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On page 40 of the
February 1935 issue of The Rotarian, in The Rotary
Hourglass section, there is a short blurb, called Wailaki. After
reading, it is reminiscent of the 1913 Buffalo Convention
“Pink Goat Controversy.” Here is
the blurb:
“There’s a
not-yet-told story back of the picture of
Bob Hill and
Al Roth on page 38. As much as this
scribe was able to learn, however, amounts to just this: The occasion of
the hunt was doubly memorable because of the organization of the
Ancient and Honorable Order of Wailaki. The charter membership list,
recruited on a trek to Mexico City, includes Bob and Al, Howard Feighner,
Tom Sutton, Ed. Johnson,
 Charles
Wheeler, Bruce Richardson, Al McKeown, John Nelson, Herbert Schofield,
and Paul Neff, Associate. Further, this deponent knows not.”
Here
is the picture from page 38 of The Rotarian, along with
the caption:
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“California has more than climate to delight its visitors. President
Bob recently was in the state, and Past President "Al" Roth took him
deep into Mendocino County. There, on a 5,000-acre sheep ranch, each
brought down a magnificent buck.” |
So,
what do we know. We know this did not result in another “Pink Goat
Controversy,” primarily because when this issue of the Rotarian was
printed and mailed, Paul Harris, RI President “Bob” Hill, and their
wives, had sailed from the U. S. and were enroute to Manila,
Philippines, for the Rotary Pacific Conference. They didn’t return to
the United States until just before departing for México City, México,
for the June 17-21 International Convention. It is not known when, if
ever, Paul Harris actually saw the Wailaki blurb.
We do
know some of the “players” in the organization.
Almon “Al” Roth1
was the RI President in 1930-31,
Tom Sutton in 1928-29;
John Nelson in 1933-34; and
Robert E. Lee “Bob” Hill was the
current, 1934-35 President.
Ed. R. Johnson would become
President in 1935-36;
Charles L. Wheeler in 1943-44; and
Herbert Schofield, from Loughborough, Leicester, England, was
President of
RIBI in 1931-32 and the 3rd
Vice President of RI in 1933-34.
Howard Feighner was
the first secretary of the
Rotary Club of San Francisco.,
Bruce Richardson2, Al McKeown3, and Paul Neff,
Associate; we are still searching. |
And,
we do know, from the Native American Department of the California
Studies Department of San Francisco State University:
“The
Wailaki live on the Round Valley Reservation in Mendocino County and the
Grindstone Creek Rancheria in Glenn County. They followed a seasonal
round, going to the hills in late spring to collect berries and seeds to
hunt and fish. In the fall they collected acorns, hunted, fished and
dried food for winter. In the winter they lived in small villages, and
gathered in larger groups in the uplands again in spring. The Wailaki
gave the Kato dentalia and got baskets, arrows and clothing. The traded
salt and clam disc beads to the Lassik, dentalia to the Karok, and bows
and whole clam shells to the Yuki.”
Of
what do we know about the devilish mischief these Rotary leaders were
involved with, it appears that the secret went to the grave with them,
as the known ones are all deceased.
Doug Rudman
1Al
Roth joined the San Francisco club in 1937
2Bruce
H. Richardson, whose classification was insurance-life, was Governor of
the 4th Rotary District 4 in 1930-31 and member of the Canadian
Advisory Committee for several years and a member of the Convention
Committee for 1934-35. He was from Winnipeg, Man, Canada. He left Rotary
in 1937
3Alfred H. McKeown,
whose classification was
newspaper-publishing-evening, was among other things, a Director of RI
for 1936-37. Originally from
Detroit Michigan he retired to Arizona and belonged to the Rotary Club
of Green Valley, Arizona. He died in July 1986. |
