Los Angeles
County
Biographies
DANIEL
WILBUR STOVER
Daniel
Wilbur Stover has a musical talent which has made him known and loved by many
in Alhambra and throughout the Southland.
A musician by avocation, Mr. Stover’s vocation is that of educator. He is presently director of child welfare and
attendance for both Alhambra High School and Alhambra elementary schools and
has been identified with that school district since 1948. He is a loyal Rotarian, living up to the
objects of Rotary; he believes in and is guided by the Rotary Four-Way Test and
fulfills the Rotary motto of Service Above Self.
Mr.
Stover, a direct descendant of an American Indian, has a very interesting
family background. He was born on
January 5, 1912, in Anklesvar, India, the son of
Wilbur Brenner Stover, who was a missionary to India from 1893 to 1920 for the
Church of the Brethren, and Mary Ellen (Emmert)
Stover. Mr. Stover’s father was born in
1866 and died in 1930; his mother lived from 1871 until 1960 and was the mother
of five children. Mr. Stover’s ancestors
have been traced back to the Reverend Jacob Price who came from Switzerland to
America near the beginning of the eighteenth century.
Receiving
his elementary education at Mt. Morris, Illinois, Mr. Stover received his high
school education at the Academy of Seattle Pacific College, graduating in
1929. He then attended La Verne College
at La Verne, California, and graduated in 1933 with a Bachelor of Arts degree;
he has done graduate work at the University of Southern California and Los Angeles
State College. As an undergraduate Mr.
Stover helped earn his way through college by singing bass in a quarter, the
Apollo Four, which performed for clubs and churches.
Beginning
his career in education at San Dimas, California, which literally translated
means Saint Devil, Mr. Stover taught sixth grade from 1933 to 1935. He then became associated with Santa Ana
schools, teaching music at Lathrop Junior High School until 1942, when he took
the position of director of training at the Western Pipe and Steel Company in
San Pedro. During his years in Santa Ana
he was elected to the Board of Education and was a member of the Rotary Club,
acting as club pianist from 1937 to 1948.
After two years’ additional experience gained at Tustin High School Mr.
Stover came to the Alhambra school system as supervisor of child welfare and attendance;
from 1953 until the present he has been director of that department.
A
member of the Alhambra Rotary Club since 1949, with a perfect attendance
record, and one year on its board of directors, “Dan” Stover has been club
pianist and organist the entire time. On
February 28, 1961, the Alhambra Rotary club dedicated its new electronic organ
to Mr. Stover, placing on it a permanent plaque in his honor. He is the official organist for Rotary
District 530, comprised of thirty-three Rotary clubs in this area of southern
California and Nevada, serving in this capacity since 1957; prior to that he
was the official District 530 pianist.
He plays for all functions of Rotary District 530, such as conferences,
conventions, banquets and assemblies. He
transports the organ in a truck to all local functions and in March, 1961, took
the organ to the Rotary District 530 Conference at Mission Valley, California. In June of 1962 he will take the organ to Los
Angeles for the Rotary International Convention. He devotes many hours as an accompanist for
local Rotary clubs other than his own. He
also writes original lyrics pertaining to Rotary which are set to the music of
popular songs and are sung at Rotary functions.
Mr.
Stover has made a comment that he, “loves to tape-record songs for clubs that
don’t have an accompanist,” which gives a clue to his whole attitude about
music. A love of bringing the pleasure
of music to others seems to be his motivating force. A member of the Church of the Brethren in
Pasadena, Mr. Stover was its minister of music from 1951 to 1960. He is also the director and accompanist of
the Ecoairs, a vocal group comprised of members of
the Alhambra Exchange Club.
President
of the Alhambra Coordinating Council for two years, 1956 to 1958, Mr. Stover is
the outgoing president of the West San Gabriel Valley Area Association of
Coordinating Councils for 1960-1961 and served as a member of the Board of the
L. A. County Federation of Coordinating Councils. He also served as president in 1958-1959 of
the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance, and
was president of the southern section of that organization in 1953-1954. He was a member of the Alhambra United Fund
Board of Directors in 1957.
The
former Miss Catherine Adele Steele, who was born in North Dakota on July 28,
1918, became Mrs. Daniel Stover on August 3, 1936, at the Wee Kirk o’ the
Heather, Forest Lawn, in Glendale. She
has taught fifth grade for the past six years at Longden
Elementary School in Temple City and formerly taught fifth grade at Garfield
School in Alhambra from September, 1949, to February, 1952. Mr. and Mrs. Stover have three children. Margaret Ann was
born on August 4, 1941, is a graduate of John Muir High School in Pasadena and
is now an honor student at her father’s alma mater, La Verne College; she is
also a member of a singing group. David
Wilbur was born on April 19, 1944, and attends John Muir High School in
Pasadena. Allan George was born on March
3, 1946, and attends Pasadena High School.
In
addition to his musical proclivity, Mr. Stover takes an interest in electronics
and photography.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 590-591, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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