arson Simpkin Sequoia Memorial Dedicated at Calaveras Grove

The dedication of one of the largest Sequoia Gigantea trees in the Calaveras Grove to the memory of Parson Peter Simpkin, late Supreme Chaplain of the Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo, took place on Sunday, October 11, before a gathering of more than 100 of Hoo Hoo, many oi whom have held high office in the order and were close personal friends of the Parson.

The solemnity of the ceremony was heightened by its setting in a natural amphitheater at the base of the giant Redwood which has stood for thirty centuries in the heart of the forest of Big Trees.

Frank W. Trower, of San Francisco, a past Snark of the Ifniverse, and an old personal friend of the Parson, was chairman of the day, in charge of the program, which was opened by prayer by Dr. Tully Knoles, president of the College of th'e Pacific, Stockton. This was follorved by the singing of "America" by the gathering.

Mr. Trower then gave a biographical sketch of the Parson which follows: morial, as well as the simple shafts in any humble country churchyard.

"From time immemorial it has been a longing of the human heart that a man might perpetuate his own memory or that of his honored and loved ones. That is the appeal of the Taj Mahal, the Egyptian Pyramids and the tombsi in the Valley of the Kings, the University of Leland Stanford, Junior, the Washington monument, the Lincoln Me..

"Today we are gathered amid these towering and an.. cient sentinels of the Sierra for a similar purpose, as we dedicate this noble Sequoia and unveil this bronze tablet in this granite boulder io the memory of our beloved 'Parson' Peter A. Simpkin, who was for nearly nine years the Supreme Chaplain of our Lumbermen's fraternity, known as the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo. This organization, formed in 1892 in a spirit of fun, whose primary purpose was the promotion of friendship among men in this great industry, later developed a more serious program. 'Parson' Simpkin became the national field officer in l92l and was a leading factor in the ensuing years of successful effort to promote the best interests of lumber and to build up the fraternity on a firmer foundation.

"Gifted with a brilliant intellect, a magnetic and lovable personality, an eloquent tongue, he numbered his friends by legions. IIe was easily the most widely known and best loved man in all the lumber circles of the United States and Canada. Never in robust health in recent years, yet he was a veritable dynamo of power and persistence, overcoming obstacles that would have appalled a weaker spirit. He traveled thousands of miles each year, speaking not only before lumber groups but to various service clubs and many other organizations. He taught them the vast contribution which our lumber industrv has made to the: progress of our people. He showed thai by using our ripe timber we helped to perpetuate our forest wealth. In tho Friends of the Forest movement organized by the HooItroo Order, he took a leading part, speaking at many treeplanting exercises throughout the nation and encouraging Jroung folks to lend their aid. He told of the Reforestation programs of our Western timber owners, especially those in the Redwood and White Pine regions of California. He $'on appreciation and friendship for lumber when they were sorely needed.

"To the lumbermen themselves, struggling against chaotic and crazy competition, he everlastingly preached the need of friendly cooperation and good will. A deep student of economics, he seemed to foresee to a great degree the present situation, and he often warned the industry to put its house in order. He believed profoundly in that part of the Hoo-Hoo Code of Ethics which refers to lumbcrmen as the Nation's home-builders. He had a vision ol an ordered industry, serving a public need on a fair basis to all concerned.

"The term 'Palson' meant no loss of dignity, but was indeed a symbol of affection. It is of course not unusual for church members to confide in their men of the cloth, but it fell to 'Parson' Simpkin to win the confidence of hundreds of men who had not allied themselves with anv particular faith. Kindly and tolerant, he found friends in all branches of religious belief, and in all walks of liie.

"Peter Atherton Simpkin was born in 1866 in England, in a town that, curiously enough, was named Lumberhead Green. Coming early to America, one of his first pastorates was in the timber region of Wisconsin, where he gained the title of 'Lumberjack Sky Pilot.' He spent twenty fruitful years as pastor of Phillips Congregational Church in Salt Lake City, where he also endeared himsell to the lumbermen and made countless friends among the Mormons. California claimed him as an intermittent resi dent for several years; much of that time he spent in Santa Monica and the Bay region. His untiring labors and the final illness of his wife broke down his frail body, and this noble and unique spirit passed on in August oI l93O at the home of his physician son, Dr. John Simpkin, at Marshfield, Oregon.

"Always a lover of the California forests, it is most fitting that this stately Sequoia Gigantea be dedicated to the memory of 'Parson' Simpkin. Those of us who were present at that great closing meeting of the Hoo-Hoo International Convention in Fresno in l92I will vividlv recall the memorable address of the ParSon as he stood in front of that great Sequoia in General Grant National Park named after Scotland, the home of the Parson's forebears. I wish I had time to read some extracts from that' brilliant portrayal of the likeness of human life to that of these trees, which are the oldest of living things. And

SHAtv BERTNAM LUDTBER CO.

Manulaclurers of Soft a few years later many of us heard him on this favorito subject again in the grove of Sempervirens near Garberville on the Redwood Highway, when we were endeavoring with the help of the Save-the-Redwoods League to interest Hoo-Hoo International in the preservation of some of these wonder groves of the ever-living redwood of the coastal reglon.

"And so it is with a peculiar pride and affection that we today honor the memory of this good man, this wise counsellor and faithful friend, this talented servant of a great industry and of the common welfare. Of this genial, humorous, great-hearted Big Brother, it can be truly said that, like Him of old, 'He went about going good.' The song that was his life and character may be ended, 'but the memory lingers on'."

The chairman paid a tribute to the fine work of Chas. G. Bird, of Stockton, executive chairman of the Parson Simpkin Memorial Committee, and expressed appreciation of the work of the individual members of this committ€e, particularly that of Bert Bryan of Oakland, Vicegerent Snark of the Golden Gate District. He also said he hoped this gathering would be the precursor of many other gatherings of lumbermen, and that the memorial tree would become a lumbermen's shrine.

A letter from Henry Isherwood, St. Louis, secretarytreasurer of the Order, was read by the chairman, who also read letters from three past Snarks of the lJniverse, Everett G. Griggs, Tacoma; Melvin M. Riner, Kansas City, and Julius Seidel, St. Louis.

Letters were also read by the chairman from J. E. Martin, of Los Angeles, Supreme Arcanoper, extending best wishes for the success of the dedication from Los Angeles Hoo Hoo; from David Woodhead, of Los Angeles, and from Roy H. Felt, of Salt Lake City, all of whom regretted their inability to be present.

Short talks were given by Col. Chas. B. Wing, of the State Parks Board; D. Fricot, of Angels Camp, vice-president of the Calaveras Grove Association, who expressed the appreciation of the association for the assistance given by Hoo Hoo in the purchase of the grove for a State Park; and by past Snarks of the lJniverse R. A. Hiscox and C. D. LeMaster.

Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees" and Kipling's "Recessional" were then sung by Miss Francis Bowerman, accompanied by Mrs. J. B. Baird.

Miss Betty B. Trower, daughter of the chairman, read with fine feeling Douglas Malloch's poem "Brotherhood of the Forest."

George M. Cornwall, editor of the Timberman, Portland, read Edgar A. Guest's poem "Compensation."

Mr. Trower then introduced two sons of the Parson, Dr. John Simpkin, of Marshfield, Ore., and Joseph W. Simpkin, of Salt Lake City, who briefly expressed their

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