Margaret Turner Clack's work can be seen in Havre today

The Montana Historical Society is planning a yearlong celebration of women's contributions to Montana next year, the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the state.

The H. Earl Clack Museum plans to join the celebration and got off to an early start Saturday.

As part of Living History, the museum held tea parties honoring Margaret Turner Clack, H. Earl Clark’s wife.

Judi Dritshulas, the museum board’s chair, portrayed Margaret Turner Clack. She passed around pictures of the Clacks. In each one, Mrs. Clack wore beads, so in her honor, Dritshulas wore beads.

Mrs. Clack played an important role in community life during Havre’s early days, she said. But like many women in that era, she was overshadowed by her husband.

H. Earl Clack certainly played a key role in the community’s business history. He operated many businesses, including a series of 200 gas stations from one end of the Hi-Line to the other. Many of the stations were accompanied by the motels where visitors could stay for the night.

The gas stations are gone, but many of Mrs. Clack’s contributions are still felt in Havre today.

She was a member of the Women‘s Club at the Havre Library, which made many contributions to the library.

She was a charter member of PEO, which provides scholarships to high school seniors who are headed to colleges. Dritshulas is a member today.

Clack was a charter member of the Havre Daughters of the American Revolution, and was active in First Presbyterian Church. Today pews at the church have red upholstery that was donated by the Clacks.

She and her husband built the Girl Scout House that remains today.

She was active at Deaconess Hospital, one of the forerunners of Northern Montana Hospital.

She was a member of Order of Eastern Star, a group that still provides volunteer services to the community.

And she was a member of the Montana Institute of the Arts.

At age 80, she decided she would do something for herself and joined a book club that she thoroughly enjoyed, Dritshulas said.

H. Earl died in 1955, but Margaret continued to be involved in community life. At age 84, she moved to Memphis, Tenn., where she lived close to her daughter.

She died at age 105. She and her husband are buried in Highland Cemetery.

Dritshulas said she put together the information from a variety of sources, including relatives who remain in Missoula.

But some family facts will remain a secret.

One attendee at the tea asked Dritshulas the key question.

“What does the H. in H. Earl Clack stand for?”

Dritshulas said she asked Toni Hagener, her mentor in her studies of local history and a longtime friend.

“Toni wouldn’t tell me,” she said.

It was a secret, Hagener told her. Clack didn’t like the name and didn’t want people to know.

So Hagener is keeping it a secret.

Saturday’s tea is the first of many celebrations the museum will have honoring women who have played a key role in Hi-Line history.

Many of the women have not received enough attention in the past. Men made history, women did not.

So the coming year should be of interest to be people who follow local history.

The Clack Museum got off to a good start. I look forward to seeing more.

(John Kelleher is managing editor of the Harve Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected], 406-265-6795, ext. 17, or 406-390-0798.)