Mabel (Roscoe Miller) Busick

Birth: She was born around 1887 in Minnesota.

Family Information: Wife of Bert Busick.

Mother of Beulah and Charles Miller, Roscoe, Fred, Vivian, Iris, Byron and Bill Busick. (She was the widow of Bert's nephew -- his sister Cecilia Busick Miller's son -- before their marriage.)

Sister to Leo Sylvester Roscoe.

Description: She [went] about her work with a smile and g[ave] each customer a friendly greeting."

Pre-Colony History: The family came to the colony from Washington in March 1922.  

Home in Colony:  

Job in Colony: She worked in the commissary where she could be found every morning, noon, and night.

In June 1928 Bergold, Barron, Mrs. Busick and her crew of kiddies picked the berry patch. Also helping with the berries were Mrs. Rogers and McLane.

In October 1929 she was working with Garfield Miller in the candy factory, "concocting a tempting variety of sweets. Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla Jap bars were being wrapped and boxed in readiness for the salesman to deliver."

In 1930 she was working as a teacher in the colony school.

In March 1934, she, assisted by her daughter, Vivian, was washing windows and scrubbing floors at the hotel; on Mondays, she gathered the bedding from the hotel and sent it to the laundry, then put it away for the next week.

In 1936 she was helping out at the bakery which was managed by Florine Peecher. 

Other Info: She was often part of the theater program. Preparing for the May Day's entertainment in 1928 Anna Besse was presiding at the piano, accompanied by Peter Borg on the violin while Comrade Condon was practicing his song. Other performers were Kenneth Thurman and Comrade Tefteller. Also the orchestra under Bob Snyder, Mrs. Hewitt and Mrs. Busick.

In 1928 she was one of the founding members of the local Conscientious Objectors Union; Theodore Atworth served as the first Secretary-Treasurer with O.E. Enfield serving as the President. The organization was planned to be international, composed of people who refused to go to war as a matter of conscience. Charter members included: Theodore Atworth, Mary H. Atworth, Emily H. Dougherty, I.A. Dougherty, Carl H. Gleeser, S. Weislander, Charlie C. Black, John Hight, Lowell H. Coate, W.A. Shutt, F.O. Jernberg, Reka Jernberg, Anna Tabb, Peter Kemp, F. Rosenburg, B. Wade Hewitt, Hamilton H. McClurg, W.J. Hoag, Theodore F. Landrum, C.N. Butts, Mary Snyder, George Snyder, Anna Garrett, Emma Shutt, M.A. Brattland, Richard P. Condon, Jr., Emily Swenson, W.J. Newman, George T. Pickett, Raymond DeFausell, S.E. Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Molenar, Earl L. Bosch, Guy F. Rogers, Ora E. Newman, James J. Miller, Bert and Mabel D. Busick, Ole Synoground, C.C. Mickey, Fred A. Jensen, Katie Mickey, F. Rahn and Isaac H. Keyes.

On May Day, 1935, some dissatisfied colonists -- most of them younger members who had not yet earned their right to vote on colony decisions -- held a meeting while Pickett was out of town and elected a new Board of Directors that didn't include George Pickett. Doc Williams, an on-again / off-again colonist from the early years in California, was elected President; Eugene Carl, a new member who'd only been at the colony about three months -- he was still a probationer and consequently didn't even have voting rights in colony matters, was elected Executive Director; and Walter Robison, also a recent arrival, was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Pickett and his supporters fought the action in the Vernon Parish courts, but even though the courts ruled the new board was not legal, they also refused to name Pickett's board as the legal directors, so the disagreements within the colony only continued to escalate.

Read the Court Judgment dated September 6, 1935.

In order to claim that an official board had been properly elected after the court judgment had been handed down, the new board and leaders held another election. They advertised for former colonists to send in their proxies and adopted a rule permitting all resident members who had been at the colony more than sixty days to vote in the election, provided too few proxies were received to hold a regular stock holders' meeting.

In September 1935 she signed a statement supporting John Szpila's letter, which had been published in the September 21, 1935 issue of the "Llano Colonist" and spelled out the reasons the overthrow of former General Manager, George T. Pickett, had been necessary.

In October 1935 she was nominated to be on the self-proclaimed "legal" Board of Directors, along with (in order of nomination), Robert K. Williams, E.D. Carl, Lester Caves, Crockett Campbell, John Szpila, Harold Emery, Charles Lawrence, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Chester Page, Horace Cronk, George Hullinger, Walter Robison, "Chauncey" DuProz, Mrs. Olive Lentz, Lionel Crossland, Charles Derleth, J.H. "Dad" Ribbing and Cy Horney.

As expected, less than one fourth the required stock was represented at the Stockholders' meeting, so the colonists proceeded with the election of a new board of directors as planned. Those selected were: Robert K. Williams, E.C. Carl, Lester Caves, Crockett Campbell, Harold Emery, Chester Peecher, E.O. Joynes, Charles Lawrence, and Chester Page. Runners up were Mrs. Mabel Busick, Horace Cronk and John Szpila.

This new board tried to make improvements to colony life, but after the first year, finances were in such a state that the court appointed a receiver to help them straighten out their affairs. Two different receivers tried to calm the colonists and persuade them to work together, but this proved fruitless.

In June, 1937, as disaster loomed, some control was returned to Pickett when he was asked to be, first the Farm Superintendent, then the Ice Plant Manager, and finally in control of all colony industries. Unfortunately, it was too late; within months the receiver petitioned the court for permission to sell the land and soon began to divide the property into smaller lots which were sold at auction for much less than their actual value.

Post-Colony History: In May 1937 it was reported that Vivian had received a letter from her mother announcing that the family had had a very pleasant trip to Tacoma, Washington. In July of that year Iris [and presumably her husband] joined them there.

Death:  

Sources: Family Source: Val Busick; "Vernon Parish Democrat": February 28, 1929; "Llano Colonist": May 26, 1928, June 23, 1928, June 30, 1928, December 22, 1928, October 12, 1929, March 31, 1934, August 24, 1935, October 12, 1935, March 14, 1936, December 19, 1936, May 8, 1937, July 10, 1937; US Census: 1930