USA > Missouri > Centennial history of Missouri (the center state) one hundred years in the Union, 1820-1921, Volume V > Part 22
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Dr. Miller was never active in fraternal circles, preferring always to concentrate his interests upon the home, and he was never happier than when with the members of his family at his own fireside. He was a devout Christian, living always as a con- sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His father had been one of the founders of the old Eden Chapel, later the Mount Auburn church, and Dr. Miller held membership in the Cabanne Methodist Episcopal church, South, at Bartmer and Goodfellow avenues. He also belonged to Camp No. 731 of the Order of Confederate Veterans and was one of the active spirits in placing the Confederate veterans' monu- ment in Forest Park. His widow and daughters are members of the United Daugh- ters of the Confederacy and the two daughters are also members of the Daughters of the American Revolution through their descent from Captain Obadiah Woodson and Captain John Morton on the paternal side, while the son is a member of the Sons of Veterans. The Miller family has long been socially prominent and their own home has ever been the center of warm-hearted hospitality. Dr. Miller always gave his political allegiance to the democratic party but had no desire for public office. He was most conscientious in the performance of all of his professional duties and to this end he constantly read and studied that he might promote his efficiency and make his life of greater service to his fellowmen. His professional ability, his genial nature and his sterling worth made him a most valued and honored resident of St. Louis, and the news of his demise was received with a sense of deep sorrow on the part of all who were associated with him in any way.
WILLIAM HENRY WEEKS.
Alert and enterprising, ever watchful of opportunities and readily recognizing advantages which others pass heedlessly by, William Henry Weeks, through un- aided efforts, has worked his way steadily upward, his energy and ability gaining for him the prominent position which he now occupies as the vice president of the Kansas City Stock Yards Company. He was born at Battle Creek, Michigan, March 1, 1871, and is a son of Joseph H. and Marion (Kingsley) Weeks, the former a native of Michigan, while the latter was born in Buffalo, New York. The father was an expert draftsman and millwright and became identified with the Nordyke Marmon Company, of Indianapolis.
William Henry Weeks acquired a common school education, pursuing his studies to the age of sixteen years, when he took up shorthand and also entered
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the employ of the Nordyke Marmon Company. He afterward went to Cairo, Illi- nois, where he was connected with the Cotton Belt Company for three years in the position of chief clerk. On the expiration of that period he removed to Fort Worth, Texas, and was for three years secretary of the Southwestern Fuel Com- pany, wholesale coal dealers. Later he was identified with the Cotton Belt Com- pany, of Fort Worth, as chief clerk to the assistant general freight agent and later was made assistant general live stock agent and filled the position of general live stock agent for four years at Fort Worth for the Cotton Belt. He came to the Kansas City Stock Yards Company in 1900 and for one year was the south- west representative in Oklahoma and Texas. He was general passenger agent for the Cotton Belt for three years and in 1904 he was made traffic manager of the Kansas City Stock Yards Company, having charge of the solicitation of business and of shipments. He was assistant general manager from 1913 until 1918 of the Kansas City Stock Yards and on the 1st of April, 1918, he was elected to the vice presidency and still fills this office. He is thus active in directing one of the most important business enterprises of the west and his long experience in connec- tion with railway interests constituted excellent training for the duties that now devolve upon him. He has closely studied every phase of the business connected with the management and direction of the stock yards and displayed marked initia- tive, combined with splendid powers of organization. He readily coordinates in- terests bringing them to a unified and harmonious whole and has become a dynamic force in the business circles of the west.
Mr. Weeks was married to Miss Louise N. Shiner, of San Antonio, Texas, in which city the wedding was celebrated. She is a daughter of H. B. Shiner, a prom- inent cattleman and rancher of the Lone Star state. They have become the parents of one son, W. Henry, Jr.
Mr. Weeks is well known in club circles. He is vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Kansas City'Club, a director of the Hoof and Horn Club, which he aided in organizing, a member of the Blue Hills Country Club, a member of the Knife and Fork Club, a director of the Convention Hall and a member of the Automobile Club.
FREDERICK CASIMIR SIMON, M. D.
Dr. Frederick Casimir Simon, who in the practice of his profession is confining his attention to the treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat, with offices in the Arcade building in St. Louis, is a native son of the city in which he yet makes his home, his birth having occurred at the southeast corner of Sixteenth and O'Fallon streets on the 7th of January, 1875. His father, the late William Simon, was a native of Germany and came to America when a lad of fifteen years while subsequently he brought his parents to the new world. William Simon arrived in the latter part of the '40s and made his way direct to St. Louis where he resided until his death, which occurred July 12, 1914, when he had reached the age of seventy-two years. He had long engaged in the grocery trade and was very successful in his merchandising efforts. He married Rebecca Bammann, who was born in Germany and arrived in St. Louis when a young maiden of eighteen years. They were married in St. Louis and to them were born four children, three sons and a daughter, all of whom are living. The mother, however, passed away in this city June 15, 1912, at the age of seventy years.
Dr. Simon, the youngest of the family, was educated in public and private schools, attending the Toensfeldt's Educational Institute, after which he entered the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and was there graduated in 1896 with the Ph. G. degree. He next took up the study of medicine and completed his course in the St. Louis Medical College in 1899, being graduated with the M. D. degree. In the same year he was appointed a junior interne in the St. Louis City Hospital, which position he occupied for a year and then entered upon the general practice of medicine, in which he con- tinued for six years. On the expiration of that period he went abroad for post-graduate work in Berlin and Vienna, specializing on diseases of the ear, nose and throat. Fol- lowing his return to St. Louis he confined his attention to these branches of practice and has attained notable success in his chosen field. In 1917 he attended the University of Pennsylvania for post-graduate work and throughout his entire career has remained
DR. FREDERICK C. SIMON
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a close student of the profession, keeping in touch with the trend of modern profes- sional thought and progress and manifesting the utmost conscientiousness in the performance of his duties. He belongs to the St. Louis Medical Society, the Medical Society City Hospital Alumni Association, the Missouri State Medical Association and the American Medical Association and is also a member of the Air Service Medical Association of the United States. He likewise has membership in the Nu Sigma Nu, a medical fraternity, and he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a mem- ber of the St. Louis Ear, Nose & Throat Club and now treasurer of the St. Louis Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Infirmary, and also treasurer of the St. Louis Medical Society. He has been the secretary and also the president of the Alumni Association of the Washington University Medical School and he formerly held both offices in connec- tion with the Medical Society of the City Hospital Alumni. He was second vice presi- dent of the St. Louis Medical Association in 1920. He enjoys the high regard of his professional colleagues and contemporaries because of his close conformity to the highest standards and ethics of his chosen calling.
During the World war Dr. Simon' was one of the first to volunteer his services beginning September 18, 1917, with rank of captain. His early duties were those of medical member of the examining board of the aviation section at St. Louis. Later he was sent to Mineola, Long Island, New York, for special research work in the aviation section. In June, 1918, he was sent to Hampton, Virginia, for duty as flight surgeon of Langley Field, being the first flight surgeon this flying field ever had. His duty as flight surgeon was to keep the flier mentally and physically fit for flying duty. This necessitated frequent and regular flights in order to study the various condi- tions the aviator had to undergo while doing stunt work and altitude flying. In the fall of 1918 he was flight surgeon at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida, where he continued until the termination of his service, January 13, 1919. At the present time he is major in the Medical Reserve Corps.
On the 24th of May, 1918, in St. Louis, Dr. Simon was married to Miss Clara Sorber, a native of St. Louis and a daughter of Mrs. Augusta Sorber and the late Carl Sorber, representatives of one of the old families of this city. To Dr. and Mrs. Simon has been born a daughter, Rebecca Andrew, whose birth occurred in St. Louis, September 5, 1919. The family residence is at No. 3523 University street. Dr. Simon is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to Tuscan Lodge, No. 360, A. F. & A. M. He has attained the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite, belonging to Missouri Consistory, and he is also identified with Moolah Temple of the Mystic Shrine and the Alhambra Grotto. He is likewise a member of Lloyd B. Boutwell Post, No. 136, of the American Legion. He helongs to the Missouri Athletic Association and in politics maintains an inde- pendent course, supporting those measures that he deems of advantage to the city and country. All interests, however, are made subservient to his devotion to his profes- sion and as the years have passed he has built up an extensive practice. At the present time he is serving on the staff of the St. Louis City Hospital, the Deaconess Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital as oto-rhino-laryngologist and is instructor on dis- eases of the ear, nose and throat in the St. Louis University. Thus he performs addi- tional duties to his private practice, which is extensive and of an important character, his patients including many of the most prominent and influential residents of St. . Louis.
H. H. SIMMONS.
H. H. Simmons, boy scout executive at St. Louis, has been identified with the movement since its introduction, and has contributed much to the development of the organization throughout the intervening years. Mr. Simmons is of English birth. He was born January 19, 1871, and is a son of Charles and Jane ( Rawlin- son) Simmons, both representatives of old English families. They became tha parents of thirteen children, of whom but three are living, H. H. being the third child. One brother died while in the service of the British navy. The mother passed away in 1913 while the father survived until 1914.
H. H. Simmons acquired his early education in his native country, attaining the equivalent of a high school course. He entered the British army as a boy, learning music, and served for seven years, being discharged as warrant officer.
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He was on duty in England, Ireland, Scotland, Malta, India and Egypt, and landed at Alexandria under Lord Charles Beresford at the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882. He also participated in the campaign of Telel-Kebir in the Sudan and Nile expedition and crossed the desert for the relief of General Gordon at Khartoum.
Mr. Simmons came to America when seventeen years of age and joined the American army winning promotion to the rank of corporal and sergeant, after which he took a competitive examination for instructor of cavalry and was assigned to Jefferson Barracks for two years. He was then transferred to the First United States Cavalry and was promoted to first sergeant and squadron sergeant major. He campaigned against the Indian chief, Geronimo, in New Mexico and Arizona and later took part in the White Bird Canyon Indian campaign in Idaho. For one year he was instructor in the White Bird Indian Agency school for boys and girls , and later took a station at the Yellowstone National Park. He spent two years at Mud Geyser station in charge of the game districts of Hayden valley but with the outbreak of the Spanish-American war entered upon more active service on foreign soils.
At that time Mr. Simmons went to Cuba with the First Immunes under Lawton, and later sailed to the Philippines with the first expedition under General Otis. He campaigned northern and southern Luzon under Generals Lawton and Swan and was instrumental in bringing about the surrender of Philippine forces under General Canon, operating in northern Luzon, and aiding in the recapture of five hundred Spanish and American prisoners who had been held by the insurrectos for years. Mr. Simmons was commissioned by the president of the United States for meritorious service in the field. He also campaigned against the Moros on the Island of Mindinao under General Leonard Wood and received personal mention by General Wood for service in the field. Later he was wounded in action against the Moros and was invalided to the United States for medical treatment which he received in the General Hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco.
After serving six years continuously in the Philippines Mr. Simmons resigned, due to disability, and the next four years were a convalescent period in his life. When the Boy Scout movement first became an absorbing topic in this country he was called upon to enlist one hundred and fifty or more boys in Chicago and take them into camp as the guests of the Miller Brothers, owners of the One Hun- dred and One Ranch, and to train them in all the phases of scouting, and as a result the American Boy Scout organization was launched in Chicago. Imme- diately after the big mass meeting and banquet in New York and the organization of the national committee of the Boy Scouts of America, the organization, then known as the American Boy Scouts was absorbed by the present organization and Mr. Simmons became the field secretary for the district of Chicago. He has served continuously with the Boy Scout Movement since its inception in this country and on the 4th of February, 1921, will have completed eight years as scout executive in St. Louis. In 1911 and 1912, following Colonel Wakefield of England, he con- ducted the Scout leaders training classes at Williams Bay, on Lake Geneva, Wis- consin. On the day that America severed diplomatic relations with Germany Mr. Simmons assisted in organizing the First Battalion of the First Regiment of the Home Guard of Missouri. He has been most actively and helpfully identified with the movement which is based upon the recognition of the fact that American- ization can be greatly promoted by the wise training of the youth of the land- that "the boy is father to the man." He has done most splendid work in con- nection with the now worldwide organization that is seeking the mental, physical and moral development of boys with a view to having them reach the highest point of efficiency, imbued at all times with the highest sense of honor and with the greatest love of country. It would be impossible to mention the extensiveness of his work but there are hundreds and hundreds of boys who bear testimony in their life to what he has accomplished through his training in the Boy Scout Movement.
On the 22d of May, 1896, Mr. Simmons was married to Miss Abigal Prosser, a representative of an old American family, and they have become parents of three children, two sons and a daughter: Walter; Edward; and Eula, the last named is now the wife of Robert Fross of Chicago.
Mr. Simmons belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and also to the St. Louis Automobile Club. He is at all times approachable, genial and kindly so that be
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easily wins the confidence of boys, while as a disciplinarian he commands their entire respect, and the same qualities have established him high in public regard, so that he stands today a splendid example of American manhood and chivalry.
ERNEST E. KOKEN.
Ernest E. Koken, who was long connected with the commercial interests of St. Louis and for many years directed an important manufacturing enterprise under the name of the Koken Barber Supply Company, was born in Aerzen, Hanover, Germany, April 3, 1855, and represented a family of Holland origin that had removed to Germany in the eighteenth century. His parents were Theodore and Augusta (Blume) Koken and both families were well known and prominent in the kingdom of Hanover. Coming to the new world they settled in St. Louis in 1860 and Ernest E. Koken was educated in the public schools of this city. He started upon his business career with the Weissburger Company, manufacturers of druggists' and barbers' glass labels, and was thus associated from 1872 until 1874. His initial business step undoubtedly directed his activities in later life, for in 1874 he started out independently in the manufacture of barbers' furniture and steam grinding and concaving work. In 1881 the business was reorganized by the firm of Koken & Boppert, but the junior partner passed away several years later and Mr. Koken conducted his interests alone under his own name from 1886 until 1889, when the business was incorporated as the Koken Barber Supply Com- pany, of which he became president. He remained at the head of the enterprise until his demise and developed it into one of the important productive enterprises of St. Louis.
In 1881 Mr. Koken was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Johnson, of St. Louis, and they became the parents of five children. Walter F., who is mentioned else- where in this work; Ellen A., now the wife of T. W. Van Schoiack; Minnie L .; Olive R .; and Theodore W.
Mr. Koken was a most thorough student of philosophy and was familiar with the works of all the great authors upon philosophical subjects. He was an ex- tremely well read man and one could not help but be broadened and benefited by association with him.
WALTER F. KOKEN.
Walter F. Koken, who since 1918 has been president of the Koken Companies of St. Louis, was born in this city, December 28, 1881, and is a son of Ernest E. Koken, who passed away July 12, 1909, and who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. Ernest E. Koken wedded Ellen Johnson, who is still living in St. Louis. She is a daughter of Benjamin Terrell, who was known during his business life, however, as Benjamin Johnson. The family settled in Virginia at an early day and later generations removed to Kentucky and thence to St. Louis. Jesse Terrell, a brother of Benjamin, owned what was known as Terrell's farm, near the present site of Webster Groves, and the family came of English ancestry.
Walter F. Koken obtained his early education in the public schools of St. Louis. Later he continued his studies in the Central high school and afterward attended the University of Missouri, from which he was graduated with the class of 1904. While a student there he became a member of the Kappa Sigma, a Greek letter fraternity.
Walter F. Koken started out in business in connection with his father, who was then engaged in the manufacture of barbers' supplies. From the beginning he has been associated with this undertaking and thoroughly mastering every phase of the business he was elected to the presidency of the company in 1918 and is now largely directing its activities. In this connection a business of extensive proportions has been built up and the conduct of the enterprise makes heavy demands upon his time and energies.
On the 15th of October, 1907, Mr. Koken was united in marriage to Miss Alice Woodward, a daughter of Charles B. Woodward, senior member of the C. B. Woodward Printing Company of St. Louis, who is mentioned in connection with the sketch of
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Walter Woodward on another page of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Koken have been born five children: Ellen, Jane, John, Ernest and Anne.
In religious faith the family are Unitarians, their membership being in Unity church, over which Dr. Dodson presides. In his political views Mr. Koken is a repub- lican and fraternally he is connected with Westgate Lodge, No. 445, A. F. & A. M., and is also a Scottish Rite Mason. His membership relations are extensive, con- necting him with the Algonquin Country Club, the Missouri Athletic Association, the St. Louis and the National Chambers of Commerce, the Perfumers Association of America, the National Metal Trades Association, in which he is serving as a mem- ber of the executive committee, the Manufacturers Association, the Employers Asso- ciation of Missouri, the St. Louis Employers Association, the St. Louis Furniture Board and all the leading organizations having to do with this line of business. He has never had time for fads or fancies, his attention being always claimed by his business and his family. He resides at No. 364 Jefferson road, Webster Groves, where he has established an attractive home for the members of his household.
GEORGE R. MERRELL.
George R. Merrell, vice president of the J. S. Merrell Drug Company of St. Louis, in which city he was born November 13, 1869, is a son of Jacob Spencer Merrell, a native of New York, who became the founder of the J. S. Merrell Drug Company of St. Louis in 1845. Through the intervening period this business has remained one of the substantial commercial interests of the city and is still successfully oper- ating. Mr. Merrell was one of the comparatively few St. Louisans who assisted in recruiting men to fight against slavery and rebellion in the south and was quite active in local politics, serving as city treasurer of St. Louis from 1880 until 1884 and at all times doing everything in his power to advance the political principles in which he strongly believed. He married Kate Kellogg, a daughter of Warner Kel- logg, and they became the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters, and five of the number died in infancy. The father has also passed away, his demise occur- ring in 1885, and the mother died in 1911.
The son, George R. Merrell, was the ninth in order of birth in the family. The others were: Lottie G., whose death occurred December 31, 1901; Hubert S., who died November 29, 1911; Lizzie M., who became the wife of Cyrus P. Walbridge, of St. Louis, and died January 5, 1912; and Ashbel M., who passed away January 30, 1915.
George R. Merrell acquired his early education in the Franklin school and after- ward attended Smith Academy of St. Louis, while later he was graduated from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in June, 1889. He began work in his father's store, entering the retail department of the J. S. Merrell Drug Company, and advancing steadily step by step as he acquired a knowledge of and experience in the business and developed his powers in handling and promoting the trade, at length reached the position of vice president and general manager of the company after having pre- viously served in the positions of manager of the city department, sales manager, second vice president and first vice president. This company is now conducting an extensive wholesale drug business, having the oldest drug house west of the Missis- sippi and one of the largest in St. Louis.
On the 12th of April, 1893, in St. Louis, Mr. Merrell was united in marriage to Miss Alice Atkins, a daughter of Andrew Atkins, a native of England. Their fam- ily of three sons and two daughters includes Spencer Atkins, who was graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served for four years on active duty with the American army, which covered the period of the World war. He entered as a second lieutenant and resigned as major. He was with the infantry forces at Chauteau Thierry and also in the Argonne forest. He also did much train- ing in France at Braum University in the infantry branch of the service. He married Lee Fowler, of Harpster, Ohio. George R., the second son, volunteered for the avia- tion service, in which he became a first lieutenant, and was ready to sail from New York when the armistice was signed. He is now completing his university course at Cornell University in New York. Charles Marquis, the third son, is a freshman at Cornell. The daughters, Ruth Porter and Alice Jane, are attending Mary Insti-
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