Los Angeles
County
Biographies
DAVID W. STEPHENSON
(Deceased)
There
have been a number of exceptional men who were active in Rosemead for many
years and who have now passed on. The
present had its roots in the past; the Rosemead we know today could not have
come into being without men like David W. Stephenson who, from 1928 until 1951,
operated his business in Rosemead and lived in the community from 1936 until
his death in 1961. He operated
Stephenson Feed and Fuel Company in Rosemead for twenty-three years in addition
to operating other stores in Baldwin Park and Riverside, and was also first
vice-president and a director of Universal Savings and Loan Association in
Rosemead.
Mr.
Stephenson, was born in Missouri on February 19, 1892, was very industrious,
making his work also his hobby and becoming successful even though he left high
school before completing his final year.
He was the son of John P. and Minnie (Presser) Stephenson, both also
from Missouri. He was a member of the
Rosemead Forum Club, the Chamber of Commerce and a Mason in Temple City Lodge.
The
former Nettie E. Cox became Mrs. David Stephenson on April 27, 1913, in her
home town, her father’s birthplace, Troy, Missouri. She was born on March 17, 1891, the daughter
of Moses Henry and Malinda J. (Jones) Cox; her mother was from Monroe City,
Missouri. Mrs. Stephenson grew up in the
same town in which she was born, receiving her elementary and high school
education there, and left the town to go to Missoula, Montana, where their son
was born and came to California with her husband in 1915, moving to Los Angeles
in November of that year and making their home there until 1936.
A
member of the Community Methodist Church in Rosemead, Mrs. Stephenson has also
been a faithful member of the Rosemead Women’s Club for many years. Though Mrs. Stephenson shared her husband’s
interest in community activities, she was not active in his business. She is affiliated with PEO. Her favorite recreation is bridge playing.
The
Stephenson’s son, William C., is a graduate of Manual Arts High School in Los
Angeles, studied for two years at Citrus Junior College in Azusa, and now lives
in San Gabriel. He is employed in the
jet propulsion laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. William Stephenson is married and the father
of two sons, David W. and Kris Gary.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 635-637, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES