Dorothy Elizabeth (Blize) Trathen

Millet

1915-2014

Description

Life and Work

Dorothy Trathen helped shape Millet into the community that it is today. Through contributing time and effort Dorothy is responsible for helping develop several institutions that continue to set Millet apart from other communities.

Born and raised in the Millet area and a student of the Coal Lake School, Dorothy spent the majority of her life in the Millet area. Marrying Ralph on January 8th, 1937, Dorothy and her new husband moved into their first home together.

Dorothy wrote the following regarding this period of her life: “We moved to a log house at Norbuck. You could swing a cat by the tail and no matter which way it went it could go through a crack in the wall. I didn’t need a dustpan, but just swept dirt through a crack in the floor. Washing the floor involved the same procedure. We stuffed the cracks with rags (of which we had plenty), and it was livable. We carried water from a dug well, a couple of blocks down the hill. It was always up hill with the full pail.” Dorothy’s sense of humour is apparent through her writing, and this likely played a part in her future as the editor of the Millet Tellim Newspaper.

While raising her family of five children, Dorothy started up Millet’s first Boy Scouts Cub Pack and was a Cubmaster for ten years. She joined the Rebekah Lodge b112, of the Independent Order of Oddfellows in 1943, and became District Deputy President three times. During this era Dorothy helped institute the Camrose Lodge. The Millet Tellim Newspaper held Dorothy as their editor for a number of years. Dorothy took great pride in her work at the paper and, through being financed by community organizations, she produced 300 copies of papers up to five pages.

For dedicating her life to the betterment of the community of Millet, Dorothy was nominated for the “Celebrate 88” award. As a result Premier Lougheed presented Dorothy with a certificate for her community work in the service category in 1984. In addition, Dorothy received the Millet Distinguished Senior Citizen award, for this both her and Ralph were given a scroll in recognition of dedicated service to the Community of Millet.

The organizations that Dorothy helped establish not only helped define Millet, but also continue to encourage a sense of community between the town’s citizens.