Los Angeles
County
Biographies
PAUL AVERY DOWNER, SR.
(Deceased)
During
his lifetime, Paul Avery Downer, Sr., was extremely aware of his
responsibilities to his family, his community, and to all mankind. He believed in silently helping destitute
persons; he served his country in World War I; he established a sound and
successful family business, Downer’s Men’s and Boys’ Department Store, which is
now serving Alhambra for the thirty-ninth year.
Born
in Caldwell, Kansas, on March 3, 1888, Mr. Downer passed away in August,
1959. He was the son of William T. and
Alice (Vredenburg) Downer. His father, born in Northville, Michigan, on
January 15, 1858, was in the coal and grain business in Alva, Oklahoma; his
mother, also a native of Northville, Michigan, was born on July 17, 1855, and
was a high school teacher. Raised in the
Baptist faith, Mr. Downer received his elementary and high school education in
Alva, Oklahoma, and then attended Oklahoma State University for one year, after
which he went to Detroit for a year where he studied business administration. His only living relative is his sister, Miss
Mildred Kathrine Downer, aged 76, who resides in
Alva, Oklahoma.
During
World War I, Mr. Downer served with the United States Army, Demobilization 1st
Division Headquarters, at Camp Lewis, Washington. He received his honorable discharge from
military service on March 8, 1919, with the rating of sergeant.
Arriving
in California in 1921, Mr. Downer worked for Mr. McDaniel, who was the owner of
McDaniel’s General Department Store in El Monte for two years. In 1923 he opened his own business, Downer’s
Men’s and Boys’ Department Store at 23 East Main Street in Alhambra, remaining
in that location for eighteen years. In
1941, just prior to Pearl Harbor, Mr. Downer moved the location of his store to
its present address at 125 East Main Street.
Downer’s accommodates men of large and tall sizes, being the only store
in the area to carry a full-line stock of sizes up to fifty-six. In addition to carrying men’s and boys’
ready-to-wear and work clothing, Downer’s features a complete line of dress and
work shoes in addition to many stock items for the older man. The oldest men’s and boys’ store in San
Gabriel Valley, the business was solely staffed by Mr. and Mrs. Downer for many
years. Since Mr. Downer’s death, his
sons, Paul, Jr., and William C. Downer operate the business.
Mr.
Downer was a member of the John Howard Strain American Legion Post No. 139 in
Alhambra for many years, as well as holding membership in the Alhambra Chamber
of Commerce.
On
December 26, 1927, Paul A. Downer, Sr., was married to the former Miss Ann
Natalie Sheay, of Massachusetts, at the Hollywood
Studio Club in Hollywood, California.
Mrs. Downer is a charter member of the Quota Club of Alhambra; she
served as treasurer, and has held many chairmanships, including that of service
chairman. Mrs. Downer is also on the
board of directors of the Alhambra Day Nursery and served as its courtesy
chairman. She is also active in the
local branch of the American Red Cross and the United Fund, raising funds
through the Quota Club. In addition to
being a member of the American Legion Women’s Auxiliary, Mrs. Downer is a
member of St. Therese Catholic Church.
There
are two sons and two daughters in the Downer family, and ten
grandchildren. Paul Avery Downer, Jr.,
is a graduate of Alhambra High School and Whittier College. He played eight years of football – four
years at Alhambra High School, where he received many awards, and four years at
Whittier College. He is a past member of
the Orothogonians of Whittier College, an
organization of which Richard Nixon was a charter member and the first
president. Paul A. Downer, Jr., now
manages Downer’s Men’s and Boys’ Department Store with his brother William C.;
they are members of the Alhambra Junior Chamber of Commerce. Paul is the father of a son, John Stephen,
and a daughter, Tracy Ann. William C.
Downer, a graduate of Alhambra High School and Pasadena City College, is
married and the father of three children:
Robert Joseph, Nikki Ann, and Terry Marie. Mrs. Alice Natalie (Downer) Russell, who now
is a resident of Altadena, is a graduate of Alhambra High School and Whittier
College, and prior to her marriage was a teacher. She is the mother of five children: Theresa
Marie, Patricia Ann, Patrick Joseph, Kathleen Ann, and Mary Colleen. Mildred Ann Downer is a graduate of the same
schools as her sister, and is a teacher at Madison Elementary School in San
Gabriel. Miss Downer resides at the
family home with her mother.
An
ardent fan of athletic events throughout his life, Mr. Downer, Sr., in his
later years, reaped the joys of life from his ten grandchildren.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 774-775, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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