Maybelline cousin, Caitlin Hewes, signs contract to play professional Ice Hockey overseas in Europe

Berisoff, Hewes Continue Careers in Europe. UConn graduates commit to Planegg Penguins in Munich, Germany

STORRS, Conn. – Two former members of the UConn women’s ice hockey team signed contracts to play professionally in the Elite Women’s Hockey League overseas in Europe. Forward Brittany Berisoff (Kelowna, B.C.) and defenseman Caitlin Hewes (Stillwater, Minn.) both committed to the Planegg Penguins and will be living and training in Munich, Germany.
“We are proud of Brittany and Caitlin signing professional contracts.  They deserve this opportunity and will follow in the footsteps of other alumni who have played in Europe,” head coach Chris MacKenzie said.
The Europe-bound duo, who helped UConn to its first winning record since 2009 last season, both say this will be a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
“I’m most excited about how much I am going to learn throughout the year. I have already learned so much living in the U.S. these past four years so I can’t wait to see what Germany has in store for me,” Berisoff said, “I’m also very excited to start this next chapter with Caitlin because we played together at UConn for four years, so to be able to continue our careers and play professionally together is pretty special.”
Hewes, who captained the Huskies in the 2015-16 season, says she is most excited to not really experience life in another country,
 “I think living day to day life in another culture will be a really enlightening experience,” she said.  “We also get one weekend off a month from games, which we will then have the opportunity to travel to different countries throughout Europe.  I'm really excited by the prospect of seeing all these places, especially since I've never been outside of North America.

While both former Huskies are excited for this next chapter, Berisoff and Hewes both agreed that professional careers were not in their sights until recently.
“I didn't really consider playing professionally, especially abroad,” said Hewes, “to be honest, I wasn't really aware it was an option until later in my college career.  I had heard of a few players who made the decision and they seemed like they had incredible experiences so I decided to consider it more seriously.”
Growing up, Berisoff noticed that opportunities to play professionally for women are not as common as they are for men and did not even consider the option until later in her UConn career.
“I started to realize that my hockey career was slowly coming to an end,” she said, “I decided to take this next step because I know multiple people who have played professionally abroad and they had an unreal experience, so I knew that it was the right decision to make for me.”
The recent UConn graduates stated how their experiences as student-athletes at UConn have really helped them become independent and prepared them to take this next step.
“I think that my career at Uconn prepared me for this by making me really independent and comfortable with living further away from home,” said Hewes, “the high intensity of hockey I've been playing and work ethic that Uconn has instilled in me has prepared me for any challenges I may face.”
“I went to prep-school away from home and went to University across the continent. I know that there will be hard times but they are worth it because there will also be many great times. I’m confident that UConn has prepared me for this next step because I have had to become very diligent, hardworking, and independent on and off the ice,” Berisoff said.  
Berisoff and Hewes will report for a two week training camp in Northern Italy scheduled to begin on August 27, 2016.

Caitlin Hewes, Great grandmother, on her father's side, was Maybelline's namesake Mabel Williams. Mabel, inspired her brother Tom Lyle Williams to concoct and market a simple formula called Lash-Brow-Ine, in 1915, under "Maybel Laboratories." 

In 1917, Tom Lyle renamed Lash-Brow-Ine,  Maybelline, in honor of his sister Mabel, who gave him the idea.

 Mabel Williams 1915

Mabel Williams-Hewes holding baby Joyce, along side her husband Chet Hewes with their children Shirley and Tommy.  1934

 (Tommy Hewes son,) David and his wife Karen

(Caitlin's parents.)

Congratulations Caitlin, on your great accomplishment. You honor the entire Maybelline family.  All your cousins are cheering for you to keep up the good work. I'm sure your Great grandparents and grandparents and smiling down on you from Heaven. Just remember, you come from a long line of Champions, it's in your DNA!!!

Maybelline might have been named Evaline rather than Maybelline

People have asked me why I didn't put more pictures in my book so they could see the different family members as they went from children to old age.  Well I was only allowed 13 pictures and it was a hard choice as you can imagine.

 So I'm doing a picture-bio of the main characters - starting with Tom Lyle's youngest sister Eva.  Here she is with her brother Preston, my grandfather, on their Morganfield Farm in in 1908, dressed for church I bet.  Don't you love the big bow in her hair and the posing?   Eva and Preston were very close playmates all their lives and she once told me how they loved to roam the woods around the old homestead, exploring and seeking adventure.  When young Preston got in trouble and their father Sheriff TJ locked him in jail to teach him a lesson, it was Eva who snuck in dime novels to keep him busy while he learned his big lesson.

When the family moved off the farm and into their first little warehouse/office in Chicago -with an apartment upstairs - they all helped Tom Lyle get his little Maybelline company off the ground.  Fifteen year old Eva's job was to be the "go-for" girl. When anyone needed something it was Eva who ran down the block to get it.

She once told me how when the family wanted a milk shake she gladly took a quarter for 5 drinks and ran down the street to the soda fountain, where she quickly drank her shake before slowly making her way back home so the shakes wouldn't spill.  Sometimes the walk home took so long she got thirsty and sipped a little from each siplings drink.  By the time she returned, you can just hear the flack she got from her brothers and sister, however Eva was a spitfire with a sharp wit and had a darn good reason for sipping those drinks I'm sure.

I  love this picture of my grandfather Preston and auntie E, as my dad called her.  She and Preston remained devoted even when mmgrandmother was at her wits end with his endless trouble making.  When my grandmother kicked him out of the house Eva gladly welcomed him into hers and there was nothing I mean nothing she wouldn't do for her darling brother.

Look at those beautiful Maybelline eyes with a twinkle like no others.  This picture was taken in 1924 for her sweetheart Ches Haines whom she married Oct 11th of that year.  Auntie E once told me that it could have easily been her who concocted the ingredients that gave her brother Tom Lyle the idea for Maybelline.  She was serious when she said it made her a little jealous that her sister Mabel got the credit, but then laughed at the idea of Maybelline being called Evaline.  Not quite the impact Tom Lyle was going for I'm sure.

Here is my glamorous Auntie E at her daughter June's wedding in the late 1940's.  She seemed to get more gorgeous the older she got and that quick wit made her a star in the family.  Don't you just love that feather in her hat?

 Uncle Ches the father of the bride, on the left next to June and her new husband John Gary.

 Here is a picture of Eva with her daughter Marilyn, (Ditty) taken in 1966 at Tom Lyle's estate in Bel Air California.  Eva is 65 in this picture, a beautiful, elegant lady with all the style and glamour of anyone of Maybelline's models.  Tom Lyle is sitting on the floor with Miss Snoop E. Williams and Sparkie.  He once told me chuckling, that the E in Snoop's name stood for his sister Eva.  I wonder what he meant? 

Eva is a colorful character in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.  I think you will fall in love with her just like I did.  She was one of a kind.

 I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with my cousin Jerry Westhouse, Eva's grandson, while he was in California, visiting from Chicago. The love my grandfather, Preston had for his sister Eva, and my father had for Jerry's mother Marilyn, is still is alive and well in our generation. Maybe it's our history or Maybe it's Maybelline, but, no matter what we plan to keep the magic of the family story going as long as we're alive.



 Meet Jerry Westhouse

My Daredevil Maybelline Cousin, Jerry Westhouse...a real ...

I like to brag about my Maybelline family, when ever I get the chance... as you can see from the Blog Posts I've done featuring my cousin Jerry Westhouse, below. Jerry is an accomplished race car driver, who is still connected ...

clipped from Google - 10/2015

Maybelline Heir - RACE CAR DRIVER - Jerry Westhouse

Eva and Ches Haines, with their first grandchild, Jerry Westhouse, in the 1970's. Ches continued his love for beautiful automobiles until the end of his life and passed on his legacy to his grandson, Jerry. After the Maybelline ...

Maybelline cousins,1934, during the Great Depression

Left to right - Bobby, Dick, Tommy, Marilyn, Shirley, June, Allen, Billy, Neppy, Helen, Tom Jr and baby Joyce in Chicago in 1934.

Though times were uncertain during the Great Depression, the Maybelline family worked and played together.  They were known as a tight knit tribe., They loved playing cards at each other's homes on Friday night and Sunday picnics after Church. 

My father, Billy Williams, loved Spring time at his Auntie E, and uncle Ches' home in Chicago.  He'd romp around with his cousin's June, Marilyn and  Bobby,  when he wasn't at Dundee Military School.  

Auntie E. made everything fun.   Her gaiety and charm was infectious and her laugh could light up a room.   Uncle Ches ran the distribution part of the Maybelline Company and was always ready with a quick joke or a good song.   He'd pile the kids in the car and thought nothing of cruising them  up and down Michigan Ave,  just for the fun of it.

Billy and his cousin June were best buddies.   They loved playing house by throwing a sheet over the kitchen table and crawling underneath it. Auntie E made sure they had homemade snacks and their favorite toys. 

Occasionally the whole gang joined up at Auntie Mabel and uncle Chet's home for Sunday dinner.   Bill and his cousin Shirley, liked to dress up and play Doctor and nurse,  while little Tommy volunteered to be the brave young patient getting shots.  Baby Joyce was just an infant in her mother's arms in 1934,  but she too joined in as she grew up. 

Auntie Mabel's wonderful home cooking was well known in the family and her hugs and kisses gave Bill a real sense of  stability.   Mabel was the Mother figure of the Williams family; sweet, modest and never overbearing or grandiose like Billy's mother,  Evelyn, a true city girl.  Auntie Mabel was naturally beautiful though not a glamour puss, like auntie E and Evelyn. However she was Maybelline's namesake and Tom Lyle's inspiration for his eye beautifier, soon to be coined Mascara in 1935. 

Mabel wore pencil thin eyebrows, had flawless skin and a smile that would melt your heart.  She represented motherhood, apple pie and America. Auntie Mabel's husband  uncle Chet was in charge of producing Maybelline mascara and was the epitome of the good husband and father.  Billy longed for a strong, grounded role model, his parents were never able to give him.  uncle Chet with his dry sense of humor and  sharp wit was an important figure throughout Bill's life.

As much as he loved visiting auntie Mabel and auntie E, his favorite place was uncle Noel and auntie Frances home.  They had four children and cousin Allen was like a brother.  They played Cowboy and Indians, wearing real cowboy hats, holsters and matching Western duds right out of a Tom Mix movie.

Allen's little brother Dick, followed them around and annoyed them while they played with their men.   (WW1 metal soldiers.)  Dicky would eventually  tired and crawled into his big sisters, Helen or Neppy's lap, while they sipped  lemonade on hot Summer days.  

Uncle Noel, was Vice President of the Maybelline Company. He was his brother, Tom Lyle Williams, trouble shooter, while TL, was in California, at the Villa Valentino, making Maybelline's beautiful print ads.

    

Occasionally Tom Jr. joined his cousin's for special occasions.  He was a student at Duke University. Captain of the Football team.

Billy and his cousins were protected from the harsh reality of the Depression,  thanks their uncle Lyle,  and the family working together at the Maybelline Company.

Read more about Billy Williams and his cousins in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It.

In Loving Memory of Joyce May Hewes Dennehy one of the last Original Maybelline Cousins

Joyce May Hewes Dennehy 1934 - 2013

Obituary 

In her 20s Joyce moved to DC and worked at the Pentagon as an administrative assistant where she met her husband Rod. She went on a couple of safaris in Africa and took several Earthwatch trips where she worked with wolves, helped newly hatched turtles into the ocean before they were gobbled by predators, and went on a dolphin watch. In Florida Joyce volunteered at a women's crisis center where she handled phone calls and made referrals... She completed her college degree in her 50s. She became very involved in animal welfare and established a charitable foundation after she came back to Illinois. She donated to many causes and liked to contribute to particular projects like a van for a dalmation rescue (dubbed the Lulumobile after her dog Lulu) and a specially built whirlpool for a paralyzed kangaroo later named Joycearoo. 

Joyce was very close to her brother Tom and hoped he was the first person she saw after she passed.  She also loved my uncle Tony. Joyce, Tom and Tony liked to pal around together when he stayed with the Hewes family. 

Joyce Hewes with her uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, founder of the Maybelline Company, on one of her trips to California.

Joyce with Arnold Anderson, one of the three men living at at her uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, estate in Bel Air California.

Please click on the little box to the right to enlarge page..This beautiful card was made by Joyce's niece's Donna and Linda

An email from Joyce to me

Sharrie I was lucky enough to visit uncle Lyle in Ca. four times. One time our whole family drove out. I remember Tom had just gotten his driver's license and wanted to drive constantly - much to my mother's horror. So I must have been about twelve. We all had such a great time.

Then for some reason when I was in my early 20's my best friend Joan and I flew out for a visit.  This was during the Arnold days. The thing that seemed to most impress Joan was not the lovely house or grounds or view, but the fact that in a household of three men someone thought to provide sanitary napkins in our bathroom. Pretty funny!

Another time I had been on a visit to Hawaii and stopped to visit Uncle Ile in Bel Air for a few days on my way back.. Also in my latter 20's, I was living in Washington DC and two girlfriends and I decided to drive cross country. It was quite an adventure and perhaps the high point was our visit with Unk Ile at the apex of our long journey. We had many adventures.

And of course Uncle Ile returned to Chicago periodically and visited all the families. I was a very shy child but I adored him and he made me very comfortable. He always for the rest of his life called me by my childhood nickname Doikey long after everyone else had forgotten it.

Anyway, Sharrie, I guess I am just trying to make the point that although you lived there and got to see him often, we here knew and loved him dearly.

I have now actually read your book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some discrepancies which I tried to overlook, but otherwise reading the story of my family written with such love was an excellent experience. Good job.

Joyce

Joyce in the center in blue at the Maybelline family reunion - Virginia, 1990.

Joyce seated between her sister Shirley and her brother Tommy's wife Mary..1995

I was privileged to get to know Joyce the last year of her life through e-mails and Facebook conversations.  We discussed movies, TV show, books and food. She also gave me her opinion on whether she approved of my blog posts or not.  I grew to respect and care about her very much and I'm sad I never was able to meet her in person.  Joyce was only one year old when my dad moved from Chicago to California in 1935, so they never got to each other, however, my dad's half brother Tony lived with Joyce and her family in the early 1940's and she loved him very much.  Last year she was instrumental in finally placing a grave marker on Tony's unmarked grave.  I'm sure he and her brother Tommy were there to welcome her into heaven when she arrived last Christmas.

Here is the post I did about Tony's grave marker.

A forgotten member of the Maybelline Family can at last Rest in Peace. http://www.maybellinebook.com/2012/11/a-forgotten-member-of-maybelline-family.html

In Honor of Joyce, a child in the original Maybelline family

Baby Joyce, in her mother, Maybelline's namesake, Mabel Williams-Hewes arms, her father Chet Hewes and her sister Shirley and brother Tommy...1934

Maybelline cousins...right to left....Tom Lyle Jr. holding Baby Joyce Williams-Hewes, Helen and Annette Williams, my father, Bill Williams, Allen Williams, June Williams-Haines, Shirley Williams-Hewes, Marilyn Williams-Haines, Tommy Williams-Hewes, Dick Williams,
 Bobby Williams-Haines

Rest in Peace Dear Joyce.  Please leave a comment for 
Joyce's sister Shirley and her nieces... Janet, Donna and Linda.