Writing
Sophia Berman Molk
William Stafford
Jessie Perry Stratford
William Allen White
Sophia Berman Molk
Noted author and poet Sophia Berman Molk was born in Lithuania, Russia, on Dec. 20, 1897.
Immigrating to the United States with her family as a child, Sophia grew up in the New York area.
Coming to El Dorado, Kansas in 1924 as the bride of Isador Molk, local oil man, Mrs. Molk went on to write novels and short stories, but she is best known for her seven published volumes of poetry.
Mrs. Molk was very active in her community, as local secretary of the Red Cross and member of many civic organizations and writing clubs. She died in March of 1987.
The Sophia and Isador Molk Endowment Fund continues to provide academic scholarships for those in need at Butler Community College.
William Stafford
Nationally acclaimed American poet, noted pacifist, and English professor, William Stafford was born January 17, 1914, in Hutchinson, Kansas. His family called many Kansas towns home, including El Dorado, as his father followed employment opportunities.
Stafford served as a conscientious objector in Civilian Public Service camps during World War II. He earned his BA and MA degrees at the University of Kansas, and his PhD at the University of Iowa.
Best known for poetry, he was author of fifty-seven volumes of poetry, as well as many books of prose. He also taught for many years at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon while guest teaching in schools across the nation.
Among many honors, Stafford was the recipient of the National Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and he served as Poetry Consultant for the Library of Congress in 1970. He won the 1992 Western States Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry.
William Stafford died in Oregon on August 28, 1993.
Jessie Perry Stratford
Popular columnist, women’s editor, author and publisher; Jessie Perry Stratford’s journalism career spanned over 70 years. Born in Florence, KS Feb. 12, 1885, she was orphaned in her youth and lived with her grandparents in Brainerd, Butler Co., until moving to El Dorado in 1901.
After attending the Brumback Academy in 1903, she began her highly successful career with the Walnut Valley Times. Later associated with the Wichita Eagle, she was also owner-editor of the Burns News, the Western Butler County Times of Towanda, and the Butler Free-Lance.
She played a major role in documenting the history and the people of Butler County through articles, columns and several published books. She died in 1980, yet remains an influential figure in the County today.
William Allen White
Born in Emporia, Kansas on February 10, 1868, William Allen White was a nationally known newspaper editor for much of his life. The year following his birth, the family moved to El Dorado, where he grew up.
White attended college first in Emporia, and later at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, from 1886 to 1890.
Known as the “Sage of Kansas”, he was a noted editorialist, journalist, author of many books, and editor of The Emporia Gazette. From Emporia he welded great influence on national decisions; his words were followed in every corner of the land.
Using his writing abilities to mold national opinion, White is remembered for his debates with the Populists, his progressive campaigns, his legendary battles against the Ku Klux Klan, and his efforts to “defend America by aiding the Allies.”
Many awards have been named for White, as well as a school of journalism. He was the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and the Gold Medal for Citizenship from the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association.
