Jean Oliver Sartor
Encyclopedia
Jean Oliver Sartor was an artist
in Shreveport
, Louisiana
, who was instrumental in the founding of the R.S. Barnwell Memorial Garden and Arts Center. A frequent exhibitor in the International Society of Experimental Artists, Sartor was also a member of the Shreveport Visual Arts Hall of Fame. Just prior to her death, she was recognized as a founding member of the Hoover Water Color Society and had a solo retrospective exhibit at the Meadows Museum of Art at Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
in Shreveport.
She painted and gardened on 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) that she shared with her husband of sixty-seven years, E. Alton Sartor, Jr. (also born 1919). She was a chairwoman of the Holiday in Dixie Cotillion and a member of the Junior League
and the Silver Rose Society. She received numerous refereed awards for her work.
Sartor was a debutante from Atlanta
, Georgia
. During World War II
, she was employed at an ammunition
plant as an artillery
shell inspector. After her marriage, she moved to Shreveport in 1940.
In the early days of the Barnwell Center, horticulturists and artists fought for dominance. As one with an interest in both fields, Sartor nevertheless took a strong stand for the artists. Among the horticulturists was Kay Tuggle Kline (1937-2010), founder of the former Posey Mart, which operated in Shreveport until 1976. At the age of fifteen, Kline was the youngest licensed florist in the state.
Daughter Elisabeth "Ibby" Harden, in an interview with society columnist
Margaret Martin of the Shreveport Times, described her mother as "eccentric." Sartor maintained a rock garden in which she divided the "good" snakes from the "bad" snakes, and she refused to allow the killing of a "good" snake. She allowed her children to keep "unusual pets, turtle
s, alligator
s, a monkey
, horned toads, guinea pig
s, mice
, cat
s and dog
s." But she would not permit an opossum that son Oliver, once hid in the basement. The creature damaged the air conditioning
insulation in the home.
Services for Sartor were held on July 31, the day before her 89th birthday, at Noel Memorial United Methodist Church in Shreveport. Interment was at Forest Park Cemetery, St. Vincent's Avenue, in Shreveport.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who was instrumental in the founding of the R.S. Barnwell Memorial Garden and Arts Center. A frequent exhibitor in the International Society of Experimental Artists, Sartor was also a member of the Shreveport Visual Arts Hall of Fame. Just prior to her death, she was recognized as a founding member of the Hoover Water Color Society and had a solo retrospective exhibit at the Meadows Museum of Art at Methodist-affiliated Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
in Shreveport.
She painted and gardened on 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) that she shared with her husband of sixty-seven years, E. Alton Sartor, Jr. (also born 1919). She was a chairwoman of the Holiday in Dixie Cotillion and a member of the Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
and the Silver Rose Society. She received numerous refereed awards for her work.
Sartor was a debutante from Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she was employed at an ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
plant as an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
shell inspector. After her marriage, she moved to Shreveport in 1940.
In the early days of the Barnwell Center, horticulturists and artists fought for dominance. As one with an interest in both fields, Sartor nevertheless took a strong stand for the artists. Among the horticulturists was Kay Tuggle Kline (1937-2010), founder of the former Posey Mart, which operated in Shreveport until 1976. At the age of fifteen, Kline was the youngest licensed florist in the state.
Daughter Elisabeth "Ibby" Harden, in an interview with society columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
Margaret Martin of the Shreveport Times, described her mother as "eccentric." Sartor maintained a rock garden in which she divided the "good" snakes from the "bad" snakes, and she refused to allow the killing of a "good" snake. She allowed her children to keep "unusual pets, turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s, alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
s, a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, horned toads, guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
s, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s and dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s." But she would not permit an opossum that son Oliver, once hid in the basement. The creature damaged the air conditioning
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
insulation in the home.
Services for Sartor were held on July 31, the day before her 89th birthday, at Noel Memorial United Methodist Church in Shreveport. Interment was at Forest Park Cemetery, St. Vincent's Avenue, in Shreveport.