Sierra
County
Biographies
KENNETH L. REES, D. D. S.
Dr.
Kenneth L. Rees, of Portola, has earned a deserved reputation as a capable and
skilled dentist, conscientious in his work and respected by all who have
employed his services. Born in Loyalton, California, on the 25th of March,
1903, he is a son of Jesse S. and Alice A. (Wing) Rees, and a scion of old
California families. His father, who was
born at Eugene, Oregon, is now a farmer at Loyalton. About 1905 he moved to Tonopah, Nevada, after
which he lived successively at Goldfield, Nevada, in Mexico, in Los Angeles,
Rosedale and Oil Center, California. At
the last named place he conducted a general mercantile establishment from 1911
to 1915, when he became interested in the livestock business, buying young
cattle in Arizona, which he shipped to the Sierra valley, where he has remained
to the present time. Mrs. Rees was born
in Augusta, Maine, whence she was brought by her parents to California when
twelve years of age. Her father was a
veteran of the Civil War, having enlisted in the First Regiment Maine Volunteer
Cavalry, with which command he served until the close of the war. He became a member of the Grand Army of the
Republic after coming to California. In
early life he learned the trade of cabinetmaking and later that of harnessmaking.
Eventually, however, he turned his attention to farming. He died in Surprise Valley, Modoc County, at
the age of eight-four years. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Martin, is a mortician in Loyalton and Portola. She was born in Augusta, Maine, and received
special training as a nurse in the Los Angeles County Hospital. While there she was called
upon to lay out patients who had died in the hospital, this being a part of her
regular course in nursing. She
thus acquired the rudimentary principles of preparing a body for burial. She accompanied her family on removals to
various parts of California and in each place she rendered expert and
appreciated service in her line. When
they moved to Loyalton, she was elected coroner of
Sierra County, and at about that time also established an undertaking business,
in which she was highly successful. She
served as coroner at Loyalton nine years, and in 1925
she came to Portola and opened another undertaking establishment. To Mr. and Mrs. Rees were born two sons: Donald, who pursued the regular course in the
medical school of the University of California, completing his work in 1921,
but died from the effects of an operation before he had received his degree;
and Kenneth L. Kenneth L. Rees
attended the public schools in the various places in which the family lived and
then entered the University of Nevada, in which he pursued a special collegiate
course. After the death of his brother he
decided upon a dental career, and entered the dental school of the University
of California, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Dental
Surgery in 1929. He immediately came to
Portola and engaged in the practice of his profession, in which he has met with
gratifying success. He has an attractive
and well equipped office, is careful and painstaking
in his work, and his patrons are his best advertisers.
On March 25, 1928, at Reno, Nevada,
Dr. Rees was united in marriage to Miss Mary Myers, of Bellewood,
Pennsylvania, and they are the parents of a son, Donald Ray, four months
old. The Doctor is a man of sterling
worth in all the attributes of upright citizenship and manhood. He is a member and secretary of the Lions
Club, belongs to the Masonic Lodge at Loyalton, the
Eastern Star at Portola, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also holds membership in the National
Masonic Dental Fraternity. He belongs to
the Alumni Association of the University of California and maintains a live
interest in his alma mater. While in
college he took an active part in athletics and while at the University of
Nevada was a member of the varsity football team. He is still interested in athletic sports and
other outdoor recreations, but his profession is his first interest.
Transcribed by
Gerald Iaquinta.
Source:
Wooldridge, J.W.Major History of Sacramento Valley
California, Vol. 3 Pages 142-143. Pioneer Historical
Publishing Co. Chicago 1931.
© 2010 Gerald Iaquinta.
Golden Nugget Library's Sierra County
Biographies