Los
Angeles County
Biographies
JAMES J. DE
GUELLE
During World War II quite a few men
had to face survival on the open sea, but James De Guelle climaxed thirty days
of drifting on the Pacific Ocean with sixteen fellow crew members of the army
transport Fox 14 by landing on Tubiteuea, a hitherto
unexplored island two hundred miles south of Tarawa.
Born in Olathe, Colorado, on
February 27, 1921, James Junior De Guelle is the son of James and Goldie Ruth
(Kirk) De Guelle. he
came to California with his parents in 1923, living first in Long Beach and
then in Huntington Beach where he attended elementary school and graduated from
Huntington Beach Union High School in 1940.
After attending Fullerton Junior College for one year, Mr. De Guelle was
employed by Vega Aircraft Company and lived in Glendale until he entered the
Merchant Marine, serving from 1943 until 1946.
He then worked for a general contractor in home building for three
years, and from 1949 until 1953 was employed by the Perkins Glass Company in
Seattle, Washington. In 1953 he came to
Alhambra and has been employed by the W. P. Fuller Company as glazier and a
glass field co-ordinator since that time.
Mr. De Guelle has a deep interest in
youth activities and was a school education chairman of the William Northrup
Parent-Teachers’ Association from 1958-1961, having supervised the handling of
three school bond election campaigns, of which the last two passed. He has worked with Cub Scout Pack No. 221 at
Northrup School as committeeman, and assistant cubmaster
from 1956-1957. He has been very active
on the Architectural Advisory Committee organized by the Alhambra Board of
Education for the building of the new Alhambra High School and the additions to
San Gabriel and Mark Keppel High Schools.
On June 17, 1946, in Elmdale, Minnesota, Mr. De Guelle married the former Teresa
Mary Rudie, a registered nurse who trained in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mrs. De Guelle
has been very active in the Youth Foundation at Northrup School since 1960,
serving as a member of its board of directors in 1961, and is an honorary life
member of the Northrup School Parent-Teachers’ Association; she is its first
vice president for 1961-1962. She has
been a Cub Scout den mother for six years and a colonel of the United Fund at
Northrup School for 1958-1960. She is
the interfaith representative at the school, holding that position since
1956. The De Guelle’s
are the parents of four children: James
III, who was among the top five students in his class at Northrup School and
who now attends Alhambra High School; John Edward, Tom Allen, and Mary
Elizabeth, who attend Northrup School.
Mr. De Guelle is the president of
the Happy Squares, a square dance club, and Mrs. De Guelle is first lady.
Hunting, camping and Little League
baseball help to enliven Mr. De Guelle’s leisure
time.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 612-613, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES
BIOGRAPHIES