Chapter16 of The Kenyons of Jasper County, IA E. Lee and Naomi (Hahn) Kenyon Son of Vallejo Kinyon Introduction E. Lee Kenyon

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1 Chapter16 of The Kenyons of Jasper County, IA E. Lee and Naomi (Hahn) Kenyon Son of Vallejo Kinyon Richard L. Kenyon 32 Almond Tree Ln, Irvine CA October 26, 2010, edited Feb 5, 2015 Introduction Lee Kenyon was the 5 th child of Vallejo and Addie Kinyon. Lee began his career following the family tradition of cattle raising. This came to an abrupt end when he lost his money in the post World War I farming recession. Having no other job skills, he became a salesman. Shortly after his marriage to Naomi Hahn, the Great Depression began and their financial situation was bleak. From this highly unpromising beginning, Lee became a respected Beverly Hills businessman, the co-owner of Irma May Florists, whose clients included famous movie stars. He was supported at all times by his wife, Naomi Kenyon, who was herself a skilled florist. The writer is the son of Lee and Naomi. They were excellent parents. E. Lee Kenyon Lee was born June 29, 1894 on the farm of his parents Vallejo and Addie Kinyon, in Malaka Township, Jasper County, Iowa. He was the fourth of their five children. The farm was about 8 miles north of the city of Newton. The farmhouse in which Lee was born was 108 years old and still standing and occupied when we visited in Named Elmer Lee Kinyon by his parents, he was known as E. Lee Kenyon, normally shortened to Lee. As an adult, he changed the spelling of his last name from Kinyon to Kenyon, as did his sister Virgie and some of his relatives, based on the assumption that that was the correct spelling. Lee s graduation portrait, Newton High School

2 Lee attended Newton Union High School, in Newton, Iowa. He lettered in four sports: Football: 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913 Basketball: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914 Track: 1912, 1913, 1914 Baseball: 1911 Football Baseball Basketball Track Lee is shown above in enlarged details from official team photos. After graduation in 1914, Lee attended Iowa State College of Agriculture for one year. He continued to work on his father s farm for a few years, and then raised cattle on his own for three years. Lee in his World War I aviator s uniform World War I broke out. Rather than be drafted, Lee enlisted in the Aviation Section of the U. S. Army Signal Corps, the precursor of the modern U. S. Air Force. He was then 23 years old. Lee was trained as a fighting observer. He was sent to Selfridge Field in Michigan and completed the course in aerial Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 2

3 gunnery. He flew in a two-seat open-cockpit biplane. During his training, his plane crash-landed in Lake Erie, but he escaped serious injury. He was discharged on November 30, 1918 with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Signal Corps Reserve. He served the required 5 years in the reserve, but was never called to active duty. Two of Lee s friends pose in front of the type of plane in which Lee flew. Lee s parents retired in 1920 and moved to Winfield, Kansas. Lee lived with them for a few years, but remained in Winfield after his parents moved to California. In Winfield, he continued in his father s footsteps by raising cattle. Lee was wiped out when cattle prices fell abruptly in the agricultural recession that followed World War I. In order to support himself, he became a salesman. In 1923, he was living in Winfield and working as a salesman for the Mogle Reo Co, an auto dealer. A variety of sales jobs followed. By 1925, he had moved to California, was again living with his parents, and was working as a real estate salesman. Naomi Kenyon Naomi Georgia Helen Hahn was born August 30, 1901 on St. Clair Street in Cleveland, Ohio in an apartment on the second floor of her parents store. She was the second of the three children of Paul C. and Anna (Reuss) Hahn. Paul Hahn was a merchant in Cleveland, Ohio. Naomi attended Columbia and North Doan Grammar Schools and Glenville High School. Naomi did not complete High School in Cleveland because her parents demanded that she work part time in their store, which did not leave her enough time to do her homework. The Hahn s switched from the grocery business to the retail flower business while in Cleveland. They moved to California in 1920, when Naomi was 19. At first, her father sold real estate, because it was not clear that a flower store would be successful in California. But Naomi s mother hated staying home doing housework and was eager to get back into the flower business. After they saw an apparently successful flower shop in Hollywood, they opened a flower shop at Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 3

4 6517 Hollywood Blvd. It did very well. After a few years, they sold it and opened Hahn s Flowers in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills became the place where all the motion picture people lived. Hahn s Flowers was the largest and by far the most prosperous flower store in Beverly Hills. Prior to the opening of Hahn s Flowers in Hollywood, Naomi tried clerical work, but hated it. She found that she could not get a good job without a high school diploma. She enrolled as a junior in Hollywood High School, graduating February 2, Despite the diploma, as soon as her parents opened their flower store, she worked there as a florists. She was a designer, meaning that she created artistic floral arrangements. During the period between the sale of the Hollywood store and the opening of the store in Beverly Hills, Naomi worked for the new owners of the Hollywood store, Felt s Palace of Flowers. In 1924, Naomi s mother decided to return to Cleveland for a visit. She offered to take Naomi along and pay the Pullman fare if Naomi would pay the basic fare. Naomi made several dresses for the train trip. Her friends teased her saying that she was preparing to meet a handsome man on the train. But that is exactly what happened. During the journey on the California Limited, she did meet a handsome man, Lee Kenyon, who offered her his seat in the observation car. By the time he got off in Kansas City, he had her address and telephone number. A lengthy courtship ensued. It was four years before Lee felt that he had enough money to get married. The wedding was held July 17, 1928, at Naomi s parents elegant home in Beverly Hills. As owners of Hahn s Flowers, Naomi s parents provided lavish decorations for motion picture industry parties and weddings. They really put on a show for Naomi s wedding. The newspaper reported: One of the most exquisite weddings of the year was that of Miss Naomi Hahn and Elmer Lee Kenyon at the Beverly Hills home of the bride s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Hahn, Tuesday, which was witnessed by about 140 friends. The ceremony was performed by Dr. Stewart of the Beverly Community Church behind an improvised altar in the sunroom. The altar was an embankment of palms, tropical plants and ferns, radiant roses, and white larkspur. At ether side of it were seven-branched candlesticks. The rest of the house was a veritable garden, with festoons of greenery hanging on the walls and from the beams, while every nook was filled with roses, lilies and larkspur in pink and white. Swobobian [sic] ferns were placed along all the walls and the house was illuminated with long white tapers. Music was furnished by the Clausen trio of piano, violin and cello which was accompanied for the Lohengrin wedding march by Miss Evelyn Verstig... For their honeymoon, Lee and Naomi drove up the coast to Big Basin, California s first state p ark, located south of San Francisco in the Redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. They stayed at the Big Basin Inn. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 4

5 Their only child, Richard Lee Kenyon, was born September 25, 1931 in Hollywood Hospital. The Depression Naomi at age 18 Naomi s wedding picture (age 26) Lee and Naomi had been married for little more than a year when the stock market crash of October 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Lee had been working for Hahn s flowers, and had no choice but to continue to work for them. Naomi also worked there. Their son Richard s first memory was of attending a day care center while his parents worked. Culver City The mansions of wealthy people occupied the north part of the city of Beverly Hills, but south of Santa Monica Boulevard there were modest homes and apartments. There, Lee and Naomi found an affordable apartment on South Palm St. By 1936, they moved to a house in Culver City owned by Lee s father, located at 8933 Hubbard St. This was a lower middle-class residential area, located 5 miles south of Irma May Florist. They lived there until after World War II. Richard attended Culver City Grammar School. Irma May Florist Working in the flower business in Beverly Hills had genuine merit during the depression. Beverly Hills was the place where most of the big names in the Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 5

6 motion picture business lived. The movie business was good during the depression, and these people spent money lavishly on flowers. Lee found working at Hahn s Flowers very unpleasant. Anna and Paul Hahn had big arguments over the operation of the store. Lee took Paul s side, and he was probably right, for it was Paul s business acumen that was responsible for the success of the store. Lee tried to get a job at other flower stores, but they would not hire him because they feared that he would be a spy for Hahn s Flowers Irma May, a naturalized U.S. Citizen born in Poland, had opened a flower store in Beverly Hills in 1933, on the same day that Roosevelt closed the banks. About 1937, Lee was able to quit Hahn s Flowers and go to work for Irma May. Irma May s artistic and customer relations skills were excellent. Lee had adequately learned the flower business at Hahn s Flowers, but his most important skill was managing the finances of the store for which his experience in the cattle business had prepared him. This proved so valuable to Irma that she made him an equal partner in the business. The early days at Irma May Florists were challenging. One day Lee was worrying about the fact that they couldn't pay their bills, and said they were through couldn't pay would have to quit. They decided to go out in style." They pooled their resources and instead of going to the Owl Drug Store and eating for 85 cents they went to Chasen s restaurant a real fancy place and blew their 7 or 8 dollars on a fine meal. That cheered them up and they never again got around to talking about quitting. In those days, the flower growers personally brought their flowers in the predawn hours to the wholesale flower market in downtown Los Angeles. Lee had to get up at 4 am most mornings and drive to the flower market to buy fresh flowers. Lee was very different than the typical florist, and the growers liked him. He could get good flowers when no one else could. Eventually the growers stopped coming in person to the flower market, and the distribution of flowers evolved into big business. Lee was very glad when the era of predawn trips to the flower market finally ended. Eventually, Irma May Florist became more profitable by acquiring some important customers from the entertainment world. Hahn s Flowers continued to be the largest florist in Beverly Hills, but Irma May attracted a clientele that appreciated personal service and high quality. An early customer was Actress Joan Crawford. At the time, the famed filmland attorney Gregson Bautzer was romancing her. Bautzer asked her where she got such good flowers, and she replied from Irma May Florists. Bautzer became their best customer and a good friend of Irma. No request from Bautzer was too unreasonable to be refused. One time they decorated a live donkey with the saddle bags stuffed with bourbon. Lee put his cattle raising skills to work handling the donkey. It was delivered to TV star Ernie Kovacs. At another time they prepared a Christmas tree decorated with fans of $10 bills. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 6

7 Once they decorated a live turtle, which bit the butler when he took the delivery. A floral replica of the Arc de Triomphe was delivered to 17 year-old Elizabeth Taylor. Bautzer was the attorney for many famous people, including the legendary billionaire Howard Hughes, who became an Irma May customer on Bautzer s recommendation. Hughes by then had become reclusive. Irma retained an answering service and took orders from Hughes by phone, at any hour of the day or night. A disadvantage of the flower business is that on holidays, when most people take time off of work, florists work extra-long hours. At Christmas, the business peak was so great that every available relative was hired to help out, along with college students for flower delivery. Lee, Naomi and Irma worked almost every waking hour. There wasn t time for Naomi to make dinner, which meant quick dinners at a cheap restaurant. When Richard was young, he was sent to live with his Aunt Virgie during these times. When older, he worked at the store doing menial tasks, and later driving a delivery truck. He resolved that when he grew up, he would have nothing to do with the flower business. A full account of the life and times of Irma May Florists appears in my separate chapter on Irma May not on this website (copy available from the writer). The Beverly Hills Businessman Lee never intended to become a florist, and did not really like the flower business. However, he did enjoy his status as a Beverly Hills businessman. He was a longtime member of the Beverly Hills Kiwanis Club and had many good friends there. These included the Beverly Hills Chief of Police Clinton Anderson, Dr. Conrad Baumgartner, and attorney G. R. Dexter. The Kiwanis club met weekly for lunch. In later years, Lee was able to get away one day a week for a golf game with his Kiwanis friends. Lee and his Kiwanis Club friends met for a friendly poker game once a month. One time the game was being held at night at the Law Offices of G. R. Dexter in the Security Bank building, with Dexter, Police Chief Anderson, my father, and others in attendance. A rookie police officer happened to notice a light on in the bank building, and decided to investigate. Playing poker for money was a technical violation of the law. The rookie remembered a lecture that everyone in Beverly Hills was either rich, famous, or both, and that the law should be enforced regardless of the person s status. The rookie attempted to turn in the Chief and his friends for gambling. The chief was not pleased. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 7

8 Vacations Lee was not fond of travel, but he did enjoy trout fishing. The family vacation usually consisted of spending one week at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains, a four-hour drive from Culver City. They usually stayed in a very rustic cabin owned by Lee s friend Larry Ewing. Each morning, Lee and Richard fished in Big Bear Lake. In the afternoons, the family would usually go for a drive, or visit the plunge. Lee with big trout caught on the traditional family vacation at Big Bear Lake This vacation routine varied only a few times. In 1939, the family visited the World s Fair on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. They took the Daylight Limited train to San Francisco. There they stayed in Alameda with Lee s sister Eathel and her husband Don. This was the highlight of Richard s youth. Another time, during World War II, Lee and several friends saved their gas rationing coupons, and drove up to Lone Pine, in California s Owens Valley. Richard went along. They rode 20 miles on horseback to the Golden Trout Camp, a backcountry fishing resort. They looked forward to fishing for the Golden Trout, found only in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately Richard became ill. A doctor staying at the camp diagnosed the illness as mumps. They had to ride back Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 8

9 out the next day, without ever having a chance to fish for Golden Trout. Richard felt very bad about spoiling the trip. In 1955, their son Richard was serving in the Air Force at Wichita, Kansas. They flew out for a visit. Richard drove them to visit Lee s niece Ruth Deer in Neodesha, Kansas, and nephew Slim Kenyon who had a farm in the Ozark Mountains near Viola, Arkansas. Beverlywood Irma May Florist eventually became more profitable and Lee and Naomi were finally able to live comfortably. Naomi only needed to work at the store during peak holiday periods. About 1948, Lee bought a lot in Beverlywood, a new subdivision located in Los Angeles between Beverly Hills and Culver City. In 1950, Lee built a home there. The house and lot did not come as a package from a developer. They bought the lot, then hired an architect to help them design the house, and hired a contractor to build it. The house was not ostentatious, but had everything that they wanted: large rooms, two bedrooms, two baths, a den, a living room, a separate dining room, a large kitchen with adjacent dinette, a laundry room, and a two-car garage with room for a small workshop for Richard. It was surrounded by very attractive gardens, including an extensive collection of roses, African violets, philodendrons, and above all succulents, all of which which Naomi lovingly maintained, while complaining that it was too much work. She would not hire a gardener because none could meet her standards. Naomi extended her garden into the house, filling it with potted plants. Lee and Naomi s home at 1945 Livonia Ave. in Beverlywood Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 9

10 Naomi tending her potted plants. Lee practicing putting in the hall Naomi circa 1965 Lee, 1950 s Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 10

11 Naomi was very active in her church throughout her lifetime. She did not worry much about the denomination, simply picking a church near where she lived Presbyterian in Culver City, Lutheran in Beverlywood, and Baptist in Laguna Hills. She loved teaching Sunday School. Family gatherings In later years, all of Lee s siblings lived in Los Angeles, except his brother Ira who remained in the Middle West. However, Ira s son Don also lived in Los Angeles part of the time. It was a tradition to get together at one of their houses for coffee and desert on Sunday afternoon, and to have a family dinner on Christmas and Thanksgiving. The writer has many fond memories of these gatherings. Virgie Jean Don K Ray Don P. Naomi Eathel Lee Lula Family gathering at Lula s house in Virgie Kenyon, Ethel Pancoast, and Lula Campton are Lee s sisters. Don Pancoast is Eathel s husband. Ray is their son. Jean is Don Kenyon s husband. Don Kenyon is the son of Lee s brother Ira, who lived in the Middle West. Richard Kenyon was present, but busy taking the picture. Retirement Lee continued to work past the normal retirement age of 65, but at an unrecorded date in the early 1960 s he suffered a heart attack in the middle of the night. His friend and physician Dr. Conrad Baumgartner was summoned, as was the fire department and ambulance. Lee was rushed to a hospital in downtown Los Angeles. He survived, but his health never fully recovered. He was the victim of a lifetime of smoking cigarettes. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 11

12 Retirement presented a difficult problem. His business partner Irma May did not want to continue alone. It was difficult to sell the business because, as Irma said, Only florists will buy a flower shop but florists have no money. Eventually a buyer was found, and the store was sold on April 1, 1965, 32 years after it was opened. Lee and Naomi bought a manor in Leisure World, a new retirement community being developed in Laguna Hills (now Laguna Woods), 57 miles south of Beverly Hills in Orange County. The so-called manors were condominiums, which had to be purchased before they were built. They all moved to Leisure World shortly after the Feb 15, 1966 completion date. The moving van was loaded to capacity with Lee and Naomi s belongings, including Naomi s large collection of potted plants. It wasn t clear until the very end that everything would fit in the van. In an effort to cram it all all in, several of Naomi s potted plants were broken, much to her distress. Lee s widowed sister Eathel, and his unmarried sister Virgie, also moved to Leisure World at the same time as Lee as Naomi. This was an ideal arrangement, for they could visit frequently, and help each other. Medical and nursing care was readily available. Lee was happy to stop work in the flower business, but he was unable to savor his retirement. His health did not allow him to play golf, and he missed his Kiwanis Club friends from Beverly Hills. He passed away May 17, 1970 at age 75. Naomi s last years Naomi spent 13 years as a widow. Naomi enjoyed travel, but had had little opportunity to do so since a memorable trip in 1927, before she was married, when she went on the Evening Express tour of western National Parks. As a widow, she went on guided tours all over the United States. In 1972, she flew to Kansas to visit Lee s niece Ruth Deer and to Florida to visit Lee s nephew Don Kenyon. Naomi was a very friendly person, who easily struck up conversations with neighbors and even strangers. She continued to be active in her church. Her home is Leisure World was close to the residence of her son Richard in Irvine. Richard and his wife and children were able to come down weekends to visit. The aging process slowly took its toll. Naomi required increasing levels of assistance. A family trust was set up so that her son Richard could handle the financial affairs. Fortunately, Naomi s mind was clear on the day she had to sign all the paperwork. It was more difficult to provide for her physical care. Richard had visited aged relatives in rest homes on many occasions. He was determined to spare his mother this dismal fate, and despite some anxious moments, he succeeded. Richard at first had a nurse come in during the day, posing as a housekeeper. This arrangement worked well for a while, but eventually proved Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 12

13 insufficient. The perfect solution was finally found when he hired Dorothy McGill as a full-time live-in nurse. Dorothy lived with Naomi 24 hours a day from 1980 to 1983, without taking a single day off! Naomi died October 25, 1983, at age 82. Irma May lived on and on. When the writer last visited her, she was 101 and in remarkably good mental and physical shape, living in the same apartment that she occupied during the days of Irma May Florists. She finally died at age 106. Burial Naomi and Lee are buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, in a family plot purchased by Lee s father. Lee s parents, and most of his siblings are also buried there. Sources Since Lee and Naomi are the writer s parents, he of course knew much of the story from personal experience, but the details were frequently fuzzy. Fortunately there was ample documentation to supplement his memory. The sources included all of the documents from the estates of Anna Hahn and Naomi Kenyon, including birth, death and marriage certificates, and their photo collections. He also had the letters written by Lee to Naomi during the courtship, which included documentation of their meeting aboard the Southwest Limited. This was supplemented by the writer s typescript of family history interviews with Naomi in 1973, and the writer s recollections of Naomi s final years, typed in The writer visted and interviewed Irma May in 1988, 1989, 1992 (twice), 1995, and 2001, taking notes during the visit, and then typing them up shortly afterward. All of the photos are from the author s collection. Starting with the photos of Lee and Naomi on page 10, all of the photos were taken by the author, except for the color portrait of Naomi by an unknown photographer. The first account of the life of Lee and Naomi Kenyon was prepared by the writer s daughter Beth in 1988 as part of a 7 th grade term paper. A number of her apt phrases have been reused in the present document. Naomi and Lee s family history collection came closes to being lost. It was stored in an unmarked box on a shelf in Naomi s disused garage. The writer had never seen it, and did not even know that it existed! At the last minute, the box was discovered and rescued by and Karen and Sharon Estate Sales. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 13

14 Addendum: An album of photos from before 1929 Neither Lee Kenyon nor his parents ever owned a camera, and early pictures of Lee are mostly limited to professionally taken portraits. In contrast Naomi had a snapshot camera in the 1920 s and took many pictures. Her parents had professional photographers document most major occasions. Neither Naomi nor her parents were very diligent about labeling their photos to identify the people, resulting in hundreds of photos that are unusable because we cannot identify the subjects. In many of Naomi s snapshots, the images of the people are very small. Despite all this, some worthwhile photos were found and included here. This previously unknown photo of Naomi as a child was discovered among the many hundreds of photos from the estate of her mother. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 14

15 Naomi enjoyed an active social life, which included many outings to local beaches and parks. This snapshot of Naomi canoeing was taken by a friend at an unidentified lake. Naomi shows off her knicker suit the latest in fashions. The photo was taken at her parents home on Crescent Heights Blvd. in Hollywood Naomi and Lee were photographed at the beach by a friend. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 15

16 A highlight of Naomi s youth was the Evening Express grand tour of the Western National Parks in The group visited most of the western National Parks, traveling by train, with excursions by bus into the parks. Naomi collected the above postcard showing the open-air bus that she rode in while touring Yellowstone. Naomi took this picture of a tourist photographing a bear that has stopped traffic on the road in Yellowstone. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 16

17 ß Naomi and Lee honeymooned at the Big Basin Lodge in California s first state park. The main building, where they dined, is shown above. Below, Naomi poses in front of their rustic cabin. Chapter 16 of The Kenyons of Jasper Co, IA: E. Lee Kenyon Page 17