List of 25 people sent stills from the films; So far the
Historical Society’s team of ‘identifiers’ have revealed names of
four people
Gilroy – Enthusiastic Gilroy history buffs are bidding the waters of history to part and bring forth their mysteries.
A Jan. 28 standing room only premiere of four films from Gilroy’s past has led to an enthusiastic, community-wide effort to identify the people in the films. Due to an unexpected turnout of more than 80 people, the event was moved at the last minute to the Willey House. On screen that night were four film segments from Gilroy’s past: a Gymkhana from the 1950s, a National Guard Camp at San Luis Obispo from the early 1940s, an Armistice Day celebration from the early 1920s, and a Football scene also from the early 1920s.
At the time of the premiere little was known about the events or the people in them apart from some tentative dating and location information. Since the screening names are steadily being matched up with faces.
“It’s nothing earthshaking, but nice progress,” said Phill Laursen, a Gilroy Historical Society member who spearheaded the films’ premiere.
A list of 25 people thought to have knowledge of the events on film has been compiled in the hopes that they will be able to identify the individuals on film.
Each of the persons on the list has been sent 48 stills from the films using a Shutterfly photo Web site. So far the Historical Society’s team of “identifiers” have identified four people in the Camp San Luis Obispo clips: Duncan “Dunk” Harrison, Cecil Carlyle, Jack Hines, and Frank Lindsey.
The Gilroy Historical Society’s Muriel Brem has begun hosting viewings of the films at her home with other viewings to follow.
“We plan to work our way through our list of “identifiers” as others of us host viewings,” said Laursen. Anyone who would like to be a part of a Gilroy home viewing can contact Laursen, view the films at the Gilroy Museum, or purchase a DVD for $5.
The premiere also led to the unraveling of one of the key mysteries of the films. A reel of 35mm film labeled “1911 (?) Gilroy High School Championship Football Team” included scenes from an Armistice day mock battle and parade. Dating the GHS Championship team became confusing since the label contradicted the fact that the holiday wasn’t made official until 1919.
A lucky bit of corresponding history solved the riddle. Eleanor Villareal, director of the Rebecca Children’s Home in Gilroy, brought forward an IOOF book and photo of the 1926 Gilroy High School Championship Football Team. “We compared the stills from our movie to the photo and are sure we have a match!” said Laursen.
The book, entitled “IOOF Children’s Home; 1897-1997” tells the story of four IOOF boys who played on the GHS 1926 Championship Football team; the four boys attained a certain notoriety and were referred to as “the Four Horsemen.” That particular team finished their season with an astounding record: “they won the division title, were undefeated and unscored upon.” said Laursen. Members of the home team include captain and fullback John Graf, quarterback Ernest Graf, halfback Fred Gerholdt, and Harold (“Peanuts”) Main.
A little poem about the Gilroy Football team as published in the Dispatch cast the team in a heroic light:
“For nothing could stop them nor hold
These warriors that traveled like flame;
They rode with the footfalls of fate
And the answer seemed always the same.”
“Apparently, Gilroy was a physically small, but fast team,” said Tom Howard of the Gilroy Museum. “The team went undefeated in pre and regular season football, and won the “B” class for their section.” Evidence of the Gilroy/Hollister rivalry lives and breathes through history too. “They were, literally, beaten up pretty badly by Hollister in post season … Hollister had a 35 yard penalty for ‘slugging,’ ” said Howard.
Howard’s excavations at the Gilroy Museum have also uncovered an article about a sham battle sponsored by the American Legion on the Sargent Ranch. Two newspapers articles from the Dispatch dated Nov. 4 and Nov. 12 of 1926 also refer to the Armistice Day re-enactment sham battle. The names and dates keep rolling in to breathe life to the silent witness of the people and events on film.
The premiere also turned up a bevy of other films and photos of historical import to Gilroy. Jack Pate donated a videotape produced by the Gilroy Rotary Club of footage shot by Justin Byers. Byers and his brother, Morris, were partners in Byers Brothers Ford, a local dealership and garage in the 1920s.
Laursen didn’t have high hopes for the film, as the museum already has many of the Byers films on hand.
“I told Jack we probably already had that material in our collection,” Laursen said. “When I viewed it the next day I was elated to find it was entirely new to us and is brimming with scenes of Gilroy and prominent citizens from the 1930s through the 1950s.”
Other donations and discoveries abound as current and former Gilroy residents have brought pictures, movies, and stories forward to share. Each contribution solves riddles and poses more questions but the Gilroy Historical Society is hot on the chase and, so it seems, so is all of Gilroy.
Get Involved
– Contact Phill Laursen if you’re interested in being a part of a home viewing, 847-1823.
– The Historical Society is looking for someone who can donate or provide access to a 16mm projector, viewer, or editing machine
– Anyone who would like to view the stills can go to http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8QaNXLFoxZKJho.
