BIG VIEW

BIG VIEW Modesto

Women’s History

There have been many milestones in our country recently and even here in our community. The first woman vice president was elected giving a new voice to women across the USA and even around the world, still we are behind the curve when many other countries have had women leaders, prime ministers and presidents. There are women in Modesto’s history that have really made their marks, and one of the best legacies you can leave is the next generation that get involved and make a difference. We are just highlighting a few of the women that have made such a difference and some of these are making a difference now and are currently inspiring. I know that there are many more and we invite you to add to this group and send in your tribute to info@modestoview.com and we will publish on line.

Rose Maddox

1938 Modesto, a poor farm food-picking family in Modesto found an escape through music. With the hard work of Fred Maddox, the Maddox family found a lead singer for a KTRB radio show sponsored by Rice Furniture. Her other brother Clay Maddox played guitar to Fred’s innovative and ground breaking slappin’ bass. After WWII, the Maddox family sound gained nationwide attention, creating a new Rockabilly sound that entertained and inspired, even a young Elvis and his bassist Bill Black and generations of rockin’ cats through today and it all started here.

Odessa Johnson

From a westbound train from the segregated south to Modesto as a teacher, Odessa Johnson blazed trails. She was a highschool classmate of Jesse Jackson and her escape from the segregated south was to get an education. She taught at Modesto High until 1970 and then became an MJC counselor. She ran for office and served on the Modesto City School board, and then served UC Regent until 2012 representing the central valley. She was awarded an NAACP award in 2020 and served with the Soroptimist International of Modesto, AAUW, and Delta Kappa Gamma, inspiring a new generation of leaders.

Bette Belle Smith

Born in Modesto she lived a life of community service that started early. Bette Belle was a dancer when she was young and became really engaged in the community as she became a banker. She was named Woman of Year, Soroptimist International, in 1958 and went on to receive just about every honor possible for her generosity, willingness to volunteer and her secret sauce was to get others to volunteer. Throughout the 1970s to the 2000s, her desk at the bank was location of many “an ask” (to which you could not say no) to get involved. Her requests were irresistible and worthwhile. She was a fixture as Mrs. Modesto, Mrs. Claus, Christmas Angel for Salvation Army and at her regular spot at the summer MoBand concerts with her husband Jean where she regularly offered cookies. Our volunteer spirit in our community is strong thanks to Bette Belle.

Peggy Mensinger

Peggy was Modesto’s first woman mayor, serving from 1979 – 1987. She was a native Modestan and grew up on the area fruit drying farms, ultimately attending Stanford University. She ran and was elected to Modesto City Council in 1973. She was a strong advocate of recycling, village concepts for development, farmland preservation and campaign finance reform. She was very active with PTA, Girl Scouts and developing volunteerism with her friend Bette Belle Smith. She lead an early effort to build a performing arts center in the 1970s. She was always very friendly, humble and offered a warm welcome to her home on Magnolia.

Marie Gallo

She is Modesto’s best friend for the performing arts. Born Marie Damrell, she was trained in classical piano and performed extensively. Married to Bob Gallo and raising a large family, Marie became a force for the performing arts, working tirelessly to bring a professional performing arts center to Modesto. The Gallo Center for the Arts was the work of the strong willed Marie and her amazing army of volunteers and fund-raisers. Marie has been honored by many groups and her passion for the community and the arts was infectious and successful. Her legacy, donations, and inspiration for excellence, giving and volunteerism has inspired many that will take us to new places.

Carol Whiteside

Carol Whiteside found a new home in 1973 Modesto when her Judge husband John Whiteside moved to serve at the court. She was a great networker, gourmet chef and would run for office and serve on the Modesto City School Board in 1983. Carol was innovative and had a good vision for what our are could be and was elected Mayor in 1987 focusing on smart growth, efficient government and getting things done. Her knowledge of the area and people landed her a position with Pete Wilson’s administration in the resources agency and later created the Great Valley Center to bring much need attention and study to the Central Valley. She just recently passed away leaving a long line of people she mentored and inspired. This month, the third woman started her term as mayor.

There are so many more. There are amazing professionals, leaders, moms that will all make their mark in Modesto history. This is a long story and our plan is to showcase many more over the months and years. Please add to our story at: info@modestoview.com

Woman of History: Hazel Houser Spencer

by Stella Beratlis

Hazel Houser Spencer, Stanislaus County lyricist and composer of many country and gospel songs of renown, is not widely known outside of country music and bluegrass history circles. I’ve been on a personal mission, of sorts, to change that. This year, I nominated Hazel Houser Spencer for a Woman of History award for the Stanislaus County Commission for Women’s Outstanding Women recognition. A lyricist and composer of note, Houser Spencer is responsible for penning beloved and much-covered songs in the country gospel & bluegrass pantheon during the fifties. There are a few reasons for Houser Spencer’s relative obscurity: one, she was a creative person who did her most enduring work away from the spotlight. In addition, she was generally not at centerstage when performing, mostly functioning as a rhythm guitarist and/or harmony vocalist. Two, she was a mother with three children, a role which inherently constrained her work as an artist--as it usually does for women creatives. But motherhood certainly didn’t stop her art. She was a professional with a publishing contract to Central Songs and wrote songs that fans of classic country music treasure, notably, “Wait a Little Longer, Please Jesus,” “My Baby’s Gone,” and “River of Jordan.” Born in Heavener, Oklahoma, on June 3, 1922, Houser Spencer was one of six children born into a church family whose father was an Assembly of God minister. As did her siblings, she learned how to sing and play instruments from an early age. A literary child, she kept a notebook in which she recorded her observations and thoughts--these words became the poetry and lyrics which would eventually be crafted into songs we know today. Her family, as did others of the era, came to California after the Depression. After a while, Houser Spencer married and settled in Modesto, where she worked in canneries and ran a snack bar while raising her three children, Charlotte, Gerrie, and Doug, all the while continuing to write songs. During this time, Houser Spencer either performed or collaborated with Chester Smith, Merle Haggard, Rose Maddox, Ray Park (of pioneering bluegrass duo Vern & Ray), and many more. Smith was instrumental in bringing Houser Smith to Hollywood to sign with Central Songs, and they had a partnership that included Houser Spencer playing guitar in Smith’s band and singing harmony and duet. Later in life, with her second husband, she founded and operated Spencer’s Driving School. She retired in 1981 to Mariposa County, where she continued to play music. Family gatherings always included Houser Spencer picking up her trusty Martin guitar and leading family singalongs. She continued to write songs. She was on a first-name basis with Merle Haggard, Porter Wagoner, Minnie Pearl, as well as other country stars of the fifties who clearly recognized her as an irrefutable songwriting talent. Yet looking up Hazel Houser Spencer does not yield much beyond her status as a Modesto housewife who was incidentally a hitmaker for some of the most popular country artists of the fifties. A workingclass mother whose beautiful lyrics made an impact on people across the nation, Hazel Houser Spencer is a Central Valley literary ancestor who reminds us of the richness of the art that comes from our soil--and its influence on a much wider stage.