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| 1909 QUEEN OF THE OCCIDENT, HELEN DORRINGTON |
The
quest for dual queens to rule over the festivities of the national fair was
continued when the 2nd edition of the Manila Carnival went underway
in 1909. There was no problem with the search for the Oriental Queen as there
were so many qualified beauties to choose from--the Ilocana Julia Agcaoili was
elected to reign as the native sovereign. Finding the Occidental Queen to
succeed Marjorie Colton was more challenging as there were few American misses
around at that time.
To make
the lives of the carnival organizers easier, one of the ladies in Miss Colton’s
1908s court was quickly handpicked to take over her throne—Nebraska-born Helen
Minor Dorrington (b. 5 Aug. 1888/ d. 5 Mar. 1984). The 21-year old beauty came
from a family of impeccable pedigree, the daughter of Col. Lafayette Albert
Dorrington (b. Feb. 1864/ d. 8 Oct.1934), a Spanish-American War veteran.
He had
served as the government receiver of land in Chadron, back in 1888, when the government opened up the
Sioux Indian lands for homesteading. Entering the Spanish-American War, he
served as a first lieutenant in the 34th infantry and later in the Philippine-American
War, where he commanded a group of 50 male scouts.
After
the war, and upon the establishment of the civil government in 1900, Dorrington
was made the custodian of all government buildings in Manila.He also was member
of the Masonic and Elks lodges in Manila.
Helen’s
mother was Cordelia Augusta Minor, a Missouri native (b.12 Jul. 1863/d. 12 Jan.
1957), a direct descendant of Mary Ball, the mother of George Washington, and a
member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She and her husband lived
in Manila with their daughter, Helen, for many years, and became a prominent
part of the growing American community that regularly took part in social
activities and goodwill-building events that included the Manila Carnival.
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| QUEEN OF THE ORIENT, JULIA AGCAOILI |
From a
member of the 1908 Occidental court, Helen became the Queen of the Occident, reigning
alongside the native Queen of the Orient. Not much is known about her reign;
one extant picture of her appears on a 1909 Carnival supplement published by
Philippine Free Press. It shows a crowned, aristocratic-looking woman with an
austere smile, dressed in a glittering gown, and bedecked with jewellery like
necklaces and rings.
Four
years after her 15 minutes of fame, Helen Dorrington returned to the United
States in 1913, following the appointment of her father as chief inspector of
the interior department in Washington. It was here that Helen met and married Air
Force Col. Henry Clinton Kress Muhlenberg of Missouri (b. 6 Nov 1886/ 20 Dec.
1967).
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| HELEN'S HUSBAND, COL. HENRY KRESS MUHLENBERG |
The Dorringtons stayed in Washington for twelve years until moving to
Sacramento, California in 1925 to establish the Indian Agency. Helen and Henry
Kress Muhlenberg would have 2 sons, David, (b.6 May 1914/d. 28 Dec. 2010 ) and
John (b.1916), and by 1944 were settled in Vista, San Diego County, along with
her mother, Cordelia. David would become an air force colonel like his father,
while John made Massachusetts his residence after marriage.
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| HELEN DORRINGTON'S GRAVE AT ARLINGTON |
The
elder Dorringtons would make a final move to San Bernardino County, where Helen
was widowed in 1967. She would live for 17 more years, before passing away at
age 95 in 1984. Like her military parents and husband, they are all buried at
the Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington County, Virginia.
SOURCES:
Philippine
Free Press, 1909 Carnival Supplement
Photos: Findagrave,
Col. La Fayette A. Dorrington, Cordelia Augusta Minor Dorrington, Helen
Dorrington, Col Henry Clinton Kress Muhlenberg
“Indian
Affairs Director'sWidow Dies At Age 93”, obituary news of Cordelia Dorrington,
The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, 17 Jan. 1957, p. 52.
