Alice Dougan Donovan (August 16, 1880 – March 28, 1971) was an American actress, clubwoman, and writer. She taught writing in Minnesota, and wrote poems and plays.

Alice Dougan Donovan
A young white woman with dark hair
Alice Dougan (later Donovan), from the 1902 yearbook of the University of Minnesota
BornAugust 16, 1880
Saint Paul, Minnesota
DiedMarch 28, 1971 (aged 90)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Occupation(s)Actress, poet, writer
Children3, including Hedley Donovan

Early life

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Alice Dougan was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the daughter of Hedley Vicars Dougan and Mollie Knox Dougan.[1] Her father was from Canada. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1902.[2] She wrote the song "Sisters Let Us Sing Again" for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.[3]

Career

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Donovan taught school as a young woman.[4] She appeared in three silent films: The Greater Call (1910), Taming a Tyrant (1911), and A Leap Year Elopement (1912). She taught creative writing classes,[5] and wrote short stories, poems, and plays, many of them for school or community use,[6] including Meeting to Music (a "musical burlesque" set at a women's club) and Rummage to Rhythm (another "musical burlesque", set at a rummage sale).[7] She was active in the Minneapolis College Women's Club[8][9][10] and in the Minnesota branch of the National League of American Pen Women.[11]

Publications

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  • Meeting to Music (play, 1933, with Henrietta Kessenich)[12]
  • Rummage to Rhythm (play, 1934, with Henrietta Kessenich)[13]
  • Music at the Crossroads (play, 1935)[14]
  • Miss Westfield High (play, 1940)[15]
  • Music on the Menu (play, 1941)[16]
  • Ring in the New (play, 1941)[17]
  • A Sitter for Sonny (play, 1950)[18]

Personal life

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Dougan married mining engineer Percy Williams Donovan in 1910.[19][20] They had three children,[21] including son Hedley Donovan, who became a noted journalist and editor.[22] They were still married when she died in 1971, in Minneapolis, at the age of 90.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Mrs. Mollie Knox Dougan". Star Tribune. 1950-11-01. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ University of Minnesota. The Gopher 15(1902): 44.
  3. ^ Songs of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity., 1916, OCLC 20611731, retrieved 2022-07-11
  4. ^ "Mrs. Percy W. Donovan". Star Tribune. 1971-03-30. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "College Clubs to Read Work of Pen Section". Star Tribune. 1934-04-08. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Donovan, Alice D. (2008-07-01). "Public Library, c 1926". Public Library Quarterly. 27 (3): 242–243. doi:10.1080/01616840802229511. ISSN 0161-6846. S2CID 31419690.
  7. ^ a b "Alice Dougan Donovan, Wrote Poems and Plays". The New York Times. 1971-03-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  8. ^ "Mrs. Percy Donovan on Forum Program". Star Tribune. 1937-04-25. p. 60. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Mrs. Percy Donovan Gives Review". The Minneapolis Star. 1937-04-28. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "School and College Groups Active". The Minneapolis Star. 1936-05-09. p. 30. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "State Pen Women Note 20th Anniversary". Star Tribune. 1947-10-30. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Donovan, Alice D; Kessenich, Henrietta (1933). "Meeting to music," a musical burlesque on a woman's club meeting. Minneapolis, Minn.: Northwestern Press. OCLC 18761975.
  13. ^ Donovan, Alice D; Kessenich, Henrietta (1934). "Rummage to rhythm", a musical burlesque on a rummage sale. Minneapolis, Minn.: Northwestern Press. OCLC 18761985.
  14. ^ Donovan, Alice D (1935). Music at the crossroads: a one-act farce introducing musical features. OCLC 4817485.
  15. ^ Donovan, Alice D (1940). Miss Westfield High, a comedy in three acts. Minneapolis, Minn.: The Northwestern Press. OCLC 18778213.
  16. ^ Donovan, Alice D (1941). Music on the menu, a comedy in two scenes, with musical interludes. Minneapolis, Minn.: The Northwestern Press. OCLC 18761980.
  17. ^ Donovan, Alice D (1941). Ring in the new; a drama in one act. Minneapolis, Minn.: The Northwestern Press. OCLC 18761990.
  18. ^ Donovan, Alice D (1950). A sitter for Sonny, a comedy in one act. Minneapolis: Northwestern Press. OCLC 18761995.
  19. ^ "Donovan-Dougan Nuptials". The Brainerd Daily Dispatch. 1910-06-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Percy Donovans to Mark 50th Anniversary". Star Tribune. 1960-06-24. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-07-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Collection: Hedley Donovan papers". University of Minnesota Archival Collections Guides. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  22. ^ Jones, Alex S. (1990-08-14). "Hedley Donovan Is Dead at 76; Retired Chief Editor of Time Inc". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
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