Note: This message was originally sent on March 26, 2019
In honor of what would have been Miss Woldson’s 109th birthday (March 26), and in celebration of the upcoming opening of the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, we choose to share a bit more about her today… enjoy…
She was the kind of woman who didn’t go unnoticed: the very embodiment of style and sophistication who frequented the Davenport Hotel for a fine meal and the Fox Theater for the latest symphony performance. And Rosauers for her groceries.
An accomplished businesswoman, musician, philanthropist and avid gardener, Miss Myrtle Woldson held a lifelong commitment to the arts, music and education.
Miss Woldson loved her father, Martin, and mother, Edwidge, dearly. It was her love for them that inspired her philanthropy within the Spokane community. In honor of her father’s love of music, Miss Woldson contributed to the restoration of the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. As a tribute to her mother’s love of gardens, she donated to the Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens, situated in Spokane’s Marycliff/Cliff Park Historic District, creating the Edwidge Woldson Park. And to commemorate her long relationship with Gonzaga University, she gave generously to support student scholarships, the Jundt Museum Art Endowment, athletics and ultimately, the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, which is dedicated to the memory of Miss Woldson’s parents, Martin and Edwidge.
Martin Woldson came to Spokane from Norway in 1893, while Edwidge hailed from Montana. Miss Woldson, who was born in 1910, grew up in Spokane with her sister, Frances. She learned how to be a member of high-society and an expert gardener from her mother. She was taught business by her father, who helped build the Northern Pacific Railway and was a successful mining investor. By the time of Martin’s passing in 1958, Miss Woldson had adopted her father’s keen eye for opportunity and sharp business sense. Through discipline, creativity and business acumen she became a successful businesswoman in her own right.
Miss Woldson was a member of the Gonzaga family – an avid Zag who attended University events and loved to cheer on the Bulldogs at basketball games. Though she did not attend Gonzaga as a student, she shared the University’s vision to create opportunities for individuals who could make positive and lasting contributions in the world. She believed in the university’s mission and values, and she found ways to support those values through her giving. Miss Woldson had just turned 104 years old when she passed away on April 11, 2014. Her quiet, private generosity to many causes in our region over time is but one of the great expressions of her legacy of love.
Possessing a unique combination of independence, kindness, intelligence, poise, discrimination, passion, and grace, Miss Woldson saw what the world had to offer and seized it – on her own particular terms. From the very beginning, it seems, she set out to live an extraordinary life. And so she did.
On April 25-28, Gonzaga Dance, Music, and Theatre students, faculty, and colleagues have collaborated on a Grand Opening production - A New Season - celebrating the vibrant season ahead for the new Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center and the arts in our region.
In a journey through the seasons, the production celebrates creativity in our region with energetic movement, imaginative costumes, colorful projections, poetry, and song. To purchase tickets go to: https://www.gonzaga.edu/myrtle-woldson-performing-arts-center/events