mid-20th century America). She began teaching at Montana State University in Bozeman in 1946. The school's Department of Applied Art hired her to teach ceramics. But she did not, at that time, consider herself a ceramicist. "I started teaching ceramics with the merest little scrap of knowledge. I had had just two quarters of ceramics when I started teaching. I just learned it right along with the class," she later said. Senska decided to build a ceramics program from the ground up. Olga Ross Hannon, the department's head, gave her $300, and she and her first class of students took over a storeroom in the basement of Herrick Hall, purchased foot-driven potter's wheels, and built an electric kiln from scratch. Continuing to train in ceramics, Senska attended a workshop taught by noted French-American ceramic artist Marguerite Wildenhain at the Pond Farm artists' colony near Guerneville, California, in the summer of 1950. Senska later said that she learned her hand technique from Wildenhain. Her students included a number of influential ceramicists, including Rudy Autio and Peter Voulkos. While teaching at Montana State, Senska met fellow art professor Jessie Spaulding Wilber. The two women became lifelong friends and companions. "We had a big thing in common -- childhoods with a lot of moving around," Frances said. "It was a great way to spend a childhood. Other kids had groups of friends and neighborhoods they grew up with, which is nice. On the other hand, it's real nice when you don't really feel you need to be part of a group." Senska retired from teaching in 1973. Wilber died October 2, 1989. Senska died on Christmas Day 2009 at her home in Bozeman, Montana. Legacy, honors, and collections Senska helped to found several important arts organizations. She was one of the founding members of the Montana Institute of the Arts in 1948, served as the organization's Crafts Chair from 1954 to 1956, and was its director from 1961 to 1962. She also helped found the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana, in the early 1950s. Senska received many honors throughout her life. These include: 1964 – Elected a Fellow of the Montana Institute of the Arts. 1979 – Elected an Honorary Member of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. 1982 – Awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Montana State University. 1988 – Elected a