Los Angeles
County
Biographies
THE VANDERCOOK FAMILY
Three
Vandercook brothers, Edward, Clare and Eugene, are carrying on a stone-ground
specialty milling business, The El Molino Mills, which was founded by their father,
Edward Allen Vandercook, in Alhambra, California, in 1926. Eight generations ago, forefathers of the
present generation migrated from Holland settled in Cooksborough, New York, and
in Wisconsin and Michigan, where they operated stone grist mills powered by
wind and water.
Edward
Allen Vandercook was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 7, 1884. His father, Henry Vandercook, lived from
March 31, 1856, to June 5, 1901, and his mother, Addie Vandercook, was born on
October 1, 1860, and passed away on November 11, 1893.
Edward
Allen Vandercook was employed by Sperry Flour Company as Superintendent Miller
for twenty years, supervising plants at Los Angeles, Vallejo and Stockton,
California. He pioneered the development
of processing soybeans for flour and cereals for human consumption and revived
the lost art of stone grinding wheat and corn, giving it a start to the status
that it has today.
Mr.
Vandercook married Miss Nellie Leona Denning in Winfield, Kansas, on September
17, 1904. They were the parents of five
children. Their three sons, Edward
Walter, Clare Rolland and Eugene Leonard are sole partners in operating El
Molino Mills. Their daughters are Mrs.
Doris Maureen (Vandercook) Rice and Mrs. Carol Ann (Vandercook)
Chenall.
In
1906 the Vandercook’s moved to California with their first child, Edward
Walter, and settled in the Long Beach-Hollywood areas. They were members of the First Methodist
Church of Alhambra, and Mr. Vandercook had a very deep interest in the Masonic
Lodge, and was a Thirty-second degree Mason.
His sole interest and hobby was “The Mill”. After his retirement in May of 1947, Mr.
Vandercook enjoyed trailering through the United States and Canada. His favorite trailer vacation spot was Lake
Louise, Canada, where he took many color slide pictures of the beautiful
scenery. Mr. Vandercook passed away on
May 5, 1955, in Alhambra, California.
The
eldest son, Edward Walter Vandercook, who manages the production department of
El Molino Mills, was born in Winfield, Kansas on August 6, 1905. He is a graduate of Vallejo High School and
finished his education at Pasadena Junior College.
Another
five years with Sperry Flour Company, and one year with the Oregon Short Line Railroad,
Edward joined his father in business at the Mill. He married the former Miss Gladys Estelle
Anderson on September 8, 1932, in Ogden, Utah.
They have three children, Carl Edward, Louis Catherine and Theresa
(Terry) Ann Vandercook. The family are members of the First Methodist Church of
Alhambra. Mr. Vandercook is a member of
Granada Masonic Lodge No. 608, F. & A. M. in Alhambra. His hobbies include photography, flying and trailering.
The
second son of the founder of El Molino Mills is Clare Rolland Vandercook, who
handles the customer service for the firm.
He was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 16, 1916. He is a graduate of Granada Grammar School
and Alhambra High School, and attended Pasadena Junior College and Los Angeles
City College. During World War II, Clare
served with the United States Navy in the South Pacific on submarine duty.
Clare
Vandercook married Miss Mildred G. Herin in the First
Methodist Church of Alhambra on December 12, 1948. They are the parents of four children, Ronny,
Linda, Bobby and Lauri Vandercook. The family are
active members of the Church in which they were married.
Mr.
Vandercook is a member of the Alhambra Junior Chamber of Commerce; the Ridge
Riders of Covina; President of Corral 48, E. T. I.; and the Los Angeles County
Horse Show Exhibitors Association. He is
a former member and past president of the San Gabriel Active Club, and a former
member of the Alhambra 20-30 Club. He
has also been associated with the Arcadia Active Club. His hobbies are horses and fishing.
The
third and youngest son of the founder of El Molino Mills is Eugene Leonard
Vandercook, who is the general business manager of this well known milling
firm.
Eugene
was born in Hollywood, California, on March 26, 1917. Following his graduation from Alhambra High
School in 1935, he was a student at Pasadena Junior College, where he graduated
with the Associate of Arts degree in 1937.
In 1940 Mr. Vandercook graduated from the University of Redlands with a
Bachelor of Arts degree. He did
post-graduate work at Whittier College and at the University of Southern
California.
In
1943 Mr. Vandercook was inducted into military service with the United States
Army Air Force, and served as a pilot, principally in the Air-Transport
Command, piloting a C-46. His tour of
duty included North Africa, the Middle Eastern Theater and India. He was discharged with the rank of Captain in
1946.
Eugene
Vandercook was married to the former Miss Helen Jeanne Flood on June 7, 1947,
in Cedar Falls, Iowa. They have two
children, John Leonard and Thomas Merle Vandercook. They are active members of the First
Methodist Church of San Gabriel.
A
lifetime member of the Honor Optimist Club of Alhambra, Mr. Vandercook served
as the first Honor President of this service organization in 1955-56. He is Troop Committee Chairman of Troop 352
in San Marino, Boy Scouts of America, a position he has held during
1960-61. He is also an Eagle Scout. A member of the Advisory Board of the First Western
Bank and Trust Company, Mr. Vandercook is a member of the Board of the American
Nutrition Society. While at the
University of Redlands he was a member of Kappa Sigma Sigma
social fraternity and the Pi Kappa Delta debating fraternity. Athletically inclined, he is an excellent
swimmer and received an athletic letter for diving and swimming while in
college.
Mr.
Vandercook’s hobbies are flying his four passenger
Cessna; which he uses for both business and pleasure. He holds a current Commercial Pilot’s license
for single and multi-engine airplanes.
Fishing too, is an enjoyable hobby, preferably fresh water fishing in
the High Sierras and in Minnesota and salt water fishing in the Gulf of
California. When at
home Mr. Vandercook enjoys relaxing and taking it easy around the swimming pool
in the back yard of his home.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Historical Volume & Reference Works Including Alhambra, Monterey Park,
Rosemead, San Gabriel & Temple City, by Robert P. Studer,
Pages 534-537, Historical Publ., Los Angeles, California. 1962.
© 2013 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
GOLDEN
NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPHIES