She Remembers That Day in May Seventy-Seven Years Ago— At ninety-two, most of the memories of Charlotte B. Richards are between the covers of her precious book. And she can look at them all —the happy ones, the terribly sad ones— calmly, philosophically. One of the memories is of that day in May, seventy-seven years ago when she was Mendon’s May Queen. Her dress was of pink organdy with lace and garlands of roses decorating it. The petticoat was even more wonderful— It was all tucked with lace insertions and it looked so grand through the pink organdy,
Mrs. Richards remembers. They wouldn’t let me choose my escort. They gave me Emir Richards and I did so want LeRoy Baker.
My maids were Alice Ladle, Artemisia Richards, Jennie Richards, Clara Sorensen, Edith Sorensen and Mabel Gardner.
They are all gone now.
We still had the old rock church then, and they had the crowning of the May Queen and the dancing of the maypole on the grass by the church, just like they do today.
When it was over, my mother invited the marshal of the day, all the band members, my maids and their escorts, fifty in all to dinner. We had a grand time.
Mrs. Richards was born in Mendon, December 28th 1885 to William and Elizabeth Matilda Wennergren Barrett. She grew up there and attended the old rock school. She married her Roy after he came home from an L.D.S. mission to the southern states, on December 11th, 1907. They had a marvelously happy but brief time together. He died of diphtheria eight months and thirteen days after they were married. Their baby son was born six weeks later and only lived six months. She went back to her parent’s home to live.
I prayed to die. I didn’t want to live,
she said. Then members of the Logan L.D.S. Temple presidency spoke to her parents about her coming to work at the temple. She worked there for ten years until she married Willard Richards. They had three children. Mr. Richards died in 1961 and their oldest son has died. She has a son Joseph B. (Richards) who lives southwest of Mendon and a daughter LeOra Valdez who lives in Ogden. She has twelve grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Mrs. Richards is proud of the fact that she is still able to go to church services and Relief Society. I made one-hundred percent attendance when I was ninety. I missed one meeting when I was ninety-one and one-hundred percent when I was ninety-two and one-hundred percent so far this year,
she said.
She is especially grateful to her niece Mrs. Mozelle Sorensen who takes her to church and to Relief Society meetings. She misses the old days when people used to visit more, and all those grand pioneers were alive,
but she gets along well. Her nephew has lived with her for thirty-five years and helps to take care of her. When she learned that this year’s May Queen was Tresa Quinlan, she invited her to come for a visit and congratulated her on being chosen. Tresa will be crowned Saturday at ten a.m. on the lawn by the Mendon L.D.S. ward church. If the weather is bad, the ceremony will move indoors. Mrs. Richards plans to be present as she has been every year for the past seventy-seven.
A photograph from Charlotte Richards' scrapbook shows her in the pink organdy dress she wore seventy-seven years ago when she was crowned Mendon May Queen.
Her face lights up into a smile at the memory of the May Day celebration by the old rock church in Mendon. Mrs. Richards can readily name her maids, her escort, and the young gent who she really wanted for an escort. In a more thoughtful moment, right photo, she recalls also the tragedy of her first brief marriage.
When I was sixteen years old I was chosen queen for the May Day celebration. Emer Richards was my Arch Bishop. I wanted LaRoy Baker but Emer had been chosen. I had several of my friends for maids, they had their escorts. Joseph Hancock was Marshal of the day. Mendon had a band, mother invited them all to dinner, fifty in all. Father killed a calf for the occasion, this was a happy day. In the evening we went to the dance in Richards Hall. Thanks to dear mother, Elizabeth W. Barrett, from your loving daughter,