USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 83
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"There is not an important thing in our public schools in this city that was not originated by Mr. Rigler. Our whole system bears the stamp of his remarkable ability and the imitation of it that has been made by innumerable other cities is a direct tribute to the genius of the man who evolved it. The trades school and vocational school system were installed in Portland among the first cities of the United States, at the recommendation of Mr. Rigler. The phonic system of reading was developed and installed in Portland public schools before it was adopted by schools throughout the United States. This again was a plan and a recommendation of Mr. Rigler. It was Mr. Rigler who devised and inaugurated in Portland the system of classification which adapts itself to the ability of the pupil and gives the maximum opportunity to both the slow pupil and the bright pupil to make the most rapid progress consistent with thoroughness. Regarding this system of classi- fication W. T. Harris, commissioner of education, declared in a speech given in Portland in 1905 that 'Mr. Rigler's system of classifying children into the faster and the more backward classes in the public schools is the sanest and the most scientific that I have ever seen.'
"Mr. Rigler was regarded as one of the best teachers of history in the west and his treatise on the 'Teaching of History of the Revolution' is well known among educators. Mr. Rigler had under preparation when he became ill manuscript on a book on methods of teaching arithmetic which is expected to be of considerable educational importance. Two of his books on arithmetic-Primary Arithmetic and Numbers Step by Step-have heen in use in many schools for some time."
In Walla Walla, in 1884, Professor Rigler was married to Miss Helena Koehler, who was born in Iowa. They became the parents of two children; Evelyn, who in 1910 became the wife of Oliver Walker, a native of California, their children being two in number, Benjamin Rigler and John MacCalmont Walker; and Howard Mac- Calmont Rigler, who is living in Portland.
Professor Rigler was always an advocate of republican principles and stanchly supported the party as the years went by. He stood for progress in citizenship and in all matters pertaining to the general good and gave his aid and support to all those forces which are of cultural value, which lead to the uplift of the individual and the benefit of the commonwealth. He was long accounted one of the foremost educators of the northwest and during the long years of his incumbency as super- intendent, the schools of Portland made continuous advancement in thoroughness and efficiency.
VERNON A. FORBES.
"He whom the gods love, dies young." Thus, in the passing of Vernon A. Forbes, one of the rising young attorneys of Central Oregon, the Bend har lost a valued and representative member and the community one of its foremost citizens. On the 7th of July, 1918, he met his death by drowning while fishing in Crescent Lake. He was born at St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, October 17, 1883, a son of Smith R. and Mary E. (Outcelt) Forbes. Both families are old and honored and the Forbes family came originally from New York state. The great-grandfather of our subject, Francis Stowell, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. The Outcelt family were among the earliest pioneers of Wisconsin and Vernon's grandfather was second cousin of Abraham Lincoln.
In the acquirement of his education Vernon A. Forbes attended the grammar schools at St. Croix Falls and was graduated from the Osceola high school in 1904. He then determined to become a member of a profession and choosing law, he entered McAlister College for a preparatory course. Subsequently he enrolled in the law department of
VERNON A. FORBES
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the University of Minnesota and was graduated from that institution with his LL. B. degree in 1909. The following year he came west, recognizing the many opportunities offered by a growing country, and locating in Bend commenced the practice of his profession. He brought to the profession splendid training and innate ability and he soon became one of the prominent young lawyers of Bend. The year 1912 saw his entrance into political life, for he was elected to the house of representatives of the state from the twenty-first representative district. He was reelected twice and served during the sessions of 1913-1915 and 1917. He was a dominant factor in shaping legisla- tion and one of his first acts was to unite the representatives of eastern Oregon in a compact body to act in harmony in all matters affecting that part of the state and by his readiness in debate and comprehensive grasp of questions of public concern he assumed and held a prominent place as a leader. Tiring of political life he subsequently refused reelection and returned to his law practice, which was growing rapidly. He was an exceptional lawyer and his broad study, careful analysis and logical reasoning were dominant factors in his success. No doubt he inherited some of his ability along professional lines, for one of his uncles, John Outcelt, a veteran of the Civil war, was for many years one of the leading attorneys of Knoxville, Tennessee. Another uncle, G. A. Outcelt, is now practicing in Oklahoma, where he has won prominence and sub- stantial success. On the 7th of October, 1918, the bar of Bend in the circuit court passed a set of resolutions of condolence to the family and friends of Mr. Forbes, and Hon. T. E. J. Duffy, judge of the circuit, in the course of the proceedings spoke thus:
"As I listened to the reading of these resolutions, and as I thought of his tragic death in all of its sadness, I was yet consoled by the thought that honor comes to whom honor is due, for we will remember that these resolutions and these eulogies are the first to be offered in this court and county, both of which Mr. Forbes labored so long and so well to create and establish.
"It was my rare good fortune to know Mr. Forhes well, both as a boy and as a man. We were college mates together. Early in his study of law he was recognized by his classmates and instructors as a clear thinker and a logical reasoner. He possessed a legal mind, besides he was abundantly prepared for his chosen profession by profound and exhaustive study.
"As a lawyer Mr. Forbes was energetic, industrious and careful, and as an advo- cate, clear, earnest and forceful. His legal mind seemed to seize as it were the very spirit of juridical doctrine, and he discussed authorities, which showed him to be a master of interpretation.
"Mr. Forbes was a safe counselor and devoted to the interests of his clients, and although uncompromising when the justness of his cause was at issue, still his good judgment impelled him at times to yield a point rather than involve his client in expensive litigation, when as much or more could be gained by an equitable compromise. Whenever he could without jeopardizing his client's interests, he always consented to any reasonable request coming from opposing counsel, and in these interchanges of courtesies his word was as good as his bond.
"In his dealings with his brother members of the profession he was fair, honest and considerate. Mr. Forbes was loyal to the law and he honored and respected the courts before whom he practiced, and it was these traits of character that gained the admiration and respect of his brethren, who have come here today to offer their last best tribute to one who shall be among them no more.
"His zeal for the law did not detract his attention from the duties every man owes to the community in which he lives as a citizen. He came to central Oregon at a time when it began to show new life and development, and located at Bend when it was just beginning to emerge from the obscurity of a frontier town, and the prominent part he has taken in the upbuilding and development of Bend and Deschutes county is so well known in the community that it would be idle to recount in detail.
"As a legislator he had a brilliant record. He stood high in the estimation of his colleagues and was considered one of the foremost lawmakers of the state. He was a man of indomitable will and a leader among men, and during the three successive terms that he served the state in the legislative assembly, he must be given credit for promoting and having enacted some of the most constructive legislation that has ever appeared upon the statute books of this state.
"In politics Mr. Forbes was a stanch republican and his political views were clear- cut and decided. He always took an active interest in the success of his party at the polls, but his partizanship was not such that permitted it to stand in the light of the good he found advanced by opposing political parties.
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"As a man Mr. Forbes was plain, modest and unassuming, and in his private life he was courteous, kind, generous and sympathetic.
"Socially he was not hasty in forming friendships, but when once a friendship was formed it was as firm and constant as the polar star. It was a dependable quantity. To him friendship was a living virtue, deep rooted in his soul and a part of his very being, and always ready to manifest itself on all proper occasions."
Mr. Forbes in his untimely death left to mourn his loss, his widow, who was Miss Anna Markel; a son, Vernon A. Forbes, Jr .; his father; an invalid mother; and a devoted sister, Miss Gail Forbes. In all relations of life he was both faithful and honorable and his friends were legion. From the start he recognized that the present and not the future holds opportunity and therefore he made each passing hour count for the utmost in his various activities.
EMIL AXEL JOHNSON.
Emil Axel Johnson, manager of the Tigard Lumber Company at Tigard, was born in 1876 in Sweden, where his father operated an extensive lumber mill. At the age of fifteen Emil came to America and since then has demonstrated what pluck, energy and honesty can do in this country. He worked for two years on a farm in Nebraska, then moved to Iowa, where he spent the following two years in the same work. Minneapolis, Minnesota, became his home for awhile and there he worked hard all day and attended night classes at a business college. This proved too strenuous, however, so following the advice of his physician he went to the Pacific coast in 1900, to seek the restoration of his health. Upon reaching Portland he ob- tained work with a large lumber company, with which he remained for sixteen years. As a result of his energy and ability he soon rose to be foreman, and inaugurated many methods that saved the corporation thousands of dollars in time and money. Having saved a goodly sum of money from his wages, Mr. Johnson moved to Tigard in 1917 and purchased a bankrupt lumber business, which by his energy and thrift became what is now the Tigard Lumber Company, one of the most thriving of its kind in the county and the most important industry in Tigard.
Mr. Johnson has recently purchased six'acres of land with a frontage of about nine hundred feet on the highway between Tigard and the old town of Tigardville, to which location he proposes to remove his lumber-yard. He plans to erect a block of stores on the property and will arrange to have a hardware store in conjunction with his lumber-yard and building material plant. The Tigard Lumber Company, under the energetic management of Mr. Johnson, has become a factor in the growth of this section of the state and enjoys a patronage far beyond the normal trade territory of the town, actually reaching to within five miles of Portland, the largest lumber market on the coast.
Mr. Johnson was married in 1902 to Miss Olivia Bostron. They are the parents of two children: Victor and Susanne, who are pupils of the grade schools. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have adopted Elsa Bostron, the infant daughter of a brother of Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Johnson's only fraternal association is with the Woodmen of the World. They are members of the Methodist church and popular and highly esteemed residents of Tigard. A few more men like Emil Johnson would make Tigard the most alive town in Washington county.
JAMES HILL.
The largest individual farmer in Umatilla county is James Hill, who is now residing in Pendleton. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on the 27th of Novem- ber, 1879, a son of John F. and Anna (Terry) Hill. The father was a native of Tennessee and the mother of Glasgow, Kentucky. Their marriage occurred in the former state, where the father engaged in farming near Nashville, until April 6, 1887, when they removed to Oregon, settling near Helix, Umatilla county. There Mr. Hill purchased three hundred and ten acres of improved land, to which he added some three hundred acres. He operated this farm successfully for a number of years and is now living retired in Pendleton, at the age of seventy-six years. Mrs. Hill
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passed away on the old home place at the age of sixty-two years. Mr. Hill is a promi- nent and well known man in Pendleton and is a stanch supporter of the democratic party and always interested in local affairs. On the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted in the Confederate army, serving under General Lee. He participated in many of the leading battles of the war and was mustered out at Nashville.
The boyhood of James Hill was spent on the old ranch, receiving his education in the country schools and also in Pendleton. In due time he attended the Whitman College and after putting his textbooks aside worked by the day for his brother, Henry T. Hill, for some time. In 1906 he bought out his brother's interests and leased the ranch, consisting of twelve hundred and sixty acres, and has since added to this land until he now has forty-six hundred acres, part of which is leased. He has kept in touch with the trend of modern progress along agricultural lines and has a well equipped and highly developed ranch. In November, 1917, he bought his present home in Pendleton, on North Main street, where he is residing and from which place he operates his ranch. He is a prominent and representative citizen.
On January 22, 1907, Mr. Hill was married to Miss Beulah Rankine, a daughter of Josiah and Etta (Rowell) Rankine. Mr. Rankine was a native of Michigan and Mrs. Rankine, of Salem, Massachusetts. Her parents are living in Olympia, Washington. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hill: James S. L .; Frederick W .; and Mary Isabel.
The political allegiance of Mr. Hill is given to the democratic party and he has firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government. Fraternally he is an Elk. Mr. Hill is thoroughly familiar with every phase of farming and his close application, energy and enterprise are dominant elements in winning for him his present success. His singleness of purpose has been one of the strong elements in his success, in the attainment of which he has so directed his efforts and activities as to make every action count for the utmost.
JACOB S. GILTNER, M. D.
That the world is better because Dr. Jacob S. Giltner lived is a fact recognized by all who knew him. His entire life was fraught with high and noble purposes and characterized by kindly deeds that have caused his memory to be enshrined in the hearts of all who came into contact with him. It was in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 22nd of October, 1824, that Dr. Giltner first opened his eyes to the light of day, his parents being Conrad and Rebecca (Snyder) Giltner, who were farming people of the Keystone state, enjoying in large measure the confidence, respect and goodwill of the people throughout the community and a large circle of friends. The ancestry of the family can be traced back in direct line to the Prince of Orange. The father, Conrad Giltner, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, ren- dering valuable aid to the cause of freedom. Inheriting a large tract of land in Pennsylvania, he devoted his life to its cultivation and improvement.
It was on the home farm that Dr. Giltner was reared, and though his educational advantages were extremely limited, he became a most widely read man. He often had a book with him while plowing in the fields and he devoted his evening hours to study. He had made such progress that when sixteen years of age he became a teacher in the public schools. As he taught he became more and more eager to secure better educational advantages himself and his mother, sympathizing with him in this ambition, sent him to college when she inherited a little money. He was graduated from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania when about twenty-one years of age, after which he returned home and at that time, or in 1846, was married to Miss Martha M. Hause of Germantown, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Giltner's parents were Abraham and Mary Hause of Philadelphia, and their daughter, Mrs. Giltner, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, December 25, 1826.
For a brief period after his marriage Dr. Giltner resided near Harrisburg, Penn- sylvania, but then returned to his home county and entered upon the practice of medi- cine, in which he continued until after the outbreak of the Civil war. Offering his ser- vices to the government, he passed a competitive examination that won him the appoint- ment of commander and medical director of the hospital of the Army of the Cum- berland at Nashville, Tennessee, with the rank of major. He enlisted at Milton,
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Pennsylvania, was mustered in at Washington, D. C., and did splendid service for the Union cause through his skill and ability displayed in both field and hospital service. While at the front he gained valuable experience as a surgeon that made him afterward specialize in that branch of the profession.
When the war was ended Dr. Giltner removed to Pithole, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in medical practice until June, 1866, when he started for Oregon. He hecame one of the pioneer physicians of Portland and continued actively in practice until seventy-eight years of age. In 1875 he pursued postgraduate work in the University of Pennsylvania and was constantly promoting his skill and efficiency by wide read- ing and study. He long maintained a place in the foremost rank of the medical profession in Portland and the state and for several years served as county physician and was also city physician and visiting physician to the insane asylum before his removal to Salem.
Dr. and Mrs. Giltner largely reared their family in the northwest. They became parents of ten children, four of whom died in infancy, while of those who reached adult age Dr. William Paris Giltner passed away at the age of forty-nine. He was born in 1849, was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and devoted his life to the practice of medicine. He married Minnie Going and they became parents of four children: James, Paris E., Edward B. and John R .; Emma Giltner, the second of Dr. Giltner's family, is one of the graduates of the old Portland Academy and of the high school of Portland and she also completed a course in the Woman's College of Baltimore, Maryland, (now Goucher College), where the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon her and subsequently that of Master of Arts. She became the wife of Eugene D. White and had one son, Eugene G .; Roscoe R. Giltner of Portland was graduated from the high school of this city and later continued his studies under a private tutor, while subsequently he attended Yale University. He has been quite active in politics and served as city attorney. He married Fronia Wallace; Frank F. Giltner of Portland, also attended Yale and married Louise Scheuer; Martha G., after graduating from high school, became a pupil in a private school and later entered Wellesley College, near Boston, Massachusetts, where she received a scholar- ship and Greek honors from Athens. She is now the wife of Vincent Cook of Port- land; Horace, the youngest of the family, born in 1861, died in 1896.
Dr. Giltner always gave his political allegiance to the republican party and, while never an office seeker, did important public work in behalf of the schools. By ap- pointment he became a member of the school board about 1872 and filled that posi- tion for several years. He was largely instrumental in establishing the Portland high school and in securing the passage of a bill permitting colored children to attend the public schools. In fact he labored untiringly to advance the schools and make their opportunities attainable by all. Dr. Giltner was likewise prominently known as a loyal follower of the Masonic fraternity. He belonged to a lodge in Philadelphia and to Columbia Chapter, No. 91, R. A. M. He was reared in the faith of the Society of Friends but after his removal to the west joined the Lutheran church and contributed liberally to its support. Death called him May 18, 1910, when he was almost eighty-six years of age. For five years he had survived his wife, who passed away March 2, 1905. A contemporary biographer has written of Dr. Giltner: "His home relations were largely ideal. His interests centered in his family and his own happiness seemed complete if he was contributing to the welfare and hap- piness of his wife and children. He gave to his sons and daughters the best educa- tional advantages, knowing that therein he was bestowing on them a priceless gift. He rejoiced in his success because of the opportunity it gave him to surround the members of his household with the comforts and the luxuries of life. The poor and needy found in him a generous friend, but his charity was always most unostenta- tious. He followed the Bible injunction not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth, and from no words of his own did anyone learn of the charity and helpful spirit of Dr. Giltner. There were times when even the recipients of his bounty did not know who was their benefactor. He frequently commissioned some- one, ofttimes the members of his own household, to make purchase of flour and other necessities of life, and send such to the poor. His pastor is responsible for the statement that he gave a tenth of his income to the support of the gospel and for the benefit of local hospitals and the poorer classes. His great heart reached out in sympathy to all mankind and his helping hand lifted many a one out of the slough of despondency into an atmosphere of courage and good cheer.
"Dr. Giltner was a man of scholarly attainment, who, throughout his life, took
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great interest in the study of history, sociology and literature. He possessed a re- markably retentive memory, so that his opinions and his knowledge were frequently sought to settle some disputed question. He seemed almost never to forget a point which he had read or a character with whom he had become acquainted in literature. During the last four years of his life he suffered from ill health but retained the same keen perception and memory that had characterized him in his youth. The snows of many winters whitened his hair, for he reached the age of eighty-six years, but his heart ever remained young, and in spirit and in interest he seemed always in his prime. For forty-four years he was a resident of Portland, and in the city it would be impossible to find one who had aught to say against him. Thoughts of reverence and words of praise rise to the lips of many whenever his name is men- tioned. Especially was he held in grateful remembrance by the poor whom he assisted, by the friends whose intelligence was stimulated by his own broad knowl- edge, but most of all in that household where he occupied the position of almost ideal husband and father. What a fitting crown of life is a memory that is as revered and sacred as is that of Dr. Jacob S. Giltner."
WILLIAM FRED HABERLACH.
William Fred Haberloch, proprietor of a large mercantile store in Clackamas, was born in Manistee, Michigan, in October, 1882, the son of Gustav and Augusta (Teatz) Haberlach. His father was a prosperous farmer who located in Oregon in 1889 and settled on a farm in Clackamas county, where he still resides.
William Fred Haberlach was educated in the grade schools at Clackamas, the Oregon City high school, and the Oregon Agricultural College. After obtaining his education he developed a taste for commercial life and accepted a position as clerk in a mercantile store at Montesano, Washington, where he remained for two years. Returning to Clackamas in 1906 he purchased a mercantile store and a half block of land on the Pacific Highway and proceeded to enlarge the store. During his fourteen years in business here he has met with abundant success and has succeeded in securing a large portion of the business in that section of the county. Naturally courteous and a good mixer, he has won the friendship and patronage of many of the farmers of this section, who have come to know that a better quality of goods and a pleasant smile await them at Will Haberlach's. For thirteen years Mr. Haberlach has been the Clackamas county agent of the Giant Powder Company, and maintains large powder warehouses four miles east of the town. Mr. Haberlach has three brothers. Frank and Gustav are successful farmers and Carl is secretary and sales manager of the Tillamook Cooperative Cheese Association, which is the model organi- zation of its kind in the west and the dominent factor in the cheese market of the Pacific coast.
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