THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 22, 1994 TAG: 9412200147
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
As an only child, Doris White was lonely growing up without brothers and sisters to play with.
In their place, she settled for Teddy, a black-and-white stuffed Panda bear with poodle fur and glass eyes.
Teddy became her constant companion and most intimate confidant.
``I used to tell him all my secrets,'' White now confesses. ``When I was bad, I'd go to Teddy for consolation. I shed many tears into that fur.''
Today, some 50 years later, White still has Teddy. He sits in an honored spot on a table in her living room, chocked full of antiques, folk art and other collectibles.
But Teddy now has to share White's affections. An avid collector, White has acquired 244 bears since first setting eyes on her childhood friend.
``I've always had a fascination for bears,'' she admits. ``I'm like a little kid. I go to a store and I see one, and I say, `Oh, I want to give it a home.' ''
Throughout her modest two-bedroom house in the Colonial Heights area of Norfolk, White has her collection of bears displayed in just about every place possible. So many bears occupy the living room, there's only two small chairs available on which humans can sit.
Bears are placed across the Victorian love seat, on red velvet chairs and in rocking chairs in front of the coffee table set for a Christmas tea party. An antique steamer trunk is piled high with various bears of shapes and sizes, and a piano can barely be found for all the stuffed animals displayed across it.
Bears are woven into holiday wreaths, glued onto a ``Welcome Friends'' sign and placed next to an antique oak telephone as if talking to a friend.
No one eats at the dining room anymore because bears have overtaken every piece of furniture in the room.
``Now they've begun to creep into the den,'' White admits.
For the holidays, one of the three Christmas trees she has decorated is adorned entirely with bears.
Although Teddy is the oldest bear White owns, this collector has plenty that have been with her for decades, including one she gave to her son, who now 25, when he was an infant. That one is displayed holding her son's old pacifier and rattler.
White has a bear made of mink, a Victorian bear clad in antique black velvet and a prized Raikes Bear with a wooden face.
An Indian maiden bear, a bear surgeon, ``Beer Belly George,'' Winnie the Pooh and the Praying Bears are also part of her collection.
``Each bear has its own personality and character traits,'' White stressed. ``I love them all. Sometimes I'll come into the living room, and sit and hold them. And I like to dress them up for the holidays and for special occasions.''
In addition to her bears, White also has an extensive collection of angels, cows and antique toys. Those collections, like the bears, are displayed throughout her home.
With so many collectibles, little room is left for human occupation. Just recently, White and her husband decided to move to larger quarters. They're looking to buy a old farmhouse somewhere in the country, where they can really spread out.
At Christmas, the house seems to literally bulge with displayed treasures. White spends at least a month pulling out family mementoes, cherished antiques and other possessions she has kept stored away all year.
``These are my things, and I care deeply about them,'' White stressed. ``I wouldn't ever want to sell them. The only thing that really bothers me is I don't have a girl to pass them all down to. Right now, my son doesn't really care about them like I do.
``One day, I want someone else to love this all as much as I do.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY C. KNAPP
Doris White's Christmas decor includes bears, bears and more bears.
by CNB