Riverside
County
Biographies
ELDRIDGE B. DYKES
Although a product of the south, E.
B. Dykes has spent much of his life on the Pacific coast, becoming well known
in the educational field, and is now principal of the
Coachella Valley Union High School. He
was born on a farm in Greene County, Tennessee, November 10, 1879, a son of
Jasper and Mary (Phillips) Dykes, who were also natives of that state, and both
are now deceased. Enlisting for service
in the Civil War, the father valiantly defended the Union cause, and in times
of peace he followed agricultural pursuits.
E. B. Dykes, who is one of a family
of five children, spent the days of his boyhood on the home farm and when his
high school course was completed enrolled in the Teachers Training College at
Knoxville, Tennessee. His initial
experience in his profession was gained at Colfax, Washington, where he was a
high school principal for two years. In
order to qualify for greater responsibilities as an educator he attended Leland
Stanford University, from which he received the Bachelor of Arts degree in
1908, and has since taken post-graduate courses in that institution and at the
University of California. At Petaluma,
California, Mr. Dykes served as district superintendent for eleven years and
afterward filled a similar position in Atascadero, this state, for three
years. He was next a teacher in the
Riverside high school and junior college, resigning at the end of six years to
become principal of the Coachella Valley Union High School, located five miles
south of Indio, three miles southwest of Coachella, and a distance of four
miles from Thermal. He directs the work
of eleven teachers and during his tenure of office the school attendance has
grown from one hundred and thirty to more than two hundred pupils. The buildings were especially planned for the
comfort of instructors and pupils in this extremely hot climate, the classrooms
being entirely open on the side facing a lawned
court. The school has a large
auditorium, is completely equipped and modern in all of its appointments. Instituting needed changes and improvements
in the methods of instruction, Mr. Dykes has placed this high school on a par
with the best in southern California and is considered one of the most
progressive and capable educators in this part of the state.
In 1898 Mr. Dykes was married to
Miss Frances Marion, of Kingsport, Tennessee, and four children were born to
them. Harlan H., the eldest, was graduated
from Leland Stanford University and won the A. B. degree from Santa Clara
College, where he is now instructor in law, also acting as a coach. He volunteered for service in the World War,
becoming a member of the Three Hundred and Twenty-second Field Signal Corps,
attached to the First Army Corps, and participated in five major
engagements. After the signing of the
Armistice he was with the Army of Occupation at Coblenz, Germany, and later was
sent to the university maintained by the American Expeditionary Forces at Bon,
France. While overseas he wrote some
very interesting letters, which were published in a number of California
papers. He married Miss Laura Getz, by
whom he has one child, Deo. Blanche Worth, the second
in order of birth, is the wife of Eugene Hayes of Fresno, California, and the
mother of a son, Robert Leland Hayes.
Leland H. Dykes, who completed a course in the University of California
at Los Angeles and took post-graduate work at Leland Stanford University, is
engaged in scientific work in geology.
Mary Louise is now Mrs. Neil Hultslander, of
Fresno, California, and has a son, Larry Eugene Hultslander.
Mr. Dykes adheres to the religious
belief of his family and has membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He belongs to the Lions Club, an organization
devoted to Americanism, and his professional connections are with the State
High School Principals Association, the State Teachers Association and the
National Education Association.
Transcribed by
V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: California of the South
Vol. III, by John Steven McGroarty, Pages
91-93, Clarke Publ., Chicago, Los Angeles, Indianapolis. 1933.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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NUGGET'S RIVERSIDE BIOGRAPIES