America has been blessed with many bold, daring, ahead-of-their-time women. Irene Carlberg was one of those women who lived ninety-one years in the 20th Century and seven years and two months in the 21st Century. When she saw a biplane, she wanted to ride on its wings - a motorcycle, she had to drive it - another plane, she had to fly it. In her nineties she was given a hot air balloon ride and didn't want to come down. She made the front page of the newspaper with a picture of her peering over the edge of the balloon's gondola. A costume maker, a nationally recognized folk artist, a coach to children learning to dance and their taxi driver everywhere - helped mentally ill persons in a large impersonal hospital, serving them in every way she could including advocating for them to her own detriment! But like the rest of the people, especially when we were young, we make mistakes, sometimes nearly fatal ones! Her first short marriage at the early age of seventeen, and its violent end, could have ruined the rest of her life. She defended herself in the best way she could in the legal atmosphere of the early 20th Century wherein women were at a definite disadvantage when it came to divorce and child support. She fought to survive poor decisions on her part, for herself and her child's sake, and she went on to live a creative life of hard work, and loving and giving to her family and many others as well.
In 1932, six years after the end of her first marriage, Irene met a rodeo rider, Irving Carlberg at a rodeo she attended in Northampton, Massachusetts. They fell in love and were married in the fall of that year. Her relationship with "sailor," Pa, Carlberg (he always wore a seaman's cap) would last for forty-eight years until his death in 1980. He adopted Rose, Irene's daughter from her first marriage, and together they had two daughters, Sonja and Judy.
Her girls took dancing lessons so Mother became an expert and creative costume maker for the shows they were in and for others as well. I have two miniature figurines that she made intricate costumes for.
But her real love was for painting in oils. When I saw her work I called her the "Grandma Moses of Northampton." Most of her paintings were in Moses' primitive style especially her "above the doorway" panels, and Shaker boxes. She loved country and sea scenes and had a great sense of color. I treasure them!
Mother had many local and regional exhibits. Many people bought her paintings so they are now scattered all over the United States. She loved to visit children at schools and she was featured in a local newspaper talking to a class about her artwork.
I live long enough (I'm 76), I hope one day to finish writing a book about her life and times.
Her most daring feat, in my opinion, was to stand between the wings of a biplane in flight, so the book will be called "The Wing Walker".
(c) 2008 Bernard J. Fleury, B.A. History and Classical Languages, Ed.D. Philosophy, Government, and Administration, is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Educational Administration. His administrative/teaching career spans more than five decades and three United States and Caribbean Colleges.
Dr. Fleury's lifelong interest in history from the perspective of the people who lived it, is evident in Chaps. 8 & 9 of A Bee in His Bonnet (website: http://www.greatgeneration.net) that is his grandfather Frank King's Great Generation story as he recorded it, and told it to his daughter and grandchildren.
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