Hilma Powers was the first woman elected to the Vancouver City Council, serving from March 1952 to June 1954.
That distinction helped put Powers among a select group of women. She is one of 40 community contributors whose portraits are part of the “Founding Mothers” art project.
But even among this gallery of distinguished women, Powers has a special distinction: She is the only one wearing a first lady’s hat.
When artist Hilarie Couture looked for a likeness of Powers, who died in 1958, she found a photograph at the Clark County Historical Museum. And the caption for that photo notes that Powers is wearing Mamie Eisenhower’s hat.
Brad Richardson, museum curator, provided some background. After Dwight Eisenhower was elected president in 1952, the local Soroptimist International group wrote a letter asking Mrs. Eisenhower to donate one of her hats to a fund-raising project. The service club was seeking to restore a local landmark.
As the letter explained, the building now known as the Grant House as named for a one-time Vancouver Army officer who — like Ike — led our nation to victory and went on to become president.
And Mamie Eisenhower responded. “I am delighted to send you one of my hats,” she wrote in a letter accompanying her donation.
More than 20 women who contributed to the restoration project had their photographs taken while modeling the first lady’s hat.
The hat and the exchange of letters now are in the Clark County Historical Museum, where the “Founding Mothers” portrait collection will go on display on Aug. 19.
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