Plautz, Dorothy, 1928- .

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

ARRANGEMENT: The collection is organized into three series: 1) Correspondence, undated; 2) Scrapbooks, 1960-2007; and 3) Writings, 1987-1994, undated. Scrapbooks are listed according to volume numbers assigned by the processing archivists. The date span of each volume was transcribed from the cover of the scrapbook itself, when such information was available.

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The collection is organized into three series.

1. Correspondence, undated. This series includes a photocopy of a letter from Plautz to her stepsons regarding copies of the scrapbooks that she made for them.
2. Scrapbooks, 1960-2007. The scrapbooks include a variety of documents, including programs from school events and local theatre productions, report cards, greeting cards, vacation souvenirs, postcards, documents related to jobs held by Plautz or other family members, and photocopies of local newspaper and magazine articles written by Plautz. A number of local theatre groups--including the Centre Stage Dinner Playhouse, the Melody Top Theatre, the Sunset Playhouse, the Skylight Theatre, and several other community theatre groups primarily from Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Oconto counties--are represented in the collection with programs, photographs from productions, and ticket stubs.
3. Writings, 1987-1994, undated. Series includes short stories recounting events and family members from Plautz's youth when she lived on a farm in rural Eureka, Wisconsin. Plautz's research for her genealogical books, including Der Stammbaum of the Merkley-Merkle Family, 1795-1976: From Rottweil and Stetten, Germany, to Town of Vinland, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, is also documented in this series.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Dorothy (Marsh) Plautz was born on November 11, 1928, in Neenah, Wisconsin, the only child of Elwin and Eleanor Marsh. She was raised Roman Catholic on the family farm in rural Eureka (Winnebago County), Wisconsin. She attended Bell School, a country school with one teacher for all of the children in kindergarten through eighth grades. Later, she rode the bus to attend Omro High School. In high school she met her first husband Noel Craig. They were married after World War II and their daughter Valorie was born on July 15, 1949.

According to Mrs. Plautz, the marriage was apparently troubled early on. Plautz wrote about her marriage to Craig in Four Generations of Women, which is included in the collection. The Craig family first lived in Eureka, close to their families before Dorothy insisted they move to Omro, Wisconsin in the 1950s. Dorothy remained married to Noel Craig for fifteen years, despite the tumultuous nature of their relationship. Craig abused her throughout their years together and Dorothy stated that she feared for her life on many occasions. During this time, Dorothy consulted a parish priest for guidance, but was frustrated with his advice to remain with her husband despite the reported abuse, neglect, and extramarital affairs. She gradually moved away from Roman Catholicism and in the 1950s became a member of the Lutheran Church.

After Dorothy’s divorce from Noel Craig, she continued to work and live in Omro with her daughter Valorie. She became friends with another divorced woman and it was while they were at a dinner together that she met her second husband, Alan Brunka, in 1960. Brunka was also divorced and had custody of his sons, Tom and Jim, ages three and five. Shortly after their introduction, Dorothy answered an advertisement for a part-time assistant to organize a company’s accounts. The company turned out to be Control Engineering, Brunka’s business. The two eventually began dating and were married in 1961.

The Brunkas moved to Oconto, Wisconsin in 1961 where Alan pursued his career as an electrical engineer after dissolving his business. Mrs. Plautz wrote that the family also moved away from Alan’s mother, Ethel Brunka, who had been caring for Tom and Jim since Alan’s divorce from his wife Lillian, but did not treat the boys well. She was a source of contention for the rest of the marriage for allegedly abusing the boys and allowing their mother visitation when the courts prohibited it. Throughout their youth, Dorothy feared that Lillian would attempt to take the boys away.

According to Mrs. Plautz, the Brunka family moved to Wales, Wisconsin in 1964 when Alan began a new job. During this time, Alan and Dorothy became involved in local theatre groups and spent many evenings out at theatrical presentations. Dorothy worked in various office positions throughout her marriage to Brunka. As the children grew older, Dorothy was able to return to work full time. Dorothy’s parents, Elwin and Eleanor “Nellie” Marsh, began spending winters with their daughter’s family in Wales to save the expense of heating their farmhouse in Eureka.

By 1976, Valorie, Tom, and Jim had completed their education and were no longer living with Alan and Dorothy. Dorothy began taking English and creative writing classes through the University of Wisconsin--Extension, and at Carroll College. Alan decided to sell their home in Wales and move to a larger house in Palmyra, Wisconsin that needed significant repair and remodeling. She wrote that Alan convinced her to move by pledging that the house in Palmyra was his way of replacing her home in Oconto that she was forced to sell in the early years of their marriage. However, the Brunka’s marriage had been going through a difficult period and according to Dorothy when Dorothy learned of Alan’s extramarital affairs, she moved from Palmyra to an apartment in Waukesha, Wisconsin with the assistance of her children.

In 1978 Dorothy secured a job as a nurse’s assistant at Westmoreland Manor in Waukesha and went about the business of rebuilding her life. Her divorce from Alan Brunka was finalized in 1979. She married Paul Ogrizovich, Sr. in 1979 after caring for him at Westmoreland Manor. Ogrizovich had been hospitalized after a stroke and was still in need of medical assistance. With Dorothy’s support, Paul moved out of the nursing facility for the first time in over a decade and Dorothy became an important figure in the lives of Paul and his children. Paul and Dorothy purchased a house in Waukesha and undertook a remodeling project to make their home handicap accessible. Paul died on December 22, 1985 due to complications from pneumonia.

Dorothy continued to live in their home in Waukesha, was employed part-time doing office work, researched family genealogies, and wrote numerous short stories, articles for local newspapers, as well as a number of books. In 1989, Dorothy married John Plautz, her fourth husband. The Plautz’s met at a meeting of a Milwaukee group called Widows Or Widowers (WOW) in 1987. After their marriage, she sold her house in Waukesha and moved to his home in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Dorothy Plautz published her first book, Der Stammbaum of the Merkley-Merkle Family, 1795-1976: From Rottweil and Stetten, Germany, to Town of Vinland, Winnebago County, Wisconsin in 1976. The genealogy book traced the history of her mother’s family and was followed by books about the Marsh, Craig, Brunka, and Ogrizovich families. She also wrote the history of the Noldan family. Dorothy’s daughter Valorie married Larry Noldan in 1973. Dorothy became a close friend of Larry Noldan’s mother and grandmother and interviewed them for the book. In addition to genealogical research, Dorothy also undertook local history research and published her first book of historical fiction, The Glass House, in 1987. Two more works of fiction, The Homecoming of Amanda Cane and Sins and Secrets, followed it in 1988 and 1994 respectively. Her writing also included numerous articles for local newspapers, which were generally her remembrances about events from the past, or stories that she was told as a child. She also wrote a series of articles for Camping and RV Magazine entitled "Have Camper, Will Travel." She recommended vacation destinations and provided illustrations based on her own experiences traveling across the United States.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Plautz, Dorothy, 1928- . Dorothy Platz papers, 1960-2007. UWM Manuscript Collection 170. University Manuscript Collection. Archives. UWM Libraries. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

RELATED COLLECTION:

Marsh, Eleanor, 1896- . Papers, 1902-1998. (UWM Manuscript Collection 162)

ACQUISITION: Dorothy Marsh Plautz of Greenfield, Wisconsin donated the first accession to the Archives in October 1999 (1999-065). She donated a second accession in March 2007 (2006-053).

PROCESSING: Amy Schindler processed accession 1999-065 at the Archives from August 2000 to May 2001. Ryan Claringbole processed accession 2006-053 in May 2007.

CONSERVATION: Due to their poor condition, the scrapbooks in accession 1999-065 were disassembled. Print materials (e.g., greeting cards, letters, and programs) were removed from each scrapbook. Newspaper clippings were photocopied onto acid-free paper, and the originals were then discarded. These original print materials and photocopies are housed in boxes 1-10. Photographs were also removed and placed in Mylar sleeves. Before being removed, the photographs were photocopied in situ to preserve original captions and other textual information. These photographs and photocopies are housed in boxes 10-14.

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Last edited on Wednesday May 1, 2007.
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