Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland spoke Wednesday night at the opening of a new exhibit at Wilmington College’s Quaker Heritage Center, saying she believes “there are good people in Clinton County.”

The exhibit, “Bridges of Friendship: How Children Learn about Other Cultures” features nearly 100 Friendship Dolls from different countries around the world. The centerpiece of the collection is an 84-year-old Friendship Doll named Ellen C., who was sent to Japan from Wilmington in 1926 as an offering of peace.

“What’s wonderful about these dolls,” Strickland said, “is they present an example of how children can participate in the pursuit of peace.”

The Friendship Dolls were a project of the Committee on World Friendship Among Children, which organized in response to the Immigration Act of 1924 that banned any further immigration of Japanese citizens to the United States. More than 13,000 dolls were sent to Japan, 2,283 of those from Ohio. Clinton County sent 58 dolls. Ellen C. is the only doll sent from Clinton County to be recovered.

“[The Japanese] regard ‘Ellen’ as an historical treasure,” said Charlotte Pack, coordinator of the Peace Resource Center at WC and author of “Finding the Friendship Dolls,” the story of Ellen’s return to Ohio. “This exhibit is two years in the making, because the Japanese are very cautious of her.”

Strickland was invited to attend the opening because she is a widely recognized childhood psychologist, organizers said, and because she shares some history with the dolls.

“In 1926, Ohio’s First Lady threw a going-away party for the dolls at the governor’s mansion,” said Ruth Dobyns, Director of the Quaker Heritage Center. “So we thought [Mrs. Strickland] would like to attend.”

“I am so extremely pleased with this exhibit so far,” Dobyns said. “The response from the campus and the community has been just wonderful.”

Sara Garrett, a WC junior and education major who spent a semester studying in Japan, sang a traditional Friendship Doll song in both English and Japanese.

WC President Dan DiBiasio spoke about the history of the Friendship Doll project, and thanked the First Lady for “honoring us with her presence,” he said.

“We’re here tonight because history matters. The dolls remind us the role children play in the pursuit of peace and justice,” he said.

The exhibit runs through Oct. 1 and is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ellen C. will only be on display until July 24, after which she will return to Hirado Kindergarten in Hirado, Japan, where she has been for 84 years.