Back in the 1940s and 1950s, a turbulenttime politically and socially in Californiaand the nation, California’s stategovernment and federal representatives

were overwhelmingly Grand Old PartyRepublicans.

These were dark times of the Cold War and theRed Scare, loyalty oaths, House Committee onUn-American Activities hearings asking “Are younow or have you ever been a member of theCommunist Party?”, and burgeoning CivilRights demands from African-Americans stillfacing widespread segregation in education,housing and public accommodations.

A group of liberal Altadenans didn’t like thestatus quo, andorganized to changethings.

Through the AdlaiStevenson Democratic

Club ofAltadena (theydroppedStevenson fromthe name afterthe election ofJohn F. Kennedyin 1960), theyworked towardthe almostcompletepolitical reversalthat is seentoday inCalifornia’srepresentativesin Washingtonand in Sacramento.

Longtimeresidents Jane and

Tom Apostol, Democratic Clubstalwarts, recently donated to AltadenaHistorical Society several boxes of clubrecords, newsletters, fliers, newspaperclippings and political memorabilia—afascinating look at how grassrootscampaigns can have momentousresults.

“This is an amazing treasure trove, averitable time capsule, of activistAltadena from about 1954 to 1964, and

Volume 86 Number 1

The Echo

continued on page 4

Tom and Jane Apostol at anAltadena Democratic Club

fundraiser.

What’s Inside:President’s Message

What’s Up at AHS?

Altadena Stories:l Don McLainl Duke of Mongolial George Feinstein

Altadenablog

April Program &Ongoing Events

Altadena Democratic Club Helped ChangeCalifornia in the 1950s

Jane and Tom Apostol Donate Club Papers to AHS Archives

Spring/Summer 2015

This issue focuseson some of theindependent

thinkers and interestingfolks who have calledAltadena home:academics andcommunity activists, anaccomplishedmountaineer andtopographer, a trekker toforeign places, an inspiringPCC professor, plus a lookat the contributions of onededicated Altadenajournalist.

Memberships

This year, as we preparedour annual membershipmailing, we included a briefsurvey on the back of themembership form. Here’s asummary of what you havetold us so far:l Many of you want ournewsletter on-line, manyprefer a printed version, andsome of you would like bothversions.l A number of you are willingto help us by volunteeringyour time and talents.l You’d like us to focus onpeople’s stories, work withschools, put more documentsand pictures on-line,communicate more effectivelyand broaden our emphasis toinclude Altadena as a whole. l And you have given usseveral ideas for futureprograms.

To those of you who havesent in your 2015 renewal,many thanks, both for yourmembership and your ideas. Ifyou have not yet renewedyour membership, pleaseknow that we depend on yourgenerosity to fund ourmission ($$$ on your label isyour reminder to renew).

More than 95% of your duesand donations goes directly tosupport the programs andservices we provide. Becausewe are a 501 (c) 3organization your donationsare fully deductible.

Outreach

In response to requests fromlocal organizations we’ve beenbusy telling Altadena’s storyat off-site locations, includingthe Altadena Town andCountry Club, AltadenaKiwanis and the SolheimLutheran Home in Eagle Rock,where several former ScrippsHome residents reside. Topicsincluded “The Ten MostAsked Questions AboutAltadena” and “TheMillionaires Who InventedAltadena.”

We are happy to make theseprograms and others availableto any community oreducational organization atno charge. For moreinformation, please call us at626-797-8016, or send an e-mail toaltadenahistorical.society@yahoo.com.

2

President’s Letter by Jane Brackman, Ph.D.

Board of Directors

Jane Brackman – President

Mary Lou Langedyke – Vice President

Paula Wegner – Treasurer

Minna Adams – Secretary

Jerry Sutton – Membership

Rob Hallwachs – Publicity

Sara Carnahan

Marlane Forsberg

Kathy Hoskins

Joanne Rolle

Mary Smeritschnig

Bruce Spears

Volunteers

Andrea Banuelos

Mary Gandsey

Laurie Kinsinger

Elizabeth Kirk

Nancy Lambrecht

Jean Phillips

Marc Striegal

Jeanina Quezada

Altadena Historical Society’s archives serve as aplace for visitors to learn about Altadena’spast, a research facility, a repository for all

things Altadena, an office and work space for ourvolunteers and, soon, a museum – all in only 800square feet.

It is quite a challenge to accommodate all thesefunctions in such a small space. So, when you visit,you will notice that we are busy reconfiguring ouroffice to maximize both storage and workflow, whilecreating a welcoming space for visitors. The walls are

bare; archival boxes andincoming donations arestacked, waiting for afinal destination. But inthe next six to ninemonths, you will seemany changes.

Thanks to thegenerosity of ourmembers and donors,we are well on ourway to creating ourexhibit space. We willsoon begin work onthe main andtemporary walls thatdelineate the space.

DonationsOne new donation to our archives will feature

prominently in our revamped space. The AltadenaLibrary District has given us a substantialcollection of books on Altadena and Californiahistory. We expect these books to be a valuableresource for researchers in the days ahead, as willTim Rutt’s entire archive of the Altadenablog andAltadena Point (see page 10).

In addition to the Democratic Club papersdiscussed in our cover article, we’ve received somewonderful photographs from Nancy Warner,daughter of mapmaker Don McLain, who namedmany of the trails in the San Gabriels (For moreon McLain, see page 6). We’ve receivedscrapbooks and drawings from TheatreAmericana’s active past; a 1907 letter to the editorabout Mount Lowe donated by John Zoraster; an

original photo of the Chambliss house; andcolumnist Patricia Bunin’s clippings from her days atthe Scripps Home.

VolunteersWe’ve received a number of responses to our survey

question on volunteer opportunities. We’re gratefulfor your interest. If you have not already heard fromus, you can expect a call soon. The history of ourcommunity is made available to the public thanks tothe efforts of people like you.

And one more thing…Our website is receiving amakeover, thanks to web designer Paula Johnson.Our current website is outdated and hard to navigate.We think you’ll find our new version much easier touse. The URL address will remain the same:

www.altadenahistoricalsociety.org. — Jean Phillips

3

1945 Map by Don McLain of Dr. Jensen’s Sanatorium andproperty in what is now The Meadows in NW Altadena.

Pat Reedy, the watchman atthe Dawn Mine. Photodonated by Nancy Warner.

What’s Up at AHS?

we are delighted to have it,” said AHSPresident Jane Brackman.

“We are enormously grateful to the Apostolsfor their awareness of its value and forthinking of AHS as its repository,” Brackmansaid.

Now residents of Pasadena, the Apostolslived in Altadena for many decades ona private road off Chaney Trail, nearNuccio’s Nurseries. Tom, a native ofUtah, earned his Ph.D. in mathematicsfrom U.C. Berkeley in 1948 and joinedthe faculty of California Institute ofTechnology in Pasadena in1950, wherehe is now an emeritus professor.

He is internationally known for hismathematics textbooks, which have beentranslated into seven languages, haswritten 102 research papers, and beenelected to several elite academic societies.

Jane Apostol, a Maryland native andGoucher College graduate, was a volunteerdocent at The Huntington Library for nearly50 years and a prolific contributor to theSouthern California Quarterly, the scholarlypublication of the Historical Society ofSouthern California.

In addition, she wrote 16 books, includingthe centennial history of South Pasadena. Adoorstop volume of her collected works wasassembled by Tom as a surprise gift for her

90th birthday, and is available at the AltadenaLibrary and at AHS.

For their first joint writing project, theApostols co-authored an extensive articlerecounting the history of the AltadenaDemocratic Club for the Fall 2014issue of

Southern CaliforniaQuarterly, based on thepapers they have donated to AHS.

Suggesting a reason for the club’s successes,the Apostols cite Altadena’s long history ashome to painters and sculptors, writers,intellectuals, musicians, scientists and free-thinkers. The community’s feisty refusals toannex to (then) fusty, conservative Pasadenaare additional examples of its independentspirit.

“There were lots of Caltech faculty inAltadena,” Tom recalled in an interview. “It

was rather a bedroom community forPasadena, unincorporated and with noindustry, and not as conservative asPasadena.”

In the post-World War II years,California’s state government and federalelected officials were overwhelminglyRepublican, in what the Apostols called a“stranglehold.” This, they say, was despitethe state having “almost a million moreregistered Democrats than Republicans in1952.”

The major barrier to Democratic victoriesin those years was the state’s law since1913 permitting cross-filings, whichallowed Republican candidates to appearon Democratic ballots (and vice versa)

continued from page 1

One of the NationalConvention tickets nowin the AHS collection.

Tom and Jane Apostol at the Grand Opening of the Humphrey-Muskie Headquarters in Pasadena, 1968.

4

without stating their party affiliation—withentrenched officials listed in first place as“Incumbent.”

“Many newly enfranchised Democrats inignorance helped re-elect Republicans whowere listed first on their ballot and listed onlyas ‘Incumbent,’” the Apostols recounted intheir “Quarterly” article.

Republican victories at state and

national levels in 1952 energized CaliforniaDemocrats and led to the founding, or rebirth,of local, grassroots Democratic clubsthroughout the state, including Altadena.Altadena’s club had “more than 100 membersand lots of non-dues-paying supporters,” Tomrecalled.

Tom Apostol said members focused onfinding and registering new Democratic voters—“We called it ‘bird-dogging’”— and door-to-door canvassing that could end in “rebukes”when they knocked at a Republicanhousehold.

Twice the club helped to nominate andardently backed the candidacy of Rudd Brownfor Congress from the then-21st CongressionalDistrict.

One of the Altadena Democratic Club’sfounders, Rudd, was the granddaughter ofWilliams Jennings Bryan and her mother,

Ruth Bryan Owen Rhode, had been acongresswoman from Florida and beenappointed the nation’s first female envoy,being named by President Franklin Rooseveltas minister to Denmark in 1933.

Rudd was declared the Congressionalwinner on Nov. 5, 1958, over

incumbent Rep. Edgar W. Hiestandby 2,600 votes. Campaign workersheld a jubilant celebratory victoryparty. A member of Hiestand’sD.C. staff, here for the election,

scurried to Altadena to ask Ruddto reappoint him to his job in

Washington.But next morning a La Cañada Press

reporter woke Rudd at her home to tell her ofa big counting error that reversed the results.The reporter asked for comment.

“’I’m disappointed, naturally,’ said Ruddwith a yawn,’” the Apostols recount in their“Quarterly” article. “’But I knew [a miscount]was possible, even last night. I know there canalways be an error.’”

When the reporter pressed, suggesting shewas being “quite philosophical” about thenews, “Rudd responded with a laugh: ‘Forheaven’s sakes, somebody wins and somebodyloses.’”

The club sponsored monthly meetingsfeaturing guest speakers (young Jerry Brownwas one) and debates of current topics such asproposals that Altadena incorporate or annexto Pasadena, and local school board/educationissues.

But they had fun too: buffet dinners, fund-raising costume parties, dances with livemusic, rummage sales and raffles provided notonly good times but funds for the club’streasury.

However, Tom recalls, strong differences ofopinions on the Vietnam war in the 1970scaused “bitter internal disputes” within theclub and, apparently, its eventual demise.

The Apostols, who for several decades hadsaved club newsletters and papers, ended theircollection, but, fortunately, didn’t discard it.

— Rob Hallwachs

5

Tom and Jane Apostol — September 2014

Meet Don McLain

Meet Don McLain (1887-1982), a notableAltadenan who is

responsible for naming yourfavorite spot in the AngelesNational Forest. Mt. Lukens,Kratka Ridge, Chaney Trail,Charlton Flats and Little JimmySprings all were named by McLainwho wanted every trail, peak orcampsite named to draw attentionto the people, history and folkloreof the area. He felt that namesshould honor the people whotreasured the wilderness. McLainhimself is honored with a peaknamed for him near Death Valley.

In 1903, self-trained, McLaincombined his artistic eye as alandscape painter with his abilityto recognize section markers (ascored rock, cairn, a blazed tree)to draw his first maps. Carryingover 80 pounds of equipment,McLain trekked over Californiaand the Western states creating

maps for the National ForestService and the NationalGeological Service.

Hired by theSecurity NationalBank, McLaincreated maps formany localcommunities.Nancy Lane in LaCañada is namedafter hisdaughter.

Recently, hisdaughter NancyMcLain Warnerand her husbandGeorge fromKlamath Falls,Ore., stopped bythe Altadena Historical Society toshare pictures and anecdotes.Nancy described her father as adreamer who never cared aboutmaking money and went onmapping treks for long periods of

time. The family’s consistentfinancial support came from hermother’s teaching position.

In 1939, herfather built a homeat 160 W. Laurel St.in Altadena toresemble aNational ForestService building.An innovativefeature of thehouse was a solarwater heatingsystem. In 1942,concerned over thepossibility ofenemy air raidattacks on Los

Angeles, her fathersold the house at a loss, movingthe family to Big Bear for safety,leaving their furniture behind onthe neighbor’s front yard.

According to Nancy, her fatherhad a photographic memory and

could remember every placehe had been and all of thestreets. When he metsomeone, he would alwaysask “…. and where are youfrom?” McLain could easilymake a connection withpeople through the places heknew so well. Nancy’s familypapers include themeticulous hand-drawnmaps her father used tochallenge a Pasadena trafficticket and the letter fromEvelle Younger, who in 1948was Pasadena’s CityProsecutor, dismissing thecitation.

AHS files contain ahandwritten statement byBuilt in 1939, McLain’s Altadena home on W. Laurel St. resembled a National

Forest Service building and included early solar panels.

6

McLain in Alaska Territory

In the early 1950s, mygrandfather lived with us herein Altadena for part of each

year. He was an elderly man wholoved to sit in the sun each dayand read Zane Grey novels thatmy mother brought him from theAltadena Library. In Swedish-accented English he would tell methat someday I would be the RoseQueen (that never happened). As Igrew older I becameinterested in his life story.What an amazing life heled!

Frans August Larson wasborn in 1870 to a poorcrofter family on the Hallbyestate in the Swedishprovince of Vastmanland.He was orphaned at the ageof nine. While working as astable boy on the estate, hedeveloped a passionateinterest in horses.

At age 17 he joined hissister in Stockholm wherehe learned to be acarpenter. By the time hewas 21 he had developed agreat thirst for adventurethat eventually led him tothe American Missionary

Society and a placementin China and Mongolia.His missionary zeal wastempered by his love ofthe Mongol people andtheir horses. He spent thenext 46 years in northernChina and Mongolia.

During his missionarytraining in Peking, he metand married an Americanmissionary from Albany,New York named Mary

Rodgers. At the time he spokelittle English. They settled inKalgan, North China (nowZhangjiakou). Gifted in languageshe was soon fluent in Chineseand Mongolian as well as English.

When the Boxer Rebellionbroke out in 1900, Larson savedthe lives of his family, includinghis two daughters aged 2 and 6months, and a group of Swedish

Larson, Duke of MongoliaDon McLain summarizing histhoughts:

“Now from the summit of myyears at 70, I look back at mytopographic works in the Westernstates and Alaska on timberlandsand geological structures and feelthat coming back to the old SanGabriel Timberland Reserve as theAngeles Forest was then calledwas like coming home…...and soafter a half century of ramblingoff and on over the San Gabriel,San Bernardino and San JacintoMountains I give thanks for the

health and contentment theyhave brought to me and manyothers.……All I want out of theendeavor when I die is a simplewooden headboard inscribed,“Here lies Old Donald McLain, hewho knew only the wilderness.”

AHS celebrates Don McLain, thetopographer of our mountains, asone of the many Altadenans whogive our community its uniquecharacter.

—by Mary Lou Langedyke

McLain with topography aid.

Frans August Larson in Altadena

Larson in Mongolia circa 1930

7

missionaries by leading theirescape from Kalgan across theGobi desert to Urga (now UlaanBaator) the capital of Mongolia.The Boxers killed 800 westernersincluding 56 Swedishmissionaries.

From his home base in Kalgan,Larson organized expeditionsacross the Gobi for RoyChapman Andrews (whose lifewas the basis for the character“Indiana Jones”) and famedSwedish explorer Sven Hedin.One of the Andrews expeditionswas famous for the discovery ofdinosaur eggs.

He established a company thattraded in horses for Chinese

racetracks, sheep,wool and furs. Healso dealt in Chineseand Mongolian artand antiques.Because of hislanguage skills andknowledge of thecultures, Larsonserved as a diplomatforging peacebetween China andMongolia in a 1911conflict.

Mary Larson cameto live in Californiawith five of her sixchildren to accesseducational

opportunities for them. Heraunt lived in Pasadena, so theysettled in the area, buying ahome in Altadena on BrooklynAvenue (now Morada Place). All

of the children graduated fromcollege in California. All marriedAmericans and five settled inCalifornia.

Larson left China in the mid1930s to join his family. Lossesduring the upheaval of warmade him nearly as poor aswhen he was born. He spent therest of his life residing with hischildren in Altadena. His book,“Larson, Duke of Mongolia,” isavailable on Amazon and atAHS.

My grandfather died in 1957while staying with his daughterin Vista, Calif. He is buried nextto his wife at Mountain ViewCemetery here in Altadena.

Several years ago my brotherand I visited the EthnographicMuseum in Stockholm andviewed some of the things frommy grandfather’s collection.Among them was a documentissued by Mongolian royaltygranting our grandfather thetitle Larson, Duke ofMongolia.

—Kathy Larson Hoskins

AdditionalReading:

Duke Larson; Adventurer,Missionary, by ExplorerAxel Odelburg (inSwedish)

Larson, Duke ofMongolia, by Frans AugustLarson

Frans August Larson,Wikipedia article by AxelOdelburg (in English)

Larson with Mongolian Giant late 1920s

8

P

George W. Feinstein, long-time resident ofAltadena, PCC English ProfessorEmeritus, writer, and humorist died in

2013, just months before reaching age 100. The son of immigrant grocers, at age five, he

ventured out onto often-icy North Dakota streetsselling newspapers to help pay bills.

He received hisB.A. and M.A.from Universityof North Dakota.His dissertationon humor inMark Twain’swork earned hima Ph.D. inEnglish fromUniversity ofIowa in 1945.

Moving tosunnierCalifornia, hetaughthumanities atJohn MuirCollege (nowJohn Muir HighSchool) inPasadena (1948-54). From 1954 to1979 he taughtEnglish at PCC.Basking underyear-roundAltadena sun, heread students’essays while his

transistor radio blared out Vin Scully’scommentary on the Dodgers.

Dad tried to make everyone smile. His monthlycredit union newsletter for Pasadena CitySchools employees was punctuated with cornyjokes. Years later, my friend remarked that hehad never regarded Moby Dick as a comedy untilhe took Dad’s American Lit class at PCC.

Long before computer modules, Dad wroteprogramed textbooks: Programed CollegeVocabulary 3600, 1969; Programed SpellingDemons, 1973; and Programed Writing Skills,1976. Many locals remember his book reviews inthe Star-News and his humorous letters-to-the-editor.

He had always loved chess. Remarkably, at age99, Dad spent long afternoons across achessboard from his caregiver, a former chesschampion from the Philippines.

Peering at the majestic mountains throughthick, geeky glasses, Dad ran five miles daily. Heparticipated in countless races supporting variouscharities, competing in the LA Marathon untilage 88 and the Senior Olympics in his late 90’s.The Star-News reporter grinned as Dadexplained, “If you’re over 95, and you can velcroyour own shoes, you’re guaranteed a medal.” Heboasted that his strategy was to outlive thecompetition.

—Margo Connolly, daughter

George W. Feinstein

George Feinstein winsmarathon at age 83 in the age80-98 category - 1997

Enjoying a game of chess, one of his favorite pastimes.

9

For over seven and a halfyears, the altadenablog andits successor, AltadenaPoint,

have documented the news andviews of Altadena and itsresidents. The days when ourcommunity had its ownnewspaper were long past, wheneditor/publisher Tim Rutt’s on-line journalism filled a void. Sothe announcement that AltadenaPoint was closing in mid Aprilfilled us all with regret.

Altadenablog began in 2007,when Rutt, whose careerhighlights include performer,journalist, copywriter,speechwriter, divinity student,and full-time dad for two specialneeds children, saw a need forone central place for people tofind out what was happeningin Altadena.

“You could check the Star-News, get the handouts at the

library and senior center,read the marquee atBryan’s Cleaners, look atthe flyers in the CoffeeGallery…and who’sgoing to do all that?” hetold Colleen Dunn Batesof Hometown Pasadena.“Altadena needed a‘bucket’ where you canfind everything, andthat’s what I’ve beenstriving to be.”

The blog really cameinto its own during the StationFire of 2009. “The broadcastmedia failed utterly,” Rutt said.“Altadenablog became the onlyplace you could find real-timeinformation.” All of Altadena, itseemed, followed his reports.

Readership increased insubsequent years, and, by2012, the altadenablog wasnamed “Business of theYear” by Altadena’sChamber of Commerce. Butlack of advertising revenueand family needs eventuallycaused Rutt to re-examinehis commitment to the blog.

“Retirement is only a few

years away, and it has beenevident for a while that there areother opportunities we canpursue that are more likely tomake a greater contribution toour family’s long-term well-being,” he stated as he

announced the end. While we will miss his

daily posts, there is a silverlining. Rutt has donatedboth altadenablog andAltadenaPoint to AHS, whereresearchers can access thehistory of Altadena from2007 to 2015. We expectboth blogs to be available inthe very near future. We are

honored to be the recipients ofthis important documentation of21st century Altadena.

Thanks, Tim! Additional thanksgo to the Altadena CommunityChest, a non-profit organizationthat collects voluntary donationsfrom production companies thatfilm in Altadena to fund Altadenacharitable organizations, and toElliot and Shirley Gold. Theirgenerous support will help usproperly preserve Tim’s work.

*photos from altadenablog

Altadenablog to Reside at AHS

10

Tim Rutt, right, receives 2011 AltadenaBusiness of the Year award.*

Station Fire coverage putaltadenablog on the map,August 2009.*

AHS SpringProgram:

Richard Bale moved toAltadena in 1937 at age

seven and left when he wasdrafted into the Korean War.He remembers a sleepy, bucoliccommunity with humor andfondness in Growing Up inAltadena in the 1940s, an exerptfrom his memoirs, Life in thePast Lane.

“Today, the border betweenAltadena and theneighborhoods of northernPasadena is virtually invisible,” he said, “but thatwasn’t always the case.

“When I was growing up in the 1940s,Altadena, especially west of Lake Avenue, seemedmuch more rural than its sophisticated neighborto the south.

“Woodbury Road was not only the actualborder, but the traffic speeding along that east-west thoroughfare seemed to define the

differences between the artisticstreetlights, concrete curbs, andsidewalks of bustling Pasadena,and the quieter, relaxed ruralways of Altadena.

“West of Lake, many streets inAltadena lacked sidewalks.Streetlights were few and farbetween, mail boxes weremounted on posts near the street,open storm-drains were spannedwith quaint little bridges leadingto private driveways—some ofwhich were unpaved dirt.

“Chickens were a common sightin Altadena, and we had a dozen

or so in our backyard on Highview. Largeacreages of orange groves still thrived, and manypeople raised rabbits and goats, as well aschickens. Horses, mules and cows were corralledin Altadena pastures into the early 1950s.”

Hear and see more about Altadena in the ‘40spresented by the Altadena Historical Society.Altadena Community Center730 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, CA

Ongoing ExhibitsContinuing through July, 2015...

Altadena Then and NowLeon Ricks’ photos of Altadena in the ’60sand ‘70s side by side with views of the sameplaces today.Webster’s Family Pharmacy back hall gallery.

Mount Lowe in PostcardsIconic views of the famous railway from postcards ofthe time.Altadena Community Center Lobby730 E. Altadena Drive

“An Altadena Boyhood”Richard Bale Recalls Altadena In The 1940s

7:30 P.M. Monday, April 27, Altadena Community CenterFREE

11

Altadena Substation - 1970s

Circular Bridge,Mt. Lowe Railway

730 E. Altadena DriveAltadena, CA 91001

(626) 797-8016

email:altadenahistorical.society@yahoo.com

website:altadenahistoricalsociety.org

VISIT OUR NEW BLOG!altadenahistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

The EchoALTADENA HISTORICAL

SOCIETY

Altadena Historical Society730 E. Altadena DriveAltadena, CA 91001-2351

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