USA > California > Contra Costa County > History of Contra Costa County, California; with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 74
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BERT CURRY .- One of the most highly esteemed citizens of Rich- mond is Bert Curry, mortician, whose never failing sympathy and tactful, intelligent services in the trying hours of bereavement have endeared him to the hearts of many families. He is a self-made man and a native of California and of Contra Costa County, having been born in Clayton, at the foot of Mount Diablo, on June 1, 1882. His father, James Curry, was one of the early pioneers, a resident of Tennessee, who crossed the plains and established the first stage line between Clayton and Oakland, also to Nortonville and along the coal-mining regions. He made two trips back to his native home with an ox-team. The mother was Helen (Callahan) Curry. There were eight children in the family, seven boys and one girl. The eldest brother, C. E. Curry, now deceased, was a grain dealer of Portland, Ore .; Sam R., an old resident of Richmond, was a liveryman; H. J. Curry, of Martinez, is an undertaker in that city; T. R. Curry resides at El Cerrito.
Bert Curry was educated in the grammar schools of Clayton and the Polytechnic High School of Oakland. At the age of nineteen he became associated with his brother in the undertaking business at Martinez, re- maining there about five years. From there he came to Richmond and started in business for himself in 1906. His business has prospered, due to his professional skill, and he covers the whole surrounding territory, having something like $40,000 invested in equipment and stock. He was the pioneer undertaker of Richmond; and his close attention to every detail and conscientious, upright business methods have been responsible for his success. Mr. Curry served one year as coroner, and in 1926 as chief deputy under Mr. Donnelly.
In July, 1900, Mr. Curry was married to Henrietta Hartsinck of El Cerrito, whose father is still living and is foreman of the Pullman Car
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shops. They are the parents of three children : William, Henrietta Claire, and Bert, Jr. Mr. Curry is one of the early members of Elks Lodge No. 1251, of Richmond; a charter member of the Eagles; and a member of other fraternal organizations, including the Red Men and the Daughters of Pocahontas. He is also an active member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Curry is fond of athletic games and of hunting, fishing and swimming; and his vacations are spent in the moun- tains. He is also fond of dancing and other social diversions.
GEORGE W. ADAMS .- A native son of the Golden State who represents an early pioneer family, George W. Adams was born in Mer- ced, Cal., on October 22, 1884, a son of William Adams, an Englishman who came from his native land to California by way of Cape Horn in 1848. He settled in Mariposa County and followed the trade of the car- penter there; and when the railroad was being built through the San Joaquin Valley, he with many others moved down to the new town of Merced and there plied his trade, helping to build up a city. He was married at Hornitos to Lydia Pitzer, born in that town of pioneer par- ents, who came from Missouri with ox-teams across the plains. Both these old pioneers are living in Merced in the enjoyment of good health. William Adams, grandfather of our subject, served as superior judge for Mariposa County and for many years was a justice of the peace in Hor- nitos, and a large landowner in that county. He was a musician in England, emigrated from there to Canada, where he was leader of a large band, and then came to the United States and to California. He owned a gold cornet, which is still in the family. He was a thirty-third- degree Mason, and died at the age of ninety-two years. In the family of William and Lydia (Pitzer) Adams were three children : George W .; Irma, now Mrs. J. W. Bell, of Richmond; and Ernest, who died at the age of eighteen in Oakland.
George W. Adams attended the Merced schools and was the first baby to take a ride from Merced to Stockton on the San Joaquin Valley Road at the time of its completion to that point. His school days ended, he entered the employ of the Western Union Telegraph Company in Mer- ced as a messenger. In 1901 he went to Brentwood as assistant agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The following year he was sent to Atwater, in his native county, and in 1903 opened the first telegraph of- fice there. From Atwater he was shifted around by the company, and for two and one-half years was a relief man and served in many places throughout the northern part of the State, one year as ticket agent in Merced. His acquaintance is wide, and he has many warm friends throughout this section of California. During the fire and earthquake in San Francisco he was one of the wire inspectors for the government.
In all, Mr. Adams spent eleven years with the Southern Pacific. Then he was with the Standard Oil Company in Richmond for two years, after which he was for three years traffic manager for Borax Smith. He spent
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five and one-half years with the Union Oil Company at Oleum and or- ganized their traffic department, and then came back to the Standard Oil Company for a time. His next move took him to San Francisco, in 1920, where he was with the Retail Furniture Association as secretary and de- veloped their traffic department. In 1921 he organized the Furniture Traffic Bureau, doing business for the furniture manufacturer, whole- saler, and dealer. In 1923 he took in a partner, and thereafter continued thus until they dissolved partnership, on July 1, 1926. He then helped to organize the Retail Furniture Association Traffic Department, of California, with a membership of 400, with offices in the Furniture Ex- change Building, San Francisco. He is assistant manager and traffic ex- pert of the furniture industry of California.
Mr. Adams has been twice married. His first wife, whom he mar- ried in Martinez, on June 30, 1908, was Marie Cunningham, who was born in Henderson, Ky., in 1888; and by her he had a daughter, Ramona. Mrs. Adams died on July 9, 1911. In 1914 he married Flora O. (Boyd) Rodriguez, whose parents were pioneers of 1907 in what is now the El Cerrito district, then called Rust, after the first settler here. In 1917, when the incorporation of a city was considered, Mr. Adams worked hard to bring the matter to a successful conclusion, and on being chosen a member of the first board of trustees began at once to work for im- provements of every kind. Like his father, he is a stanch Republican in national affairs, while locally he supports the best man regardless of party. The family home has been in El Cerrito since 1914. While in Concord in the employ of the railroad he became a charter member of the local Parlor of the Native Sons, but he is not now affiliated with the order. He belongs to Richmond Lodge No. 1251, B. P. O. E .; to the San Fran- cisco Transportation Club; and to the East Bay Country Club. Mr. Adams has always worked hard for civic betterment, and gives to the women of El Cerrito great credit for making of the city the modern resi- dential center it is today.
FRED LUTZ .- A well-known and prominent citizen of El Cerrito, a member of its board of trustees and a hard worker for the upbuilding of El Cerrito and Contra Costa County, is Fred Lutz, a native of Cali- fornia, born in San Francisco on December 26, 1882, a son of Ludwig and Eliza Lutz, of Alameda. The elder Lutz is a butcher by trade, and is still active at the age of seventy-seven years. He has worked at his trade for over sixty years. Three sons and one daughter were born in the Lutz family: Fred, of this review; Carl, in the employ of the United States Government at Panama; Mrs. Anita Cavaneer, of Berkeley; and Herman, a wireless operator at sea.
Fred Lutz attended the public school, and as soon as he was old enough went to work for the Union Pacific at Evanston, Wyo., as a call boy and brass polisher. He came back to California, entered the employ of the Southern Pacific and gradually worked his way to the front. He
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soon became a fireman on the road, working all over the Western division, and in 1900 he was promoted to be an engineer. He quit this work how- ever, and went to braking, but did not take to that end of railroading and went to work for the street car company in Oakland as motorman. At that time the line ran to the county line. In 1916 he entered the employ of the Standard Oil Company and was labor foreman for a time, but is now in the welding department.
While railroading in Utah, Mr. Lutz was married to Miss Myrtle Bennett, a native of Kansas City, Mo. They have had four children: Fred died in infancy; Harrison Bennett, born in Utah, attended the gram- mar school in Richmond and the Vocational High School in Oakland, and is now an apprentice in the boiler shop at the Standard refinery; Rob- ert Herman, born in Oakland, and Raymond Carl, born in Richmond, are attending the El Cerrito school. Mrs. Lutz is active in the work of the El Cerrito Improvement Club and in civic affairs.
Mr. Lutz belongs to Richmond Lodge No. 1251, B. P. O. E., and is a Republican in national affairs. In 1921 he was elected a member of the Stege Sanitary Board, serving as secretary and president during his incum- bency. In May, 1924, he was elected a member of the board of trustees of El Cerrito, and is serving on the police and fire committee and the light and water and finance committees. He is deeply interested in the progress of the community and favors all worthy projects having that end in view.
HENRY H. SUMMER .- To build up such a business as that of the Summer Lumber Company requires a great amount of hard labor and much business acumen; but in face of the many obstacles he has had to overcome, Henry H. Summer has gained for himself an enviable repu- tation, has made a host of friends, and is considered one of the ruling business men of Pittsburg. A native of Tennessee, he was born at Har- riman, August 17, 1882, a son of S. N. and Mary (Williams ) Summer. The father was county treasurer of Morgan County, Tenn., for several years, and became a prosperous farmer in Roane County, that State.
Henry H. Summer was educated at the American Temperance Uni- versity at Harriman, and at the age of twenty-three came West. Settling at Pittsburg, he became the traveling representative of the Redwood Manufacturers Company and for fifteen years traveled throughout the States of the East, Middle West and South in their interest.
Mr. Summer has made discerning investments in real estate in Pitts- burg, having great confidence in the city he chose for his permanent home. Besides being at the head of the Summer Lumber Company, he is a mem- ber of the firm of Lanzafame & Summer, dealers in furniture; and he is vice-president of the Industrial Finance Company. The Summer Lumber Company has offices in the First National Bank Building and conducts an exclusively wholesale business, consigning in carload lots. This com- pany receives its redwood supply largely from the lumber mills of Hum-
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boldt and Mendocino Counties, and Douglas Fir and its manufactured products are shipped direct from a number of large mills located in Oregon and Washington. Mr. Summer enjoys a wide acquaintance, both business and personal, among the principal lumber dealers in the United States.
In 1910, Mr. Summer was married to Miss Mary Viscuso, a daugh- ter of the Pittsburg pioneer, G. Viscuso, now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Summer have been born two children, Henry and Marie. He is a member of Richmond Lodge No. 1251, B. P. O. E., at Richmond, and of the Eagles at Pittsburg.
WILLIAM H. CARPENTER .- The successful fruit grower, buyer and shipper, William H. Carpenter, living on Live Oak Avenue in the Oakley district in Contra Costa County, is accounted one of the most suc- cessful men in his neighborhood. He has three ranches: the home place of thirty-three acres on Live Oak Avenue, fifty-two acres in the Oakley precinct, and thirty-two acres in Lone Tree precinct, all devoted to apri- cots and almonds. The home place is irrigated from his own wells, which are equipped with pumps with a capacity of 2000 gallons per minute, and the water is piped to different parts of his orchard through a mile of pipe, all installed and planned by himself. On his fifty-two acres he has wells and pump with capacity of 1800 gallons per minute. Besides his own land he leases from others, and through his experience in raising almonds and apricots he is making a very good success of his fruit industry. His many years of practical experience in fruit growing have been of great benefit to him from a financial standpoint, for his fruits and nuts com- mand a higher price in the market than the products of others. He knows just when and how to prune and trim his trees so that the sun can get to the fruit and give it that wonderful color so necessary for beauty, just how to thin the growing fruit so the strength will be given to what he leaves on the trees, and just when to irrigate the trees that yield all this fine quality of fruits and nuts. He is always willing to pass this knowledge along to those who ask for it and in other ways to assist the home-maker to make a success of his own work. Besides his own fruit he buys and dries fruit from other ranchers, and ships independently. His own dry yard is ample to accommodate and meet all requirements, and he is plan- ning to erect his own shipping and packing sheds on the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Mr. Carpenter was born in Dayton, Rockingham County, Va., on August 18, 1881, and attended school until he accompanied his parents, William H. and Mary (Von Baer) Carpenter, to California in 1895. They went to Humboldt County and settled at Hydesville for thirteen months, and then came to Antioch by boat and lived there from 1896 un- til 1901. At that time Mr. Carpenter and his brother, C. F. Carpenter, opened the first general merchandise store in Oakley. The first passen- ger train passed through this station on July 1, 1901, at noon, at which time there was great rejoicing by the people living in this section of the
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county. This partnership continued until the fall of 1904, when Mr. Car- penter turned his attention to raising apricots and to the fruit business.
Mr. Carpenter married Miss Nellie M. Erickson, a native of Hum- boldt County, born in Eureka; and they have had the following children : Stanley Russell, studying engineering at the University of California ; Wil- ford Howard, attending the College of the Pacific at Stockton; and Vir- ginia Elizabeth and Ruth, at home. Mr. Carpenter has served as a school trustee and belongs to the Chamber of Commerce. He takes an active part in the Methodist Church of Oakley, of which he was one of the organizers. He is well-liked and has many friends in this section.
C. GEORGE BARBIKAS .- The president of the company known as Barbikas Brothers, Inc., is C. George Barbikas, who is making his influ- ence felt in financial circles in Richmond. He was born in Vytina, near Athens, Greece, on November 22, 1880, a son of George and P. (Livana ) Barbikas, the former a merchant and prominent citizen of his community. C. George Barbikas remained in his native country until he was twenty- one, arriving in New York in 1901, after receiving a good education and a training along business lines that enabled him to care for large interests successfully in later years. After a few months in New York he went to New Mexico, and in 1902 he came to Oakland, Cal., and was employed by a commission merchant for a time. He then went to Agnews and took
charge of a hotel until he located in San Jose, where he was connected with Woodward and Bennett until they sold to Lesser Brothers, after which he remained with the latter proprietors one year. Leaving Lesser
Brothers, he started a restaurant on his own account and remained there from 1903 to 1912. While in San Jose Mr. Barbikas was on friendly terms with many prominent men, among them Thomas Montgomery, banker and capitalist of that city. Disposing of his holdings in San Jose, he traveled over the State; and finally deciding that Richmond offered the best opportunities for him, he located here and has developed with the city. In 1910 Mr. Barbikas became a naturalized citizen of the United States, receiving his final naturalization papers.
After coming to Richmond Mr. Barbikas located at the Hotel Rich- mond, later leased the hotel, and in 1924 purchased the property. Bar- bikas Brothers' interests are varied. There are four brothers interested in the corporation: C. George, Steve G., John and Theodore. They con- duct Hotel Richmond, S. Barbikas being the manager; the Richmond Wholesale Company, with C. George Barbikas as manager; the B-B Shoe Store, with Theodore Barbikas as manager; and the Palace Candy Store. They are owners of considerable valuable property in Richmond, all being carried on successfully under the direct management of C. G. Barbikas, president and manager of the concern. Their various enter- prises are growing and expanding with the growth of Richmond, as they aim to keep abreast of the times in all things. C. G. Barbikas is one of Richmond's stanch boosters. He takes an intelligent part in political
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affairs and wants to see the offices filled by those best qualified rather than in accordance with party affiliations. He belongs to the local Chamber of Commerce and his public spirit is always shown in his support of all civic projects for the betterment of conditions in the city. During the World War he was chairman of the Red Cross drives. Personally, he is well liked and highly thought of by his many friends.
On December 20, 1905, at San Juan, Cal., C. G. Barbikas was united in marriage with Miss Myrtle Brown, daughter of William J. and Cyn- thia A. Brown, of Waverly, Ohio. Her father was a veteran of the Civil War, as were several of her uncles, one of whom was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. In the Brown family there were the following chil- dren besides Mrs. Barbikas: Mrs. Laura Van Gundy, of the Hawaiian Islands ; Mrs. Mary Wright; Mrs. Ida Pearce, deceased; and Corey, Will, and Isaac (deceased). The home of Mr. and Mrs. Barbikas has been blessed with six children. Leo, age nineteen, is a student in St. Mary's College, where he is making a study of commerce. He graduated from the Richmond Union High School with the Class of June, 1925. While in high school he was vice-president of the Boys' Hi Y Club and a first lieutenant in the high school cadet corps, and took part in other activities and club doings. He is a member of Richmond Chapter, Order of De Molay. Dorothy, age seventeen, is a sophomore at the University of California, registered in the School of Letters and Science. She is popular in college circles and takes part in many of its activities. She is a mem- ber of the University of California Masonic Club and the Masonic Girls' Glee Club, is on the staff of the Daily Californian, and is prominent in Y. W. C. A. work. She enjoys sports and takes particular interest in swim- ming and rifle-shooting. Besides her regular college work and activities, she also teaches a class in the Presbyterian Sunday School in Richmond. In her freshman year she was a member of the Freshman Women's Com- mission of the university. She also is a graduate of the Richmond High School, Class of 1925, and while in high school took part in its various activities, acting as vice-president of the Honor Society and helping to or- ganize the Girls' Hi-Y Club, of which she was chosen first president. Mil- dred, aged sixteen, is a member of the senior class at the Richmond High School, an officer of the Student Body Commission, and a member of the Honor Society, Girl Reserves and other organizations in the school. Leroy is thirteen, and is attending the Roosevelt Junior High School. Paul, aged ten, attends the Grant School; and Harold, aged eight, is also a pupil in the Grant School. All the children are studying music, are meeting with success in all their educational work, are well-liked, and have a bright future before them.
C. G. Barbikas made an extended trip East and to Europe in 1925, visiting France, Italy, Greece and the other Balkan States. Upon his re- turn to the United States he spent a month in New York City, studying various conditions, especially that of business. He also toured the south- eastern part of the United States, spending considerable time in Florida
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and New Orleans. At Columbus, Ohio, he was entertained by relatives of his wife. Mrs. Barbikas is a cousin of Charles Warner, of the court of common pleas at Columbus.
JOHN P. LODGE .- To the expert superintendent of the rolling- mill department of the Columbia Steel Corporation, John P. Lodge, or "Jack" Lodge, as he is familiarly called, belongs the distinction of being the employee that rolled the first steel ingot ever made into steel bars at the corporation's plant at Pittsburg, Cal.
John P. Lodge was born at Ironton, Ohio, February 4, 1863, the son of Patrick and Mary (Mackey) Lodge, and when but eleven years of age left home to make his own way in the world. His first employment was with a steel mill at Ironton, Ohio, where he carried water to the work- men engaged in the hot and grimy tasks in the rolling-mill. Being an in- dustrious lad and anxious to learn the steel business, he soon was ad- vanced to positions of greater responsibility and in time became an ex- pert. He has been employed by steel mills in several States, including Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey, as also in Canada. His reputation as an expert steel man became so well known that it was Jack Lodge who was sought out as the man to tear down the steel mill at Wyandotte, Mich., and to remove and reconstruct the same at Guelph, now called Royal City, in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Later he built the steel mills at Muskegon, Mich., and also those at Bessemer, Ala. He was made superintendent of the steel mill at Elim, B. C., a suburb of Vancouver, and was the first superintendent of the mill at Guelph. He was also superintendent of the mill at Connells- ville, Pa., and constructed mills at Terre Haute, Ind., and Fort Dodge, Iowa. In 1913 Mr. Lodge came from Youngstown, Ohio, to San Fran- cisco, where he became the head roller for the South San Francisco Steel Rolling Mills of the Pacific Coast Steel Company.
In February, 1920, Jack Lodge was the man selected to install the rolling mill machinery for the Columbia Steel Corporation at Pittsburg, Cal. He is a skilled workman, an expert mechanic, and possesses a gen- ial personality, with the happy faculty of making and retaining many friends. He counts his friends by the thousand in the steel plants of this country and Canada, and many have come to Pittsburg to be associated with him in his work at the Columbia plant. To him great credit is due for the successful work achieved by the rolling-mill department of this great steel mill. After being connected with most of the important steel mills of this country, Mr. Lodge believes there are none better equipped to handle so great a tonnage as is handled by the Columbia.
On September 22, 1917, in Chicago, Ill., Mr. Lodge was united in marriage with Mrs. Beam of Oakland, Cal. She is the mother of two children by a former marriage. Mr. Lodge is the father of two sons by his first wife, whose maiden name was Julia Tomerlin. She passed away in Birmingham, Ala. The two sons are: John, a resident of Portsmouth,
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Ohio, who is a locomotive engineer on the Norfolk & Western Railroad; and Clifford, who is a hotel man at Salt Lake City, Utah. Mrs. Lodge is a sister of the late Victor H. Metcalf, who was a member of Roose- velt's cabinet.
Since coming to Pittsburg Mr. Lodge has been very successful and has wisely invested in real estate in Pittsburg; and he also has a ranch in Sacramento County. He is deeply devoted to the advancement of the best interests of the community.
EDWARD P. JACKSON .- One of the most valued citizens of Con- cord is Edward P. Jackson, who has served his community not only as a progressive and substantial business man, but also as a dispenser of justice and an active worker in the fraternal orders which have done so much for the advancement of the common welfare. Mr. Jackson is the proprietor of a thoroughly modern and well-stocked furniture store which does a thriving business. He was appointed justice of the peace in 1911, was elected for a four-year term in 1914, and has held the office continuously ever since. Prior to that he had been town clerk, and in both capacities he has served in a manner which has won and held the esteem of his fellow townsmen. Mr. Jackson is a self-made man who has had a fair amount of the struggles incident to the attainment of success, and his never-failing courtesy and willingness to help any worthy project have made him one of the most highly respected citizens of Concord and vicinity.
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