art Lumber Co. Celebra in Business

Mr. A. C. Bowers

The Barr Lumber Co. of Santa Ana celebrated its fif. tieth anniversary in business on Tuesday evening, March 6, with a golden jubilee dinner at the Sania Ana Inn, Santa Ana. I

The Barr Lumber Co. of Santa Ana, formerly the Griffith Lumber Co., was opened on March 6, 1878; under the qlanagement of Mr. A. C. Bowers. Seven, years ago, the Griffith Lumber Co. was purchased by Mr. O. H. Bair, and March 6 marked fifty years of business for this concern. Mr. A. C. Bowers, the pioneer lumberman who managed the Griffith Lumber Co. yard at Santa Ana for 43 conseiutive years, was the guest of honor.

Mr. O. H. Barr, president and general manager of the Bar,r Lumber Co., was the host of the evening. The occasion a'lso marked the twentv-fifth anniversary of Mr. Barr's entry into the lumber buiiness.

At 7:00 p.m., the guests gathered in the dining room for dinner. The invocation was given by Dr. Edmund M. Mills. Following the dinner, Mr. Barr called the gathering to order. Mr. Barr's remarks ufere as follows: bav.e found the -old customers of the business tolerant and pathnt with our mistakes and with certain changes that are inevitablc when changes in ownership and manageme'nt of a businesr t"tis pllCCr

"Since we are in the unique position of having the first business in Santa Ana to attain the age of fifty years, in continuous activity and endeavor, we have fett it incumbent upon us to make some celebrition of this important anniversary.

"Since Mr. Bowers has had a much longer active connection with the enterprise than any other individual, we thought it fitting to give a dinner in his honor and requested him to provide a list of his friends whom he wished invited.

"IIe wrote down a list as long as he thought we could afford to provide a dinner for, then we added a few more names of individuals that we thought, for one reason or another, should be inctuded. So here we are.

"Including so far as possible, the former stockholders and yard managers of the Griffith Lumber Company which operated yards for a great many years at Santa Ana, Orange and Anaheim, in Orange County, and at Downey and Norwalk, in Los Angetes County, we have also many of the principal men now in active service with the Barr Lumber Company.

"I was -soon able to appraise the achievements of our honored gucst tonight in connection with this business about as follows:

I fo,und that, in his relations with the employees or his co-workers in the organization, he had cver been kind and ionliderate.

- "I found that in his relations with the customers of the business he had been fair and square in his dealings, had extended credit liberally, though wisely, ihat he had been I valued friend and ad- visor of the contractor and builder, and that all these who had dealings with him gave to him their confidence and loval suooori.

"I found that in his relations with manufacturers and wh6lisalers,_ that disputes. had been few, if any, that purchases had been made in an ethical and businesslike manner, thtt all bilts were discounted and the trade of the concern highly prized by anyone fortqnate enough to participate in iL

"I found that his standing with the directors was such that he had their unlimited confidelce--in his judgment and integrity anA-tiiei g-avc him every latitudo in the cbnduct of the businejs and thai they were rewarded by regular dividends, and I found that his re- ward had been, through frugality and wise investments, a comDetcncy for his later years, and a place in the afiections of his fellbw townsmen that any man might covet.

"'Seest thou a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings, he shall not stand before mean men.'

"We have seated here tonight with Mr. Bowers the princioal stockholders, directors and yard managers, with whom he'was issoctated tor so many yearg.

"There is missing- from this__group Mr. Bryant, for many years manag€r of the yard at Norwalk, whose death eccurred some ihree ycars ago, a.nd also, -much to our regret, Mr. John Cubbon, a highly re-spected pioqeel of this community, a direitor and vice-presideni of the Griffith Lumber -Company, who is detained at his home here in Santa Ana bv illness. - -

_ lhis party would not have been possible and such a success as I feel sure it is to be, had we not had the co-operation of Mr. A, J. Crookshank and others. It is our most earnest desire that everyone present may feel free and easy and that many, at least. will look back upon this occasion as one of the bright spots on the way.

"Mr. Crookshank is going to act as Toastmaster because he knows this crowd so thoiroufhly. and I do ttot -.an in a financial yay, bu! rather he knows the fibre and sentiment of you all. He knows that some men present could not have any en-joyment out of the occasion if they sat here in fear and trembline- Iest thev bc called on for a speech, or that a joke would be h-ad at their cxpensc.

'"\Me have another group that includes various tumbermen of the county, including one representative of each of the other yards in Santa Ana. We have a group of contractors who were friends of Mr. Bowers and customers of the business for varying periods dating considerably farther back than the present ownership which covers only the last seven years.

"Invitations wtre extended to a few person"al friends of Mr. Bowers from Los Angetes, some of whom have found it necesgary to send regrets, others are present. 'We have, then, rather an extensive list of pioneers and native sons, though there are many, manv others that both Mr. Bowers and ourselves should have liked to hive seen inctuded.

'

"It gives me great pleasure to officiate as host upon an occasion of this kind and we have gathered here for the sole purpose of making merry with an old friend,-of cl;eering his way by a manifestation of our respect and affection.

'"When I took over, seven y€ars ago, the business that had been so ably piloted by this man for forty-three years, I felt that I had assumid- a yery considerable responsibility, and approached the undertaking with fear and trembling.

"I have, however, found Santa Ana to be a most cordial and hospitabte place in which to live and expend one's efforts, and I

"Hour,evcr, he knows there are others here who are ,.hard-boiled,r' who give agj a-sk no quarter in the combat of wits. In dealing wiih those he will show no mercy and. may pry into some of the-secret affairs of your past life and experiences.-

"ft is not an occasion for long speeches nor one in which all persons -who- may have something- exceedingly interestins tJ sii can be heard, though I am sure those who-have the op"poriuniti to speak and especially when words of tribute are said concernini o9r honored guest, there wilt be echoes of approval in the breasi ot cvery other man here.

"It is only by, tying in our own brief experience in Santa Ada with the forty-three years past history of the business we reDresent, that makes it possible for us to have the honor of oreseniinn this dinner, and in other ways celebrating a fiftieth anniversary ii Santa Ana.

"The Griffith Lumber Company is out of existence, disincoroorated, defunct, dead, so we have here tonight, "the quick and the