Mystery History -- Solved

I stumped everybody again this week. It was hardly fair, actually, because as I mentioned in the original post, looks can be deceiving.

In the photo above, shot November 20, 1951, U.S. Marine T/Sgt. James B. Nash Jr. visits with Pete Meston, 13, of the Wilson Junior High School Band.

I told you this one would probably throw you. Here's why.

Nash wasn't a Pasadenan; he was from Durham, North Carolina, and had been awarded the Silver Star while fighting in the Korean War.

He was at Pasadena City Hall along with 23 soldiers from 18 nations who traveled around the country on a United Nations tour to bring attention to the importance of donating blood and purchasing defense bonds.

The GIs were from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, England, France, Greece, India, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, New Zealand and the United States of America.

Mayor Alson Abernethy greeted each one personally.




Here's an excerpt from the Pasadena Star-News:

The flags of 18 nations flew in the City Hall plaza today when 23 decorated soldiers of the United Nations fresh from the fighting in Korea stopped in Pasadena on a nationwide tour.

They came to the Crown City, a living demonstration of United Nations' unity, as part of a coast-to-coast drive to stimulate contributions to the Red Cross blood bank and the sale of defense bonds.

Police cars escorted the cavalcade of automobiles into the plaza while the Wilson Junior High School band serenaded from the City Hall steps. Each car bore the name and nation of its occupant on its doors, from the front left fender of each car flew the U.N. flag and from the front right fender flew the national colors of each soldier.

Mayor Alson E. Abernethy termed the visitors "veteran heroes of Korea" in his welcoming remarks.

He told them of another Korea veteran, Marine Cpl. Bob Gray, who was grand marshal of last January's Tournament of Roses parade.

"He not only won the hearts of 1,500,000 people, but he won the heart of one of our fairest princesses," Mayor Abernethy said, referring to Corporal Gray's marriage to Rose Princess Betsy Josi.

"If you could stay longer maybe we could fix you up, too," he said.

The mayor said he knew the veterans would "be bombarded by more mayors than they were by shells in Korea" during their tour, so he ended his brief remarks with a simple reminder that "the mission you are on now is as important as any you have had in the past."

All of the 23 sailors, soldiers and airmen in the group, sponsored by the Defense Department, were recipients of medals in the Korea war...

Cpl. Robert S. Gray was the grand marshal of the parade on Jan. 1, 1951, after Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, then president of Columbia University, had to bow out when he returned suddenly to military duty to assume command over NATO forces. As a last-minute replacement, Eisenhower and the president of the Tournament of Roses Association wanted to pick an active duty U.S. military man who had been wounded in service to his country. What a great honor for this young Marine, who represented all of the armed forces in Korea as he waved to the crowds.


And here's the Rose Queen and her Royal Court. I don't know know which one is Betsy Josi. I do know it was a whirlwind romance: They were married March 30, 1951.



In keeping with my tradition, here's the portrait of Mayor Abernethy from the Hall of Mayors:





Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library and Tournament of Roses Association.

Mystery History -- Solved

Petrea wins with her 10:27 p.m. Tuesday guess "I'm going to hazard a guess and say Victory Park. Installing the playground there. Looks like the 1960's, maybe?"

About 100 local Kiwanis Club volunteers descended on the new Victory Park on May 4, 1952, to transform bare ground into a playground and recreation center in the course of one day. This was about three weeks before the park's formal dedication.

Excerpt from the May 4, 1952, Pasadena Star-News:

The Pasadena Kiwanis Club did it!

Its members set out yesterday to complete a recreational center for children on the city's new Victory Park in one day and they did just that...

...Children descended in droves while the Kiwanians and their wives were enjoying Kiwanian Al Leigh's tender, fat and juicy spring fries. Swings, slides, rings, the jungle gym, sand boxes, etc., got a rough initiation.

The whole plan for the creation of the playgrounds was originated by Verne Orr Jr., Kiwanis president last year. He passed the baton to Audre Stong, this year's president, who bore down heavily and raised the $2,000 needed for supplies. Past and present Kiwanis presidents would pin the gold medal for a successfully completed project on Chairman Schaal, if they had a medal.

Neighbors of the Victory Park area, who were lookers-on, said nice things about a club of doctors, businessmen, etc., who spent their entire Saturday smashing their thumbs, bruising their shins, accumulating blisters and backaches, and spending $2,000 for one sole purpose -- to make little children happy.

Here's a fun photo of post-parade activities at Victory Park in 1956:


Now here's a look back:

In 1945 the Board of City Directors (now known as the City Council) established the Pasadena War Memorial Committee. The letter of instructions to appointed members of the committee included this:

It is desired by the Board of City Directors that the Pasadena War Memorial make a survey of the various possibilities for a suitable War Memorial to those men and women who served in World War II. It may be desirable to list one or more projects. If so, it is suggested that they be placed in the order of their importance in the minds of the Committee.

Early on, the committee came to some general conclusions: The project should be be managed and maintained so as not to become a burden on the community, it should serve a real community need with consideration of other facilities already available, the financing should be determined by the Board of City Directors, and the facilities of the war memorial should be for the benefit of all citizens of Pasadena.

The following year the committee made a formal recommendation to the Board of City Directors for the specific property in the then-wide-open eastern portion of Pasadena, which the city would purchase as a park to be named Victory Park in memory of all Pasadenans who gave their lives during World War II. The memorial Victory Park would include an auditorium, "eating facilities," conference and meeting rooms, an athletic pavilion and a parking area.

The price tag for Pasadena's 15th city park: $4 million.

Victory Park was dedicated on May 25, 1952, with Alson E. Abernethy, chairman of the Board of Pasadena City Directors, and Mrs. Eleanor D. Boyd, national president of American Gold Star Mothers, presiding.

Here's a photo of Chairman Abernethy from the Hall of Mayors:


I thought I would have time to do a photo archive search of the dedication day but as so often happens, the time got away from me.

I have done prior Victory Park postings, including this one.

Many thanks to Pasadena Public Library.