1893 - 1969

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• Birth	2 Sep 1893	Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Co., California
  Gender	Male
  Died	22 Jun 1969	Altadena, Los Angeles Co., California
  	Cause: Autoimmune anemia 2 yrs.
  Buried	24 Jun 1969	Waters of the Catalina Channel, Los Angeles Co., California
  Person ID	I79842	Brainard (Brainerd) / Foster / Fish
  Last Modified	05 Sep 2004 00:00:00
  Family 1	Alice Bunnell "Honey" ELLIOT, b. 19 Oct 1895, Oakland, Alameda Co., California
  Married	26 Dec 1919	Mount Herman, Santa Cruz Co., California
  Children	1. Adelina Alice "Gub" HODGKIN, b. 1 Feb 1927, Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., California
  Family ID	F34676	Group Sheet
  Married	3 Feb 1966	Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., California
  Family ID	F34850	Group Sheet

• Notes

  ! (1) Birth certificate, Santa Cruz Co., CA. (2) CA marriage certificate of marriage to Alice Elliot, CA #20-042597. (3) CA marriage certificate of marriage to Mary Lillian Herring Wilson, CA #66-011539. (4) CA death certificate, CA #69-077073, George B. Hodgkin Jr., informant. (5) Newspaper clippings, dates and newspapers unknown, from family collection. (6) "Hodgkin Pedigree Book 1644-1906," Part II, by Jonathan B. Hodgkin, 1907, p.21. (a) Handwritten notes by himself in his copy of the "Hodgkin Pedigree Book," p.21,33. (b) Handwritten notes by daughter Adelina Hodgkin Davidson in his copy of the "Hodgkin Pedigree Book," now in her possession (1987). (7) Personal knowledge of compiler, granddaughter A. Christine Davidson Kraft. (8) "San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle," 23 Sep 1932. (9) Personal knowledge of daughter Adelina Alice Hodgkin Davidson, Steptoe Ranch, McGill, NV. (10) CA birth certificate of son George Barclay Hodgkin Jr, CA #1904-1001. (11) Obituary, "The Fallbrook Enterprise," Fallbrook, CA, Thurs., 26 Jun 1969, p.A10. (12) "Calavo - Growth and Progress of the Avocado Cooperative," by Richard Andrews, "California-Magazine of the Pacific," Dec 1937. Reprint. (13) "Calavo News," No. 161, 25 Jul 1959, "Mister Calavo Retires." (14) Inventory of household items & furniture, in his own handwriting, 26 Dec 1927, corrected 24 Apr 1928. (15) Nora Turnbull (niece), Fresno, CA. (16) Bristol, RI Deed dtd 22 Nov 1921, executed by heirs of Leonora I. Hodgkin. From family papers of Connie Roderick. (17) George Barclay Hodgkin Jr., Cambria, CA (1998). (18) Ship's manifest, "Minnewaska," 24 Jul 1911, Ellis Island, NY, p.178. Image posted at http://www.ellisisland.org, 22 Jun 2001. ! Birth: (1,3,4,6,6a) 2 Sep 1893. (2,3,4) California. (1,10,15) Santa Cruz, CA. (1,6) s/o Wilfred Haughton HODGKIN/Leonora Irene SMITH. (15) In a house on Beach Hill that was rented each summer. (16) Heir of Leonora I. HODGKIN, who was heir of Hannah B. SMITH. Marriage to Alice Bunnell ELLIOT: (2,6a) 26 Dec 1919. (2) Mount Hermon, Santa Cruz Co., CA, by his brother W.R.H. HODGKIN. Witnessed by his brother Philip HODGKIN. [NOTE: Should be Mount Herman.] Marriage to Mary Lillian HERRING: (3,6a) 3 Feb 1966. (3) Pasadena, Los Angeles Co., CA, by Max M. MORRISON, Presbyterian Minister, 947 Atchison St. Death: (4,6b) 22 Jun 1969. (4) At his home, 2534 Ganesha Ave., Altadena, CA, 4:30 AM, from Autoimmune anemia lasting 2 yrs. (7,9) Alcoholism a contributing factor. Burial: (4) Cremated 24 Jun 1969, Live Oak Memorial Park. Turner & Stevens Co., Pasadena, funeral directors. (17) His ashes scattered at sea by his son George Barclay HODGKIN Jr., who described the burial: "After his death I called some of his nephews and nieces. Peter MORDECAI, son of Violet, I remember calling, and John HODGKIN, son of Richard. John had/has a reputation for remarkable and daredevil adventures... So I was not surprised when he suggested he fly the two of us out beyond the three mile limit over the channel between the mainland and Catalina Island and there distribute my father's ashes. Why not? Your Grandpa spent a lot of time and energy trying to catch sailfish or swordfish or tuna from the waters of the Catalina channel. Seemed like a good idea. Something he'd have been in favor of. Well, maybe... I was certainly wrong when I counted on John's knowing the protocols of ash scattering. I assumed wrongly he'd done it before. Ashes, as you may know, come from the crematory in a cardboard box. A small cardboard box. The rules governing such things require that the box itself not be dropped. Instead it must be opened and only the ashes scattered over the water. I had read this somewhere and so was prepared to open the box and scatter away. Neither of us was prepared, however, for what took place when at John's suggestion I unlatched the door on my side and pushed... airplanes of the highwing, one engine variety, while having doors which open correctly, hinged at the front so's not to be ripped off if opened while aloft, do not have any way to prevent the wind from blowing INTO the compartment. Ideally, OUT would be the direction of preference when trying to scatter ashes. The wind blew in and into the open ash box and filled that tiny cabin with gray powder. It was not an altogether successful ash scattering. I console myself with the hopeful thought that Granpa would have gotten a kick out of our ineptitude. And some of his ashes actually did get blown out of the cabin and so were at least over the channel and in time might be said to have been 'buried at sea.'" [NOTE: Grandson Lyal DAVIDSON suggested that this entry should read, "Cremains were scattered by John HODGKIN and George HODGKIN Jr. from John's airplane. Some cremains subsequently continued to travel the world's airways as was consistent with the deceased's adventuresome spirit."] (18) 1911, 24 Jul: George HODGKIN, U.S. Citizen, arrived at Ellis Island, NY aboard the "Minnewaska" from London, England. [NOTE: Daughter Adelina says that he went to England to visit relatives as a young man.] (5,11) Graduated from the University of California with an A.B. degree. (5) Was Labor Relations Consultant for Goodyear. (5) Was an Army pilot in World War I. Never saw action. (2) 1919, 26 Dec: Residence was Los Angeles, CA. Occupation was Employment Manager. (5) early 1920's: Worked for the California Fruit Growers Exchange. (16) 1921, 22 Nov: W. Reginald H. HODGKIN and Mary L. HODGKIN his wife, Philip HODGKIN, unmarried, and Anita A. HODGKIN, unmarried, all of Berkeley, CA; Richard H. HODGKIN and Aline HODGKIN his wife, Eleanor TURNBULL and Prid S. TURNBULL her husband, all of Fresno, CA; George B. HODGKIN and Alice HODGKIN his wife, both of Los Angeles, CA; Violet H. ANDERSON and Peter ANDERSON her husband both of Fresno, CA, all of whom being the only heirs at law of Leonora I. HODGKIN, late of Fresno, CA, the last surviving of and beneficiary under that certain deed of trust executed5 Oct 1883, recorded in Book 48, p.49 to 53, of Land Evidence Records, Bristol, RI, for $10, convey to the Knights of Columbus Building Association of Bristol, RI, Inc., land beginning at the intersection of the SE point of the Methodist Episcopal Church land and the SW point of the land herein conveyed, extending easterly to land of Dr. Cornelius J. HASBROUCK, bounded southerly on State Street 117 feet 8 inches, thence northerly to land of Gertrude E. GUITERAS, bounded easterly on land of said HASBROUCH 133 feet 7 inches, thence westerly for 17 feet 3 inches, bounded northerly on land of said GUITERAS, thence northerly to land of said GUITERAS, bounded easterly on land of said GUITERAS 135 feet, thence westerly to land of estate of Samuel P. COLT, bounded northerly partly on land of said GUITERAS and partly on land of estate of Richard FRANKLIN, 100 feet 5 inches, thence southerly to State Street at the point of beginning, bounded westerly partly on land of said estate of COLT and partly on land of said Methodist Episcopal Church, 268 feet 7 inches, it being the same property this day conveyed to us by Edward L. WATSON, Trustee of the Estate of Hannah P. SMITH. All signatures on deed by Benjamin M. MacDOUGALL, attorney. Wits. Edward C. PARKHURST. (12) c.1923: Was working for Sunkist, aiding in promotion. (7) His future 2nd wife, Lillian HERRING WILSON, was married 1st to the General Manager of Sunkist. (5) 1923: Became first General Manager of the newly organized Calavo Growers of California, "started as a one-man outfit based on the Sunkist blu-print." (11) Was selected to organize a marketing cooperative of California avocado growers by the Directors of the California Avocado Assn., later the California Avocado Society. He began on a parttime basis, on "loan" from Sunkist. In 1924, he became Calavo's first General Manager and its only employee. There was no market for avocados - most Americans had never heard of them, did not care much for their appearance when they finally saw them, and would even have to be taught how to ripen and use them. He introduced quality control, standardization, grove-to-store scheduling, a nationwide marketing system, and a nationally recognized brand name. (12) Owners of some 300 avocado acres decided they needed to develop some cooperative method of distributing and selling their avocado crop. They hired George as General Manager, but funds were rarely available to pay him a full salary. For 2 years he worked in the packing plant as well. He ordered testing and sampling of the 400 varieties of avocados to determine which were best for eating. He conducted a contest to create a name for the cooperative, the winning name being Calavo. (10) 1923, 4 Nov: Residenc was Clover St., Monrovia, Los Angeles Co., CA. Occupation was Manager, Avocado Assn.. (14) 1927, 26 Dec: He took an inventory of the contents of his home at 2768 Ganesha St., Altadena, Los Angeles Co., CA. (8) 1932: Was Secretary-Manager of the Avocado Growers Association. (8,9) 1932, 22 Sep: While his in-laws were visiting, his 2-story house in Altadena, CA exploded and burned in the middle of the night. The gas furnace had leaked into the hollow walls of the house. His children, Adelina and Barclay, said they smelled gas before they went to sleep, but they were ignored. At 1:00 a.m., the furnace and house blew up. The living room floor buckled. The grand piano flew out the door and ended up a block away. Adelina remembers being carried down the stairs as an oil painting above her was eaten by flames. George, who slept in the nude, was sent back in the burning house by his mother-in-law and ordered to put on some clothes. Miraculously, no one was hurt. (3,4,7,9) Rebuilt his some after the fire. Lived at 2534 Ganesha Ave., Altadena, CA from then until his death. (7) The rebuilt home had 2 stories and a basement, and was constructed with huge redwood beams, hewn from trees on family property in Northern California. George slept on a screened sleeping porch on the 2nd floor, overlooking a patio with a huge fig tree in it. The dining room on the 1st floor also looked out to the same patio through a wall of floor to ceiling windows and patio doors, framed by Chinese silk curtains. A huge Chinese gong hung in the corner by the kitchen door, and was used to summon the family and guests to dinner, always promptly at 6:00 p.m.. The patio had a small fish pond in one corner, directly off the dining room. He tried several times to stock the pond with gold fish, but racoons always ate them. The basement was mostly a wine cellar, where he kept many rare and special vintages given to him by his many California vinter friends. After Christmas dinners, involving his childrens' families and family friends, the men would always disappear into the cellar for "wine-tasting," and would usually remain there for most of the rest of the evening. The women would go to the living room to sip sherry. The living room was surrounded on 2 sides by built-in book shelves. The floor was concrete colored to look similar to stone, and was covered with huge oriental rugs. A large fireplace dominated the far end of the room, and a piano sat at the other, between the dining room and the living room. His office was on the first floor, off the dining room. The kitchen was brightly painted with Mexican phrases and motifs on a golden-yellow background. The baths, one upstairs and one downstairs, were richly tiled. The one upstairs had a fish mural tiled into one wall. The lot and the lot adjacent to the house were his garden and orchard, filled with exotic fruit trees and avocados, herbs, ferns, and flowers. (12) 1932-1935: Began a national program of avocado advertising, selling, and distribution for Calavo. Calavo also began distributing other tropical produce to keep its sales force and distribution in place during the avocado off-season. (5) c.1934: Was elected by representatives of many cooperatives at a meeting in Berkeley, CA, to represent the 11th District on the Board of the Farm Credit Administration. The district included California, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. He also served as ex-officio director of the Intermediate Credit Bank, Production Credit Association and Federal Land Bank in the western district. (11) He later served as Chairman of the Board of the Farm Credit Administration. (5) Was chairman of the agricultural section of the Southern Council of the California State Chamber of Commerce, and was chairman of the Agricultural Committee of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. (13) 1956/7: Retired as Calavo General Manager and became Special Advisor to the cooperative. (13) 1959, 30 Jun: Retired from Calavo. "His retirement was typically without fanfare of any kind. ... So ended an era in the history of the California avocado industry - an era during which acreage grew from 1,200 to 25,000; a horticultural hobby became a multi-million dollar business; an unknown fruit was introduced to millions of consumers throughout the nation; the value of avocado lands rose from hundred to thousands of dollars per acre; an insignificant association of growers, doomed by doubters to quick failure, became instead an important, highly repected, and successful marketing institution. Throughout the era, George Hodgkin was in the thick of the battle - leading the way to better things for avocado growers." (11) "Generally regarded as an authority on cooperative enterprise... was, more than any other individual, repsonsible for the concept, organization and development of the grower-owned avocado marketing cooperative from its start in 1923 through his retirement in 1956. In those years, Hodgkin saw the cooperative's avocado tonnage grow from 148,000 lbs. to 54 million lbs. and the crop's annual groveside dollar value increase from $41,000 to $5.6 million. In his last six years as general manager and with his cooperative marketing 60% of California's avocado tonnage, he saw the grower's dollar return per acre average about $600." (7) He loved hunting, particularly for ducks, hiking and observing nature, and fishing, particularly fly fishing for trout and fishing at sea for large game fish. He had a swordfish stuffed and mounted on the wall of his wine room in the cellar of his home. The fish had left a deep gash in his cheek when he had reeled it in. He would go to great lengths to go fly fishing in remote mountain streams. He also loved to explore new places, and so as a child it seemed to me his favorite thing to do was to get the car stuck, or to get lost. Please do not claim our work as your own. You are free to use it, but please document your sources.