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R. Jack Stoddard
The ever
vigilant Secretary of the ‘49ers from 1972-1978 was a renegade. Although
his grandparents were 1850-53 Californians (his grandfather was the first
white child born in San Bernardino) Jack wound up with Soda Springs, Idaho
as his birthplace. However, Jack amended his ways and replanted his
California roots at a very early age.
Burbank was
home to Jack and his wife Nita, a southern belle from Mississippi, who has
long lost her southern accent while gaining four daughters and five
grandchildren.
While Jack
became active in the ‘49ers in 1969, he had been a Death Valley-Mojave
desert wanderer for many years. (The next time you wend your way to ‘Vegas
give a thought to this at the Stoddard Wells turnoff sign)
Historically, he was also an ex-Chairman of the California Historical,
Archaeological and Paleontological Task Force of 1974-76, an Associate
member of the Westerners and an ex-Noble Grand Humbug of Platrix Chapter
of E. Clampus Vitus.
Professionally he was in the construction business since 1946, as Stoddard
Enterprises, in Bell Garden, California. Also in that connection, he was a
State and National Director of the Associated Contractors of America and
previously its National Environmental Committee Chairman.
He was a “Jack of many
trades,” including engineering, accounting and law, and served with the
Third Army in Europe in World War II.
Jack passed away July 27th, 1999
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
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Russ Johnson
Russ is
a tall, lean Paniola (cowpoke to non-Hawaiians), although a native of
Minnesota (a second homeland to Scandinavians).
Working his
way through Western State College at Gunnison, Colorado with his
photography, he met and fast-talked Anne into saddling up as his wife.
California’s
warmer claims and aerospace beckoned him and he wound up in San Diego as a
tool designer and liaison on the Atlas Missile.
But love
for the High Country lured him first to pack trains supplying miners in
the Panamints, then pack trains for dudes taking them into the High
Sierras. He found time to become a master of all trades. With boundless
energy and talents, he was a professional photographer, pressman par
excellent for Chalfant Press in Bishop, California, writer (including
books on Bristlecones and Bodie), designer of books and brochures, skier,
scuba diver, mule breaker and builder (including their home near historic
Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii.)
He was also
a board member of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association and both
were untiring workers for the ‘49ers long before they officially joined.
Russ and
Anne square danced and conducted the Friday and Saturday sessions at
Furnace Creek as well as being active in the Art Show.
Russ and
Anne now live in Hawaii. Aloha!
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
Russ
Johnson passed away July, 2004, he was 88
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Richard D. Crowe
A native
of LaGrande, Oregon, Dick entered the telephone/communications field
through his father who owned Home Independent Telephone Company. The
family moved to Dos Palos, California in 1930 where senior Crowe acquired
the Dos Palos Telephone Company. Dick became General Manager of the firm
in 1939 and held the position until 1967, although Continental Telephone
acquired the company in 1963. He retired in 1967 but returned to full
service in 1970 and became Vice President of Business Relations in 1973.
After a
42-year career in the telephone and communication work he set down his
tools of the trade for an enjoyable fling at retirement in Bakersfield,
California. However, with the transition comes the role of ‘49er President
in 1982.
Dick holds a
number of membership positions in various service and social
organizations. Spare time finds him in historical research and field work
in the Death Valley region.
On the
domestic front we learn that Dick’s wife Saralee, is sister to Navy
Admiral Elmo Zumwalt. They have two sons, Richard Jr. and Fred.
They now
reside in Fresno, Ca.
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
Richard D. Crowe passed away April
23rd, 2003
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Joe Lehman
At the
‘49ers podium during 1983 was a mild-mannered gentleman who has labeled
himself a “sort of professional retiree”. By name the man is Joe Lehman of
Rolling Hills Estate, Ca., whose portfolio shows that he is a retired US
Army officer, retired City Council member and Mayor of his city, as will
as a retired bank executive, any of which is nothing to sneeze about.
Joe has,
however, indicated that retirement means many things to him, but least of
all-inactivity. In addition to his complex schedule, Joe and his wife
Mary raised registered Quarter Horses for show, a spirited vein of
equestrianship to be sure. Mary is a credited artist in her own right and
has exhibited in the ‘49er Encampment Art Show for many years. The
Lehman’s have one son, Jim, a Navy Fighter Pilot.
Joe and Mary
have visited Death Valley several times each year for 25 years, where they
acquired a love for this lovely, historical, scenic valley. They have
explored many of the interesting features found only in Death Valley by
hiking, driving, horseback riding as well as flying over the length and
breadth of its unique terrain. Joe considers this desert land very much
underrated as a scenic and historical part of California.
Among the
new President’s objectives for his year in office were to improve
communications with the Superintendents and staff of Death Valley. He
desired to explore ways in which the ‘49ers could best assist in
establishing or improving various facets of this remarkable asset of the
National Park Service.
We wished
President Joe Lehman a great year of achievement.
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
Joe Lehman passed away July 13th, 2003
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Merle E. Wilson
The
Death Valley ‘49ers, offered a familiar and beloved field of activities
for Merle Wilson, their leader for 1984. Originally, he studied at UCLA
to be a mining engineer, meanwhile traveling the desert continually with
his sponsor and mentor Dr. John Hawthorne.
He never
became a mining engineer. World War II catapulted him into a civil
engineer, where he became officer in charge of all heavy construction
equipment in the western states for the Army Corp of Engineers. He was
sent to London to help plan the engineering phase of the invasion. Once
on the continent, he worked at the job of re-building railroad bridges
(including three across the Rhine) and scrounging steel to do the jobs.
Back home
his job with the County of Los Angeles Engineering Department was waiting
for him. He was loaned to the Chief Administration Officer as staff
member in charge of Capital Projects, a construction program involving
over $1,000,000 a day. While in that position he wrote the first county
feasibility report for the construction of Marina Del Rey, destined to be
the largest small boat harbor in the world. Upon completion of the
preliminary planning, he transferred to the New Harbor Department as Chief
of Development and Operations. When the Marina was finished he retired.
Merle had a
love of sports, among which were sailing, skiing and mountaineering. He
joined the California Yacht Club and the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla
associated with it, serving as Commander Instructor, Vessel Inspector and
on the National Staff.
Together
with his wife, Tay, a musician, and their daughter Jean, he started
traveling the desert again and eventually became involved with the Death
Valley ‘49ers.
He resided in the Kern
River Valley area and was a member of the Committee for the Kern County
Supervisors of that area.
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
Tragically, Merle was fatally injured
in a traffic accident on February 9th, 1984 after service
in the executive position for just three months; His wife Tay was
seriously injured but has recovered and is still a member of the ‘49ers.
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Leslie B. DeMille
Les was
1st vice president at the untimely death of Merle Wilson and successfully
retrieved the baton and took the necessary stride in this one-participant
relay.
With a
go-easy, jovial personality, he is a native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
and a third cousin of the late motion picture producer Cecil B. DeMille.
He won his
first prize in open competition at the age of eight years. He attended the
Art Student’s League in New York and later studied with the late artist
and teacher Leon Franks in California.
Les is many
things to many people and organizations. He is an organizer, director,
and instructor for portrait and still life affiliations throughout the
United States, including Hawaii. He is a juror for many major art shows
across North America. He has, over the years, secured a number of
important commissions and taught individuals and classes utilizing oils
and pastels in executing his craft.
Those that
have been his clients include: Richard Nixon, Buddy Ebsen, Yvonne D’Carlo,
Andy Devine, Max Baer and Ronald Reagan, to name a few. DeMille's
spectrum in art ranges over a wide field, but again it is the world of
portraits he especially enjoys and even more so when the subjects are
mother and child, which follows closely to keen family ties.
He has been
involved with the ‘49ers since 1968, when he was first invited to the
indoor Art Show.
Recently
DeMille sold the gallery he founded in Laguna Beach and has moved to
Sedona, Arizona.
His lovely
wife Isabel passed away in 2001.
His home and
art gallery in Sedona, as well as his travels, keep him a busy man.
Excerpts from
‘49er newsletter
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Arthur D. Guy, Jr.
Art Guy
was well qualified for the position of ‘49er President, but most assuredly
so in one particular way – his established par excellence at wielding a
gavel. All the ‘49er Presidents are equipped with a gavel to render law
and order at meetings, but Art was also a Municipal Court Judge in North
Orange County in Southern California. His gavel rapped many court
sessions to somber attention, and he held this position on the bench since
1981. He was re-elected to a full five-year term again in 1984.
Born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he obtained his education in Los Angeles public
schools, plus a BA and Juris Doctor from University of California. He met
his wife, Jackie, while both were students at the University and they were
married in 1942. They had one son and one daughter. Following his studies
from USC, he practiced law from 1947 until 1981, 14 years in Los Angeles
and 20 years in Orange County.
During World
War II he served as Command Pilot to a crew of eleven aboard a blimp which
sailed forth out of the Santa Ana Naval Air Station. It was during this
military service that he met Past President Hugh Tolford, who one day
would bring Art’s interest on Death Valley into focus. The Guys were
first introduced to the Valley in 1950 but it wasn’t until 1970 that
Tolford persuaded him to attend an Encampment. The November extravaganza
alerted him to the “Love of the People, the organization, and “spiritual
experience” found with-in the Valley”.
The Guy’s
family distaff side shows Jackie to be a member of Penwomen of America and
is a published author of eight years standing.
He had the
admiration and support of the organization as he managed the Pilot’s seat
through all of 1985.
Judge Guy passed away January 6, 1990
Excerpts from ‘49er
newsletter
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1986 President
George R. Jansen
Flight
“1986” for the Death Valley ‘49ers was piloted by veteran Flight Commander
George R. Jansen, who had over 8,500 hours of official pilot time to his
credit. A veteran of World War II, at which time he flew B-17 and B-24
Bombers, Jansen went into a career as a test pilot for McDonnell Douglas,
working out the “bugs” in a long line of planes as they were being
developed, including the DC9 and DC10 series. He also conducted
evaluation flights with F9F jets, the B747 bomber and the Concord.
The new
President was a neighbor to Death Valley when he started testing aircraft
at Edwards Air Force Base, then called Muroc, in 1947. He lived in the
Mojave-Lancaster area until 1960 and frequently took journeys into Death
Valley. In the early 1950’s he had the pleasure of meeting “Scotty” at
the Castle.
Jansen
became acquainted with the ‘49ers in 1966 when he was a guest of Past
President Palmer Long, at the Kernville, California board meeting. He was
elected to the Advisory Committee and became a Director two years later.
He served on the Burro Flapjack event, the ‘49er Scholarship program and
Production as well as other committees within the organization.
Jansen was a
native of the Northern California community of Willows. He and his lovely
wife Margaret, made their home in Newport Beach, California. They had one
son, Richard.
After
retiring from flight testing, George continued working in the aviation
field as a consultant. On April 3, 1986, in Las Vegas, Nevada, he received
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics “Chanute Flight
Award for 1986”. The award was presented to him for his numerous
contributions to the science and military aviation spanning 37 years as a
test pilot and Flight Test Manager.
The entire
‘49er organization wished George “All Systems Go” as he piloted them
through the skies of 1986.
George passed away March 11th, 1991
Excerpts from ‘49er
newsletter
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Mary DeDecker
This
year’s President was a native of the Panhandle of Oklahoma but a resident
of California since the early 1920’s. She spent her childhood in the San
Fernando Valley. She was only the third woman to serve as President of
the organization.
Mary took
the gavel in hand with a long-time interest in the diversified matters of
a historical and contemporary Death Valley. Taking residency at
Independence, California in 1935 with her husband Paul (1971 ‘49er
President), Mary continued her study of Botany, an interest germinated in
her Van Nuys High School science class. Although lacking a lettered
credential of degree, she acquired a vast knowledge of things botanical
and was considered the authority on the native plants of Eastern
California, from both the academic and layman’s viewpoint. Field
investigations in this genre have led Mary and Paul to hike, backpack and
jeep in the Eastern Sierra and the Inyo Desert areas.
On the
committee, which established the California Rare Plant program, she
updated that study periodically and was active in other related research.
She was one of three woman botanists selected for coverage in the Bancroft
Library’s Audio-History Program. She was noted for her discovery of a new
plant genus, DeDeckera Eurekennsis, the first new genus discovered in
California since 1948. The last ten years brought Mary the following
accolades: The American Motors Conservation Award, Fellow of California
Native Plant Society, the 75th Anniversary Award for outstanding service,
Inyo National Forest and Bureau of Land Management’s Special Achievement
Award.
In the
literary realm, Mary was the author of Mines of the Eastern Sierra, The
Eichbaum Toll Road, Flora of the Northern Mojave and also penned major
sections of Genny Schumacher’s Deepest Valley and was a major
contributor to California’s Natural History on
the White-Inyo Range.
The
DeDeckers joined the ‘49ers in 1957 and both were long-time Directors.
They had two fine daughters as well as seven grandchildren. A bow and tip
of the hat was in order for our new President.
Mary passed
away September 5th, 2000 at age 91
Excerpts from ‘49er
newsletter
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Raymond J. Peter
A native
of the Bronx in New York City, and a resident of California since 1948,
Ray was an executive with The Prudential Insurance Company of America.
A relatively
recent arrival to the ‘49er camp, Ray became an Advisor in 1979, but his
executive impetus has provided him the energy to serve in a number of
important committees and to advance to the position of Treasurer. He held
that office form 1982 through 1985.
Ray came to
the West Coast when Prudential expanded its operations from a single
managerial center in Newark, NJ and opened facilities in Los Angeles.
Taking
residence in Sherman Oaks, Ray has been a member of the Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce continuously since 1953, a docent in Los Angeles’ El
Pueblo State Historical Park, the Chinese Historical Society of Southern
California, and the Sierra Club. He was with the Boy Scouts of America
from 1959 to 1975 where he served at the District and Council levels as
Training Chairman. He is the recipient of the Boy Scout “Silver Beaver”
award, obtained while Scoutmaster. It was in the late 1950’s, while on a
Boy Scout field trip, that Ray first visited Death Valley and repeated
visits thereafter have intensified his interest in this unique place.
Shortly
before World War II he married Ellen Clark. They had two sons and a
daughter and have four grandchildren. Ellen has accompanied her husband
on numerous Death Valley ‘49er activities and generously given her time
and energy to the organization.
The entire
Death Valley ‘49er organization looked ahead to good times with Ray as
President and wished him, a 45 year insurance “agent”, a term of premium
accomplishments.
Excerpts from ‘49er
newsletter
Ray Peter passed away Wednesday,
January 12 at 10:00 p.m.
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