LACHS Nwsltr Nov2012 Final_Layout 1 10/31/12 2:23 PM Page 2 Los Angeles City HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER VOLUME XLV ISSUE 4 November 2012 GrandesThe Old Dames of Southern California Today’s hotels have many conveniences and luxuries that The “Del” opened in 1888 with many amenities: An those of the past may have lacked, but it would have been Olympic-sized salt water pool, tennis courts, a yacht club, fun to have visited some in their glory. a Japanese tea garden, an ostrich farm, billiards, and bowling alleys. At the time, it was the largest resort hotel At least one historic grande dame still exists, and it is even in the world (680 rooms), and was once listed as one of the possible to stay there, provided you are willing to pay “Top 10 Resorts In The World” by USA Today. It s a today’s prices: Hotel del Coronado, across the bay from National Historic Landmark and a California Historical San Diego in the small town of Coronado. Landmark. Land in California was fairly cheap in the 19th Century, Not surprisingly, many notable people have stayed there: and investments by East-coasters helped build California. In 1920, Edward, Prince of Wales, was a guest. It is After much interest on the part of several investors, three Continued on page 12 men from Indiana were ultimately responsible for this hotel: Josephus Collett, Herber Ingle, and John Ingleheart. They hired architect James W. Reid of Canada to build the UPCOMING 2012 Victorian masterpiece. It required the labor of 2,000 Chinese immigrants from Northern California. Tuesday, December 11 “Holiday Gala” See Invitation to Come LACHS Nwsltr Nov2012 Final_Layout 1 10/31/12 2:23 PM Page 3 2 Los Angeles City Historical Society November 2012 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Los Angeles City Historical Society Founded 1976 Hello Everyone, OFFICERS As we approach the end of the year I would like to thank all of you for your continued Todd Gaydowski, President support of LACHS and wish you and your families the best during the holiday season. Charley Mims, Vice-President Kathy A. Kolnick, Rec. Secy Helene Demeestere, Corr. Secy Meanwhile, your Board is hard at work planning the 2012 Holiday Gala, which Don Sloper, Treasurer is set for Tuesday, December 11th, at the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical DIRECTORS Society’s Hollywood Museum, located in the original Station 27 building in Don Esacove Hollywood. We have an exciting group of awardees this year and our featured speaker Eddy S. Feldman John E. Fisher will be Steve Ross, Professor of History and Chairman of the History Department at Tyson Gaskil USC. Steve has written extensively on working class history, social history, and film John Jackson history. His latest book, “Hollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped Diane Kanner Giao Luong Baker American Politics,” will be available for purchase and signing. Clark Robins Kay Tornborg Paul Workman As I look back on the past year I am very happy with the number of events and programs LACHS has provided to its membership. A special thanks for that should PAST PRESIDENTS Christie Bourdet go to our program committee chair, Kay Tornborg. I know that through our programs Patricia Bowie and the return of the Marie Northrop Lecture series in 2013 LACHS will continue Paul de Falla to provide a good value to our members. Eddy S. Feldman Gloria Ricci Lothrop Daniel Muñoz We also are in the process of collecting ballots for the board elections, so if you haven’t Joseph Northrop Hynda L. Rudd voted yet please send your ballot in. Ann Shea Teena Stern I hope you are as excited about the future of LACHS as I am and will continue to join Irene Tresun Marc Wanamaker us at future events. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE Irene Tresun, Editor WELCOME John E. Fisher, Contributor Thank You, Todd Gaydowski, Contributor NEW MEMBERS Abraham Hoffman, Book Reviewer & Contributor Larry Boerio Kay Torrnborg, Contributor Todd Gaydowski Ann Landon Alicia Gargaro-Magana LACHS President P.O. Box 862311 Eduardo Magana Los Angeles, CA 90086-2311 Julie Mason www.lacityhistory.org Robert Peltzman Phone: 213/891-4600 Michele Zack MEMBERSHIP CLASSES Active $35 Senior/Student $25 Dual/Family $50 Editor’s Note: Articles with Sustaining $85 not byline are written by Life (individuals) $500 editor. LACHS Nwsltr Nov2012 Final_Layout 1 10/31/12 2:23 PM Page 4 November 2012 Los Angeles City Historical Society 3 LACHS AwArdS PArt of GALA MEMBERS’ The 2012 Gala will be held at the Los Angeles Fire Department NEWS Historical Society’s Hollywood Museum on Tuesday, December 11, located in what used to be the original Station 27. Michael Locke, the Society’s official photographer, is busy trying to organize A highlight of the evening will be distribution of the Annual a new organization, the Silver Lake LACHS Awards, selected by a committee chaired by Eddy Feldman, Historical Society. Michael is editor of director and past president, with committee members Todd The Silver Lake News and contributing Gaydowski, president; Kay Tomborg, director; and Brett Arena, former writer to the Los Feliz Ledger, but loves board member: his neighborhood enough to want to do more. He has invited his neighbors in J. Thomas Owen History Award: Nick Curry, long-time member the area to meet at the Silver Lake of LACHS and many other historical societies. He is a reader at the Branch Library, which is helping to Huntington Library who has helped authors with research, for example promote the event, to form an Margaret Leslie Davis for her works on the Dohenys, William exploratory committee to look into the Mulholland and Franklin Murphy. He recently studied the life of matter. LACHS members who might Glen Dawson to put together the dinner in honor of his 100th birthday, be interested in meeting with Michael, and helped Elizabeth Pomeroy with her book.. please call him at 323/644-3338, or e-mail him at [email protected]. David G. Cameron Preservation Award: Jennifer A. Watts. She has Geraldine Knatz has garnered another been the curator of photographs at the Huntington Library, including award recently: The Peter Benchley the current exhibition: “A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Ocean Award. She received this for Mourning, and Memory in the American Civil War.” “Excellence in Solutions” from the Blue Frontier Campaign, which is a Miriam Matthews Ethnic History Award: Arnett L. Hartsfield, Jr. national marine conservation activist became an L.A. City fireman in 1940, in a segregated department. He organization. Geraldine received this fought for its desegregation, while also attending UCLA and then recognition for her environmental law school at USC. He became a practicing lawyer and an L.A. City efforts since becoming the Port of Los commissioner, was instrumental in starting the African American Angeles’ executive director a few years Firefighter Museum and still volunteers there. ago. For those who don’t know her background, she graduated from Honorary Life Member Award: Anton Calleia was Mayor Tom Rutgers University with a zoology Bradley’s executive assistant throughout his terms. He was on the degree, then continued her studies at board of directors as treasurer for a number of years, when he was USC, from which she has two more instrumental in persuading the City Council to designate the Society degrees: an M.S. in environmental as “Friends of the Archives.” He has continued to give advice to board engineering and a doctorate in members when asked, on administrative matters. biological sciences… Not many can make this statement: “I walked down to Two Special Awards: Dr. Geraldine Knatz, Executive Director of the the end of my driveway (not a great Port of Los Angeles. She has dramatically made the community aware distance) and looked right and there was of the importance of this facility to the welfare of the community and Endeavour, flying over the Hollywood the City of Los Angeles. sign on its way to the Observatory. It was great!!!” Lucky Kay Tornborg, The other awardee is the Huntington Library. As one of America’s board member. leading independent research libraries, it has always remembered where it resides – in Southern California – by the acquisition of documents relating to local history, support of research scholars into that history and by the publication of their work. 8 LACHS Nwsltr Nov2012 Final_Layout 1 10/31/12 2:23 PM Page 5 4 Los Angeles City Historical Society November 2012 L.A. HIGHSCHOOL GRADS WHAT BECAME OF THEM? Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series on the futures of some In 1948 her interests turned to writing books, mainly Los Angeles high school graduates. novels, and to teach but in 1962 she published the biography of her father, Earl Rogers. Final Verdict was a ADELA ROGERS ST. JOHNS great success, made into a television film. Adela (accent on the first letter) St. Johns remained active throughout her life. At the age Rogers St. Johns was a remarkable of 82, she was again working for the Examiner, this time to lady of the press of the 20th write about Patty Hearst’s bank robbery and subsequent Century. She was an outstanding trial. She also made a number of television appearances as journalist, author and screen guest or occasionally hosting her own program. writer. With two colleagues and close friends, Margaret Burk and Born May 20, 1894, in Los Marylin Hudson, St. Johns helped found Round Table Angeles, she was the daughter of West, a successful book and author association. Starting in a successful criminal lawyer, Earl 1977, the three organized monthly meetings at the Rogers, friend to many prominent legendary Ambassador Hotel, where Burk was in charge local figures, one being William of publicity, and produced a book on the history of the Randolph Hearst of the Hearst publishing company.