Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 67

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366

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MAIN BUILDING, STATE NORMAL SCHOOL, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

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ities to more than ordinary account, and re- ceives a corresponding regard from her hosts of friends here and elsewhere. In 1891 Mr. Blochman was the first to move to inaugurate the Union high school of the valley, under the new state law for the organization of such dis- trict or union high schools. He was secretary for the first five years, to be succeeded by W. L. Adams, equally interested in the educational interests of the community.

STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. By act of the legislature of 1881 the Normal School at Los Angeles was established as a branch of that in San José and the sum of $50,000 appropriated for the construction and equipment of a build- ing, the city of Los Angeles having agreed to furnish a suitable site. The location selected was a hill which formed a part of the orange or- chard of Prudence Beaudry, adjacent to the city, easy of access, commanding a fine view, and uniting beauty of scenery with salubrity of cli- mate. The grounds comprise four acres, ap- proachable from four different directions, and located at the head of Fifth street, fronting on Grand avenue (then called Charity street).

August 29, 1882, the building having been completed, the school was opened, with sixty- one pupils and the following instructors: Prof. J. C. Flatt, vice-principal; Emma L. Hawks, preceptress; J. W. Redway, assistant teacher; Prof. Charles H. Allen being principal of both the San José and Los Angeles schools. In August, 1883, a radical change was made in the management by the appointment of Prof. Ira More as principal, the school having been made independent by act of the legislature. Professor More was a graduate of the scientific department of Yale, and a man of remarkable personality and great decision of purpose. For ten years the impress of his character was stamped upon the institution, and its early es- tablishment upon a substantial basis was largely due to his effective oversight and wise judg- ment. On his resignation in 1893, the position of principal was tendered to Prof. Edward T. Pierce, who has since efficiently filled it.

In June, 1884, a class of twenty-two graduated from the school, a large number of whom are still engaged in teaching, and rank among the most successful educators of the state. Two of these, Mrs. Frances H. Byram and Miss Kate Brousseau, are connected with the Normal School, the former as principal of the training school and the latter as instructor in psychology and mathematics in the normal department. During the second year in the school's exist- ence, Miss S. P. Monks, Miss Isabella G. Oak- ley and Mrs. E. J. Valentine were added to the faculty, the first named still remaining as an in- structor. In August, 1884, the faculty received important additions in Miss Harriet E. Dunn

and Melville Dozier, both of whom have contin- ued to the present time. During 1885-86 Mrs. Mary A. Heath (now Mrs. English) was added to the corps of instructors, and R. L. Kent took the place of Mrs. Valentine in the department of m11sic, his connection continuing until 1893. In 1887 Miss Josephine E. Seaman and Miss Alice J. Merritt became members of the faculty, the former remaining to the present, and the latter resigning at her marriage in 1897. The vice- principal, Prof. J. C. Flatt, withdrew in 1890, and most of the time since the position has been filled by Prof. Melville Dozier, teacher of mathe- matics. At the same time Prof. C. E. Hutton was elected to the department of mathematics and has also for some years been registrar of the school. The same year witnessed the erec- tion and furnishing of the gymnasium, the charge of which was given to Theodore Bess- ing, a trainer of athletes. This department in 1896passed into the capable hands of Miss Sarah J. Jacobs, from the Boston School of Gymnas- tics. under whose wise guidance it has come to be regarded as an indispensable factor in the symmetrical development of the normal stu- dent. From 1893 to 1898 Mrs. Juliet P. Rice was at the head of the music department, and afterward the appointment was conferred upon Miss Jennie Hagan.

When Professor Pierce came to the head of the institution, a recent appropriation by the legislature of $75,000 for the enlargement of the school placed heavy burdens upon him from the first. In the discharge of this and other du- ties he has proved himself to be self-reliant, tact- ful, energetic and sagacious, and his service has been alike creditable to himself and profitable to the state. Among the changes which he su- perintended were the enlargement of the offices of principal and preceptress and of the library ; the creation of a physical laboratory, a biolog- ical laboratory, a sloyd department; the erec- tion of a new building for a chemical laboratory : the exchange of the old assembly hall for a room whose beauty is second to none of the kind in Southern California; and a correspond- ing change in the appliances and facilities for work. In 1894 Dr. James H. Shults was called to the department of physics, Miss Mary A. La- throp to the department of sloyd. and Miss Agnes Crary to that of English. At the same time Mrs. Isabel W. Pierce succeeded Miss Emma L. Hawks as preceptress of the school. On the death of Miss Lathrop, Charles M. Miller, a graduate of the class of 1891, became head of the department of sloyd, and has the distinction of being the first alumnus of the school to be appointed a member of its faculty.

The department of art, organized in 1895. under Miss Ada M. Laughlin, since assisted by Miss Mary M. Smith, has won an enviable rep- utation throughout the state; and the same may

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

be said of the department of psychology and pedagogy, formerly under Dr. F. B. Dresslar, who, fresh from study at Clark. University, or- ganized the department in 1894. After three years of service, Dr. Dresslar was elected assist- ant professor of education at the State Univer- sity. The place thus left vacant was filled for the two years following by Dr. C. C. Van Liew, from the State Normal School of Illinois. L'pon the resignation of the latter to accept the presi- dency of the State Normal School at Chico, Cal., Dr. George F. James, of the Chicago Univer- sity, was called to the position which he has ably filled for the past three years. The position also includes that of superintending the training school, in all of which work Prof. Everett Shep- ardson, of the University of Indiana, and Miss Brousseau, who, after graduating from the Nor- mal School, spent two years in special study in The Sorbonne, Paris, have been able assistants for several years.

Realizing the teacher's need of knowledge and training in the important matter of correct use of the voice in reading and speech, a depart- mient of voice culture and reading was added to the work of the school in 1895, and Miss Grace S. Jones, of the Emerson School of Ex- pression, was engaged as teacher. Upon her resignation in 1896, the board elected Charles D. von Neumayer, of the School of Dramatic Art, New York, who still holds the place. The growing interest in kindergarten education made it evident that there would soon be a large demand for teachers and to meet this demand President Pierce added a kindergarten depart- ment in 1895, at the head of which was placed Miss Florence Lawson, of the Kindergarten College of Chicago, with Miss Bertha M. An- crews as assistant, this being the first kinder- garten department to be established under the auspices of the state of California. The recent clemand for practical education in the public schools led to the establishment in 1901 of a department of domestic science for the training of teachers in this important subject: Miss Lucy J. Anderson and Mrs. Jessica C. Hazzard, both of whom had received special training for the work, were placed in charge. The Los Angeles Normal School was the third institution of its kind in the United States to include domestic science in its curriculum. In September of 1902 the department will occupy commodious and well-equipped apartments recently constructed for the purpose in the new annex.

In 1897 Prof. B. M. Davis was called to work with Miss Monks in the department of biology. His thorough scientific training has enabled him to raise the work of the department to a high standard of excellence. The English depart- ment of the school has won an enviable repu- tation throughout the state by its thorough work. The following teachers have been mainly

instrumentalduring the past eight years inbring- ing this about: Miss Agnes Crary, Miss Emma J. Breck, Miss Etta E. Moore, Miss Josephine E. Seaman, Mrs. Mary G. Barnum, Miss Lou Hellmuth, and Mrs. Pierce, the four latter being the present corps of teachers. The department of history and geography has for some years been under the charge of Miss Harriet E. Dunn. history; Prof. James F. Chamberlain, of the Chicago Normal School, geography; and Miss Agnes Elliott, history; the latter is a graduate of the school, with special training of two years elsewhere. The training department has always been one of the most notable features of the school. The children in it have been assigned to the school by the city superintendent, and it has been considered one of the regular city graded schools, although under the direct super- vision of the Normal School authorities. Eight regular grades are maintained and it is one of the largest training or practice schools con- nected with the Normal Schools of this country. It occupies twenty-five school rooms and offices, especially equipped for its work. It has been the policy of the administration to appoint the critic teachers in this department from among the alumni, whenever possible, thus maintaining a unity of purpose indispensable to the highest success. From 1882 to 1891 Miss Martha M. Knapp had charge of the school, which then consisted of but three grades. She was followed by Mrs. Frances H. Byram. Eight years ago, at the reorganization of the Normal School, the training department was enlarged to its present size, placed under the general supervision of the professor of pedagogy, and all of the assistant critics were made of equal rank. Besides Mrs. Byram, who is also acting city principal, the fol- lowing teachers are now in charge of the critic work: Mrs. Albertina Smith, Miss Carrie Reeves, Mrs. Clara M. Preston and Miss Helen C. Mackenzie.

In keeping with the growth of the school has been the expansion of the library, which now numbers about ten thousand volumes, together with many bound magazines. It is under the able management of Miss Harriet E. Dunn, a member of the faculty. and Miss Elizabeth H. Fargo, a trained librarian. The whole aim of the institution has been to uplift the common schools of the state. There are now about twelve hundred alumni, over ninety per cent of whom have taught in the schools of Southern California, and their success as educators re- flects great credit upon their alma mater. In July last, the close of the twentieth year of the school was celebrated by a large body of alumni with appropriate ceremonies, and a history of the school was issued.

The State Normal School at Los Angeles has always been fortunate in its boards of trustees, which have never been governed by partisan-

Edward Fierce President of State Normal School, Los Angeles.

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ship or personal favoritism. The list of local members in the past has included some of the most prominent and public-spirited men in Southern California, among whom were Senator Stephen M. White, O. W. Childs, Hon. George M. Smith, Hon. W. W. Bowers, Prof. Charles F. Holder, A. E. Pomeroy, Gen. John Mansfield, Judge N. P. Conrey, and Hon. T. P. Lukens. The present board consists of the following well- known gentlemen: His Excellency Henry T. Gage, Governor of California, and Hon. T. J. Kirk, State Superintendent of Public Instruc- tion, ex-officio members. Local board, ap- pointed by the Governor: Hon. R. H. F. Variel, president of Board; Henry W. O'Melveny, vice- president, both of Los Angeles; John S. Col- lins, of Ventura; E. J. Louis, of San Diego; and Lee A. Phillips, of Los Angeles.

PROF. EDWARD T. PIERCE, the presi- dent of the State Normal School at Los Angeles, was unanimously elected to this responsible po- sition in 1893 by the board of trustees of that institution. Under his energetic leadership new buildings have been erected, the capacity has been largely increased, and the faculty enlarged from thirteen to thirty teachers. Important changes have been made in the organization of the school and the enlargement of the scope of work pursued since he took charge, includ- ing a department for the training of kindergar- ten teachers, the first to be established under the auspices of the state, the art department, well-equipped laboratories, and departments of manual training and domestic science. The most thorough instruction is now afforded to over five hundred students who attend the school. To further promote the welfare of the school, the sum of $23,500 has recently been ex- pended in the erection of another building by which the facilities of the school have been greatly enhanced.

Prof. Edward T. Pierce was born in Mere- dith Square, Delaware county, N. Y., March 19, 1851. He is the oldest of eleven children (ten of whom were sons) born to J. Washington and Frances Clark Pierce, both of whom are now living in Los Angeles at an advanced age. When he was but eight years of age his father moved to a large farm in the town of Hamden, Delaware county, most of which had to be cleared of the forest that then covered it. There the boy Edward worked on the farm summers and attended first the local school and later the Walton Academy, winters, until he was sev- enteen. At that age he began to teach winter schools in neighboring districts, continuing three seasons, boarding around while doing so, as was at that time the custom in many places. Carefully saving all that he carned, he was en- abled to pay his way through the State Normal School at Albany, from which he was graduated

in 1872, after which for several years he had charge of schools in Orangeville, N. Y .; Lin- den, N. J., and Belleville, N. J. His own efforts also enabled him later to take a thorough course in law, and in 1887 he was graduated from Union University with the degree of LL. B. He dates his residence in California from August, 1881, when he began fruit farming at Sierra Madre, being one of the pioneers of that place. . He taught the Santa Anita school for two years, when he became principal of the Pasadena schools, organizing both the grammar and high schools of that city and greatly promoting their welfare through his wise supervision. In 1885 he was elected the first superintendent of schools, and this position he held for four years. during which time he directed the construction of many of the fine school buildings of that city. While actively engaged in this work he was called to Chico, Cal., in 1889, when he organ- ized and established upon a substantial basis iu that place the third Normal School of the state, as principal of which he continued until his elec- tion to his present position.

In 1887 Professor Pierce married Miss Isabel Woodin, by whom he has had two daughters and on son, the eldest of whom, Ethel Vora, is now living. Mrs. Pierce was born in Dutch- css county, N. Y., of one of its oldest families, and received excellent educational advantages. After graduating from the State Normal School at Albany, she entered upon the work of an edu- cator and has been interested in the same ever since, teaching in graded and high schools and the Normal School at Chico. For the past eight years she has been preceptress and a member of the English faculty of the State Normal School at Los Angeles. She is a most efficient aid to her husband in his many responsibilities. The young women of the school recognize in Mrs. Pierce a wise counsellor and a sympathizing friend, who aids them in many ways to attain that high standard of moral strength that should characterize teachers.

The degree of Ph. D. was conferred upon Professor Pierce in 1894 by his alma mater, the New York State Normal College at Albany. Since 1889 he has been a member of the state board of education of California, and is at this writing the oldest member of the same in point of years and service thereon. The State Teach- ers' Association and the Southern California Teachers' Association find in him an active and interested worker. In connection with the Na- tional Educational Association he has been highly honored, having served from 1895 to 1899 as one of a committee of cight members from that body in the preparation of the Report on Normal Schools, relating to the function and needs of these institutions in the United States. In 1899 he was chosen a member of the National Council of Education, which is composed of

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sixty of the most prominent educators of the United States. Fraternally he was made a Mason in the Pasadena Lodge, and was raised to the chapter therc. He is now connected with Southern California Lodge, F. & A. M., of Los .Angeles, also of Los Angeles Commandery No. 9, K. T., and Al Malakiah Temple, N. M. S.

WILLIAM NELSON BRUCE, the chief en- gineer of the Santa Barbara Water Company, was born in Lafayette, Ind., April 13, 1856, a son of William Bruce, a native of Ohio, and also a machinist. For many years the elder Bruce followed his trade in Lafayette, Ind., and during the Civil war enlisted twice, in an Ohio and Indiana regiment. He was wounded and cap- tured and sent to Andersonville, and when lib- erated was such a total wreck that he did not long survive his freedom. The paternal grand- father, Robert Bruce, was born in Scotland, and upon immigrating to America settled first in Ohio and then in Indiana. The mother of W. N. Bruce was, before her marriage, Ida Doyle, a native of Indiana, and daughter of John Doyle, who was born in New York, and became a farmer in Indiana. Mrs. Bruce, who died in In- diana, was the mother of four children two of whom are living, William Nelson being the youngest.

Mr. Bruce was reared in Lafayette, Ind., and in 1867 came to California with his grandmother Doyle and located in Santa Rosa, where he at- tended the public schools. Later, in Merced county, he engaged in different occupations until grown to manhood. In 1873 he went to Tulare county at the time of the building of the railroad, and in 1875 entered the shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, to learn the machinist's trade. He was in time foreman of the Goshen branch, and later was employed on the Southern Pacific coast road at Santa Cruz, and promoted to the position of engineer, his run being between Alameda and Santa Cruz. Afterwards he took up stationary engineering and had charge at different times of the Victor Mills at Hollister, Cal., the mills at Hartford. Cal., and the Grangeville Mills, in Tulare county. In 1883 he came to Ventura and was with the Santa Ana Water Company and the I. Barnard machine shop, until he was appointed superin- tendent of the Ventura asphalt mine in Devil's Cañon. This position he filled with great credit between 1889 and 1891, and opened the mine for the company. Later he performed a similar service for the Alcatraz Asphalt Company at Lapatera, twelve miles from Santa Barbara, of which he was superintendent for two years. He then went to Ventura as superintendent for the Ventura (now the Weldon) Asphalt Company, and served in this capacity until taking up his present position in Santa Barbara as chief engi- neer of the water company. The works of the

company have been rebuilt since July of 1896. and new engines placed.

In Tulare county Mr. Bruce married Mattie Serles, a native of Illinois, and of this union there are two children: Robert, who is attend- ing the California School of Mechanics and Arts: and Lora. Mr. Bruce is a thoroughly competent engineer, and his services may well be in demand by responsible and cautious firms. He is a Republican in politics, and is fraternally a Woodman of the World, and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen.

HIRAM BRUNDAGE. One of the success- ful lemon growers of the Montecito valley is Hiram Brundage, who was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1835, a son of Elijah Brundage, 2 native of New York, and reared near Lake Champlain. At the age of ten years Hiram re- moved with his parents to Lake county, Ind., and after seven or eight years went to Ohio, near the Pennsylvania line. At Springfield. Pa., he learned telegraphy, and with the breaking out of the Civil war assumed charge of a gang of men and built the telegraph line from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Fort Bridger, Wyo. In the fall of 1863 he went to the mines in Montana, and subsequently became interested in several good mines in Alder Gulch. The following spring he returned to Pennsylvania and remained for two years, later being sent to Fort Kearney, Neb., as a telegraph operator.

In 1869 Mr. Brundage went to Virginia City. Mont., and later published in Dillon a small paper called the Tribune, in which he still has an interest, and in the fall of 1886 he came to Montecito and purchased the ranch of ten acres upon which he now lives. His fine lemon grove of five acres, covered with healthy fruit-bearing trees, in 1900 produced four hundred and seven- teen boxes of lemons. He has improved his land, which was originally quite barren, and has built a commodious residence of redwood, the greater part of the mechanical work being ac- complished by himself. He has been active in promoting the interests of the valley, and is keenly alive to its innumerable chances for mak- ing a livelihood and securing as beautiful a home and surroundings as can be found in any part of Southern California. He is an advocate of education, and is a trustee of the Montecito school district. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Mon- tana. Much interested in promoting the canse of temperance, during his residence in Montana he was district deputy for the Good Templars in the southwestern part of the state, where he organized several lodges and kept things stir- ring along temperance lines. He is prominent in religious matters, and is an active member of the Episcopal Church, having erected the first church of that denomination at Montecito.

E.T. Bryant

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HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

The marriage of Mr. Brundage and Miss Hol- liday occurred in 1859, and ten years later, in 1869, Mrs. Brundage died, leaving four chil- dren: Mrs. Teffts; Everett, who is an under- taker at Dillon, Mont .; John, who is a rancher in Montana; and Mrs. Shaw, who lives neat Sheridan, Mont. In 1873 Mr. Brundage mar- ried Miss Temple, and of this union there are three children: Mrs. Dinsmore, of Serena; Wil- liam, and R. Claire.

E. T. BRYANT. Among the foremost busi- ness men of Santa Maria is E. T. Bryant, of the firm of Bryant & Trott, hardware and imple- ment merchants. He was born in Anoka county, Minn., in 1857, a son of F. M. and Abigail (Trott) Bryant, natives of Maine. The father, a farmer by occupation, removed to the west when his son was yet very young, and remained · for a couple of years in Nevada, then residing the same length of time in Napa county, Cal., and in 1869 taking up his permanent abode in Santa Barbara county. He was one of the first settlers to locate in the vicinity of what is now Santa Maria, his claim being three miles from the town, where he conducted farming enter- prises up to the time of his death in 1873. He is survived by his wife, who is still enjoying good health, and is in the possession of the majority of her faculties.

Mr. Bryant had the advantage of his father's experienced farming near Santa Maria, and he studied diligently in the public schools. Not content with living a rural existence he decided to put his business ability to account, and in time became interested in the hardware trade. For five years the business was conducted un- der the firm name of Bell & Bryant, and, when Mr. Bell sold out in 1892, his stock was appro- priated by George J. Trott, the firm name being then changed to Bryant & Trott. The firm liave a double store on Main street in the hotel building, and are the leading hardware and agri- cultural implement merchants in the town. They carry a complete stock of necessities along their line, and the courtesy and honesty ob- served in the conduct of their affairs insure a continuation of their present large patronage. Mr. Bryant has reaped the reward of his indus- try in Santa Maria, and owns several town lots besides a fine residence property. Although no office seeker he is in favor of the Republican party, but usually votes for the man best quali- fied to fill the position. He is fraternally a member of the Knights of Pythias.

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Historical and biographical record of southern California; containing a history of southern California from its earliest settlement to the opening year of the twentieth century, Part 67

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918 Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co. Number of Pages: 1366

Author: Guinn, James Miller, 1834-1918
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman pub. co.
Number of Pages: 1366