Los Angeles
County
Biographies
LARKIN J. SKINNER
As
owner of the Battersea Kennels at 1703 South San Gabriel Boulevard in South San
Gabriel, Mr. Larkin J. Skinner operates a very valuable and important business
in the San Gabriel Valley. More than one
hundred thousand pets have been boarded in the kennels in the thirty years
during which Mr. Skinner has been at the helm of this very successful
organization. In the year 1960 alone,
5844 pets were boarded at the famous kennels.
It was stated in a national survey that the Battersea Kennels is one of
the outstanding kennels in the United States.
Over
a period of years Battersea Kennels under Mr. Skinner’s supervision, has
boarded famous pets of famous people, including pets owned by Mr. Fred Dutton
of the State Department, the Huntington family of Pasadena and San Marino, the Irvine family,
owners of the famous Irvine Ranch, Herbert Hoover, Jr., and many others.
Mr.
Larkin J. Skinner was born October 18, 1909, in Griffin Creek, Oregon, to Mr.
James J. Skinner and Mrs. Della (Russell) Skinner. His father was a native of Texas. His father moved to Oregon in 1898 where he
owned and operated very successfully the Lone Star Fruit Ranch near Medford,
Oregon. Mr. Skinner received his
elementary schooling in his home town and graduated from Medford High School in
1928. He continued his education at
Oregon State College and attended night classes at the University of
California. He attended Veterinarian
College of Pullman, Washington, for pre-veterinarian training.
When
he arrived in California in 1931, he worked with Dr. B. H. Smith on Huntington
Drive in South Pasadena. Then in 1931 he
began working at Battersea Kennels at 1703 South San Gabriel Boulevard in South
San Gabriel. Seven years later he
purchased the kennels from the Mrs. Winifred B. Eckart
estate and has operated them since 1938 as his own business but has been active
in Battersea Kennels for a total of thirty years. The name was originally taken from the Battersea
Humane Society in England.
In
World War II Mr. Larkin J. Skinner joined the United States Navy as Second
Class Pharmacist Mate in 1942, and after serving for four years in the Navy
Medical Corps, he was honorably discharged as Chief Pharmacist Mate in
1946. His duties took him from Kiska in
the Aleutians to the Gulf of Leyte in the Philippines. He received Letters of Commendation for his
outstanding work.
On
June 11, 1945, Mr. Skinner married Agnes Susanne Wik
of Moorhead, Minnesota. The wedding took
place in Bremerton, Washington. They
have two children: Carol is 14 years old
and attends Foothills Junior High School in Arcadia. James is 11 years old and goes to Highland
Oaks Elementary School, Arcadia. The
Skinner’s are members of Trinity Lutheran Church in San Gabriel.
Mr.
Skinner has been a member of the Alhambra Rotary Club for 14 years, and is a
member of San Gabriel and South San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce. He enjoys trap shooting and pistol shooting,
and owns a fine gun collection in his beautiful new home in Arcadia, nestled in
the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Their many friends enjoy the hospitality of the Skinner’s, the lovely
landscaped gardens, the enchanting swimming pool and the breath-taking
panoramic view.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 628-630, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES