USA > California > Alameda County > Past and present of Alameda County, California, Volume II > Part 32
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Mr. Hadlen is married and has seven children, Annie, Charles, Julia, Herman, Fred, Mabel and Edward. He has served one term as township trustee of Berkeley. Since pioneer times he has taken an active interest in public affairs and has made many valuable con- tributions to community development and growth. He built his first home in West Berkeley, in 1879, at a time when few streets had been laid out in the section, and he has watched the community develop along all lines, his interests touching closely social, political and busi- ness growth. A wide reader, especially of such volumes as deal with the history of the Bay cities, he has kept himself well informed regarding conditions on the Berkeley side of the bay and is consid- ered an authority on everything pertaining to the early settlement and later development of this section. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished, for he started out in business life a poor boy and by his energy, enterprise and ambition has steadily worked his way upward to success.
E. F. GARRISON.
One of the most progressive and capable men in public life in Alameda county is E. F. Garrison, who, in 1910, was elected to the office of county auditor. He was born September 7, 1873, in Sacramento, where his family had settled two years previously. The father was connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad Com- pany as engineer for over thirty-two years. His death occurred in Oakland in 1904.
The Garrison family moved to Oakland when E. F. Garrison was a child of five, and he has since remained a resident of this
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E. F. GARRISON
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city. After completing a public-school course he finished his educa- tion in St. Mary's College and then secured a position with the Cali- fornia Door Company. He began in a humble capacity, but being ambitious and attentive to his work, he soon mastered the details of the business and rose, step by step, through its various departments, becoming first timekeeper and finally estimator.
Mr. Garrison began his public career in November, 1900, when he was appointed deputy city assessor and auditor under A. H. Breed. In this position he did efficient work for ten years and at the end of that time was elected to his present office. Since his installation as county auditor he has thoroughly systematized the work of his de- partment and the results are seen in the promptness and dispatch with which information may be had on all matters coming under Mr. Gar- rison's official jurisdiction. He has a selected staff of assistants whose past business experience has especially fitted them for their present duties, and he is already in a fair way to realize his ambition of mak- ing his office one of the best conducted in the state. Something like sixty thousand warrants for salaries and other expenditures go through Mr. Garrison's hands during a year and no funds are paid out without his signature. The great responsibilities of his position are most apparent and Mr. Garrison is keenly alive to the importance of his work, always scrutinizing all of these warrants for the expendi- ture of public funds before affixing his name. One of the notable and commendable features of his incumbency is his adoption of a new system of accounts in the office of auditor of Alameda county, making it dovetail with the state accounts in accord with the requirements of state laws. It is largely due to his efforts that the system is such a success and of this he is justly proud. Alameda county is the only one of the fifty-eight in California that has such a thorough system of accounts. The auditor's department is able at all times to know the true condition of the funds of the county. A trial balance is taken off each month and a report of the exact condition of the county funds is made to the public through the press. Another point in Mr. Garrison's service that is equally commendable is that he has always notified the taxpayers when there has been a refund due them on the tax on personal property unsecured by real estate, and he has likewise notified them when their property has become delinquent, thus doing work never before done by any auditor of Alameda county. He has discharged all of his duties in a thorough and businesslike manner, and it is to be hoped that further political honors will be accorded one so worthy.
Vol. II-21
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Mr. Garrison is prominent in fraternal circles, his connections being extensive and important. He is a member of Oakland Tent, No. 17, K. O. T. M., and is also state auditor of the Pacific jurisdic- tion of the same order. He belongs to Oakland Lodge, No. 171, B. P. O. E., and is chairman of its finance committee. He likewise belongs to Athens Parlor, No. 195, N. S. G. W., has been financial secretary of the Native Sons for the past twelve years, and was chair- man of the state board of relief and treasurer of the Native Sons Hall Association of Oakland. In addition to this he belongs to the Young Men's Christian Association and the U. P. E. C. and is financial secretary of Live Oak Council, No. 1102, National Union. He is likewise junior past president of the Audit Association of California. It has been said of him: "He is a man of fine personal appearance, but, more than that, of fine character." He is alert and enterprising and ready to meet any emergency that may arise with the conscious- ness that comes from the right conception of things and a just regard for what is best in the exercise of human activities.
KATHERINE MCCLURG, M. D.
Those who doubt the capacity of women for success in the profes- sions will find ample refutation of their opinion in the successful career of Dr. Katherine McClurg, who is today one of the leading physicians in Oakland. She was born in Ohio and spent her child- hood in her native state, coming to California with her parents in 1893. Here she took up the training course for nurses in order to familiarize herself to some extent with the medical science, which had always attracted her. She never practiced as a nurse, however, but after completing the required course entered Cooper Medical College in San Francisco, from which she was graduated in 1903. She afterward practiced for a short time but, not considering her medical education complete, went to Baltimore, Maryland, where she took a post-graduate course at Johns Hopkins University, com- pleting it in 1910.
In that year, splendidly equipped for the practice of her pro- fession, she returned to California and opened an office in Oakland, where she has since remained. She possesses a deep and compre- hensive knowledge of underlying medical principles and is con- scientious and practical in her application of it, having a sympathy with human suffering and a sense of personal responsibility which
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make her unusually able in her chosen field. Always a close and earnest student of her profession, Dr. McClurg keeps in touch with the most advanced practical thought through her membership in the American Medical Association and the state and county medical societies, and her ability is widely recognized in professional circles. She has secured a large and representative patronage, and her skill and ability are everywhere evident in the excellent results which have followed her labors.
TOM CARPENTER, V. S.
A man who has made a comprehensive knowledge of the science of veterinary surgery and a phenomenal success in the practice of this profession the basis of a work of public service broad in extent and far-reaching in purpose is Dr. Tom Carpenter, who for more than nineteen years has been practicing in Alameda, his reputation spread- ing to all parts of California and his patronage extending through- out all the neighboring sections of the state. Aside from his great professional success he is known also as one of the organizers of the Oakland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the leading spirit in carrying forward its work, this forming one of his chief interests at the present time.
Dr. Carpenter was born in Dartmouth, England, June 19, 1862, and is a son of William Henry and Harriet (Edwards) Carpenter, now deceased, who were former residents of San Francisco, where they settled in 1869. Their son was at that time seven years of age, and he soon afterward entered the public schools of the city, where he acquired his primary and grammar education. Later he received instruction in Latin and French from a private tutor, interrupting his studies in 1879 in order to accompany his parents to Europe. He returned to San Francisco in 1881 and resumed his education, laying aside his books finally in 1883. In that year he went to the northwest, visiting Puget sound and the Fraser river country and locating a pre-emption claim in Whatcom county, Washington. Re- turning home in the same year, he took charge of his father's veter- inary infirmary as superintendent and thus first became a student of veterinary science, a profession in which he has since achieved such remarkable and well-deserved success. As he grew more inter- ested in it, he broadened his studies and, in order to get the advantage of the best facilities offered along this line, went in 1885 to Toronto,
HISTORY OF ALAMEDA COUNTY
Ontario, and entered the Ontario Veterinary College, an institution established in 1862. During his vacations he practiced under the direct supervision of a practical veterinarian at Dayton, Ohio, and in college besides completing the regular general course, took a spe- cial course in veterinary dentistry, becoming in this way a master of all the branches of the profession which he intended to make his own. On the 30th of March, 1888, he received his diploma from the Onta- rio Veterinary College and the great honor of a certificate of Hon- orary Fellowship from the Ontario Veterinary Medical Society in acknowledgment of valuable contributions in the line of essays on disease.
Being thus thoroughly equipped for the practice of his profes- sion, and having already proved himself possessed of more than ordi- nary ability along his chosen line, Dr. Carpenter returned to the coast and, settling near Oakland, established a veterinary infirmary. This institution he conducted along with his general practice for two years, but his patronage grew so rapidly and finally reached such extensive proportions that he could not properly superintend the infirmary and was obliged to discontinue it. He has since that time devoted himself to the general practice of his profession, making his home in Alameda, although his practice is drawn not only from this city, but from San Francisco and Oakland also, and his services are in frequent requisition through the interior of the state from Shasta to San Diego. Upon an exhaustive and exact knowledge of the underlying principles of veterinary science, upon his constant study of the new ideas and methods always being introduced into practice, upon his superior attainments in all branches of his profession, Dr. Carpenter has based a signal success, and it places him today among the men of marked ability and substantial worth in his community. He keeps in touch with the most advanced thought of his profes- sion, and his practice, though large, is constantly increasing.
Not content with achieving an enviable degree of individual prosperity Dr. Carpenter has striven always to make his ability and knowledge effective along lines of public benefit, and this he has succeeded in doing in the course of his nineteen years of continuous and able service as city veterinarian and food inspector of Alameda. He was the first veterinarian in California to use Koch's tuberculin when, in 1894, he experimented on the dairy cattle of Alameda, dem- onstrating its great value as a diagnostic agent in tuberculosis. This is only one of many great and varied services which Dr. Carpenter has performed for Alameda and for California. He gained special distinction during the fire and earthquake of 1906, and after the dis-
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aster, when he had charge of the supply wagons of the Masonic state board of relief. When the Elks took up the relief work, he installed an outfit for the purpose of aiding those quartered at the Elks' relief camp and brought hundreds of the refugees to Alameda, where they were cared for at the Elks' camp in this city. Dr. Carpenter went east in 1907 for the purpose of studying the pure food question in all its relations and of mastering the requirements of the new pure food law. He talked with experts in New York and Washington and on his return supplied the merchants of San Francisco with advance information regarding the requirements, aims and purposes of the new enactment, doing a great deal to promote its intelligent accept- ance in this section of the state. Making another trip east in 1912 he continued his work of investigation regarding food and dairy prod- ucts. He has used his professional ability and influence intelligently and with public spirit, recognizing the obligations which his power and position entail upon him. He is at present deeply and keenly interested in the work of the Alameda Humane Society, which he aided in organizing. He is executive officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and in this capacity has con- ducted a vigorous campaign against cock fighting, dog fighting and live-turkey shooting, and he has accomplished some lasting reforms along this line.
In St. Paul's church, New York city, on the 21st of May, 1889, Dr. Carpenter was united in marriage to Miss Annie Elizabeth Hix of Devonshire, England. After the death of his first wife he wedded Miss Helen A. Martin of Healdsburg, California, a daughter of the late John A. Martin and a granddaughter of Clark Foss, one of the earliest settlers of Sonoma county. Fraternally Dr. Carpenter is identified with the Masonic Order, belonging to Oakland Lodge, No. 188, A. F. & A. M., and Alameda Chapter, No. 70, R. A. M. He is affiliated also with Alameda Aerie, No. 1076, F. O. E .; Alameda Council, No. 734, National Union, and Alameda Lodge, No. 1015, B. P. O. E. He takes intelligent and active interest in the growth and advancement of Alameda along all lines, and his hearty support is always given to progressive public movements. In 1911-12 he pre- sided over the North Side Improvement Club, which at that time was dealing with the question of harbor improvements in Alameda, and he is today keenly interested in the promotion of the subway between Oakland and Alameda, acting as chairman of the subway committee of the North Side Improvement Club. A man of varied interests, all of which he has made forces in the promotion of the public development, progress and advancement, Dr. Carpenter has
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thoroughly identified himself with the affairs of the city where he has so long made his home, and in so doing has gained the greatest of all successes that which lies in the widespread honor and esteem which his character has commanded and in the confidence and trust of many friends.
JOHN FECHTER.
John Fechter, general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association of Oakland, is doing splendid work in this connection, the various activities being well organized and the work systematic- ally conducted so that the best possible results are obtained. Mr. Fechter is a native of Alma, Kansas, born October 23, 1874, and is a son of John and Hannah Fechter. The father was a native of Baden, Germany, born in December, 1832. He was educated in that land and later engaged in the tailoring business. He was a youth of nine- teen when he crossed the Atlantic to New York city, where he was employed at tailoring, but subsequently he attended the Rochester Baptist Theological Seminary. He afterward went to Kansas, where he cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers, traveling over the state as a minister of the Baptist church and preaching at various places. He next went to Salem, Oregon, and later to Sacramento, California, where his remaining days were passed, his death occurring on the ist of March, 1911.
John Fechter is indebted to the public and high schools for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed. He pursued his studies in Pasadena, California, and in Salem, Oregon, until fifteen years of age when he made his start in the business world as an employe in a dry-goods store in Salem, Oregon, where he remained until 1895. During that time he became a charter member of the Salem Young Men's Christian Association, thus entering upon a connection which has led him to his present position. He afterward went to Sacra- mento, where he entered the service of the Weinstock-Lubin Com- pany, dealers in dry goods, as salesman and buyer, continuing with that house for three years. He next went to Chicago, where he entered the Young Men's Christian Association College, and was graduated with the class of 1900. His deep interest in and prepara- tion for the work qualified him for the position of general secretary, to which position he was called in connection with the Young Men's Christian Association at Salem, Oregon, where he remained until
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1905, when he became secretary at Fresno, California. In 1910 he came to Oakland as assistant secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association and so continued until November, 1912, when he became general secretary. Under his direction the work has been well organ- ized and is advancing rapidly and substantially. The association occupies a splendid building, seven stories in height, most tastefully furnished and fitted out for the purpose intended. A two-story addi- tion to the already spacious building was completed in November, 1913, at a cost of fifty thousand dollars, the gift of Wallace M. Alex- ander, president of the association. The education department en- deavors to accommodate itself to the needs of employed men and boys and occupies the greater part of the third floor with fifteen regu- lar recitation rooms and a large study hall, well lighted and well fur- nished. Tablet armchairs are used in the regular classrooms. Draw- ing desks, commercial desks, and new visible typewriters have been added for the various departments. There is a course especially suited to the needs of the boys of Oakland who do not speak English, giving brief but thorough instruction in the use of words, pronuncia- tion and sentence building, paragraphing and letter writing. In ad- dition to this instruction, free talks are given on civic, good citizen- ship, laws of health and sanitation. In the commercial school, the courses include stenography and bookkeeping. There are also courses in English and music, mechanical drawing, plan reading and estimating, building construction, electricity and chemistry. If ten people desire instruction in any branch, a class is organized and teachers are selected with direct reference to their qualifications, the- oretical and practical.
The social department of the association is equally well organ- ized and in the rooms boys and men may find congenial, elevating companionship, with every facility for entertainment in the line of games, literature and motion pictures. There are four regulation bowling alleys, seven billiard and pool tables, and various other games. Four floors of the building are devoted to the dormitory, which has 180 rooms, providing accommodation for two hundred and fifty men, and all the rooms are furnished in an attractive and comfortable manner with steam heat, hot and cold water and private telephone service. There is also a cafeteria, where meals are fur- nished at moderate prices, and one of the most attractive features of the building is its natatorium, the floor graded in depth from four to eight feet. There is a splendidly equipped gymnasium, ball teams, fencing classes, etc. Never forgetting for an instant that this work has its root in the spirit of true religion, there are classes in Bible
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study, and Sunday afternoon meetings. All of this is under the direc- tion of Mr. Fechter, who is thoroughly acquainted with every phase of the work, recognizing the opportunities and planning to meet the needs of the association in the most practical way. He believes in studying the individual member and giving the assistance most desired, and his geniality, sympathy and deep understanding, as well as training, have thoroughly equipped him for the position.
On the 25th of March, 1903, in Salem, Oregon, Mr. Fechter mar- ried Miss Frances L. Lane, and they have three children-Lane, Frances and Gordon, all attending the public schools. Mr. Fechter is a member of the Rotary Club and of the Public Welfare Club. He also belongs to the Chamber of Commerce-associations which indi- cate much of the nature of his interests, the trend of his thought and the breadth of his view. . In politics he is a progressive republican and in religious faith a Baptist. In all of his work and activities he transcends, however, any spirit of denominationalism, reaching to the greater heights that are above the barriers of creed and dogma.
E. J. COWING.
E. J. Cowing is general manager of the Lehnhardt Candy Fac- tory, and thus an active factor in the commercial circles of Oakland. He was born in San Francisco in September, 1886, and is regarded as one of the more enterprising and progressive young business men of his city. His parents were E. H. and M. G. Cowing. The father came to California in 1860 and settled in San Francisco, where he later engaged in the canning business. The son attended the public and high schools of Alameda until he reached the age of nineteen years, when he entered the commission business in San Francisco, being active in that line until 1907, when he sold out and became general manager for the Lehnhardts at Oakland. The company has just completed a fine two-story brick building at the corner of Twenty-fourth and Grove streets, to be used as a factory for the manufacture of candy and ice cream. The building is modern in every sense of the word, is thoroughly equipped along all lines, and has been supplied with every facility that will promote sanitary con- ditions or advance excellence in manufacture. That the product is of high grade is indicated by the growing patronage. The retail store is located on Broadway between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets and is the leading confectionery establishment of Oakland.
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Mr. Cowing was married in Oakland to Miss Edna Anita Lehn- hardt in October, 1908. They have two children-Marjorie Joel, four years of age, and Emil Joseph, two years of age. In his political views Mr. Cowing is a progressive. He does not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs. He is yet a young man, and the progress that he has already made indicates the success which will come to him in the future, for he has selected as the foundation upon which to build prosperity the sub- stantial qualities of industry, determination and thorough under- standing of everything that he undertakes.
FREDERICK CHRISTIAN POOCK.
Frederick Christian Poock was one of those Germans who came to this country in order to profit by the larger opportunities which are within the reach of those who are willing to work, to strive, and to deny themselves in order that they may attain a substantial posi- tion in life. Mr. Poock was a German-American who combined in himself the characteristics of both nations and who won success along honorable lines by following the highest principles. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, January 27, 1862, and was a son of Fred C. Poock of Hamburg.
The subject of this review attended the excellent public schools there until fourteen years of age, remaining in the famous Hanse town until he had reached his twentieth birthday, when he emigrated to America, making his entrance into this country by way of New York city. Until 1890 he traveled over the country, acquainting himself with conditions and gaining valuable experience, journeying from city to city and working at various occupations. In the latter year he arrived in San Francisco, and for two years held a position in a retail liquor store. He then came to Oakland and established himself independently in that business, conducting a place on Four- teenth street near Broadway, and there he continued until his death, on January 30, 1906, his demise causing sincere sorrow to his many friends, all of whom esteemed him for his good qualities of charac- ter. He was a courteous, obliging, kindly man who was ever ready to render a service to those in need and who would ever extend a helping hand when charity offered a plea. His genial manner, his heartiness, and the kindly spirit with which he judged his fellowmen won him the friendship of many in the city of Oakland.
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In Oakland, in 1890, Mr. Poock was united in marriage to a Miss Gunth, who survives him. Mr. Poock stood high in Masonry, in which he had reached the Royal Arch degree, and he was also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In religious belief he was a Protestant. In all the relations of life he proved him- self worthy of confidence and enjoyed in a large measure the respect of those who came in contact with him.
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