Villemonte & Polly Stoker
The Story Goes.....
Pauline (Polly) was of Polish heritage 2nd generation. Came from migrant farm hands dating back to 1810. No more heritage will ever be known due to a dead-end in geology because these farm hands' name was Bougamil, which means "close to God." However, unlike nearly all the other Polish names, it did not contain a "ski" ending; Bougamill is actually a first name like John or Henry. (Thank you, Rich and Denise Stoker, for traveling to Poznan, Poland, and meeting with a Geneology Specialist for this information).
Much like today's Hispanic farmlands, they migrated over 100 years ago to five separate villages, each about fie miles apart, outside Poznań, Poland, the 3rd largest city far to the west near today's Germany.
Pauline was a true pioneer! One of Wisconsin's first female graduates from the University of Wisconsin Madison. Her encounter with her soon-to-be husband, Villemonte (Bill) Stoker, was of epic coincidence.
As the story goes, Polly became a gym teacher; she was in the gym at the University and shot a basket in a pickup game; when the ball went through the basket, it hit Villemonte square on top of his head as he unwittingly walked through the gym door under the basket.
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Villemonte Stoker, of UK heritage, was in Pharmacy school at the University of Wisconsin and, once he graduated, opened a small pharmacy on Atwood Avenue in Madison, Wisconsin, during the Great Depression.
Villemonte quickly became a highly respected figure in Madison. He was well known for providing medicines and other treatments to the poor during the great depression without payment.
Villemonte installed a popular soda fountain and a camera store in his pharmacy. Villemonte was very interested in photography and what was a pioneering enterprise into home movie filming. His store was one of the first places in Wisconsin where you could purchase a personal movie camera.
He was also a big part of the community and the Boys Clubs and Baseball teams along with an active member of The East Side Business Mens Association.
We are so grateful for this heritage and that POLLY MADE THE SHOT!
