USA > California > San Diego County > San Diego county, California; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 13
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In 1901 Mr. Loebenstein was married to Miss Emma Baker, a native of Santa Rosa, California, and they have gained many friends during the period of their
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residence in San Diego. Mr. Loebenstein is a member of the Masonic fraternity and both he and his wife hold membership with the Eastern Star. He has been actuated in all that he has done by laudable ambition and, able to meet the exact- ing requirements of government service, he is well qualified to discharge the oner- ous and responsible duties that are devolving upon him in the private practice of his profession.
CARL O. REINBOLD.
Through successive stages of progress and advancement Carl O. Reinbold has worked his way upward in the real-estate business until he is secretary and treas- urer of the D. C. Collier Company, one of the most important firms in San Diego. For ten years he has been identified with their interests, his promotion coming rapidly in recognition of his able and discriminating work. He was born in Ger- many, September 15, 1868, and pursued his education in his native country until he was sixteen years of age. At that time he determined to come to America and accordingly crossed the Atlantic and settled in Chicago. Here for some years he worked at lithographing but finally went to the Black Hills of South Dakota, where in association with his brother, Herman Reinbold, he engaged successfully in mining and engineering for two years. In 1902 he went farther west and set- tled in San Diego, where he became associated with the Ralston Realty Com- pany as a member of the office force. He has seen the development of this firm into one of the largest real-estate concerns in the city and has to a large extent been identified with the work of development. The name was changed to the D. C. Collier Company some time ago and in 1907 Mr. Reinbold was appointed secretary and treasurer and has been one of the dominating factors in the suc- cess of the firm since that time.
In 1908 Mr. Reinbold married Miss Delia H. Curtis, of Arizona, who has become well known in the social circles of San Diego. Mr. Reinbold is a member of the Cuyamaca Club. By virtue of his important position with one of the largest real-estate houses in the city he is prominent in business circles. That he has attained this place is sufficient proof of the integrity, perseverance and energy which are qualities in his character.
THOMAS J. BROWNRIGG.
Thomas J. Brownrigg is secretary and manager of one of the most completely equipped laundries on the Pacific coast and during his connection with business interests in San Diego he has secured a patronage which is most gratifying and lucrative. He came to California from the middle west, his birth having occurred in Saginaw, Michigan, on the 21st of January, 1878. While spending his youthful days in the home of his widowed mother, Margaret Brownrigg, he entered school, mastering the branches of learning that constituted the public-school curric- ulum in Saginaw. Following his graduation from the high school he reviewed
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the field of business in order to make choice of an occupation or profession which he wished to make his life work, and at length entered fire insurance circles il his native city. At the age of twenty he left for the west and after spending some years in the southwest he went to the northwest and there operated extensively in Canadian wheat lands, working up a large and lucrative business. After selling his interests in the northwest, Mr. Brownrigg spent two years in travel in the United States and the tropics, in search of an ideal climate, and a city beautiful, in which to make a home, and finally located in San Diego. In May, 1910, he erected here a fine brick block and equipped and established the Excelsior Laun- dry, which is one of the best on the Pacific coast, supplied with all modern machinery to facilitate and improve the work turned out. In the short time that he has been in the laundry business he has acquired a complete knowledge of the business in all its branches and has secured a very extensive patronage among the leading families as well as among the principal hotels and apartment houses. Something of the growth and success of his business is indicated in the fact that he now employs nearly one hundred people, many of them being par- ticularly skilled in the methods of fine laundry work. He has a standing order with manufacturers of laundry machines to notify him at once of any new inven- tion, as he insists upon having the latest and most up-to-date machinery and the most thoroughly modern establishment to be found.
In 1910, Mr. Brownrigg was married to Miss Maud B. Shaw of Long Beach and they have one child.
Mr. Brownrigg holds membership with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Lodge No. 187, and is widely and favorably known in that organization. He is prominent among the business men of the city as a representative of one of its most important commercial interests. He possesses keen discrimination and sound judgment and his executive ability and excellent management have brought to the concern with which he is connected a large degree of prosperity. Steadily working his way upward, he has long since left the ranks of the many to stand among the more successful few.
LEIGHTON McMURTRIE.
A prominent figure in real-estate and insurance circles and popular club man of San Diego, Leighton McMurtrie has made continuous progress dur- ing the years of his residence in this city and his record is another proof of the fact that in the individual and not in his environment is found the secret of his success. He was born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1884, a son of William and Agnes (Sloan) McMurtrie. He is descended from a long line of Scotch ancestors, the history of his mother's people being traced back to the eleventh century. His father was one of the most extensive sheep raisers in his native country and had a farm of twenty-five hundred acres located at Gillenbie, Lockerbie, Scotland.
Leighton McMurtrie was educated in the Huyton College, a famous old school located near Liverpool, England, but before obtaining a college degree put aside his text-books in order to go into business. His first work was in
Leighton Is Partie
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association with his uncle, George Sloan, one of the wealthiest and most noted sheep farmers in the southern part of Scotland. He was later engaged in sheep-raising in Georgefield, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, the home of the famous Georgefield sheep noted throughout Great Britain, Mr. McMur- trie remained in that business until 1905, when he came to southern California and purchased land in the Hermit valley, Riverside county. Subsequently, however, he removed to San Diego and here became interested in the real- estate business while later he extended the field of his operations to include mortgages, loans and fire insurance. He has since developed the business until it is now one of the largest of the kind in San Diego. He confines his attention largely to dealing in town property and he has become one of the most extensive operators in this class of business in the city. He has also turned his attention to construction work and is the builder of three of San Diego's leading buildings, including the McMurtrie block at the northwest corner of Third and B streets, the Barney, McMurtrie & Decker building at the northwest corner of Fifth and A streets, and the Burnham, McMurtrie building at the southeast corner of Sixth and C streets. All of these are modern structures, thoroughly equipped according to the most advanced ideas, and are located in the heart of the business section of the city, adding greatly to its architectural beauty. On the Ist of January, 1909, Mr. McMurtrie obtained a ten years' lease on the ground floor offices of the U. S. Grant Hotel and there established his own office headquarters from which he directs his numerous and varied enterprises which are of growing importance and extent.
Mr. McMurtrie is also a popular clubman and is prominent in fraternal circles in southern California. He has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in Masonry, is a member of the Knight Templar commandery and also of Al Malaikah and Al Bahr Shrine. He holds membership in the Cuyamaca, the University, Coronado, San Diego, Country, Amphion and San Diego Rowing Clubs. He is one of the most patriotic and public-spirited citi- zens of San Diego and his work is a notable example of the more recent types of home building. He is among those men of foreign birth who have brought to new surroundings energy and ambition and who by the wise use of time, talents and opportunities, have become important factors in the upbuilding and development of southern California.
FRED O'FARRELL.
In a profession where advancement depends entirely upon individual merit Fred O'Farrell has gained more than local distinction, practicing at the bar as a member of the law firm of Mills & O'Farrell. He was born in Taylorville, Illi- nois, October 12, 1874, and is a son of W. M. and Ellen O'Farrell. His educa- tion was begun in the public schools of Taylorville and continued in the high school in San Diego, whither his parents removed in 1887. After his gradua- tion in 1894 he studied law under Senator John D. Works and Judge W. T. McNealy and was admitted to the bar in 1896. He at once began the practice of law and in January, 1911, went into partnership with Mr. Mills under the Vol. II-7
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firm name of Mills & O'Farrell. His success is the best evidence of his ability. He is regarded as a forceful advocate, whose knowledge of law is comprehensive and exact and whose application of legal principles at all times is correct. His practice is continually increasing and he has been retained in connection with many of the most important cases tried in the courts of his district.
Mr. O'Farrell married, in San Diego, December 25, 1906, Miss Winifred Geer, and they have two children: Dorothy, five years of age, who is attending kindergarten; and Norman, aged two years. Mr. O'Farrell is prominent in fra- ternal circles, holding membership in the Masonic order and the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks. He gives his allegiance to the republican party and, although he never seeks political preferment, was a member of the local board of education for four years. He has won success in a difficult profession because he has been thoroughly trained in it and has applied his knowledge in a concise and systematic way. He is recognized in San Diego as a man of broad knowledge, excellent judgment, keen insight and commanding ability, and these qualities have gone into the development of a brilliant legal career.
OLIVER P. FLETCHER, M. D.
This is an age of specialization. More and more men in the trades, in busi- ness and in professional lines are coming to realize the worth and the lasting benefit of concentrating their attention upon one subject or one phase of a subject and becoming thoroughly efficient in a chosen line. In no way can this be more forcefully illustrated than by the work of Dr. Oliver P. Fletcher, cancer specialist, who has given many years of study and experience to evolving a cure for this disease and who has earned a well deserved reward. A native of Ohio, he was born in Fostoria in 1848, and is a son of Dr. John and Emeline Fletcher, the former a native of England, a well known physician and a member of the court at London.
After completing the regular course of study in the public schools of his native section Dr. Fletcher determined to study medicine, a profession which had always attracted him, his natural inclination being strengthened by his early environment. After working for some time under his father he received his degree of M. D. in 1880 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the same year entered upon the general practice of medicine. He had all the qualifications for success, thorough equipment, natural inclination, good judgment, courage and a humani- tarian instinct,-and prosperity came rapidly. In 1892 he moved to Toledo, Ohio, and became connected with the Hospital for the Insane, working under Dr. B. A. Wright. At this time he also carried forward his work on the treatment of cancer, as a substitute under Dr. C. G. C. Clark. Since coming to San Diego he has given almost all of his attention to his cancer patients. His work has been lasting, far reaching and beneficial in its effects and it is almost impossible to estimate its pres- ent and future value and importance. Dr. Fletcher evolved his cure for cancer after he left college. He has revolutionized methods and has had some remark- able results. He treats the blood and puts his patient under a careful diet. Can- cer is a growth fed by devitalized matter in the blood, and this is naturally attracted
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to any weak or injured part and as a person grows old and the vital resistance weaker it becomes a malignant tumor. Any treatment which does not kill the can- cer as fast as it penetrates this tumor will not only fail to cure it but will drive the cancer in deeper. To treat the different forms of cancer successfully requires a careful supervision of each individual case, expert knowledge and discriminating judgment. Dr. Fletcher advocates as one of the greatest elements in the cure of the disease cheerfulness and confidence on the part of the afflicted person, believing that the mental condition has much to do with the disease. Thus it may be seen that there is very little danger of the disease being transmitted by contact or by blood contamination. Surgery is most generally employed in the treatment of cancer and adherents of this theory stoutly deny that any other course is effec- tive, although it is known that the knife and electricity have failed. Dr. Fletcher has demonstrated the fact that life may be prolonged many years by dieting and blood medicine, although he never uses the same course of treatment with any two patients. He has successfully removed one hundred cancers and in so doing has used forty different remedies selected to suit each case according to his judg- ment and experience.
Dr. Fletcher married in Medina, Ohio, Miss Helen Mallory and they have two children, Charles E. and Herman E. Dr. Fletcher belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias and is an active member of both organizations. He states his political views thus: "I believe in universal justice," and he has striven in every way to make his entire life conform to that faith. His labors in his special field have placed him among the great humani- tarian workers-the men who give their energies to lessening the pain and sor- row of the world.
W. GREGG KOLLOCK.
W. Gregg Kollock has offices at No. 309 American National Bank building, where he looks after the San Diego interests of Torrance, Marshall & Company, investment bankers, whom he represents. He is regarded as one of the progres- sive and promising young business men of the city and has already secured by ability and enterprise a high place in business circles. He was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886, a son of Dr. C. W. and Gertrude (Gregg) Kollock.
Mr. Kollock's early education was received in his native city and was sup- plemented by a course in Charleston College. He subsequently entered the Uni- versity of Virginia and after his graduation from that institution went to Texas, where he spent two years. At the end of that time he came to California and settled in Los Angeles, where he became interested in the investment banking business. He was sent to San Diego as local representative of J. H. Adams & Company (now Torrance, Marshall & Company), a concern which operates one of the most important investment banking enterprises in the state. The company which he represents is capitalized at three and a half million dollars and does an extensive business in all kinds of high-grade investments and in bonds of corpora- tions. The concern has been established for over twenty years and is prominently and favorably known throughout the United States.
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Since coming to San Diego Mr. Kollock has not only established himself among the city's successful business men but has also become well known in social circles, where his genial and friendly qualities have made him widely popu- lar. He has extensive club affiliations, holding membership in all the important organizations of the city, At twenty-six he has been entrusted with responsible affairs and his able work promises steady and rapid advancement.
GEORGE F. OTTO.
George F. Otto, proprietor of the Floral Park Nursery and one of the most active and successful business men of San Diego, was born in Germany, Decem- ber 1, 1866, a son of Fred and Elizabeth Otto. He received his education in his native country and remained there until after he had completed his studies. Since he has been in San Diego he has been the proprietor of the Floral Park Nursery, one of the largest enterprises of its kind in southern California. His grounds are located at the corner of Thirty-fifth street and National avenue, four blocks from the terminus of the street car line. Here Mr. Otto cares for and cultivates all kinds of flowers and trees, maintaining a floral store and sales yard at No. 1250 Fourth street, in the city. He has a natural love for growing things and understands scientific horticulture and this is combined with a general business ability of a high order, so that his success has been rapid in his chosen field of operation.
In 1898 Mr. Otto married Miss H. Cordes and they have two children, Myrtle and Ernest, both at home. Mr. Otto belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Elks. He takes an active interest in the business growth and expansion of San Diego and is eager to promote not only his individual success but also general activity. To make his work along this line more practical he joined the Merchants Association and has given loyal support to the organiza- tion for many years. He is a true type of modern business man, a specialist but with broad interests and active in everything which tends to make his public spirit more effective.
L. P. SWAYNE.
San Diego, a city of almost ideal climatic conditions, of great natural beauty and advantageous location, owes much of its rapid development and attractive improvement in recent years to the efforts of L. P. Swayne, who as a member of E. J. Swayne & Company is conducting a real-estate business second to none in the city. The width of the continent separates him from his birthplace, for he is a native of East Orange, New Jersey, born July 16, 1879. His parents, E. J. and Ruth J. Swayne, came with their family to San Diego when their son was but five years of age and here he attended the grammar and high schools, pass- ing through the consecutive grades until he entered Pomona College of Pomona, California, from which he was graduated with the class of 1900. His initial
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step in business circles was made as a representative of fire insurance in connec- tion with D. C. Reed. Subsequently, however, he sold out and Mr. Swayne became secretary of the E. J. Swayne Realty Company. Later D. C. Reed, E. C. Fleet and L. P. Swayne purchased the good-will of the E. J. Swayne Realty Com- pany, Mr. Swayne becoming vice president. The present firm of E. J. Swayne & Company is conducting the largest business in San Diego, their annual transac- tions being second to none in volume and importance. They have employed the method of securing large tracts of land and then subdividing to suit the wishes of prospective buyers. Among the largest tracts which they have handled are the Reed & Swayne's addition, the Reed's Central Park addition, the Palmheights property, the Marine View addition and many other noted tracts which have been added to the area of the city and have become important residential dis- tricts splendidly equipped with all modern improvements. Mr. Swayne is now a member of the San Diego Realty Board and there is no man who takes a more lively or helpful interest in all things conducive to the city's welfare. He is a firm believer in its future, predicting that in a few years San Diego will have attained a phenomenal growth, believing that the climate alone is sufficient to attract people here in large numbers from all parts of the country. Moreover, he is doing his full share in making this an ideal western city with every modern convenience.
Mr. Swayne was united in marriage to Mrs. Ruth E. Reed and unto them was born one child, now deceased.
Mr. Swayne holds membership in the Chamber of Commerce, doing effective promotional work in that connection. He served under Mayor Forward as a member of the park board and was largely instrumental in securing for the Plaza the fountain, donated by Mr. Wilde. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevo- lent Protective Order of Elks. He is widely known as an alert, enterprising business man who quickly and wisely utilizes the opportunities that are his. He is possessed of a contagious enthusiasm that inspires those with whom he comes in contact and his own belief in San Diego has secured to it many supporters.
GUY D. LOOMIS.
The rapid growth of San Diego furnishes a splendid field for the labors of the enterprising real-estate man and upon him more than upon any other citi- zen must the city depend for the character of her general growth and improve- ment. The real-estate dealer has a splendid opportunity to make or mar a city by his methods of developing property and it is the public-spirited men, of which class Mr. Loomis is a type, who are making San Diego the attractively beautiful port on the Pacific. Mr. Loomis is a native of Vermontville, Mich- igan, born March 7, 1886. He came to San Diego when nine years of age and passed through consecutive grades in the grammar and high schools, being graduated with the class of 1902. Immediately after his graduation he became connected with the real-estate business and few men of his years have attained such notable success or have displayed greater ability in handling a proposition connected with the purchase and sale of realty. He has recently secured one of
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the largest tracts in the immediate vicinity, called Beverly, most beautifully sit- uated on the coast, and has already invested upwards of twenty-five thousand dollars in improvements in this property alone. Mr. Loomis also is owner of another tract four miles east of the business center, containing four hundred acres, known as Los Alturis. He has made a study of real-estate operations according to modern methods whereby the beauty and development of the city are made features of real-estate dealing.
Mr. Loomis wedded Miss Erminie de Lacour and they are well known socially in San Diego, where Mr. Loomis as an alert, energetic young business man is fast becoming one of the leaders in real-estate circles.
THE FREDERICKA HOME FOR THE AGED.
A happy and peaceful old age is the crown and glory of an upright life. It marks not the period before the end of activity but the culminating point of worthy work-the rest after labor. There is an old age which is a benediction to all with whom it comes in contact, that gives out of its rich store of wisdom and experience and grows stronger mentally and spiritually as the days pass. Unfortunately this old age is too often connected with physical frailty, with failing bodily power, with the passing away of friends. The young and strong grow powerful and take upon their shoulders the burdens of the world and another generation rises. Then the most honorable and compelling duty of this new generation is to care for and aid the former one, to make better and more comfortable the conditions of those grown old. This in effect is the purpose and the influencing cause of The Fredericka Home for the Aged, one of the finest, most thoroughly equipped and ably managed institutions of its kind in Chula Vista, founded with a definite high purpose and conducted along lines which best promote its accomplishment.
The Fredericka Home and the association which conducts it were founded by Mrs. Emma R. Saylor in June, 1908, with Miss Eleanor Dye, Mrs. Belle M. Bailey and Mrs. Sarah Raymond as her associates and coworkers. On October 12, of the same year, the association and home were incorporated, a constitution and by-laws adopted and the following directors elected: Henry Timken, capitalist; Ralph Granger, banker; Emma R. Saylor, philanthropist ; E. J. Swayne, financier; and Judge A. Haines, attorney at law. The beginning of The Fredericka Home is due to the genius of Mrs. Emma R. Saylor, to whose indefatigable zeal and tireless energy is due the gratifying success of the insti- tution. After the incorporation Mrs. Henry Timken purchased of Mrs. Jennings Verity, of Chula Vista, at a cost of ten thousand dollars, a beautiful home, stand- ing in the midst of a ten acre orchard, which is a source of revenue to the home. This was presented to the Fredericka Association for the purpose of making of it a permanent home for the aged. Mrs. Verity donated the com- plete house furnishings, the farm wagons, horses and implements necessary in the operation of the ranch and kept up her active interest in the affairs of the association until her death on December 23, 1908. Afterward Mr. Timken erected at his own expense, as a memorial to her memory, the new east wing,
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