Farragut’s Press NEWSLETTER OF THE MARE ISLAND HISTORIC PARK FOUNDATION MUSEUM
A 501(c) (3) Charitable Organization
December, 2011
Beckett and the stars were Hollis and Shy Hollington, two brothers. Oregon, in an upset, won by a score of 14-0. In 1953 when the MVP award was created, John Beckett was chosen and given the award retroactively. Soon after the United States was involved in World War I and it was considered unpatriotic to be drafted, so many young men enlisted. John Beckett enlisted in the U.S. Marines during his senior year. In fact, about half of the Oregon football team also enlisted in the Marines and they all ended up being sent to Mare Island for basic training since that is where Marines from the West Coast received their basic training until 1924. In 1918 the Rose Bowl committee decided not to have a game since many of the young men who would have been in college playing football were in the military and there was no place for an East-West football game during a national crisis. However, President’s Wilson’s chief of publicity decided that was not a good idea and that a jittery nation needed a release from war worries. When the Rose Bowl offered to cancel the game, the government bestowed its official approval on the game and suggested all proceeds be given to the Red Cross. It was decided it would be a contest between two military teams and the Mare Island Marines and the Army from Camp Lewis in Washington were to compete. According to a December 26, 1917 article in the Vallejo Evening Chronicle the 40,000 soldiers at Camp Lewis were entirely confident that their team would make short work of the Marine team. As the Army team passed through California on their way to
1902 Rose Bowl, Michigan 49, Stanford 0
Mare Island and the Rose Bowl The weather has turned crisp and the leaves are changing, so it must be football season. Soon it will be Christmas and then New Years and the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football game. “But what does that have to do with Mare Island?” you ask. The Rose Bowl, considered the granddaddy of bowl games, was first played in 1902 at Pasadena California’s Tournament Field (Rose Bowl was not built until 1923) between Stanford (3-1-2) and Michigan (11-0). Michigan was coached by Fielding Yost who had been the coach at Stanford the previous year. Admission was $.50 to $1.00 and an additional $1.00 allowed you to bring your horse and buggy onto the grounds. The field was 110 yards long; there were two 30 minute halves. Each team had 3 downs to make 5yards; forward passes were not allowed and the scoring system was as follows: touchdowns = 5 points; field goals =5 points; conversions=1 point In the second half with eight minutes left to play the score was Michigan 49, Stanford 0. Capt Ralph Fisher of Stanford asked to quit the game and the Michigan captain agreed. There was no football game for the next fifteen years, though they had such events as chariot races and ostrich races. In 1916 they resumed playing football and in 1917 Oregon went to the Rose Bowl and played Pennsylvania. The coach of the Oregon team was Hugo Bezdek. The captain of the team was John
Preserving the history of Mare Island
Mare Island Museum Hours 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Weekdays 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. First and Third Weekends Tel: (707) 557-4646 Shipyard tours by appointment, please call: (707) 664-4746 or (707) 280-5742
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Farragut’s Press Pasadena they made sure that people at each stop were made aware of how easy it was going to beat the “navy’s soldiers.” And the sports writers, especially those in San Francisco seemed to agree with them. The only remaining stronghold with belief in the Marines was Vallejo. Commissioned while on duty at Mare Island, Johnny Beckett coached and played on the Marine football team which beat all other teams in the west, including the University of California at Berkeley. When Coach Bezdek heard his former players were again going to the Rose Bowl, he came to Mare Island to coach them. So in 1918, on a hot 86 degree day in Pasadena, the Mare Island Marines played football. Hollis Huntington gained 111 yards on 20 fullback smashes. Jap Brown was the quarterback. Mare Island won the game 19-7. Huntington was chosen as the MVP. Huntington would again play in the Rose Bowl after he returned from the war on an Oregon team that was coached by his brother Shy. He was one of only three men to have played every minute in three different Rose Bowl games. Beckett became the only player to have captained two different Rose Bowl teams. In 1919 most of the Marines who had played on the Mare Island team had shipped out, but Mare Island (10-0) was again invited to the Rose Bowl as the representative of the West Coast and great Lakes Naval training Center was the representative for the East. The quarterback for Great Lakes was the “Wasp” Paddy Driscoll who completed four of eight passes, including a 45 yard touchdown to George Halas. Halas, the game’s MVP, rushed for 34 yards, drop-kicked a 30 yard field goal and averaged 43.5 yards with six punts and returned nine punts for 115 yards. Halas also holds the Rose Bowl record for the longest non scoring pass by returning an intercepted pass for 77 yards. On the coldest day ever recorded for a Rose Bowl game, 25 degrees, the Marines were defeated by the Navy team 17-0. As any football fan knows, Halas became known as “Papa Bear” Halas a pioneer National Football League coach, owner of the Chicago Bears and a member of the National Football League Hall of Fame. John “Johnny” Beckett coached Marine teams at Mare Island, Quantico and San Diego and had a winning record (56-19-3.) He served fifty years in the United
December, 2011
States Marine Corps and rose to the rank of brigadier general. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972 and was a charter member of both the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1980 and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1992.
The 1916 University of Oregon Team
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The 1919 University of Oregon Team at a 30 year reunion (1) John Beckett, (2) Hollis Huntington, (3) Charles “Shy” Huntington
Help preserve Mare Island History! Become a volunteer today! 2
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December, 2011
wedding or some other pleasant event in their lives. She says that parents and grandparents, especially, are most appreciative and always thank her profusely. People are often amazed she is a volunteer, but she tells them she loves the job and meeting and making friends is her pay. In fact she said.” Everybody who is retired should volunteer. It should be a law!” When asked what her most unusual experience was as a docent she remembered a Hell’s Angels wedding. Everybody rode up on their Harleys and they all wore jeans and T-shirts. Refreshments were hot dogs and beans. She said it was probably the happiest and most fun wedding she had ever seen. Helga says she is constantly telling other people about the benefits of being a volunteer. She likes the opportunity to put on some of her nicer clothes and to get out and meet new people and to work with the other docents she has met while at Mare Island. If you are interested in being a docent please contact Joyce Giles at the museum (707) 557 4646 or on her cell (707) 280 5742. Training is provided and you can decide if you want to docent at the mansions, the chapel or both. And, yes, we also have men who are docents, as well as couples who work events together!! It’s a great opportunity to keep active, provide service to the community, meet new people and have fun. And you do not have to be retired!!!
What’s a Docent? One of the primary means of support for Mare Island Historic Park Foundation is by renting St. Peter’s Chapel, the Mansions or the museum for events. These rentals could not occur without the volunteers we call docents. The docents are there to open and close the facility, to provide assistance to the renters, to ensure the safety of the guests and to make sure that the property is properly cared for by the renter. Typical of these docents is a long time volunteer, Helga Wallace. Helga was born in Schneimuhle, Germany, close to the Polish border. Her family and neighbors were among the first to flee when the Russians invaded Germany during World War II. After the war was over, Helga’s mother had died and her father was in a British prison as a result of the war. There were few prospects for a young person and Helga decided that her future lay somewhere other than in Germany. She read an ad in a German newspaper for a nanny and called the number. It was the grandparents of children who needed the nanny and the family lived in New York. They called their son who was a director of Volkswagon and he decided to hire her. It took almost a year for her to get a visa and she had to remain in the United States for two years. She fulfilled that obligation and then went to work for a family in Connecticut with whom she is still quite close. But Helga loved to travel and each year when she had vacation she would travel to other parts of North America. She decided that she wanted to live in California. When she had fulfilled her contract with her employer they helped her get a job in the mailroom with a life insurance company in California. Helga spoke little and could not write in English, but she learned on the job. After Helga retired she read an ad in the paper in Vallejo in 2002 for volunteers at Mare Island and decided to apply. She now volunteers as often as three or four times a month and at other times it may only be once or twice a month. She likes the fact she can work when it is convenient and if she has something else she needs to do, no one is offended if she says no. She feels that being a docent is a great way to make friends and you are usually always working with people who are happy because they are celebrating a
A stain glass window “Good Shepard” in St. Peter Chapel at Mare island
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December, 2011
16th Annual Christmas Concert Coming Events
One of the first events sponsored in 1996 by the newly formed Mare Island Historic Park Foundation was a Christmas concert in St. Peter’s Chapel. This year the foundation will be presenting the 16th Annual Christmas Concert, Holiday Celebration: A Journey through Time, on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 2:00 P.M. at St Peter’s. Returning after a well-received concert last year will be the Vallejo Choral Society directed by Dr. Cyril Deaconoff. The concert will feature Renaissance to Baroque choral music, gospel and minstrels and popular Christmas carols. Dr. Deaconoff said the choir was especially looking forward to the concert after their warm reception last year. Tickets for the concert are $15.00 and may be purchased at the Mare Island Museum, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum or the Vallejo Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Tickets can also be purchase d by using a credit card and calling (707)557 4646. You can also purchase tickets by mail by sending a check to MIHPF, 1100 Railroad Avenue, Vallejo, Ca 94592. Tickets purchased by phone or mail can be picked up at Will Call the day of the concert. Tickets will be sold at the door, but it is advisable to purchase tickets prior to the concert as we have had standing room only crowds in recent years. Following the concert, the traditional reception will be held at Quarters A, the Admiral’s Mansion, which will be decorated for the Christmas season.
December 15, 2011 Christmas Party for Volunteers 5:00-7:00 P.M. Quarters A
December 18, 2011 2:00 P.M., St. Peter’s Chapel
January 30, 2012 MIHPF Board Meeting 10:00 A.M. Quarters A
April 23, 2010 MIHPF Board Meeting 10:00 A.M. Quarters A
June 24, 2012 Contra Costa/Solano Food Bank Gala Quarters A and B For Further Information Contact the Museum at (707) 557-446
USS Langley (CV-1) St. Peter’s Chapel, Mare Island, California
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December, 2011
Mare Island Historic Park Foundation Partnership 1100 Railroad Avenue, Vallejo, CA 94592 (707) 557 4646 mihp46@att.net www.mareislandhpf.org
The Mare Island Historic Park Foundation keeps alive the history of Mare Island Naval Shipyard and chronicles its shipbuilding activities in the museum, as well as preserving the most historic buildings – St. Peter’s Chapel, the Shipyard Commander’s Mansion and Building 46, the oldest building on the island dating from 1855. The shipyard founded in 1854 by Commander David G. Farragut, first admiral in the USN, was the first naval installation on the West Coast and was an important contributor to success in World War II in the Pacific. It also played a prominent role in the Cold War by building 17 nuclear submarines. We invite YOU to become a part of this endeavor by partnering with the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation and supporting its work. Benefits of Partnership:
Free Admission to the Mare Island Museum (Bldg 46) for the year of partnership 10% discount on purchases in gift shop Advance notice via email of new exhibits or events sponsored by the foundation Access to Mare Island Museum Library Free newsletter via email Helping to preserve the history of Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Partnership Levels: (All partnerships are for one (1) year and are fully tax deductible) • • • •
Individual $25.00 – Admits partner named on card Out of State $20.00 – Admits partner named on card Family $40.00 – Admits two household members and their children or grandchildren 12-18 (under 12 are free) Student $15.00 – Admits student named on card with a student ID card
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mare Island Historic Park Foundation Partnership Application Name _______________________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Street Address _______________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip Code ___________________________________________________________________________ Phone____________________________ Email Address ______________________________________________ Partnership Level: ______ Individual $25 _____ Out of State $20 _____Family $40 _____ Student (with ID) $15 Visa_____Mastercard ____American Express____Card Number _________________________ Exp. Date ______ Make checks payable to MIHPF.
Remit to: ATTN; Partnership Mare Island Museum 1100 Railroad Ave, Vallejo, CA 94592
(For Office Use Only) Received by:_____________________________
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