hlom Hultgrern (Swedish name) as people I played with. Oddly enough, although naturally left handed, I decided to play tennis right handed which “stance” remained with me as long as I played tennis.
It was fun living in Seattle in the winter. “Big Louis” (cousin Esther’s husband) took me to some of the University of Washington football games where “Big Pat” Jessup, 6 foot 6 inch center, and halfback Merle Hufford were the stars. Also saw some of the Seattle Indians (?) baseball games, starring Pitcher Rudy Kallio and outfielder Dave Barbee.
Now, for the first time I began to take an interest in girls. There was a pretty little Irish American girl who lived across the alley from us. Her name was Maxine Murphy and I learned how to tie a neck tie so as to appear more presentable to her. She had a brother, Bob Murphy and an older sister, Ursula. The Murphys were Catholic as were my cousin Esther and her family. Sometimes the Butys would have big parties on Saturday night, until 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. but they would always make it to the late morning Mass. But the time with the Butys was almost too happy to last and the bank (who controlled my estate) decreed that we should live at “2703”, my parents’ home in Bakersfield. For awhile a friend named Aggie Dempsey stayed with us in Bakersfield, but before long the “religious struggle” between Catholic and Protestants came into play with the result that somehow Mrs. W.J. Schultz and the Baptists succeeded in having my cousin Esther’s guardianship terminated. I was sorry to see Esther and the children leave. The first night they were gone I almost tried to sleep in a garden at Klipstein’s house, but finally I got up my nerve enough to ask the kindly Mrs. Swett if I could spend the night with them. Her son Johnny Swett was my best friend and he had a younger sister, Ruth.
Then I went to stay with another friend from the neighborhood, Billy Holmquist. After a few weeks there, Judge Erwin Owen, a kindly old Texas gentleman ruled that Mr. Holmquist should be my guardian, thus starting a new chapter in my youthful struggle to grow up.
*******************
Here ends Tim’s autobiography as written in 1973.
*******************
Part II: Biography
(Note: The following biography was compiled from letters, interviews with family members, newspaper articles, and notations on photographs.)
Legal Problems Concerning Sullivan Estate and Guardianship
Following the death of Tim’s father in 1927, and just prior to the death of his mother about three weeks later, a legal battle began over the estate. A front page article from the Bakersfield Morning Echo of December 29, 1927 reads as follows:
START SULLIVAN ESTATE BATTLE
Widow Taken from Home on Warrant
Forcibly Remove Woman on Insanity Charge Following Funeral Declares Attorney
A bitter legal struggle between Mrs. Timothy E. Sullivan, widow of the late pioneer millionaire and a relative of the deceased was indicated last night by Edward A. Brittan of the firm of Brittan and Brittan, attorneys for the widow, in connection with the application of Mary E. Sullivan, a sister of the late millionaire and aunt of Timothy E. Sullivan, 10-year old son of the decedent, for appointment as guardian of the son and heir, following the removal of his mother from her home on a charge of insanity, preferred by Thomas O’Brien.
“The widow, Anna S. Sullivan, was forcibly taken from her home and is being held under an insanity charge preferred by Thomas O’Brien of Lebec,” said
Attorney Brittan, “while the Sullivans, who came here from the north to attend the funeral have taken possession of her home. Mary E. Sullivan, an aunt of the boy, has applied for appointment as guardian of Timothy E. Sullivan, Jr.”
“We have asked the Security Trust Company, named executor of the will, to immediately repossess the house,” said the attorney, “as it is the personal property of Mrs. Sullivan, to which they have no right of occupancy.”
“The Security Trust Company has also been requested to apply for special letters of administration to protect the estate,” said the attorney.
The action for appointment of a guardian for the boy and the granting of special letters of administration is being heard before Judge H. A. Peairs of the Superior court, proceedings being started yesterday.
“The arrest of Mrs. Sullivan upon an insanity charge took place at her home on Tuesday afternoon, following the funeral of her husband in the morning,” said Mrs. Richard Apsley, a neighbor and friend of the family. “This action,” she said, “aroused much criticism in the neighborhood owing to the fact that it appears to be part of a plan to part the mother and her son.”
“It seems as if a woman of such prominence, and known kindliness of character, would have been given more considerate treatment,” said Mrs. Apsley, “for she has been noted in this city for years for her charities, and sincere desire to serve the unfortunate.”
“She has been a devoted wife and mother, and if through illness and strain she has broken it seems as if she should be given the same gentle consideration and kindly treatment that she has shown others,” said the friend.
“Inside of half an hour after Mrs. Sullivan had been taken from her home by force relatives of Mr. Sullivan appeared and took possession. They discharged the household employees and Charles Hicks, who had been caretaker of the property and chauffeur, was required to give up keys to the garage and car,” said Mrs. Apsley, “and it is to be noted that the car and property are now being used by the Sullivans,” she said.
“Timothy Sullivan, Jr., center of a legal battle for his guardianship, and heir to the bulk of the great estate, is stopping at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Swett, neighbors. Mrs. Sullivan is at Kern General Hospital where she was taken on Tuesday.
“Mrs. Clara Peterson of San Francisco, an old-time friend of Mrs. Sullivan, who was herself formerly a nurse, was among the callers upon Mrs. Sullivan yesterday. She reported that the woman should be in her own home, with a private nurse,” stated Mrs. Apsley. Miss Peterson is one of the head nurses at the Southern Pacific hospital at San Francisco.
Besides the sister, Mary E. Sullivan of San Jose, there are three brothers, John Sullivan of San Jose, Thomas Sullivan of Seattle, and Patrick Sullivan of Bakersfield.
On the following day, December 30, 1927, the following article appeared on the front page of the Bakersfield Morning Echo:
Security Bank to Administer Sullivan Estate
Special Writ Handed Down in Will Case
Administrator Ordered to Take Immediate Possession of Estate; Other Hearings Set
Special letters of administration of the estate of the late Timothy E. Sullivan, valued at more than $200,000 in a will made in 1918, were granted the Security Bank and Trust Company yesterday by Judge E.W. Owen of Kern County superior court upon petition of Attorneys Harvey and Heard representing the bank. Under the terms of the will the bank was named as guardian of the estate and the person of the son.
The hearing as to the guardianship of the bank was set by Judge H.A. Peairs for January 9 at 2 o’clock and the hearing on the application of Mary E. Sullivan, an aunt, for guardianship of the son Timothy E. J. Sullivan, Jr., was set for January 3.
Hearing of insanity charges against Anna S. Sullivan, widow of the decedent, was set for Saturday before Judge Owens.…
Under the terms of a codicil of the will, dated June 6, 1922, it was declared that substantial gifts had been made to the wife and the clause in the will leaving her the residue of the estate was revoked, and instead the son was made heir to the residue of the estate.…
To the widow, Anna Sophia Sullivan the east half block of 430, together with the improvements, was bequeathed according to the terms of the will.
The will also provided $35,000 in Liberty bonds and two 40-acre tracts and an 80-acre tract in Kern County as special bequests to the son T.E.J. Sullivan. Later in the codicil the residue of the estate was bequeathed to the son.
In the will the estate was valued at more than $200,000 and in the codicil it was valued at more than $10.000 according to the documents filed with F.E. Smith, county clerk, in the probate proceedings.
Anna Sullivan went to Los Angeles on December 30, 1927 and was admitted to a hospital under the care of Dr. Ross Moore. He stated in a letter dated January 28, 1928 to Oscar A. Swanson, relative of Anna, living in Chicago, that
“Mrs. Anna Sophia Sullivan came under my professional care December 30th 1927. At that time she was very much exhausted from the long ambulance journey from Bakersfield to Los Angeles. This exhaustion was both physical and nervous. It manifested itself in great mental confusion and excitement. During the first few days her condition was quite precarious on account of this acute exhaustion. Then for two or three days her condition seemed to take a turn for the better. The nervous excitement subsided and she became mentally clear enough to talk with the nurses for a few minutes at a time about her son. This improvement was brought about by first class psychiatric nursing and the use of neutral baths to control nervousness and excitement.
Mrs. Sullivan’s general physical condition was poor and had been so for some months previous to her death. The improvement which we succeeded in bringing about was therefore only temporary. She began to fail and died within a few days. Looking back over the case I am inclined to feel that nothing was left undone which might have brought about a different result.”
Prior to receiving the above letter, Oscar A. Swanson had traveled to Bakersfield on January 7, 1927 to try and determine the circumstances regarding the estate and the insanity hearing for Anna. Arriving back in Los Angeles on the evening of the 7th it was too late to see Anna. She died early in the morning of the 8th before Oscar was able to see her.
While in Bakersfield Oscar tried to find out as much as he could about the case. He was told that two hours after Mr. Sullivan’s funeral Anna was locked up on an insanity charge, and that immediately thereafter “Mary Sullivan and her gang took possession of the house and they immediately got good and drunk on T.E.S.’s private stock which all went.” Oscar talked to young Tim who asked him, “Who will get me if Mama dies?”
Following his return to Chicago, Oscar Swanson received several letters from friends in Bakersfield keeping him posted on Tim’s situation. From a reading of several letters it appears that Mr. & Mrs. Karpe took care of Tim for a short time prior to the arrival of Tim’s cousin, Esther Sullivan Buty. Eva L. Schultz[13], one of the correspondents, reported that when Mrs. Buty “…and two little heathens arrived, the eldest greeted Mrs. Karpe with “This is our home. What are you doing here?” In that same letter, Mrs. Schultz indicated that Timothy had united with the Baptist Church on January 22nd and that he would be baptized the following Sunday. She said that Tim came forward of his own accord and presented himself. She hoped that Tim would become a minister.
Writing to Oscar a few months later, Mrs. Schultz had a more favorable report, stating that Mrs. Buty seems to be very fond of Tim and that she wants to do the right thing by him. She felt that “Mrs. Buty had won over the folks around here.” She said that Tim had gained in weight and that he had more “child life than ever before.” Mrs. Schultz also indicated that Tim had been received into the Baptist Church and had been baptized and attended Sunday School and church.
Timothy Eugene John Sullivan, I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Dr. Frank O. Belden
Defend, O Lord, this Thy Child with Thy heavenly grace, that he may continue Thine for ever: and daily increase in Thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come into Thy everlasting kingdon. Amen
The Order of Confirmation
Book of Common Prayer, 1549
In August of 1929, after Mrs. Buty had gone to Seattle with Tim and her own children, a friend of Oscar Swanson visited the Buty family and Tim. A good report was given, including the fact that Tim was attending a Baptist church in the Seattle area.
The next we hear is a letter of May 13, 1930 from Matilda Smeitzer[14] to Oscar Swanson. She reported that Esther Buty had been removed from the guardianship of Tim because of charges of gross immorality brought by Dan Sullivan, Esther’s uncle. She was asked to resign, which she eventually did and she left Bakersfield.
Eva Schultz, writing a few days later, informed Oscar that the judge planned to appoint a new guardian within a few days. It was at this point that George and Agnes Holmquist became responsible for Tim.
The High School Years
While attending Kern County Union High School Tim began what plainly turned out to be a lifelong love of writing about any and all topics. Sending and receiving correspondence of the social kind was his passion, and he did not hesitate to read others’ personal mail if he could lay his hands on it. This “fault” of his became the cause of much distress on the part of his new “siblings” after his marriage to Reinette. This ardor for writing expressed itself in high school where he served as Editor of the school newspaper, the Blue & White , in 1934 and 1935. During this period the newspaper was acclaimed the best high school newspaper in the San Joaquin Valley. Tim was a member of the Press Club and played on the football team
Following his return to Chicago, Oscar Swanson received several letters from friends in Bakersfield keeping him posted on Tim’s situation. From a reading of several letters it appears that Mr. & Mrs. Karpe took care of Tim for a short time prior to the arrival of Tim’s cousin, Esther Sullivan Buty. Eva L. Schultz[13], one of the correspondents, reported that when Mrs. Buty “…and two little heathens arrived, the eldest greeted Mrs. Karpe with “This is our home. What are you doing here?” In that same letter, Mrs. Schultz indicated that Timothy had united with the Baptist Church on January 22nd and that he would be baptized the following Sunday. She said that Tim came forward of his own accord and presented himself. She hoped that Tim would become a minister.
Writing to Oscar a few months later, Mrs. Schultz had a more favorable report, stating that Mrs. Buty seems to be very fond of Tim and that she wants to do the right thing by him. She felt that “Mrs. Buty had won over the folks around here.” She said that Tim had gained in weight and that he had more “child life than ever before.” Mrs. Schultz also indicated that Tim had been received into the Baptist Church and had been baptized and attended Sunday School and church.
Timothy Eugene John Sullivan, I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Dr. Frank O. Belden
Defend, O Lord, this Thy Child with Thy heavenly grace, that he may continue Thine for ever: and daily increase in Thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come into Thy everlasting kingdon. Amen
The Order of Confirmation
Book of Common Prayer, 1549
In August of 1929, after Mrs. Buty had gone to Seattle with Tim and her own children, a friend of Oscar Swanson visited the Buty family and Tim. A good report was given, including the fact that Tim was attending a Baptist church in the Seattle area.
The next we hear is a letter of May 13, 1930 from Matilda Smeitzer[14] to Oscar Swanson. She reported that Esther Buty had been removed from the guardianship of Tim because of charges of gross immorality brought by Dan Sullivan, Esther’s uncle. She was asked to resign, which she eventually did and she left Bakersfield.
Eva Schultz, writing a few days later, informed Oscar that the judge planned to appoint a new guardian within a few days. It was at this point that George and Agnes Holmquist became responsible for Tim.
The High School Years
While attending Kern County Union High School Tim began what plainly turned out to be a lifelong love of writing about any and all topics. Sending and receiving correspondence of the social kind was his passion, and he did not hesitate to read others’ personal mail if he could lay his hands on it. This “fault” of his became the cause of much distress on the part of his new “siblings” after his marriage to Reinette. This ardor for writing expressed itself in high school where he served as Editor of the school newspaper, the Blue & White , in 1934 and 1935. During this period the newspaper was acclaimed the best high school newspaper in the San Joaquin Valley. Tim was a member of the Press Club and played on the football team, the “Drillers”, who were county champs in 1934; his number was “48.” He graduated from high school on June 7, 1935.
The following year Tim attended the 1936 Olympics in Germany where he had the opportunity of seeing Jesse Owens’ outstanding performance, an accomplishment that confounded Adolph Hitler. Perhaps this experience of being a spectator at an international event explains why throughout his adult life Tim took a special interest in the Olympics and attended a number of these games.
Stanford University (1935-1938)
Entering Stanford University in the fall of 1935, he became a member of Delta Tau Delta. In the summer of 1936 Tim and a friend from Stanford made a bicycle tour of Europe, followed by a visit to relatives in Sweden. Gustof Dahllöf went to pick him up at Herrljunga Station but didn’t recognize him. “No one could travel all the way from the U.S. and not wear a hat!” Gustof said.
In the fall of 1936 Tim began a second year at Stanford, enrolling for independent study, but the strenous bike travel of the summer before had taken its toll on Tim’s energy and his health broke down causing him to spend about two years recovering at the Livermore Sanitarium. During the time he was a resident at Livermore Mr. Holmquist faithfully visited him every few weeks.
Out of the depths have I called to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, LORD were to note what is done amiss, O LORD who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared.
I wait for the LORD; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope.
My soul waits for the LORD, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the LORD, for with the LORD there is mercy;
With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
The Psalter, 130
Marriage and the War Years (1939-1943)
In 1939 Tim returned to Bakersfield where he attended the First Baptist Church and began a courtship with Reinette Poteete. They became engaged in February of 1941 and were married on June 1, 1941. The wedding was held on Sunday at the First Baptist Church, the Rev. Burton C. Barrett officiating. Monteen was the matron-of-honor and Lt. George W. Holmquist was the best man. The reception was held at the Poteete home from where they left for a honeymoon in Hawaii for a month. They sailed on the Mattsonia.
Wilt thou take this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?
Solemnization of Matrimony
Book of Common Prayer, 1549
For this honeymoon trip they bought a movie camera with which they took much footage of hula dancing. So much so, that even the novelty of seeing “movies” of hula dancing in exotic Hawaii began to wear thin for the provincial Poteete family there in Riverview. The newlywed’s arrival home brought with it souvenirs unlimited consisting of hula skirts, leis, shell trinkets, and memorabilia of all kinds. Tim not only loved to travel, but he loved to buy souvenirs for friends and family back home.
Because of his mental history Tim was rejected by the draft so during 1941-44 he worked at The El Tejon garage. He had an aversion to things mechanical but there he had to learn to pump gas and hassle with gas rationing coupons. This building housing the garage was built by Tim’s father in 1926, as a Mormon car agency (Mormon meaning the name of a car), later becoming a parking garage for the Haberfelde Building and the El Tejon Hotel across the street. Tim also contributed to the war effort in his own way by bringing home for Sunday dinner after church men in attendance who were stationed at nearby Minter Field air base. From being an only child and an orphan as well, Tim had the heady experience of having married into a ready-made large family with lots of girls of marriageable age. This Poteete family consisted of uncomplex, straight forward and in many ways naïve people who were not schooled in the social graces nor did they have the tools for resolving social conflicts skillfully. Such a family had its code words and body language automatically in place and an outsider, as well as an only child who was as unrestrained as Tim, was ably personified in the saying of being a “loose cannon” in its midst.
Tim entered the family enthusiastically with his Irish charm and command of language and the family was like putty in his hands. It was as if another childhood began for Tim with teasing, control of comings and goings, lavishing clothes, cars and everything and dominating any family get-together with his choice of conversation and behavior.
Looking back at these times one can see that Tim had to be in control or things would go sour. The only person who on occasion would not be left sputtering with indignation was Mother Poteete who with lowered voice and carefully chosen words would make clear to Tim when he had overstepped his bounds.
To allay any wrong perceptions by the reader that Tim was only an irritant to the family, it needs to be emphatically stated that he was an enrichment to the family well beyond the material ways. Each person was impacted favorably and profoundly with lifetime benefits which mainly seem to be intangible.
Throughout his life Tim gave every person who got his attention a nickname with himself being the only person who did not have one, probably because he moved among friends who were not imaginative enough to give him one. Frequently the name he gave was a corruption of pronunciation of the name or usually something completely original but pertaining to a physical or character trait. Often the names were clever but many times they were painfully and accurately funny. “Squire” Poteete and O.P.L.A. were the names that stuck with Mother and Daddy throughout their lives. (Opla was Mother’s given name.)
In 1943 Tim and Reinette visited Mexico, one more of the many trips they would take together. This trip gave Tim an opportunity to indulge in his favorite pastime of writing cards and letters and buying foreign stamps. (During his younger adult years Tim collected volumes of stamps, amassing an impressive stamp collection.) Addressing and stamping the blank face of an envelope became an art form for Tim where he could get almost as much information on the front and back of the envelope as was in the contents of the letter. Again, armloads of souvenirs came back to Bakersfield in the form of jewelry, clothing, bric bracs, and trinkets.
iy d i i St Live Nude p St Live Nude St
ui a a St Live Nude St Live Nude Videos