Los Angeles County
Biographies
ARTHUR
G. KRUSE
A
financial institution of Alhambra which enjoys an enviable reputation for
stability and substantial growth is the First Federal Savings and Loan
Association, the president of which has been Arthur G. Kruse since March, 1943. At that time resources of the association
were slightly over $2,000,000 and today they are in excess of $100,000,000,
eloquent testimony to the ability of Mr. Kruse as president and to the
confidence which the people have in him as the active head of the business.
Mr.
Kruse has had over forty years of experience in the financial field, coming to
Alhambra in 1921, directly after his graduation from college, and joining the
First National Bank; he was connected with this institution until 1928, having
attained the position of assistant cashier.
In January of that year Mr. Kruse became associated with the Alhambra
Building and Loan Association, as assistant secretary. When this institution merged with the First
Federal Savings and Loan Association of Alhambra in 1939, he became its executive
vice president and secretary and is now its president and manager.
Arthur
G. Kruse was born on May 29, 1898, in Vanhorn, Iowa, the son of Gustav and Anna
(Haack) Kruse.
Gustav Kruse had been sent to the United States in 1892 by the German
government as the contractor and builder of Germany’s exposition building at
the Chicago World’s Fair. Arthur Kruse completed his elementary and
high school education at Dysart, Iowa, and entered the University of Iowa in
1917, receiving his Bachelor of Sciences degree in commerce in 1921. While in college he was affiliated with Alpha
Tau Omega and Delta Sigma Pi fraternities.
He was a member of the college track team and captain of the
cross-country teams.
A
World War I veteran, Mr. Kruse received his commission as a second lieutenant
in the United States Army infantry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. During World War II he was on the rationing
committee of Alhambra as well as on the war bond committee.
A
former president of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Kruse received the
chamber’s twenty-five year award in 1950.
In 1961 he received the Civitan Club’s Certificate of Merit for
outstanding citizenship. His most
outstanding award is a framed resolution of appreciation and achievement which
was enacted by the Alhambra City Council, signed by each of the elected city
officials, citing him for his “meritorious service in the community of Alhambra
during the forty years in which he has served the citizens of this city as a
civic and business leader and as president of the First Federal Savings and
Loan Association,” and which was presented to Mr. Kruse in October of 1961 by
the Mayor of Alhambra. Arthur Kruse was
treasurer of the 12th Congressional District Republican Committee
for several years and has been active in Alhambra political affairs. He is a charter member, past president, and
past district chairman of the Alhambra Lions Club as well as a member of the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 1328; the Masonic Order,
Lodge Number 322; and the American Legion, Post Number 139. Mr. Kruse attends the San Marino Community
Church and is past vice president and director of the San Gabriel Country
Club. In Alhambra he has also served as
director of both the Community Chest and United Fund appeals.
Very
prominent in organizations directly associated with his business background,
Mr. Kruse is past president and director of the California Savings and Loan
League, past director from California for the United States Savings and Loan
League, public interest director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San
Francisco, and a member of the Federal Advisory Committee of the Federal Home
Loan Bank Board of Washington, D. C.
The
former Miss Clara B. Macindoe became the wife of Mr.
Kruse in Alhambra on June 26, 1922. They
have a son and a daughter: Jane, who is
the wife of Grover C. Brown, Jr., and the mother of three boys, two of whom are
twins, Mr. Brown being a director of First Federal Savings and Loan
Association; and Donald E. Kruse, who is also associated with the First Federal
Savings and Loan Association, and who is married to the former Jacqueline Lodes
and is the father of two girls.
Enjoying
the beach for relaxation, Mr. Kruse is also a golf enthusiast, having three
times shot a hole-in-one.
Mr.
Kruse’s broad vision and energy have made him one of the most respected men in
the San Gabriel Valley. First Federal
Savings and Loan Association opened a branch in West Covina in 1957 and a
second branch in Costa Mesa in 1961.
Transcribed
by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Historical Volume &
Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, San Gabriel &
Temple City, by Robert P. Studer, Pages 419-421,
Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California.
1962.
© 2012 V.
Gerald Iaquinta.
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