Exploring Loma Vista Cemetery and the Origins of the Electric Guitar (Rickenbacker, Fender)

hello friends and fellow grave explorers we haven't done a proper cemetery tour in a while so I thought I would take you to one of my favorite spots Loma Vista Memorial Park in Fullerton California we're going to meet people with a wide range of backgrounds from a berry farmer to a former president there's a writer a singer a major league ball player and a couple individuals who revolutionized the music industry and there are others as well so I'm inviting you to come walk with me at beautiful Loma Vista Memorial Park it is in the town of Fullerton in North Orange County California the story of the town begins in 1887 when brothers George and Edward Amerige purchased 480 acres north of Anaheim after granting the California Central and Santa Fe railroads right-of-way the deal was negotiated with George Fullerton the president of the Pacific Land and improvement company for whom the town was named the Amerige brothers original office building stands to this day and is an historic landmark farming and oil drilling were key factors in the growth of the area much of Fullerton's historic heritage has been preserved to this day the Fox Theater dates to 1925 and is still in operation other landmarks include the Chapman building the do Ella apartments the Fullerton Union High School's clock tower as well as the Plummer auditorium the train station has long been a favorite spot for railroad enthusiasts but to get a true sense of a community's past there is no better place to look than in its cemeteries Loma Vista was founded by Argos Brutus Adams in 1914 and four generations later it is still owned and operated by his descendants throughout its history Loma Vista has remained a focal point for the community by not only assisting families in time of need but also for hosting special events for our veterans and to observe special holidays the rest of the year it remains a peaceful place that I visit often in doing so I have come to know many of the parks permanent residents two of loma' vistas most well-known interments are Walter and Cordelia knot they became legends in Southern California for turning a struggling berry farm into one of the first modern theme parks in the country it all began when Cordelia not opened a small restaurant offering home-cooked chicken dinners it became so popular that people came from miles around and waited long hours to be served to help guests pass the time Walter constructed an Old West ghost town for them to explore he later expanded the attraction to include mule rides a stagecoach and eventually a full-sized working steam locomotive eventually the park would have a log flume and mine car ride one of knots frequent guests was Walt Disney who was getting ready to build his own theme park a few miles away in Anaheim on July 4th 1966 Walter dedicated a replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall across the street from his Park it includes a reproduction of the chamber were some of the most important documents in American history were signed in the entranceway as a copy of the Liberty Bell complete with its famous crack being separate from the park Independence Hall is open to the public free of charge Walter who was a deeply patriotic man considered this to be his proudest achievement Cordelia personally oversaw the operation of a restaurant until her death in 1974 Walter retired a short time later leaving the operation of Knott's Berry Farm to his children while he focused on political and philanthropic interests he passed away in December 1981 a few days short of his 92nd birthday to this day his theme park thrives and is home to dozens of high-tech attractions but at its heart remains Cordelia's chicken dinner restaurant and Walter's ghost town in the corny Toulon just a short distance from Walter and Cordelia is Cecil Scott Forester he was a journalist and author of historical fiction he is best remembered for creating the character of British naval officer Horacio Hornblower whose high seas adventures during the Napoleonic Wars were told in a series of 12 books written over a span of 30 years in 1951 his Hornblower books were adapted into a hit film starring Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo the following year saw the release of John Huston's the African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn it was based on foresters 1935 novel of the same name Hollywood loved Foresters stories and when he published the last nine days of the Bismark about the crucial world war two naval battle to find and destroy the dreaded German battleship it was made into another hit movie by 20th Century Fox si s forests are settled in Fullerton California where he continued to write until his passing in 1966 his 12th and final Hornblower novel was published posthumously the year following his death if you are a collector of mid-century ceramics then you might know the artist Merton Perkis born in Canada he made his home in Fullerton California where he operated a studio built in his backyard his chosen form was hand-painted plates and many of his customers preferred to hang them on their walls as decorative art rather than use them for what they were intended purchases works have been featured in art publications as well as in galleries and major ceramics exhibitions today his plates are highly prized by collectors and command top-dollar at auction out in the West lawn behind the mausoleum is the resting place of singer and actor Andy Russell born in Boyle Heights to Mexican immigrants and he became a popular singer on radio in the 1940s he sold over 8 million records of romantic pop tunes sung in his trademark english and spanish vocals following the controversial divorce from his second wife actress della russell in 1954 Andy relocated to Mexico while there he became a movie star and ultimately appeared in five films after spending 11 years abroad and he returned to the United States where he continued his music career until his retirement in 1989 he was married five times and was a famous lothario of his amorous appetite he said that he fell in love wherever he went because being in love is the most exciting thing there is so it's no coincidence that the title of one of his biggest hits amor was chosen to appear on his headstone loma vista Memorial Park is the resting place of two men who through innovation gave rise to a new age and music here in the Cypress lawn are the graves of Clarence and Harriet fender after leaving Illinois they settled in Orange County California where they ran a citrus farm in 1909 their first child Clarence Leonidas was born growing up Clarence who went by the name Leo took an interest in electronics and built his own crystal radio sets later in life he honed that skill and adapted it towards the development of musical instruments today his name is synonymous with the electric guitar Leo fender is not buried here at Loma Vista his grave is located about 15 miles away at Fair Haven Memorial Park in Santa Ana but just a few steps away from his parents resting place is his partner George Fullerton who created some offender guitars most iconic instruments whose sound has been at the heart of modern music for more than 60 years George's history with Fender started in 1948 when he became the production supervisor for the new Fender electric instrument company he is credited with creating the fender Esquire the world's first solid body electric guitar he went on to make the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars plus the jazz and precision basses his creations remain the chosen instruments of some of the finest musicians in the world George and Leo retired from Fender guitars in 1970 but that didn't end their partnership they worked together at Music Man in the production of electric guitars basses and amplifiers in 1979 they formed G&L musical instruments the GN l stands for George and Leo in 2007 George returned to the Fender Corporation for the introduction of the limited-edition George Fullerton 50th anniversary Stratocaster he passed away two years later and the following year he was inducted into the fender Hall of Fame George and his wife Lucille's distinctive black granite headstone supported by a morning angel is adorned with photos and passages from Scripture and memories from his family at the very bottom is an image of his fender Esquire the instrument that forever changed the sound of music and sparked a creative revolution that goes on to this day there is another name associated with innovation in the music industry here as well and as we make our way to his resting place we pass the grave of lon all the former General of the army Minister of Defense and prime minister of Cambodia during the Vietnam War later he led the cambodian coup of 1970 and installed himself as president of the us-backed coup my republic Nall was ousted in 1975 and lived in exile in hawaii and then on the mainland until his death in 1985 [Music] for almost a century the name Rickenbacker has been a leader in the development of electric guitars the company's founder Adolph Rickenbacker rests here in the mountain view lawn his headstone describes him as the father of the electric guitar however most of the credit belongs to his partner George Beecham it was Beecham in 1930 who developed the electric horseshoe pickup designed to amplify the sound of a guitar so it could be heard when playing with a full orchestra his first lap steel electric guitar nicknamed the frying pan was made with the help of craftsman Harry Watson to produce his guitar Beecham enlisted the help of Rickenbacker who had the know-how the facility as well as the Capitol soon the two men went into business together and they called their guitars Rickenbacker's to tie in with the popularity of Adolf's famous cousin who was the world war one flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker in 1935 they released the first commercially produced electric guitar that was a 25 inch hollow body called the Ken Roberts Spanish electro guitar named after a guitarists friend of Beecham's in 1940 Beecham left the company and sadly died soon after he would never see just how far his invention would go in the coming decades Adolph Rickenbacker sold his company to FC halt in 1953 under Hall's management the company would go on to define the sound of perhaps the most influential era in music history from the Beatles to the birds and on to the late great Tom Petty Rickenbacker guitars with their distinct jangle will forever be associated with music's greatest legends unlike his partner Adolph Rickenbacker did live to see their invention reach its full potential and while there are others who might have just as much right to wear the title it was he who has gone down as the father of the electric guitar the cornerstone of loma vistas mausoleum was laid on December 16th 1934 and was completed in 1938 and there have been several additions made over the years its entrance is watched over by these stone lions the interior is appointed with Italian marble and stained glass windows skylights set the corridors aglow with warm sunlight the mausoleum also houses many works of art from statuary to furniture tapestries murals and paintings visitors will most likely notice this well-dressed gentleman and it sure feels like he notices you in the corridor with the watchful portrait is the crypt of Major League Baseball executive al campanis he had a short seven-game career as a second baseman with the Brooklyn Dodgers in their 1943 season before serving in the United States Navy during World War two upon his return from the war he joined the Montreal Royals where he played 116 games as shortstop one of campaña tsa's teammates was future hall-of-famer and the first african-american major league ballplayer Jackie Robinson later he became a scouting director for the Dodgers where he discovered future Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax he remained with the organization through its move to LA and in 1968 became the Dodgers general manager during his tenure the team made it to the World Series four times in 1974 77 78 and in 1981 they beat their old rivals the New York Yankees in six games on April 6th 1987 Camp anis appeared on the ABC News program Nightline that was paying tribute to his former teammate Jackie Robinson on the 40th anniversary of baseball's color barrier being broken when Ted Koppel asked him why he thought there weren't more black owners and managers in baseball camp anis replied with a series of racially charged answers the fallout from the interview was immediate and severe and two days later he was fired from the Dodgers putting an end to a 40 plus year career in Major League Baseball shunned by the game he loved camp Anna's continued to support his old team as a spectator at Dodger Stadium he lived the remainder of his life quietly but could never shed the racist brand he earned from an interview gone wrong [Music] located in the mausoleum Chapel is a memorial to the community sons and daughters who were lost in battle and are either missing or buried in the places where they fell [Music] [Music] on the core Anita log just outside the mausoleums doors is the War Memorial the very first commemoration of America's fallen veterans took place here on Memorial Day May 31st 1918 in attendance that day were veterans of the Civil War and the spanish-american war as well as active service members who are about to leave for the trenches of Europe in the years to come these monuments would be rededicated to remember and honor the sacrifices made by all who serve their country closeby in the mountain view lawn is the grave of Stanley Carl fuller he grew up in the burgeoning suburbs of Orange County friends and classmates still remember his ready smile sense of humor and above all his kind heart after high school he entered the army and in February 1968 he was sent to Vietnam on December 12th he was on patrol this squad and the gia dinh province on the outskirts of saigon when an AED exploded sending shrapnel into his legs severing a femoral artery newspapers back home reported that hours before Stan died he had written a letter to his fiancee looking forward to the end of his tour that was three months away to the world Stan Fuller died in Vietnam but his sense of humor ready smile and kind heart are alive and well in the memories of all who knew him in Grandview lon you can find the Cenotaph for Ralph Sommers like Stanley Fuller he grew up in Orange County where he attended Fullerton Union High School he enlisted in the Army in March 1943 and was assigned to the 440 first bomber squadron of the 320th bomber group that was part of the 12th Air Force based on the island of Sardinia Ralph was the Bombardier of a b-26 Marauder named Becky on August 15 1944 the Becky took off on a bombing raid on Cavalier sumaré in southern France a short time after takeoff the tower lost contact with the plane that for mysterious reasons failed to clear the mountains and crashed all eight crewmen on board were killed [Music] in 1949 Ralph's body was moved to the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in st. Louis Missouri the Cenotaph at Loma Vista also tells the tale of another tragedy for the Somers family as it marks the grave of Ralph's younger brother Larry who was killed at age 13 when he was struck by a car Archy a cord served his country in France during World War one as a member of the 30th Aero Squadron he was injured when his base came under attack from artillery with shells containing mustard gas after the war he returned to civilian life and went to work for the Union Oil Company but Archie never fully recovered from the gassing and died of his old injury in 1922 nurse Patricia Irene Byron graduated from Hope hospital in Fort Wayne Indiana in 1906 and was later appointed the superintendent of the Allen County tuberculosis Hospital while there she worked tirelessly treating victims of the terrible disease that at the time was the number one killer in the world when the United States entered World War one in 1917 she volunteered as an Army nurse and was assigned to Camp MacArthur in Texas nurse Byron aided boys being sent to the battlefields of Europe until March 25th 1918 when she lost her own battle to the disease that she had dedicated her life to combat her body was sent to her sister for burial in 1919 the Fort Wayne anti-tuberculosis League dedicated the Irene Byron's sanatorium in her memory the sanatorium was a leader in the treatment of TB until the 1950s when a vaccine was developed that all but eradicated the killer disease in the Northwest lon are some of the oldest graves in the cemetery it is here you can see the changing styles and monuments from upright stone pillars to the cleaner flat markers that are in common use today also hidden here is a silent reminder of a frightening period in world history that has painful echoes to events unfolding today you can find them in almost every cemetery that has been around for more than 100 years the victims graves are usually clustered together at first glance they appear no different than any other but if you take a closer look you'll notice two things one that the deceased were mostly young people and two they all died in the year 1918 once you realize what you're looking at you'll see them everywhere [Music] October 4th 1918 was Madeline Roberson's 23rd birthday she was young full of life and looking forward to a happy future but within a few days she became ill and on October 12th she was gone leaving behind a husband and a three-year-old son Madeline was a victim of the devastating Spanish flu pandemic that had been spreading since the spring news of her death reached her brother Arthur Sherwood who was serving in the United States Army Air Service in Washington State he immediately returned home in time to attend his sister's funeral after she was laid to rest he developed a high fever then on November 1st he was dead at age 26 another victim of the flu Arthur was buried on the spot were only a few days earlier he had been standing as a sister was laid to rest he and Madeline were two of the estimated 675 thousand Americans who perished in the flu pandemic by the time it passed the deadly virus had lowered the average life expectancy by eleven point eight years globally it took an estimated 50 million lives and the graves that remain served not only as a reminder but a warning from history before the digital age the secrets of the past were hidden in municipal storerooms obscure microform catalogs or church archives at cemeteries the names on the headstones were just names giving no hint of who that person was or what they did in life but now in the Information Age the key to opening the doors to the past is a simple mouse click away however some doors still remain locked leaving us to wonder an example of this that Loma Vista is a headstone bearing only one name valley since finding the grave I've thought a lot about who this person was but every effort to research them is come up empty in the absence of facts the imagination takes over Valley was quite possibly the alias of an artist or designer but if that were the case a record of it should be easy to track down it's interesting how a single enigmatic name commands attention while at the same time keeping us at a distance but sometimes the mystery is far more interesting than the solution the answers to who they were is out there somewhere but for now we can only keep on guessing and perhaps that's exactly the way Valley wanted it [Music] we have just seen an example of a door that is locked but there are other doors that open but what we find there leads only to more questions a case in point is the tragic story of Alice regala she was born Alice Vaughan Johnson in Snohomish County in Washington State by all accounts she led a very ordinary life she married and raised a family she made a living as a housekeeper working for a man named Charles Hughes who rented cabins on Whidbey Island and Puget Sound on the evening of April 8 1955 her boss got into an argument with a tenant over firewood the argument escalated until the tenant took a shot at Hughes with a rifle the bullet missed its intended target and instantly killed Alice who was working in one of the cabins the public record on Alice regala ends on November 19th 1955 when her killer was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison today Alice's remains rest here in Loma Vista in Fullerton California there is no record of how Alice ended up 1,200 miles away from where she died we can assume that she had family living here at some point but in the years since they have moved on leaving Alice to rest among strangers in a place that in life she never knew [Music] you our walked together through loma vista Memorial Park is at its end but before we close let's meet Gerhard Kristian Matheson he immigrated to the United States from Denmark at age 16 and farmed near Fort Collins Colorado in 1940 he retired to Fullerton California mr. Matheson spoke four languages and wrote poetry he was also a devout seventh-day adventists and taught agriculture to his fellow parishioners on mr. Matheson's 100th birthday the Los Angeles Times interviewed him and asked the obligatory question of what his secret for long life was he professed to not know but he offered a few of the rules that he had long ago set for himself for many years he abstained from eating meat and spicy foods and he never touched tobacco liquor or caffeinated drinks one of the keys he said was not giving in to worry but above that put your trust in God and treat your fellow man as you would like to be treated at 100 mr. Matheson was in perfect health and in possession of a sharp mind and intellect he said he'd never been sick a day in his life and never took so much as an aspirin nor did he require the use of bifocals or hearing aids in all he lived 105 years one month and 22 days we can never know how long our time in this world will be but if we could all take a page from mr. Matheson's book perhaps the going wouldn't be nearly as tough I hope you enjoyed our walk together through loma vista Memorial Park and that you were touched by some of the amazing people we met along the way and I hope I was able to show you why I have found a refuge in this quiet place time moves slower here and the space within its walls is not troubled by the goings-on of the world outside and although we are reminded that our lives are fleeting as the glint of a sunbeam on an ocean wave it also hints at the mystery that awaits us on the other side of the river there are many beliefs on what if anything that might be and we're all entitled to hold on to what our faith and our hearts tell us but the truth will come to us all sooner or later we will end our walk at the garden mausoleum it's breezy vine draped promenade might just be the loveliest place in the entire cemetery the best time to come here is when it is flooded with the waning golden light of the Sun as it dips toward the western horizon [Music] in one of the side Gardens is a plaque and I will leave you with the short verse that is inscribed upon it do not stand at my grave and weep I am NOT THERE they do not sleep I am A Thousand winds that blow I am The Diamonds gilt on snow I am the sunlight on ripened grain I am the gentle autumns rain when you awaken in the mornings hush I am the Swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight I am the soft stars that shine at night do not stand at my grave and cry I am NOT there I did not die thank you for watching and to my patrons whose generous financial support helped make videos like this possible I send my sincerest heartfelt thanks I can't do it without you if you're new here please subscribe now and don't forget to click the notification bell to get future updates I hope to see you all in the next Grave explorations

Channel: Grave Explorations

Views: 13,141

Rating: 4.9240875 out of 5

Keywords: famous graves, urban exploration, beatles, tom petty, jimmy hendrix

Id: 7mwrmFewnzY

Length: 35min 50sec (2150 seconds)

Published: Fri May 22 2020