Walter Reginald Bland (1878 - 1950)

Born 4 Aug 1878 in North Butte, Glenn, California, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Flavilla Annis (Corson) Bland — married 4 Mar 1900 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California

Descendants

Died 7 Aug 1950 at age 72 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michelle Clements [send private message]

Biography

Walter Reginald Bland was born on August 4, 1878, in North Butte, California, the first-born child of Register Webb Bland, a Methodist minister, and Flora Ann Goodall, a musician and piano teacher.^[1] For several generations his forebears were ministers in the Methodist Episcopal Church. His paternal grandfather, Adam Bland, came to California in 1851, founded the first Methodist Church in Los Angeles and for many years served as presiding elder for the church in California. His maternal grandfather, Captain Charles Goodall, who came to California in 1850, was one of the founders of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company.^[2]

Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Baker, Oregon, where his father was a minister for the Methodist Episcopal church.^[1] In 1881, the family moved to Illinois, where his father had been transferred by the church. He started as a student in the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, but as he had inherited his mother's musical ability (she was a child prodigy and a concert artist) he turned to music. He continued his studies at the Amercian Conservatory of Music in Chicago. The family moved to Pasadena, California in 1896 so his father could recover from tuberculosis. He and his mother opened a music studio that he continued until the day he died, a span of 50 years.^[2] A year after their arrival in Pasadena, his father was appointed to the Central Methodist church in San Diego. Reginald and his mother and sister performed a concert at the church.^[3] Two years later, his father died of tuberculosis at the age of 42. Reginald was 20 years old at the time.

He met his future wife Flavilla Corson while playing string quartets in the Hotel Green in Pasadena.^[4] They married on March 4, 1900 in Pasadena, California^[5][6] and had four children together, Carmen, Judith, Reginald, and Flora. Early in their marriage they joined a Theosophical Society in Point Loma, California, where Reginald was in charge of music.^[4] The children were placed into a nursery as soon as they were born, like a kibbutz in Israel. After becoming disenchanted with some of the philosophy of the Theosophical Society they moved back to Pasadena to live with Flavilla's mother.^[7] In 1911, he decided to become a farmer and bought a tract of land near the San Luis Rey Valley. He farmed rhubarb for four years. Farming was the only "failure" he ever admitted to.^[2][8][9] The family moved back to Pasadena and remained there for the rest of their lives.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

Early in his career he played first violin for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.^[2] Starting in 1908, he conducted the Maryland Hotel orchestra in Pasadena and the Hotel Virginia orchestra in Long Beach for several years.^[2][15] He also played violin in solo performances and accompaniments.^[16] After returning to Pasadena in 1915 from his failed farming venture, he had great success in teaching prize-winning students.^[17] In 1928, he founded and was first music director of the Pasadena Civic Orchestra which was made up of volunteer musicians, most of whom were his students.^[18][19] Throughout his years in Pasadena he hosted Saturday night musicales (chamber music concerts) at his home.^[2] Many of the scientists from Caltech would come to listen, including Albert Einstein while on one of his visiting professorships to Caltech.^[4]

In his spare time he tinkered with the invention of an automatic gear shift for automobiles, 12 years before one was adopted by industry.^[2] Unfortunately, he did not patent his idea so never made any money from his invention. After retiring from conducting in 1936, he took up surf fishing and invented an automatic fishing reel with gears. This time he applied for patent rights for his invention.^[20]

During the second world war he returned to Caltech, where he once served as orchestra instructor, to work as a mechanic on the rocket project. He was awarded a citation from the Government for his efforts.^[2]

He died on August 7, 1950, at his home, 609 North Hill Ave, in Pasadena, California, one year after his wife Flavilla passed away.^[21][22] He was 72 years old. He failed to awaken from a nap in his favorite fireplace chair while waiting for a music student. He was buried at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California.^[23]

He was a Mason, member of the Musicians Guild of Los Angeles, and member of the Fine Arts Club of Pasadena.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch, Walter Reginald Bland in household of Register W Bland, Baker, Baker, Oregon, United States; citing enumeration district ED 1, sheet 6D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1080; FHL microfilm 1,255,080.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8} "Reginald Bland, Civic Orchestra First Head, Dies," Pasadena Periodical, 5 Aug 1950, pg. 16. Michelle Kennedy has a copy of it and will scan the page upon request.
3. ↑ "Concert, Central Methodist Church," San Diego Union and Daily Bee, 11 July 1898, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Bland, Judith. Personal recollection, 1983, as told to daughter Carmen Ewing and granddaughter Michelle Kennedy in person.
5. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch, Walter Reginald Bland and Flavilla F Corson, 04 Mar 1900; citing Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 1,033,146.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, Pasadena Township, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 111, sheet 3A, family 59, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,091.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland in household of Flora A Corson, Pasadena Ward 6, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 312, sheet 7A, family 174, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 86; FHL microfilm 1,374,099.
8. ↑ "Eastern Market to Take Rhubarb Crop," Blade Tribune, Volume XXII, Number 47, 25 Nov 1911, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland
9. ↑ "Winter Rhubarb," San Diego Union and Daily Bee, 1 Jan 1912, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing ED 523, sheet 1B, line 80, family 24, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 117; FHL microfilm 1,820,117.
11. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland in entry for Frederick J Ewing and Judith Bland, 04 Aug 1929; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,074,763.
12. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 1235, sheet 4B, line 87, family 121, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 168; FHL microfilm 2,339,903.
13. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland in entry for Edwin Sinclair Champlain Bowler and Flora Ann Bland, 29 Jul 1939; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,114,338.
14. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, Tract 423, Pasadena, Pasadena Judicial Township, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 19-465, sheet 1A, line 20, family 5, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 241.
15. ↑ "Merchants Dine; Talk Pasadena's Progress," Los Angeles Herald, Volume 33, Number 69, 9 Dec 1910, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland.
16. ↑ "The Music World," Los Angeles Herald, Volume 35, Number 204, 23 April 1908, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland.
17. ↑ "Pasadena's 'Mr. Music'," Pasadena Star-News, 11 Feb 2007, pg. 4. Michelle Kennedy has a copy of it and will scan the page upon request.
18. ↑ Wikipedia Contributors. "Pasadena Civic Orchestra." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Entry for Reginald Bland.
19. ↑ "First Concert of Season Given by Pasadena Group," Eagle Rock Sentinel, Volume XXIII, Number 15, 3 Oct 1930, California Digital Newspaper Collection, entry for Reginald Bland.
20. ↑ "Fishing Reel Mechanism," United States Patent, 2417732, Reginald Bland and Reginald Barrett Bland, 18 March 1947.
21. ↑ "California, County Death Records, 1800-1994", database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland in entry for Flavilla Annis Bland, 1949.
22. ↑ "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, 07 Aug 1950; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
23. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database with images, Find A Grave, Reginald Bland, 1950; Burial, Sylmar, Los Angeles, California, United States of America, Glen Haven Memorial Park; citing record ID 149183075.

See also:

• "United States Passport Applications, 1795-1925," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, 1901; citing Passport Application, Illinois, United States, source certificate #37566, Passport Applications, 1795-1905., Roll 570, NARA microfilm publications M1490 and M1372 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
• "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, 1917-1918; citing Pasadena City no 1, California, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,531,272.
• "United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942," database with images, FamilySearch, Reginald Bland, 1942; citing NARA microfilm publication M1936, M1937, M1939, M1951, M1962, M1964, M1986, M2090, and M2097 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).