The Ancestors and Cousins of Tracy Lynn DeVault

Person Page 470

John Wayne Courtney1

M, #11726
Pedigree Link

Family: Jeffanna Hodges Kelly (b. 25 November 1951, d. 25 July 2001)

DaughterRebecca Anne Courtney

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Doyle Webb1

M, #11727
Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Douglas Allan Pratt1

M, #11728
Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Rebecca Anne Courtney1

F, #11729

Parents

FatherJohn Wayne Courtney
MotherJeffanna Hodges Kelly (b. 25 November 1951, d. 25 July 2001)
Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Jonathon Mark Griffith1

M, #11730
Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Jonathon Mark Griffith and Sundee Cherie Anderson-Woerner were married on 2 May 1994 in Los Vegas, Clark Co., Nevada.1

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Raul Maynez1

M, #11731
Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Margaret Guerra1

F, #11732
Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Zachary Mark Griffith1

M, #11733

Parents

Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S7353] Genealogy prepared by Sundee Maynez, Source Medium: Book

Alice May "Allie" McPhaul1,2,3,4,5,6

F, #11735, b. 6 December 1878, d. 22 October 1971

Parents

FatherWilliam McPhaul (b. 1828, d. 1893)
MotherAlice Lucina Battles (b. 1849)
Pedigree Link

Family: Jonathan Edwards "Ed" Morrell (b. 18 February 1875, d. 22 February 1963)

SonLyman H. Morrell (b. 1902, d. 4 December 1936)
DaughterVelma Lucile Morrell (b. 16 January 1906, d. 2 May 2006)

BASIC FACTS

Alice May "Allie" McPhaul was born on 6 December 1878 in Guadalupe, San Barbara Co., California.7,2,6 She and Jonathan Edwards "Ed" Morrell were married on 19 December 1901 in Guadalupe, Santa Barbara Co., California.4,8 She died on 20 October 1971, at age 92.7 She died on 22 October 1971, at age 92, in Santa Barbara Co., California.9 She was buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California.10
Alice May "Allie" McPhaul was also known as Allie McPhaulm.7 She had reference number 12003. She was enumerated on the census in Los Angeles County, California (1910 - 1930.)

Citations

  1. [S8504] History of the Morrell House, Redondo Beech, California (internet)
  2. [S734] 1910 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S229] 1880 Census, California, Santa Barbara County
  4. [S1552] 1930 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  5. [S1107] 1920 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  6. [S2418] Affidavit of Birth - Velma Lucile Morrell
  7. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  8. [S5863] Genealogy prepared by dwizak (Ancestry.com)
  9. [S3973] Death Records - California, California Death Index (RootsWeb)
  10. [S4980] Find A Grave (Internet), Source Medium: Book

Lyman H. Morrell1,2,3,4

M, #11736, b. 1902, d. 4 December 1936

Parents

FatherJonathan Edwards "Ed" Morrell (b. 18 February 1875, d. 22 February 1963)
MotherAlice May "Allie" McPhaul (b. 6 December 1878, d. 22 October 1971)
Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Lyman H. Morrell was born in 1902 in California.1,2 He died on 4 December 1936, at age ~34.1,3
Lyman H. Morrell had reference number 12004. He was enumerated on the census in Los Angeles County, California (1910 - 1930.) He was a Merchant - hardware (1930.)4

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S734] 1910 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S4038] Death Records, California, California Death Records (Vitalsearch)
  4. [S1552] 1930 Census, California, Los Angeles County

Velma Lucile Morrell1,2,3,4

F, #11737, b. 16 January 1906, d. 2 May 2006

Parents

FatherJonathan Edwards "Ed" Morrell (b. 18 February 1875, d. 22 February 1963)
MotherAlice May "Allie" McPhaul (b. 6 December 1878, d. 22 October 1971)
Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Velma Lucile Morrell was born on 16 January 1906 in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles Co., California.1,2,5,4 She died on 2 May 2006, at age 100, in Santa Barbara Co., California.5
Velma Lucile Morrell had reference number 12005. She resided in Santa Barbara, California.1 She was enumerated on the census in Los Angeles County, California (1910, 1920.) Her Social Security Number was 565-01-5110, issued: California, last residence: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California.6 Redondo Beach Historical Society Newsletter, Volume III, Number 2, Fall 1989

Redondo Native Shares Her Past. ( Written by Margaret Tephany)
Nothing brings alive the past like sharing memories with someone who has been there. Visiting Velma Morrell in her Santa Barbara home left us all (Sandra Dyan, Pat Healy and Maggie Tephany) feeling as though we had been given a very priviledged view of Redondo as it once was.
At 83 years of age, Velma is as sharp and healthy as can be. Her answers to Sandy's questions about the past in Redondo Beach were usually very matter-of-fact and serious, but occasionally seemed to call some remote memory to the surface which (you could tell by a dreamy half-smile that would appear) hadn't crossed her mind in years. Like when she held the old photo of Redondo's first volunteer fire crew established by her father who was chief for many years) and identified the people she knew. "That fire vehicle was a Studebaker that had a siren mounted on its running board. When I was in high school, my father would let me take the car. I'd take my friends for a ride up in the hills and we would let the siren go off. We had a wonderful time doing that." As a younger child, Velma remembers riding "for free" on the roller coaster down by the beach and being afraid of walking on Pacific Avenue with all its "saloons and swinging doors."
Velma's parents, J. Edwards Morrell and Alice McPhaul (Ed and Allie), were married in 1901. Her father was working for the Pacific Milling Company of Los Angeles at the time and they soon moved to Redondo Beach. Within a year, J. Edwards joined with P. S. Venable and created a street and sidewalk grading company. Together, they paved most of the sidewalks and streets in Redondo. "After that, my father went into the real estate business and later entered the produce business downtown, with my uncle, Rivers Morrell." In 1937 or 38, the two brothers started a gas station on a corner of the 100 block of North Catalina Avenue.
Velma was born in 1906 in a small cottage on Catalina Avenue. The second of two children, Velma was born three years after her brother Lyman. Within a year of her birth, her parents purchased the land and built the Morrell House that would, 82 years later, become the first "Heritage Park" house in Redondo Beach. "It cost them $3,000 to buy the land and build the house back then" says Velma, "My dad said it was one of the first houses in Redondo to have electricity."
The house, she tells us, was originally all white, but at some point was painted shades of brown and beige. "There was a barn out back where my father raised chickens. He raised chickens all his life." During the war, she told us, Morrell and Venable purchased a cow and kept it down at the local milling company, "A man would come every day after milking the cow. He'd bring us our milk - part of it to the Venables and the other part to us."
She remembers details of the house that only one who had lived there could. Since the focal point of our visit this time was to gain information on the house, we spent a long time recreating how it looked when the Morrell family lived there. Her mother, she told us, had the whole house furnished by Barker Brothers back in 1907. She told us of the player piano in the living room and the small closet next to it that held all the childrens' toys. There was a built-in china cabinet in the dining room, filled with her mother's Haviland china, a flowered oil-cloth table covering in the kitchen; a glass-door curio cabinet in the parlor; and a pantry under the stairs where the "fireless cooker" was kept. There was a screened sleeping proch that spanned the back of the second floor and which could only be accessed through the bathroom.
Velma used to walk to grade school with the Venable children from next door - Max, Hazel and Mabel. She attended Redondo Union High School with life-long friends such as Loretta Scheerer, Esther Pridham and Margaret Slater. She graduated as class valedictorian in 1923 and joined the same group her mother had been in for many years - the Philathropic Educational Organization or P.E.O. Velma and her mother were also very active in the Redondo Beach Women's Club. Velma compleated a degree at Pomona College and did one year of graduate work at Claremont. She moved to Sunset Beach and in the early 1930s became Dean of Girls at Huntington Beach High School where she taught English and physical education. During World War II, Velma and her long-time friend, Ada Marie Bowers, were Senior Army Hostesses at Camp Cooke which is now Vandenburg Air Force Base. In 1946 Velma became Housing Supervisor at the University of California. She retired in 1963, but remained involved in the P.E.O and other activities.
Velma's brother, Lyman Morrell, died in 1936 after a long bout with tuberculosis. He had graduated from the University of Redlands and had gone into the hardware business at his Uncle's (Henry Clay Wright) hardware store - Redondo Beach Hardware. Lyman had started his own hardware store in another part of Redondo.
J. Edwards and Alice owned the Morrell House until 1956, when Alice's health was poor and they moved to Santa Barbara to be close to their daughter. Velma stayed in Santa Barbara and now lives in a lovely apartment with her friend, Ada Marie. She plans to revisit Redondo soon to reminisce and to share more of her memories with us. Meanwhile, her support for preservation of the Morrell house continues through correspondence, donations, and most of all, through the history she is bringing to life.

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S734] 1910 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S1107] 1920 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  4. [S5863] Genealogy prepared by dwizak (Ancestry.com)
  5. [S3973] Death Records - California, California Death Index (RootsWeb)
  6. [S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book

Henry Clay Wright, M.D.1,2,3,4,5,6

M, #11738, b. 20 September 1865, d. 27 September 1942

Parents

FatherThomas Wright (b. about 1824)
MotherMargaret Haynes Swingle (b. about 1828)
Pedigree Link

Family: Julia Lavenia Morrell (b. 11 May 1877, d. 3 October 1933)

DaughterMildred Temple Wright (b. 29 May 1907, d. 15 December 1957)
SonDavid Thomas Wright, M.D.+ (b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002)

BASIC FACTS

Henry Clay Wright, M.D., was born on 20 September 1865 in Sullivan Co., Tennessee.1,2,7 He and Julia Lavenia Morrell were married on 10 April 1906 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California.8 He died on 27 September 1942, at age 77, in Santa Barbara Co., California.1,7 He was buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California (Ocean View - Lot 078.)9
Henry Clay Wright, M.D., had reference number 12006. He held the title Dr. He was enumerated on the census in Carter County, Tennessee (1880); Davidson County, Tennessee (1900); Los Angeles County, California (1910 - 1930.) He was a Worker on farm (1880); physician - general practice (1900, 1910); retail merchant - hardware store (1920, 1930.)2,3,4,5,6 Their marriage invitation said that they would be living in Nashville, Tennessee after their marriage.

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S734] 1910 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S1107] 1920 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  4. [S353] 1880 Census, Tennessee, Carter County
  5. [S1552] 1930 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  6. [S656] 1900 Census, Tennessee, Davidson County
  7. [S3973] Death Records - California, California Death Index (RootsWeb)
  8. [S8825] Marriage Invitation - Julia Lavenia Morrell to Dr. Henry Clay Wright
  9. [S4980] Find A Grave (Internet), Source Medium: Book

David Thomas Wright, M.D.1,2,3

M, #11739, b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002

Parents

FatherHenry Clay Wright, M.D. (b. 20 September 1865, d. 27 September 1942)
MotherJulia Lavenia Morrell (b. 11 May 1877, d. 3 October 1933)
Pedigree Link

Family: Katherine Helen Monk (b. 22 June 1921, d. 7 January 2016)

SonDavid Richard Wright+
DaughterDiane Kathrine Wright+
DaughterJulia Amy Wright

BASIC FACTS

David Thomas Wright, M.D., was born on 2 February 1918 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California.4,5,3 He and Katherine Helen Monk were married on 22 June 1943 in Camp Pickett, Nottoway Co., Virginia.6 He died on 30 April 2002, at age 84. He was buried in Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California.7
David Thomas Wright, M.D., had reference number 12007. He held the title Dr. He resided in Santa Monica, Los Angeles Co., California.4 His Social Security Number was 555-01-9031, issued: California, last residence: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California.5 He was enumerated on the census in Los Angeles County, California (1920, 1930.) Soldier.6

Citations

  1. [S1107] 1920 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  2. [S1552] 1930 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S5863] Genealogy prepared by dwizak (Ancestry.com)
  4. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  5. [S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book
  6. [S9020] Marriage Records - Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936 - 2014 (Ancestry.com)
  7. [S4980] Find A Grave (Internet), Source Medium: Book

Katherine Helen Monk1,2

F, #11740, b. 22 June 1921, d. 7 January 2016

Parents

Pedigree Link

Family: David Thomas Wright, M.D., (b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002)

SonDavid Richard Wright+
DaughterDiane Kathrine Wright+
DaughterJulia Amy Wright

BASIC FACTS

Katherine Helen Monk was born on 22 June 1921 in Sunnyside, Yakima Co., Washington.3 She and David Thomas Wright, M.D., were married on 22 June 1943 in Camp Pickett, Nottoway Co., Virginia.4 She died on 7 January 2016, at age 94, in Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Co., California.3
Katherine Helen Monk had reference number 12008. She was enumerated on the census in Yakima County, Washington (1930.)

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S1996] 1930 Census, Washington, Yakima County
  3. [S5681] Genealogy prepared by davekaye1 (Ancestry.com)
  4. [S9020] Marriage Records - Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936 - 2014 (Ancestry.com)

David Richard Wright1,2

M, #11741

Parents

FatherDavid Thomas Wright, M.D. (b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002)
MotherKatherine Helen Monk (b. 22 June 1921, d. 7 January 2016)
Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

David Richard Wright and Barbara Drygulski were married on 25 October 1970.1

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S4425] Email from Diane Kathrine (Wright) Isaacson dated March 14, 2013

Barbara Drygulski1,2

F, #11742

Parents

Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Barbara Drygulski and David Richard Wright were married on 25 October 1970.1

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S4425] Email from Diane Kathrine (Wright) Isaacson dated March 14, 2013

David Jonathan Wright1

M, #11743

Parents

Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S4425] Email from Diane Kathrine (Wright) Isaacson dated March 14, 2013

Diane Kathrine Wright1

F, #11744

Parents

FatherDavid Thomas Wright, M.D. (b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002)
MotherKatherine Helen Monk (b. 22 June 1921, d. 7 January 2016)
Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Diane Kathrine Wright and Thomas Edward "Tom" Isaacson were married on 20 December 1969.1

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book

Thomas Edward "Tom" Isaacson1,2

M, #11745

Parents

Pedigree Link

BASIC FACTS

Thomas Edward "Tom" Isaacson and Diane Kathrine Wright were married on 20 December 1969.3

Citations

  1. [S2722] Birth Records - California, California Birth Index 1905 - 1995 (Ancestry.Com)
  2. [S4424] Email from Diane Kathrine (Wright) Isaacson dated March 12, 2013
  3. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book

Thomas Eric Isaacson1,2,3

M, #11746

Parents

Pedigree Link

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S2722] Birth Records - California, California Birth Index 1905 - 1995 (Ancestry.Com)
  3. [S4424] Email from Diane Kathrine (Wright) Isaacson dated March 12, 2013

Julia Amy Wright

F, #11747

Parents

FatherDavid Thomas Wright, M.D. (b. 2 February 1918, d. 30 April 2002)
MotherKatherine Helen Monk (b. 22 June 1921, d. 7 January 2016)
Pedigree Link

Charles Homer Temple1,2

M, #11748, b. 3 November 1881, d. 28 September 1949

Parents

FatherMajor Jennings Temple (b. 1 February 1855, d. 31 March 1933)
MotherJulia Martha Rankin (b. 10 March 1856, d. 17 March 1917)
Pedigree Link

Family: Flora Mary Morrell (b. 24 May 1879, d. 20 October 1946)

DaughterMarjorie M. Temple+ (b. 2 August 1907, d. 15 February 1986)
SonCharles Edwards Temple+ (b. 17 March 1911, d. 27 February 1969)

BASIC FACTS

Charles Homer Temple was born on 3 November 1881 in Tennessee.1,3 He died on 28 September 1949, at age 67, in Los Angeles Co., California.1,3 He was buried in Forest Lawn, Glendale, Los Angeles Co., California (Eventide, Map 1, Lot 2724, Space 1.)4
Charles Homer Temple had reference number 12016. He was a Wireman for the Home Telephone Company, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Co., California (1903, 1904); Manager, US Long Distance Telephone and Telegraph (1908-1913); Manager, Telephone Company (1920.)5 He was enumerated on the census in Los Angeles County, California (1940.) OBITUARY of Charles' mother, Julia Martha (Rankin) Temple

MRS. M. J. TEMPLE
Mrs. M. J. Temple died at her home near Greeneville Saturday afternoon at three o'clock, after an illness of several months. Funeral services were conducted from the residence by Rev. W. C. Clemmens, Monday afternoon, burial in Oak Grove cemetery.
Mrs. Temple was an excellent Christian lady, being a member of the Presbyterian church. She was a good wife and mother and is sruvived by a husband and one son, Chas. Temple, of California, and two daughters, Mrs. E. W. Armitage and Miss Margaret Temple.

Note: Julia Martha (Rankin) Temple was the daughter of James Robert Rankin and Margaret McGaughey. She is not believed to be a child of John Rankin and Louisa Gray as is claimed by some genealogies.

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S2032] 1940 Census, California, Los Angeles County
  3. [S2858] California Birth/Death Records (Internet)
  4. [S4980] Find A Grave (Internet), Source Medium: Book
  5. [S5843] Genealogy prepared by Dr. L. Parker Temple, III

Marjorie M. Temple1,2

F, #11749, b. 2 August 1907, d. 15 February 1986

Parents

FatherCharles Homer Temple (b. 3 November 1881, d. 28 September 1949)
MotherFlora Mary Morrell (b. 24 May 1879, d. 20 October 1946)
Pedigree Link

Family: Fred B. Phleger (b. 31 July 1909, d. 14 December 1993)

SonCharles Frederick "Rick" Phleger+
DaughterAudrey Ann Phleger+ (b. October 1943, d. 26 March 2013)

BASIC FACTS

Marjorie M. Temple was born on 2 August 1907 in Los Angeles Co., California.1,3 She and Fred B. Phleger were married on 23 October 1933.4 She died on 15 February 1986, at age 78, in Solana Beach, San Diego Co., California.3,2,5 She was buried in Cremated, ashes scattered at sea.6
Marjorie M. Temple had reference number 12017. Her Social Security Number was 560-46-8429, issued: California, last residence: Solana Beach, San Diego Co., California.3 She was a Worked in public relations for La Valencia Hotel and had been a columnist for The San Diego Union and the La Jolla Light.6 She was educated Earned a bachelor's degree in speech from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theater arts from Smith College.6 OBITUARY - Evening Tribune (San Diego, CA) - Wednesday, February 19, 1986, Page: B-10, Edition: 1,2,3,4,5,6

Marjorie Phleger, 78, of La Jolla, died Saturday in her home. Cremation was planned by the Telophase Society, with ashes to be scattered at sea. No services were scheduled.
Mrs. Phleger, a native of Glendale, lived in the county 37 years, had worked in public relations for La Valencia Hotel and had been a columnist for The San Diego Union and the La Jolla Light.
She had a bachelor's degree in speech from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in theater arts from Smith College. She wrote a book on survival, "Pilot Down, Presumed Dead,' collaborated with her husband on five children's books and directed and acted.
She was a founder of the original La Jolla Playhouse, was an active member of the Wednesday Club and traveled extensively with her husband.
Survivors include her husband, Fred; a son, Charles, of Leucadia; a daughter, Audrey Levonas of Idaho; and two grandsons. The family suggested donations to the North Coast Hospice.

Citations

  1. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  2. [S2858] California Birth/Death Records (Internet)
  3. [S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book
  4. [S2518] Biography - Fred B. Phleger
  5. [S5113] Genealogy prepared by Dawn Flegler
  6. [S11174] Obituary - Marjorie M. (Temple) Phleger

Fred B. Phleger1

M, #11750, b. 31 July 1909, d. 14 December 1993

Parents

FatherFred B Phleger (b. 5 June 1883, d. 8 December 1948)
MotherNorabelle Elliott (b. 9 October 1889, d. 24 May 1948)
Pedigree Link

Family: Marjorie M. Temple (b. 2 August 1907, d. 15 February 1986)

SonCharles Frederick "Rick" Phleger+
DaughterAudrey Ann Phleger+ (b. October 1943, d. 26 March 2013)

BASIC FACTS

Fred B. Phleger was born on 31 July 1909 in Kansas City, Kansas.2 He was born on 31 July 1909 in Missouri.3,4 He and Marjorie M. Temple were married on 23 October 1933.5 He died on 14 December 1993, at age 84, in Carlesbad, San Diego Co., California.3,4,2
Fred B. Phleger was also known as Fred Phlager.6 He had reference number 12018. His Social Security Number was 569-48-8137, issued: California, last residence: Solana Beach, San Diego Co., California.3 He was a Member of the faculty of UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography (1949 - 1977.)7 He was educated Received three degrees in geology, an A.B. degree from the University of Southern California (1931), an M.S. from the California Institute of Technology (1932) and a Ph.D. from Harvard (1936.)5 BIOGRAPHY

Fred B Phleger was born in Kansas City, Kansas on July 31, 1909, the only child of Fred Phleger and Norabelle Elliott. His father owned a grocery store in Kansas City and later a gas station in California. The family moved to Los Angeles, California when Fred B Phleger was a child.
Phleger received three degrees in geology, an A.B. degree from the University of Southern California in 1931, an M.S. from the California Institute of Technology in 1932 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1936. Phleger's early work in paleontology concerned Ordovician fossils, Lichadian trilobites, and Pleistocene cats. His mentor at Harvard was the preeminent foraminiferal ecologist, Joseph A. Cushman. Phleger served as Cushman's assistant in paleontology from 1934-1936 and worked with Frances L. Parker, a student and later colleague of Cushman. Phleger held the Sheldon Traveling Fellowship in Geology for 1936-1937.
Phleger married Marjorie M. Temple (1908-1986), a writer, on October 23, 1933. She was from Glendale, California. She received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California, where she and Phleger met. She received a master's degree in theater arts from Smith College in 1948. The Phlegers had two children, Charles F. "Rick" Phleger and Audrey Phleger Levonas.
Phleger taught at Amherst College from 1937 to 1949. He served as an instructor in paleontology for the first three years, assistant professor (1940-44), and associate professor (1944-1949). During this period he spent summers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as a research associate in submarine geology working with Henry C. Stetson. In 1948, while at WHOI, Phleger established a marine Foraminifera laboratory with the support of the Office of Naval Research. While at Amherst, Phleger and Frances Parker wrote a GSA Memoir on the distribution for Foraminifera in the northwest Gulf of Mexico.
Phleger was a visiting associate professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from 1949 to 1951. He received a permanent appointment as Associate Professor (1951-1957) and then Professor of Oceanography (1957-1977). When Frances Parker joined the Scripps staff in 1950, the two founded the Marine Foraminifera Laboratory at Scripps. Phleger described foraminiferal research and the function of the laboratory in a March 2, 1951 memorandum to the director: 1
Foraminifera are microscopic marine Protozoa which secrete a calcareous or arenaceous shell. They live in all marine environments, are both planktonic and benthonic, and upon death the shells accumulate as a part of the sediment on the bottom of the ocean. They are delicately adjusted to the various marine environments under which they live and leave a record of the environments in the sediments of which they become a part. Foraminifera are widely used in geology as fossils for age correlations of ancient marine rocks.
During his early years at SIO, Phleger became associated with American Petroleum Institute Project 51 and focused on shallow-water distribution of Foraminifera as related to sedimentary processes in the Gulf of Mexico. He also participated in the Swedish Deep Sea Expedition of 1947-1948 and wrote, with Frances Parker and Jean Peirson, a classic report, North Atlantic Foraminifera, Reports of the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition, volume VII (1953). Throughout the 1950's Phleger published papers on Foraminifera, often with Frances Parker. Many of these were concerned with the foraminiferal ecology of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1960, Phleger published Ecology and Distribution of Recent Foraminifera which summarized all that was then known about foraminiferal ecology. Phleger's student Wolfgang Berger noted that this work "outlined the essence of a new sub-discipline of geology and oceanography -foraminiferal paleoceanography."2
Phleger served on many SIO committees and was active in a number of professional associations. He was a member of the SIO Director's Advisory Council, the Natural Land and Water Reserve System Committee and the Deep Sea Drilling Program Steering Committee. He chaired the Geological Research Division at SIO from 1970 to 1973. He taught courses and supervised the work of many doctoral students. He was a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the AAAS and the Paleontology Society. He served on the Board of Editors for Marine Geology and other publications. He was a member of many scientific associations including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists and the Soc. Geologia Mexicana. He served as Director of the Cushman Foundation for Foraminifera Research. He served as a consultant for both American and Mexican governmental bodies on coastal lagoons. He was an honorary research fellow of the Instituto de Geologia, Universidad Nacional de Mexico in 1961. His research was supported by grants from the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation.
Phleger developed close working relationships with Mexican geologists during the course of his research on marsh and lagoon foraminiferal distributions in Mexico and his work in Mexican waters. On December 5, 1967, SIO Director William A. Nierenberg appointed Phleger as the first Scripps Liaison Officer with the Republic of Mexico. 3 Phleger was responsible for overseeing the participation of Mexican nationals in SIO research and instructional programs, coordinating visits of Mexican scientists and government officials to SIO, and arranging SIO participation in teaching and scientific consultations in Mexico. Phleger also prepared reports and arranged for sample shipments and loans of equipment and supplies to and from Mexico. He oversaw the application process for clearances necessary for field and oceanographic expeditions to Mexico.
Phleger received the 1980 Joseph A. Cushman Award which recognized Phleger as a pioneer of modern marine geology whose work "had considerable impact on the development of paleoecology and paleoceanography, both in deep-sea research and in the study of shallow marine deposits."4 The citation for the award acknowledged his contributions as a teacher, and mentioned his students W.R. Walton, T. Uchio, J.S. Bradshaw, A. Golik, A. Blackman and Wolfgang Berger. Phleger retired from Scripps in 1977, but continued his scientific work for many years.
Phleger had a literary career as well as a scientific career. His wife, Marjorie Temple Phleger, taught drama at the Bishop School when they first arrived in La Jolla. She later became public relations head at the La Valencia Hotel, which was owned at the time by oceanographer Gifford Ewing. While there she met many actors and writers, including Clark Gable and Tennessee Williams. She was a columnist for the San Diego Union and the La Jolla Light. She was a founder of the original La Jolla Playhouse. The Phlegers became acquainted with Ted Geisel and his wife Helen in the early 1950's. Geisel encouraged the Phlegers to write children's books and introduced them to the editors of Beginner Books at Random House. Marjorie Temple Phleger first wrote a survival book, Pilot Down, Presumed Dead. In 1959, Fred Phleger published The Whales Go By and Ann Can Fly and in 1960 Red Tag Comes Back. He and his wife published You will Live Under the Sea and Off to the Races in 1966. 5
Marjorie Phleger died on February 15, 1986. Fred Phleger's health declined after the death of his wife, and he died December 14, 1993.
1Memorandum from Fred B Phleger to Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 2 March 1951, 4 page typescript. In SIO Biographical Files AC5, Box 13, f 423, "Fred B Phleger, Papers, 1941-1956."
2Wolfgang Berger, Joseph R. Curray and Timothy D. Herbert, "In Memoriam, Fred B Phleger, Professor Emeritus of Oceanography, 1909-1993," Academic Senate: San Diego Division, November 22, 1994.
3William A. Nierenberg to All Hands, December 5, 1967, in Biographical Information Files on Fred B Phleger, SIO Archives UCSD.
4W.H. Berger, "The 1980 Joseph A Cushman Award: Fred B Phleger," Journal of Foraminiferal Research 11, no. 4 (October 1981), pp. 260-261.
5Ann Commier, Something about the Author (Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1984), v. 34, p.165.

OBITUARY - San Diego Union-Tribune, The (CA), Saturday, December 18, 1993, Edition: 1,2,3,4,5, Page: B-7:1,5 B-9:4 B-11:2,3

Deceased Name: Fred B Phleger, 84; renowned scientist, writer of books for kids
Fred B Phleger, who helped oil companies find rich underwater deposits in the 1950s and 1960s and wrote a series of adventure books for children, died Tuesday at the Lutheran Health Facility in Carlsbad after a long illness. He was 84.
Mr. Phleger, a native of Kansas City, Kan., and longtime La Jolla resident, joined the faculty of UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1949, where he remained until his retirement in 1977. He was professor emeritus of geology at the time of his death.
Mr. Phleger earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and a master of science degree from California Institute of Technology before receiving his Ph.D. in geology in 1936 from Harvard University.
From 1937 to 1949, he was on the faculty of Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., and served as a research associate at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass.
During his Scripps career, Mr. Phleger directed the Marine Foraminifera Laboratory, studying minute protozoans that are used for dating sediments and interpreting environments. He was instrumental in obtaining grants from the American Petroleum Institute to study sediments in shallow marine environments.
Mr. Phleger studied sediments off the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and conducted detailed investigations of remote and uncharted areas in the coastal lagoons of Baja California.
His Mexican projects earned him the honor "Profesor Extraordinario" of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in 1981.
A prolific contributor to scientific journals, Mr. Phelger considered his greatest writing challenge to be children's books. His works spanned three decades and included "You Will Live Under the Sea," "Red Tag Comes Back," "Off to the Races," "Ann Can Fly" and "The Whales Go By."
Mr. Phleger is survived his son, Charles, a professor of biology at San Diego State University; a daughter, Audrey Ann Levonas of Helena, Mont.; four grandchildren; and a great grandson.
Mr. Phleger's late wife, Marjorie, was a social columnist for The San Diego Union and La Jolla Light and authored a best-selling children's book, "Pilot Down Presumed. She died in 1986.
A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 19.

Citations

  1. [S4379] Email from Dawn (Arnold) Phleger dated October 26, 2002
  2. [S5113] Genealogy prepared by Dawn Flegler
  3. [S12398] Social Security Death Index, Source Medium: Book
  4. [S2858] California Birth/Death Records (Internet)
  5. [S2518] Biography - Fred B. Phleger
  6. [S12379] Report on Henry Dewald and Family by Newland DeVault dated 1975, Source Medium: Book
  7. [S10201] Obituary - Fred B. Phleger