USA > California > Los Angeles County > History of Pomona Valley, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the valley who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present > Part 70
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REV. STEPHEN CUTTER CLARK, JR.
As rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Pomona, Rev. Stephen Cutter Clark has taken his place in the community where he was reared and educated and where he finds work to do in his chosen calling. Born in Pasadena, August 6, 1892, he is the son of Stephen Cutter and Grace (Greene) Clark. The family came to California in 1887, and locating in Pasadena, established a boys' school in that city. The youngest of three children born to his parents, Stephen Cutter, Jr., was educated primarily in the classical school for boys conducted and founded by his father, then had two years at Occi- dental College, and took his degree of B.A. from the State Univer- sity in 1914. He then attended the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge, and graduated with the degree of B.D.
Reverend Clark was ordained in May, 1917, and his first charge was at Park City, Utah. One year later, in August, 1918, he was
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called to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pomona, and is now ably filling that charge, a young man of fine mind and attainments, des- tined to go far in his life work.
The marriage of Reverend Clark, at Berkeley, Cal., June 21, 1917, united him with Miss Helen Moodey, and one son, Stephen Cutter 3rd, and a daughter, Helen Eveleth, have been born to them. Fond of mountain climbing and outdoor recreation, Reverend Clark gains new enthusiasm in such sports. He is duly interested in local affairs, and at present is president of the Pomona Ministerial Union and ready at all times to aid in worthy projects for bettering conditions in the Valley, along either educational, civic or social lines. In political matters he votes the Democratic ticket.
JOHN DOVOLOS
The social side of life in the prosperous and comfortable home town of Pomona has not failed to attract to that city many proficient in callings having to do with entertainment and pleasures, and among these enterprising providers should be mentioned John Dovolos, of the firm of Dovolos Brothers, proprietors of the well-known Athenian Confectionery at the corner of First Street and Garey Avenue, with a branch store at Ontario. He was born at Sparta, Greece, on Octo- ber 25, 1889, and as even a small boy started to learn candy making in his native land. No better school could ever have been selected, for as Americans now know, the Greeks are among the most proficient candy makers in the world.
At the age of fourteen, when many boys are still poring lazily over their books, Mr. Dovolos came to the United States and for a while located at Minneapolis, where he went to school and rapidly learned the English language. He also finished in that city his appren- ticeship as a candy maker, his instructor and employer being P. Bozo- los, one of the best-known confectioners of the Northwest; and when he was well-equipped to grapple with the world, he came West, in 1907, with his older brother Andrew.
Fortunately coming to Pomona, a town always appreciative of good things, the two brothers bought out the Olympian Candy Store on East Second Street, in the Central Hotel Block, and there, with just ninety-five dollars capital, they started to found their fortune. So well did they invest their principal, so clever were they in what they set out before the inquiring public, that their trade grew rapidly from the start, and now they own two of the leading candy stores in the Valley. Experts in their line, they make all of the candy that they sell; and they are thus able often to offer the "home-made" con- fectionery so much in demand today. After a year and a half in this first shop, they moved to their present store at the favorable location
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at Garey Avenue and First Street. The Ontario store is managed by Andrew Dovolos. John Dovolos at one time owned an orange and lemon grove in the San Dimas district, and at present he owns valuable Los Angeles real estate. Another brother, George Dovolos, is also a member of the firm, and is located at the Pomona store. He served for two years in the Greek cavalry in the recent Balkan War, and was twice wounded. He has been in Pomona for three years.
John Dovolos also has a fine war record, of which he is justly proud. He enlisted in the great World War on April 28, 1918, a member of the Three Hundred Sixty-third Machine Gun Com- pany, Ninety-first Division, and this division did some of the best and hardest fighting in the war. It was known, in fact, as the Wild West Division, and it lived up to its reputation for aggression. It was trained at Camp Lewis, went over-seas, and took part in four important battles, the most noted of which was the Battle of the Argonne. Mr. Dovolos was hit three times, and had his helmet shot off, and for nine days and nights he was in the Argonne Forest. Such was the terrific ordeal to which he and his co-fighters were subjected, that only forty-four of his company were left out of two hundred men. Altogether, he was three months at the front, and in that time 105 prisoners were taken by his company. He brought back many curios, among which is a German helmet taken from a German he killed. While in camp in France, he made candy for his company out of sugar and chocolate, and named the same the Argonne Forest Candy; and it is safe to say that never has his art given greater satisfaction than to the soldier boys so far from home. Fraternally Mr. Dovolos is a member of the Woodmen of the World.
HARRY B. WESTGATE
A public-spirited member of the Pomona Bar, who, at the call of his country, promptly turned from the contests of the court room to the fiercer struggles of the battlefield, is Harry B. Westgate, who was born at Taunton, Mass., on May 24, 1888, the son of James E. and Fanny (Gregor) Westgate. His father was a brick manufac- turer, and as such was well known for the superior product of his yards. He passed many busy, fruitful years in close relation to the building trade, and is still enjoying life, with his good helpmate, in Massachusetts.
The elder of the two children that blessed this union, Harry, was educated at the common schools of his neighborhood and later at the Bridgewater high school. Having decided upon the study of law, he matriculated at the University of Maine, one of the most thorough of the excellent schools of New England, and in 1913 was
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graduated from its College of Law with the degree of LL.B. Dur- ing the following February he was admitted to the bar of Maine, with full authority to practice in the courts of the state.
In 1914, Mr. Westgate struck out for the West and finally reached California; and after locating at Pomona, to which he was attracted in part by the superior average of its citizenship, he was admitted, in June, to the California bar. Since then it has been only a matter of time for his steady and higher advancement, so that now he is fortunate in a satisfactory and increasing practice. This mate- rial success did not prevent him from offering his services to the Gov- ernment in that recent crisis which tried the hearts of millions of men; he joined Company C of the Sixty-first Infantry, and was in the offi- cers' training camp at the signing of the armistice.
In October, 1914, Mr. Westgate was married at Pomona to Miss Ruth Abbott, of Pomona, the daughter of William T. and Nettie J. Abbott; and one child-a son, Harry B., Jr .- was born of this union. Mr. Westgate is a Republican, but nonpartisan in respect to local affairs ; and he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, thus taking his part in local social life. He owns an orange grove such as many would desire to possess, and this naturally makes him all the more interested in Pomona Valley. He is now a member of the law firm of Gallup and Westgate.
JASPER T. WELLS
The rapid growth and increased prosperity of this section of California is without a doubt due to the men who have come here and devoted their time and efforts to the study and propagation of the citrus industry. Among these Jasper T. Wells deserves mention as one of the experts in this line of horticultural development work, and his years of study and work in orange and lemon growing have proven profitable both to the community and to himself. Mr. Wells is a native of Georgia, born in Savannah, December 3, 1871. He was reared there and learned the trade of bricklayer in his youth. He later went to Ellis County, Tex., and there engaged in the construc- tion of brick buildings in Waco and Galveston.
From Texas Mr. Wells went to Oklahoma, when it was still a territory, and voted for its statehood; he lived near Featherstone, in eastern Oklahoma, and farmed there for ten years. The year 1904 found him in Pomona Valley, and he then started to learn citrus grow- ing from the seed to the marketing. He worked for a time in the nursery at LaVerne to gain the desired knowledge, and also on the Evergreen ranch and the Payton ranch in that district. In 1912 he came to Pomona and became foreman of the F. P. Firey ranch of thirty-two acres devoted to orange growing. During his seven years
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in this capacity he has greatly improved the property and is considered an expert in orange and lemon growing in this district, and in the best methods for the cultivation of these fruits.
The marriage of Mr. Wells, in 1903, in Oklahoma, united him with Miss Ona Woodside, a native of Kentucky, and three children have blessed their union: Cecil, Alta L., and Ella J. The family attend the First Christian Church. In fraternal circles Mr. Wells is a member of the Modern Woodmen, and in civic affairs he is a be- liever in the further advancement of the resources of this fertile Valley.
ALBERT P. DOULL
To become an expert in a given line of endeavor shows in itself a certain strength of character, and when the work is along artistic lines it shows as well a definite gift in that direction which in its de- velopment proves of much real value to humanity and to the enjoy- ment of life. Albert P. Doull, the proprietor of the Art Furniture Shop at 284-290 East Second Street, Pomona, has become known throughout the state as a designer and maker of artistic furniture and a dealer in antiques. A Canadian by birth, he possesses the art of attention to detail for which that nation is noted, and this characteristic he carries into whatever happens to gain his attention as worth while. He was born on Prince Edward Island, and his early days were passed at Summerside, a picturesque port on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where he attended the public schools.
Mr. Doull started his business career by learning the cabinet- maker's trade at Amherst, Nova Scotia, and there he resided for five years ; when he left his native land, it was to cross into the States and come to Minneapolis, Minn., for a year. In 1887 he came west to San Diego, and there worked at his trade for a time, then opened a store of his own, the Art Nook, on Sixth Street, in that city, dealing in antique furniture, and continued in that location for a period of seven years. Coming north to Los Angeles, he had charge of the case department of Murray M. Harris Pipe Organ Company, during which time he designed many elaborate organ fronts, such as the one installed in the First Methodist Church on Sixth and Hill, the Cali- fornia Street Methodist Church of San Francisco, and numerous others. He also produced the preliminary sketches and built the key desk of the largest organ in the world, exhibited at the St. Louis Expo- sition. He was also in the employ of the Weber Show Case Company and the Southern California Hardwood and Manufacturing Company, both of Los Angeles.
In the spring of 1915, attracted especially to Pomona, Mr. Doull opened here an art furniture shop, and uses his talent in making all
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kinds of furniture to order; in the years in which he has been estab- lished here he has made some of the choicest and most original work for the best homes in the city. He provides artistic sketches of his own for odd pieces of furniture, and repairs, restores, refinishes and repro- duces old furniture such as the colonial and other periods, and is also an expert wood carver. One department of his establishment is given over to the buying and selling of antique goods, and as a side line he also does upholstering and makes mattresses. Among his specimens of master designs may be mentioned the front of the pipe organ in the San Dimas Union Church, the grill work and panels of which are from his own designs; this work alone has brought him very favorable mention in artistic circles.
While in Los Angeles, Mr. Doull was a member of the Canadian Club. During his residence in San Diego he acquired an unimproved ten-acre ranch south of the city, which he still owns; and in Pomona he has purchased Rose Court, corner of East Fifth and Reservoir streets, and this is his home place. He is vitally interested in anything which means the further advancement of this section of the state, and works with his fellow citizens toward that end.
GEORGE B. WITMAN
A leading man in the bustling business world of Pomona, whose trade is constantly growing, is George B. Witman, the well-known jeweler and optician, of Second and Main streets, who was born at Remington, Ind., on August 21, 1889, the son of A. H. and Mary Elizabeth (Heilig) Witman.
He was but a small lad when he came to Pomona, in 1894, with his parents, and here he attended the grammar and high school, enjoying the educational advantages for which the city is famous. He then continued his studies for a year at Pomona College, and afterward took an optical course for a year at the Southern California Optical College in Los Angeles, graduating as a licensed optician.
In 1910 Mr. Witman entered the employ of his father, A. H. Witman, who conducted a jewelry store on West Second Street, Po- mona, and through conducting the optical department he obtained practical experience, while he also learned the jewelry trade. When, therefore, his father was ready to retire, he was ready to succeed him at the "old stand"; and on February 19, 1917, he purchased the store, stock and good will.
Since taking over the business, he has doubled the volume of trade, for he carries only the highest class of jewelry and silverware, while he also has the largest stock of high-grade jewelry in Southern California, outside of Los Angeles and San Diego. He is continually on the lookout for the latest in the jewelry line, which he adds to his
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stock; and this alertness is much appreciated by his many patrons, a large percentage of whom are among the class that "know." Recently, alterations have been made in the store; a new floor has been laid, and there is a new front with extra plate glass windows, so that the estab- lishment and its home now rank with the best for its size in all California.
On May 1, 1911, at Pomona, Mr. Witman and Miss Eva G. Ely were married; and they are the parents of two very attractive chil- dren, George B., Jr., and Mary Elizabeth. Mrs. Witman is a native of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and the daughter of F. M. and Mary Ely, worthy pioneers long esteemed as neighbors and friends.
WILLIAM STANLEY WOOD
To devote one's life to the education and training of the future generation is a work worthy of praise from all men, and nothing can exceed it in importance to the great commonwealth. Pomona Valley boasts of educational facilities which rank with the very best in the state, and has long been a Mecca for families who desire the best to be had along educational lines for their children, combined with ideal home surroundings.
William Stanley Wood, a well-known educator and a member of the faculty of the Claremont high school, is a native of Northport, Long Island, N. Y., where he was born May 25, 1882, a son of James and Catherine ( Barton) Wood. Both parents are now deceased. He received his preliminary education in the public schools of Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1901 he came to Los Angeles, earning his own way. Desir- ing to further enlarge his education, he entered Throop Polytechnic Institute in Pasadena, where he was graduated. From the latter insti- tution he went to the University of California at Berkeley, and studied manual training at Menomonee, Wis. Teaching for a year he entered Stout Institute at Menomonee, continuing his studies in the line of his specialty.
After finishing his college courses, Mr. Wood began teaching in the Claremont high school in 1911, and is now serving as vice-principal of the institution, an able educator and man of sterling worth and character.
The marriage of Mr. Wood united him with Miss Beatrice Lorina Jones, a native daughter of California, born at Long Beach, and one child has blessed their union, Cathryn Jean Wood. The family are members of the Congregational Church and enjoy the friendship of the community in which they make their home, and join in all worthy causes for the upbuilding of the Valley, both along edu- cational and civic lines. For a recreation from his educational work, Mr. Wood takes a deep interest in agricultural work and in gardening.
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He has unbounded faith in the future in store for this section of California, and is ready to back it up in a substantial way when the occasion calls for it. In national politics he supports the Republican party, but in local elections uses his own judgment in supporting the men he believes best fitted for office.
OLIVER HARVEY DUVALL
That adverse circumstances are but obstacles to be overcome by a man of character and energy finds convincing expression in the life story of Oliver H. Duvall, who, by his own efforts, has risen above his early struggles and become one of the well-known and esteemed men of Claremont. He is a native of Indiana, born near Richmond, February 3, 1865, a son of Ira and Elizabeth (Gard) Duvall, both now deceased.
The third child in a family of nine born to his parents, Oliver H. received his education in the rural schools and had two years in high school, later studied for one year at the Central Normal School at Danville, Ind. He then taught school in Indiana and Ohio for two years, and at the end of that period came to California, in the winter of 1887, first settling in the Ojai Valley, Ventura County, for three years and there engaged in various occupations.
In the fall of 1890, Mr. Duvall decided to gain further educa- tional advantages for himself, though handicapped by health none too robust, and also a lack of finances. Nothing daunted, however, he entered Pomona College, and through the permission of the faculty, opened a small book and stationery room in the college, which helped him in working his way through college, and in 1895 he was gradu- ated with the degree of B.L. That same year he had the opportunity to become assistant postmaster and served in that capacity for two years, and was later appointed postmaster, a position which he filled for eighteen years, the office in the meantime growing until it was ad- vanced from a fourth to a second-class office. Mr. Duvall received his appointment through President McKinley, and has won the esteem of his fellow-citizens through his years of faithful service. He em- ployed his spare time in studying pharmacy, in due time becoming a registered pharmacist, now being proprietor of the College Book and Drug Store, and a well-known figure in the college life of Claremont and the Pomona Valley. He has watched the trend of events in this section and taken an active interest in the growth of the college and Valley surrounding it, from a very small beginning to the present period of remarkable advancement, and can rightfully feel that he has had a share in its development. Besides his business interests, he is interested in horticulture and has developed an orange grove of his own in the Valley. He was also an organizer of the First National Bank of Claremont and is a director of the institution.
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The marriage of Mr. Duvall, in 1896, united him with Miss Frances L. Billings, born in New York state and a graduate of Ober- lin College, with the degree of B.A. She was also a pioneer of this section, and established the first kindergarten in Pomona. One child has blessed their union, Florence Elizabeth. The family are members of the Congregational Church and join in the social and civic life of the community. In political affairs Mr. Duvall supports Republican principles and measures.
FRANCIS G. WYMAN
A gentleman who has done much to advance the study of the proper care of citrus and other trees is Francis G. Wyman, manager of the Growers Fumigation and Supply Company, of Pomona, one of the most enterprising and promising associations actuated by the co- operative idea in all California. He was born in Austinburg, Ohio, on December 1, 1867, and when six years old was taken by his father, George Wyman, to McPherson County, Kans., where he grew up on homestead land. He attended the public schools, and alternately de- voted his boyish energies to study and farming.
In 1892, he came to California and located in Lordsburg, now La Verne, and for four years worked in orange ranches. Like many others, this bright young fellow got possessed with the idea of buying and improving land, and at Mud Springs, near San Dimas, he bought ten acres of an orange grove, brought the tract to a higher state of cultivation, and then sold it at a profit. Since that time he has owned two other groves. For a number of years he lived in the San Dimas district, and later he removed to Claremont, where he now resides.
At La Verne, on September 15, 1896, Mr. Wyman was married to Miss Charlotte Small of Iowa, by whom he has had two children, Marion L. and Charlotte Wyman. Marion was a junior at Pomona College, and having attended the officers' training school at the Presidio, was ready to receive a commission in the army when the armistice was signed. His sister is a junior in the Claremont high school. The family attend the Congregational Church, and Mr. Wy- man is a York Rite Mason, and a Shriner, and he is a past master, a past high priest and a past commander, all at Pomona, and was master of San Dimas lodge. He has conferred the third degree on his son Marion in Claremont lodge. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Wyman is an expert and an authority on fumigation, and is frequently consulted by those anxious to secure the best results. He has made special addresses on the subject before the horticultural com- mission, and articles from his pen have appeared in the California
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Citrograph of Los Angeles, a magazine devoted to citrus growing. He first became connected with the Growers Fumigation and Supply Company in 1910, and since his assumption of office, the organization has greatly extended its field of operations.
The Growers Fumigation and Supply Company of Pomona, which now has offices in the Investment Building, was organized in 1909 and is at present manned by the following officers: President, Fred J. Smith; vice-president, D. C. Crookshank; directors, Messrs. Smith, Crookshank and J. W. Romick, Lucien S. Taylor, C. O. Baugh- man, J. J. Maechtlen, William A. Fox and W. O. Fritz. The com- pany operates under the state laws of California, the same as the packing houses, and is an association of citrus fruit growers. They are in intimate connection with seven packing houses, and through the latter as members, about 6,000 acres of citrus fruit are represented. It is the largest association of its kind in Southern California, and about 4,200 acres have been fumigated by the company in one season.
According to the report of Manager Wyman, made in May, 1919, the Growers Fumigation and Supply Company, in the face of such adverse conditions as scarcity of labor, high cost of materials, tents, etc., was able to make a most satisfactory showing before the stockholders at the last meeting. The company has sustained almost no losses, has laid aside the fine sum of $7,000 as a fund with which to replace equipment, has paid six per cent to stockholders, and will re- fund $5,240 to the growers this year. The number of trees fumigated last year was 248,196; and as it is clear that through cooperation this work has been done much cheaper than it could be undertaken by private contractors, it is also clear that besides the saving in money, there has been a guarantee of good, safe work that must have been very considerable.
MAJ. HOMER LEO DUFFY
One of the popular and progressive men of the Valley, and the son of an old pioneer of California, Homer Leo Duffy has demon- strated his ability both in business and civic affairs. Born in Lexing- ton, Nebr., September 8, 1883, he is the son of John A. and Elizabeth J. (Moran) Duffy ; the father was a contractor and carpenter by trade, and in early days came to the Grass Valley mining country. He later located in Pomona and here bought property between Thomas and Garey streets and built the Eureka House, in 1885. Both parents are now living in Los Angeles, and besides Homer Leo, they have two daughters now living.
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