Bella Vista Native Nadine Logston: Child model and movie extra
Although her name was not widely known, the face of Bella Vista native Nadine Logston as a young girl was seen by thousands of people on the cover of several magazines back in the 1940s and early 1950s. She also was an extra in the Jesse James movie made in Pineville, Mo., in 1938.
Nadine was named Violet Nadine when she was born on March 23, 1927, to Effie and William Logston, but she never liked the name Violet and always went by her middle name. Her mom, Effie, was a sister to Lillian Green.
Lillian, who began working as secretary in the late 1920s for the Linebarger Brothers after they opened the Bella Vista Summer Resort, never married, and Nadine became a favorite niece.
When Nadine was in grade school, her parents separated and her mother and siblings moved to Colorado, but Nadine stayed in Bella Vista and moved in with her Aunt Lillian. Constance May Waddell, author of the Bella Vista book “Sally and Me,” a close friend growing up, said when she learned of Nadine’s death recently, “Although she was a year older, we were very close. She and I and Alice Hobbs sang every day on the bus and played together after school at the hideaway behind Lillian’s house.”
When the movie “Jesse James” was being made in nearby Pineville in 1938, Lillian took Nadine there, and at age 11 Nadine ended up being a movie extra. Lillian became so fascinated at watching the movie photographers at their craft, she went home, bought a camera and taught herself photography. Lillian became very successful at her second career, and Nadine became one of her frequent models.
Nadine was popular in school and a good student, being named salutatorian at graduation. She was a cheerleader for two years and a majorette her final two years of high school. She continued her “acting career” in high school with roles in both the junior and senior class plays.
In her senior year of high school, Nadine fell in love with Alice Hobbs’ brother, Hubert, and married him in February 1946 but finished school and graduated that May. They then moved to Wichita, Kan., where Hubert took a job with Boeing Aircraft. Twins Donnie and Ronnie were the first children to be born, but they did not survive their premature births. Son Richard and daughter JoDeena were born in Wichita, but when JoDeena was just a few months old, Hubert took a job with Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Ga., and that is where daughter Patty was born. Hubert remained with that company until his retirement, while Nadine spent over 20 years as a kindergarten teacher in a private school. A few years after Hubert’s retirement, he and Nadine moved to Pensacola, Fla.
Sadly, Nadine was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago. Hubert died in 2007 in Pensacola, and Nadine then moved back to Georgia to live with her daughter, JoDeena, where she stayed until early this year, when she moved into a nursing home. After taking a bad fall there, she lived for only about a week, passing away on Feb. 26, 2017. She is survived by her three children, Richard Hobbs, JoDeena Whiddon and Patty Smith, all in Georgia. She is also survived by two grandchildren, Drew Whiddon and Kelly Hobbs, and four great-grandchildren.
The Bella Vista Historical Museum recently sold out of the 2017 calendars that were made up entirely of Lillian Green magazine covers. Four magazine covers that featured Nadine were included in that calendar. Those magazine covers and other photographs by Lillian are available for viewing at the museum.
Contributors to this article were Nadine’s daughter JoDeena Whiddon, Nadine’s nephew Bob Williams, and friends Constance Waddell, JoAnn Durbin and Dawna Cawood.
Lucas is a docent at the Bella Vista Historical Museum, located at the corner of Highway 71 and Kingsland, next door to the American Legion. Visitors are welcome, Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, see www.bellavistamuseum.org or check us out on Facebook.