(From today's West Newsmagazine online edition)
Dolls, carved from soapstone and other organic materials, are thought to be among the world's oldest toys, dating back to the Paleolithic Era. But its a far more recent collection that will be featured at the Tappmeyer Homestead in Creve Coeur’s Millennium Park this month.
American Girl dolls, which became the rage a quarter century ago, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. on Aug. 14 and Aug. 28. Admission to the exhibit is free, but donations are encouraged.
At 2 p.m. on Aug. 14, the story of one of those dolls, Nanea Mitchell, will be brought to life over Zoom by the woman who inspired it. Registration is required for this event via email at TappmeyerHomestead@gmail.com, or through the link online at TappmeyerHomestead.org.
Kansas City resident Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson will share what it was like to be a 6-year-old girl residing in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when Japan bombed the harbor and the U.S. officially entered World War II.
“We moved to Pearl Harbor (from Honolulu) in early 1941,” Nicholson explained. “My mom got a job with Pan American World Airways. At that time, that was the only way you flew to the islands – on sea clippers – and you landed in Pearl Harbor. We rented a house there, so mom could walk to work. Little did we know that by the end of the year, we would be right there at Ground Zero of where the attack was going to happen.
“I remember standing in the front yard with my dad on the morning of the 7th. There was so much noise and we could feel our house shake and hear the explosions, and airplanes (which she later learned were torpedo bombers) were flying right over our house.”
Nicholson also recalled how her family hid in their car in the sugar cane fields after President Franklin D. Roosevelt told Gov. Joseph Poindexter that Pearl Harbor was under martial (military) law. She said her family knew what was happening because they were glued to their car radio.
The military police refused to let any area citizens return home until the area was cleared, so Nicholson and mom, dad, little brother and dog were taken to live at nearby Sugar Plantation Village. They were fingerprinted and had to carry gas masks and I.D. card at all times, she said. Air raid drills were common and phones were off limits except for emergency use. Schools were closed until February and there was large-scale rationing.
Sharing the stories and history of Pearl Harbor, WWII and Hawaii have become part of Nicholson's life work. She especially enjoys speaking in classrooms and sharing her story with children. In fact, she wrote a book for them: "Pearl Harbor Child: A Child's View of Pearl Harbor from Attack to Peace." It is available on her website (pearlharborchild.com) along with an accompanying coloring book and other titles penned by Nicholson and her husband, Larry.
At age 81, Nicholson was asked by American Girl to serve on the advisory panel for Nanea, whose motto is "When fear strikes, let the aloha spirit be your guide."
"Because I went through the bombing and lived in the middle of the harbor and went through all of it at about the same age as Nanea, they asked me to be an advisor and I was thrilled," Nicholson told the Today Show at the time of the doll's release in 2017.
(Nanea Mitchell, American Girl)
How Nicholson came to be invited to the Tappmeyer House is another interesting story.
“I serve on the board of Missouri Humanities Council. Dorinda Nicholson was also a board member," explained Laura Dierberg Ayers, who is on the board of the Tappmeyer House Foundation.
"I knew that she was originally from Hawaii and that she witnessed Pearl Harbor. One time, she mentioned that the Pleasant Company, the original maker of the American Girl doll, was interviewing her for the inspiration of their Hawaiian featured American Girl doll named Nanea.”
On Aug. 15, an American Girl evening camp, sponsored by the Creve Coeur Parks Department and led by Bellerive Elementary teacher Ashley Jelovic, will also highlight Hawaii and the story of Nanea.
Two previous evening camps featuring other American Girl dolls took place in June and July.
"It’s a wonderful setting for this historic doll collection," Ayers said. From personal history, she should know. "Tappmeyer was my family’s homestead. My mother was the last generation to be raised at the house, but my parents and I lived off Mason Road after my parents got married. I spent a significant amount of time almost every week at my grandparents’ house."
As a Tappmeyer House Foundation board member, Ayers is involved in its programs and noted that the Spirit of St. Louis Doll Collectors Club also will have members' dolls on display at the home on Aug. 14. Additionally, members of the community will have their American Girl dolls and some of their homemade accessories on display.
