money for its services after funding declined during the Great Depression. To show support for the program, donors purchased the seals and placed them on envelopes and letters, in addition to normal postage. Cleveland Plain Dealer cartoonist J.H. Donahey designed the first seal. Donahey based the design on a concept of simplicity because those served by the charity asked "simply for the right to live a normal life." The overwhelming public support for the seals campaign raised $47,000, over twice the annual budget, and triggered a nationwide expansion of the organization and a swell of grassroots efforts on behalf of people with disabilities. In 1944, the organization broadened its mission to help adults and achieved a nationwide reach by 1950.  The "Easter Seals" name emerges.

Though both men and women often wear hats on a daily basis, Easter certainly is the time to show off that new “bonnet”.

Look at the Easter Bonnet spectrum from this 1951 darling cloche to today’s ‘57 version. Check out the images from 1950 to 1959 HERE.

 

Even Elvis is having a grand ole’ time this year at Easter with new girlfriend Yvonne Lime. This year,1957, Yvonne was chosen to co-star with Elvis Presley in Loving You in which she played the role of Sally. Elvis and Yvonne developed more than a professional interest in one another- and they dated some during the filming. On Easter weekend of 1957 she even went to visit him at Graceland, his Memphis home.

Here they are celebrating that fun day:

Here is an interesting performance from this year’s Easter Sunday on the TV show The Ted Mack Amateur Hour. Has anyone ever heard of Rick Pearce? I wonder if he ever made it even in a small way?

Here are two different views of this Easter. The first is Easter ‘down on the farm’. You can see that harvesting needs to be done even on Easter and then many gather to a pot luck or “pot latch” in the lovely Spring lawns of the farm.

Here we see the happy little Suburban Family in their Easter best. Though I notice Father and Son are not wearing ties, suit coats or hats. I wonder if they simply were off by now, as I assume they had them on earlier in the day, what do you think?

Well, have a lovely Easter Sunday. We are off to my MIL today. She is just back from Florida for the beginning of the coming Summer. I am excited to talk Gardening with her and of course hear of their latest boating adventures down south this past winter.

I will be making my chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing. The recipe is HERE on this post.

Happy Easter and may you have a lovely warm day filled with laughter and wonderful memories to come.