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Medford Pioneers: William A. Gates C. E. GATES' BROTHER ARRIVES IN
MEDFORD
Mr. and
Mrs. W.
A. Gates have arrived from Peoria, Illinois and will soon be
at
home on Geneva Avenue. Mr. Gates will enter the prosperous automobile
business of his brother, C. E. Gates, established three years ago, and
help in increasing the sales of the Ford and Overland machines. The
following account of Mr. Gates' departure is given in a Peoria
newspaper.
After ten years' successful service as correspondence manager for the Larkin Company western branch in this city, W. A. Gates, accompanied by his family, left today for Medford, Ore., where he will engage in the automobile business with his brother, C. E. Gates, who for several years has been doing one of the biggest automobile businesses in the Northwest. Universal regret is felt at the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Gates, but their many friends unite in wishing them health, happiness and prosperity. The clerks in the department over which Mr. Gates presided testified to their regard by presenting him with a complete deluxe edition of the works of his favorite author, O. Henry. Medford Mail Tribune, December 17, 1914, page 2 W. A. GATES WILL TALK AT MERCHANTS' MEETING
Every merchant
who possibly can should attend the monthly meeting and banquet of the
Merchants Association in the basement of the Christian Church Monday
evening. They will not only have an excellent feed but will be given
some "food for thought" about the mail order business by W. A. Gates,
who recently came here from Peoria, Ill., and who has been connected
with a mail order house for many years and knows the game. It will be
an address that no merchant should miss.
Medford Mail Tribune, March 12, 1915, page 6 Marvelous Growth of the Gates
Automobile Co.
Medford
Mail Tribune, March 5, 1917, page 15
Within a few days incorporation papers of the C. E. Gates Auto
Company
will be filed with the secretary of state. The growth of this
institution is nothing short of marvelous. Five years ago, the 3rd of
February, 1912, "Pop" Gates, the founder of the business, came to
Medford with a carload of automobiles, locating on South Riverside. The
business soon outgrew the place and on September 1, 1913, it was moved
into the Sparta building.
A line of auto supplies has been gradually added to meet the increasing demands. The room accommodated the business very nicely until June, 1914, when the addition of a garage on Riverside Avenue was necessary. In the fall of 1916 when Mr. Gates realized that the business was getting too big for one person to give every department the necessary personal supervision, which had contributed so largely to its success, and he induced a brother, W. A. Gates, to become associated with him, taking charge of the supply end of the business. In bringing him to Medford, he had a twofold purpose in view, one to relieve him of part of the load of conducting the business and the other to combat the mail order evil, which was beginning to be felt. Realizing that the best way to whip a man is to fight him at his own game, he selected his brother, who had spent 11 years with the world's second largest mail order house. "Pop" Gates says, "we used to have some fears of the mail order houses hurting our business, but we have taken good care of that. We can safely say that there is less money going to mail order houses from Medford for automobile supplies than from any town of its size on the coast. There is only one solution to the mail order problem and that is: Give the customer just as much for the money as he can get from the mail order house and at the same time give the very best personal service. We have a number of mail order catalogues in our store and if a customer becomes skeptical, we bring them out, put the goods on the counter and convince him in a jiffy that he should buy at home." Further growth of the business necessitated building an addition to the garage for a repair shop and a new departure from all established methods was made. This applies to Ford owners only. When the owner of a Ford brings his car to the shop for work he is told in advance exactly what the job will cost. That it is appreciated by car owners is clearly shown by the fact that six mechanics have been steadily employed throughout the dull winter months. On March 1st all the remaining floor space on the ground floor of the Sparta building was added and within the next thirty days a complete and up-to-date storage battery station will be put in operation in the room on Riverside, vacated by the motorcycle shop. "We still have a big job ahead of us," said Mr. Gates, and that is the reason we are incorporating. We believe that with George, Bill, and myself interested, the business will receive closer personal attention than could otherwise be given it. Bill will handle the supplies, while I will handle the car business in the city and George will handle it outside. It is our aim to give Jackson County autoists as complete an institution as can be found on the Pacific Coast." 202 South Orange Street, Medford: William A. Gates, 41, auto company, born Indiana, parents Indiana Anna C. Gates, 35, born Illinois, parents Illinois Mary Anne Gates, 1 6/12, born Oregon U.S. Census, enumerated January 5, 1920 C. E. GATES BUYS OUT INTEREST OF WILLIAM A. GATES
It
was with surprise that business circles in the city learned today that
William A. Gates has sold out his minority holdings to the C. E. Gates
Auto Company to C. E. Gates and George Gates, who hold the
remainder of the company's stock, and is no longer connected with that
concern.
Mr. Gates, who has been a resident of Medford for the past five or six years, during which time he was connected with the Gates auto concern in which he became a minority stockholder when it was incorporated in March 1917, will after a few weeks' rest with his wife and adopted daughter visit for a month at their old home in the East, after which he will return and look over the Pacific Coast with a view to entering business again. Medford Mail Tribune, May 13, 1920, page 3 W. A. GATES HOME IS PURCHASED BY
GEORGE A. HUNT
The
latest sale of residence property reported was that today of W. A.
Gates' fine bungalow home at the corner of North Orange and East Ninth
streets to George Hunt, the local theatrical and moving picture man,
who also purchased most of the furniture.
Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, who have been residing at the Hotel Medford, will take possession as soon as Mr.and Mrs. Gates pack up and start on their visit in the East for a month or more. It is understood that the consideration for the house and furniture was $6000. Medford Mail Tribune, May 15, 1920, page 3 GROCETERIA OPENS HERE TOMORROW
The new Economy Groceteria, in the M.F.&H. building, W. A.
Gates
and W. H. Lydiard, proprietors, opens tomorrow. This is the new style
grocery, where you wait on yourself and pay the cashier as you go out,
the goods all being arranged conveniently for the public, and prices
marked in plain figures. This is the first grocery of the kind in
Southern Oregon and one of the few in the state.
W. A. Gates, who sold his interests here last year and went east, was so impressed with the success of this class of grocery in the East that he made a study of the methods and returned to Medford to establish one. He associated with him Mr. Lydiard, who has been in the grocery business here for years. Medford Mail Tribune, November 19, 1920, page 3 Bill Gates
"How
I Earned My First Dollar," Medford Mail Tribune, September
12, 1921, page 4
One day I was standing in the post office at Peoria, and a fellow said
to me:
"Willie, you steal old man Filfe's cane, and I'll give you a dollar." I started on a criminal career right then and there. Mr. Filfe told my father, and when I got home with my first dollar I got my first licking, and both seemed big. Get acquainted with [the] cash and carry system. This store was built up for the good of the hundreds of people that have been working hand in hand with us, and have learned to live and let live. We are now bringing down the high cost of living. All goods are marked in plain figures--100 cents, that is the value you get for every dollar's worth of goods you buy--just the best of everything for less, at the Spot Cash Basket Grocery, at the Vinson Barn, 226 N. Riverside Ave. "Local and Personal," Medford Mail Tribune, January 13, 1922, page 2 FIND LOST GIRL BEHIND A COOKIE
While Mrs.
Lewis Jenkins was busy shopping yesterday afternoon in the Hutchinson
& Lumsden store, her three-year-old daughter wandered away from
her
side and started out to see the sights. Later when she was missed and
could not be found the frantic mother started out to enlist the
services of Chief of Police Timothy to reunite the family.
The chief was just turning away from the street phone police box in front of the Chamber of Commerce building, where he had been summoned by the flashing of the red light to receive a message which he could not get exactly right, but pertained to something to a little girl and the Economy Groceteria, when he was stopped by the frantic mother, who started to tell her story. "Little girl gone and--just jump in my auto here with me," said the chief. "The Groceteria just phoned me something about a girl which I did not understand. We'll go down there." As the chief's car drove up in front Wm. Gates was seen coming out of the store carrying the girl, who had her features hidden behind a large cookie. Mother and daughter caught sight of each other and both began to cry with joy at the same time. Medford Mail Tribune, November 14, 1922, page 8 GROCETERIA IS IN NEW QUARTERS
Medford Mail Tribune, July
27, 1923, page 8
Groceries, meats of all kinds, vegetables, pies, cakes, pastries, pots
and pans--almost everything the housewife might need is offered the
people of Southern Oregon by the Economy Groceteria, which is now
housed in its spacious new building at the corner of Central and Sixth
Street. With the opening of this splendid new store, Medford can boast
of one of the very finest grocery stores in the Northwest. Six big
departments comprise the new Economy Groceteria, the floor space of
which exceeds 9200 square feet. These departments enable the busy
housewife to shop many necessities in one place and mark a distinct
expansion of Gates and Lydiard's business here.
An improved grocery department offers many values in the grocery line. Vegetables in season are always obtainable in the new vegetable section. Kitchenware is available in still another part of the store. The new meat market, under the management of Ed Binns, is deserving of special comment. This market is one of the most complete in the city, with a strictly modern icebox equipped with an efficient circulating system. This icebox is sealed with four heavy enamel coats. A refrigerating plant cools this icebox. A new Westinghouse automatic electric oven has been added to the bakery which gives this department a capacity of 4000 loaves of bread every eight hours in addition to the usual pastries. This oven is the very last word in bakery equipment and was purchased through the People's Electric Store here. A new sifting and blending machine will arrive in the near future to complete the bakery department's equipment. The bakery is ventilated by a big electric fan which forces cool, sweet air through the room. The delicatessen department, which will open in about a week, is an innovation for the Economy Groceteria. A cook, well versed in baking city delicacies, will be employed in this section. A modern ladies' restroom, extensive window display space and a roomy storeroom utilize the remaining space. Three cashiers will be kept busy during rush times and all stocks are arranged on low, easily accessible tables. All of the fixtures for the new Groceteria building were either made in Medford or bought through Medford merchants, according to Mr. Gates. The store, as a whole, is the last word in groceteria convenience, and Mr. Gates, Mr. Lydiard and Mr. Binns all anticipate a most successful business in their new quarters. BILL GATES BACK FROM
OLD HOME, PRAISES McNARY
The most impressive thing I ran across during the five weeks' visit of
myself and family in Illinois and Indiana from which we returned a few
days ago was that Senator Chas. L. McNary, of Oregon, is regarded as a
great man and is much looked up to by the farmers in the parts of those
states I visited, as the man upon whom they pin their faith to put the
farm industry on a safe and substantial basis. I was most agreeably
surprised.
Thus spoke today William A. Gates, the well-known Medford merchant, and dyed-in-the-wool Democrat of long standing as he looked the interviewer square in the eye without trace of an inward smile when uttering the last sentence about the Oregon Republican Senator. He was not spoofing. The above statements are all the more remarkable when it is known that the Medford man during his weeks in the East spent most of his time looking into conditions pertaining to his own business at home and drawing general comparisons of his home town in Oregon with those of cities of the same size or much larger in the East, and in vainly trying to find a homelier man with the same amount of general and business intelligence and horse sense than his partner, William H. Lydiard. Mr. Gates found business conditions among the farm element bad in the States, and throughout the Corn Belt, due to the fact that the farmers feel that they are not getting commensurate prices for the products they raise, and which condition they blame on politics. Hence their trust and admiration in Senator McNary for his efforts to get legislation through Congress for better agricultural conditions. The Medford merchant, however, while democratically blaming the tariff for not protecting the farmer from the open market competition of the world, holds to his private theory of long standing that the main trouble with the farmers of the East is that they are trying to live up to a high living standard and other underlying facts. He also holds that the farmers who grow for man's consumption are better off than those who grow for animals' consumption. He says he found plenty of evidence on this eastern sojourn to back up the above theories. Also in studying our conditions and making comparisons, Mr. Gates says he found the Rogue River Valley section farmers are better off than the eastern farmers, despite their irrigation and other high taxes, mainly due to the fact that they have been and are growing for man consumption. He declared that Medford has better and more permanent business conditions, a better business district and business buildings, more money in the banks, and the like, than a number of cities of the same size and much larger in Illinois and Indiana. All of which testifies to the fact that after his eastern trip with its ample time for comparison and studying into things, Mr. Gates returns home better pleased than ever with Medford and its future prospects. He described the weather during this eastern sojourn as being very agreeable and cool, presumably due to a backward spring and summer. Also the commercial and industrial cities of those states he found very prosperous. It was only in the farming communities that he found discouragement among the farmers and the business men of the smaller cities and towns. "Now that you have gotten all that out of your system, Bill, maybe you'll come down to earth and go over these invoices with me," remarked Mr. Lydiard. "All right, Bill," rejoined the interviewed man, as the interviewer got out while the going was good. Medford Mail Tribune, July 22, 1926, page 3 BILL GATES, WHO SHRANK 58 PDS., TELLS HIS RECIPE
One hears from time to time of odd cases of a local man or
woman getting down from much overweight through having adhered to some
special course of dieting, but the latest, simplest and most successful
case of that kind has become known through Wm. A. Gates, the Groceteria
man, who with his partners recently inaugurated a pedal hide selling
salon as a side issue, relating that in a year's time he had brought
his weight down from 274 pounds to 216 pounds, and that he would
henceforth rigidly adhere to the latter weight as his standard. [The "pedal hide" reference must be to Gates' involvement in the Economy Shoe Store.]This 58 pounds decrease in weight was accomplished without Mr. Gates suffering any hardship in denying himself food he hungered for, and has left him in good health, possessing more energy and feeling much younger and better than for years, he says. All this time he ate plenty of food of almost every kind his appetite wanted, but just a trifle less of it, but did stop eating potatoes, butter, sweets, pastry and white bread altogether. He ate only brown bread and did not stint himself much on that--eating from one or more slices at a meal, as his appetite dictated. Also he ate very light breakfasts. After the first ten days of this so-called dieting he no longer cared for potatoes or butter and never regained a taste for white bread or pastry. The only discomfort he encountered during this year of reduction period came about through the fact that as his waist girth decreased from time to time and he ceased to fill up as much space in Medford as before, his clothes became too large for him. In fact he had to have his clothes altered and made smaller three times, and today his trousers waistband could still withstand being taken up an inch or so. "It is remarkable how much better and younger I feel since I lost that 58 pounds--in fact, if possible, more so every day," says Mr. Gates. "I followed no doctor's advice or any staple diet prescription, but just a course of reduction eating of my own invention, which I adhered to after the first trial showed that it would do the work and bring my weight down gradually to normal for my size, inside of a year's time, without any harm." Medford Mail Tribune, February 5, 1928, page 3 GEORGE CARSTENS GETS AN EARFUL ABOUT W. GATES
George Carstens, well-known Medford man and formerly chief clerk at the
Hotel Medford until that hostelry months ago changed management on a
lease arrangement, who recently returned from a month's visit with his
two sisters in Peoria, Ill., accidentally ran into the leftover and
still existing civic fame there of a well-known Medford man.
"Shortly after arriving in Peoria on my visit," said Mr. Carstens today in telling of the matter, "I went to one of the hotels, introduced myself and was invited when downtown to make myself at home in the hotel lobby. Some time later I was writing a letter in the lobby, and at the same time talking with one of the clerks during which the name Medford was mentioned. "Thereupon a citizen who had overheard crossed over and asked me if I was from Medford, Ore. When I answered affirmatively he thereupon shook my hand and said: 'Did you ever hear of a man there by the name of William A. Gates?' 'Yes, sir,' I replied, 'he is one of Medford's leading business men.' "'Why, so was he here,' said the citizen, whom I learned later was a business man. 'You folks out in Oregon certainly gained an extra good man when he located with you. One of your leading men? That's not surprising.' "A short time later another rather important-looking man entered the lobby, walked directly over to me, introduced himself as the mayor of Peoria and said: 'I understand you are from Medford, Ore., and that William Gates, formerly one of our leading citizens, holds the same position there.' I replied in the affirmative and then the mayor wrung my hand warmly and extended the key to Peoria to me during my stay in that city, all because I was from the same city in Oregon as Bill Gates." While Mr. Carstens did not say so, it is presumed here that had he met the owner of the Peoria stockyards and had the latter been informed that he was from the same Oregon town as Bill Gates, the owner would have turned over to him the bull. Medford Mail Tribune, June 13, 1928, page 3 2 MEDFORDITES GIVEN GRUESOME SENDOFF IN AIR
William J. Lydiard, local business man, and Bob Crooks, the Mt. Shasta,
Calif., fruit and produce dealer, pale of face, and with trembling
hands and knees, were passengers on the air mail plane leaving here for
the south this morning, the former to spend a week in visiting in Los
Angeles and vicinity, and the latter for a business visit in San
Francisco, because of the unkindly offices of a group of business men
in the Sixth Street-Central Avenue corner neighborhood [location of the Groceteria] and other friends gathering at the air field to see that they got away properly.These big-hearted fellows, with downcast faces and bogus tears streaming down their cheeks, shook hands with them repeatedly as they repeated farewells over and over, and told them they wished they could live to see the further growth and advancement of Medford. Prior to this, Bill Gates had taken Mr. Lydiard to one side, asked him if he knew that if he were killed in an airplane accident all his insurance policies were void, and said he also hoped that his partner had made his will carefully, for he (Gates) did not want his relatives and heirs balling up the store management if anything serious happened. Soon Bill Lydiard showed by his nervousness and white face that he was fully cognizant of the dangerous journey ahead, as did Crooks. Then Fred McPherson pinned a piece of black crepe on Lydiard's coat lapel, while M. N. Hogan, lest Lydiard and Crooks should not have money enough with them, presented them with a large roll, while Bill Gates gave Lydiard some other utensils which come in handy in great stages of fright. Just as the big plane was about ready to start, the crowd began to march slowly around and sing dirges. On hearing this, Lydiard and Crooks decided that they would rather take their chances in the air than remain to be tortured to death by such slovenly singing, jumped into the plane, shouted "Let 'er go," and were soon speeding southward. Just before they boarded the plane, Crooks staggered over to Lydiard and jerked the black crepe from his coat and threw it to the ground, saying, "We're hoodooed enough now, without that." Medford Mail Tribune, June 14, 1928, page 8 31 Crater Lake Avenue, Medford: William A. Gates, 57, grocer, born Indiana, parents Indiana Anna K. Gates, 46, born Illinois, parents Illinois Mary A. Gates, 11, born Oregon U.S. Census, enumerated April 15-16, 1930 "Peoria Bill" Is Valley Booster
W.
A. (Peoria Bill) Gates was not born in Oregon, but to make up for that
error plans to spend the rest of his life in Southern Oregon. A native
of Indiana, Mr. Gates came to Medford 16 years ago from Peoria, Ill.,
where he was connected with a large mail order house in the advertising
department. For five years he was engaged in the automobile and
accessories business here with his brother, C. E. Gates, severed his
connections and a year or so later formed [a] partnership with W. H.
Lydiard for the establishment of the Economy Groceteria in a portion of
the store room now occupied by the M.M. Department Store.
Mr. Gates is well known to Southern Oregon residents, is an active worker in the Medford Chamber of Commerce and is behind every move for the betterment of the community. He has the interests of valley producers at heart, and ever since he entered the grocery business he has been devising ways and means of improving local marketing conditions to give the benefits to local growers in preference to growers outside the state shipping in products during the local growing season. He has always been a tireless worker in this direction and is a firm believer in the "buy-at-home" spirit, embodying the thought "By Medford Trade Is Medford Made." "Bill" is an enthusiastic believer in consistent advertising, writes interesting and convincing copy for the Economy Groceteria ads that have appeared every Friday for years in the Mail Tribune "Bill" was a member of the publicity committee that put over the airport election by 13 to 1. Medford Mail Tribune, April 18, 1930, page E1 GATES DEPRESSED BY FORLORN FOLK ON MIDWEST TRIP
"The rich are getting richer and the poor have reached bottom." That
was the way W. A. "Peoria Bill" Gates summed up his observations of
conditions in the Middle West, upon his return here this morning.Drastic cuts in wages, with retail prices still maintaining a much higher level than is known out here, is another condition noted by Bill, who admitted that he was considerably depressed by the attitude of people in the commercial districts. "There is a haunted, driven look in their faces that one doesn't get out here at all," he explained. "Men and women hurrying on to work, indifferent to the world around them. In fact they act as though they were afraid to look to right or left for fear of encountering something they don't care to face. "There is apparently no prohibition law in effect throughout the Middle West," said Bill, who in one city (name not divulged) observed a large brewery running full time, with whistles announcing the hours of various operations. "However, the general expression is 'times are pretty bad, but we're better off in our town than they are other places,' which indicates that they probably could be worse every place," he said. While in Peoria, where he visited two brothers and a sister, Bill had the experience of listening to a soapbox orator, whose fluency in language, he said, far outweighed his mental equipment. He was one of the many communists said to be gaining support in the coal mining areas of that state. At practically every railway station, according to Bill, passengers who get out to enjoy a breath of fresh air were surrounded by hoboes and others begging for money. This condition, he said, was less existent in Oregon than other states, which was one of the many reasons he found the "climate" better here than elsewhere. Besides his own relatives, Bill visited relatives of Mrs. Gates in Pekin, Illinois, as well as numerous friends throughout the state. Medford Mail Tribune, October 28, 1931, page 2 GATES AWARE OF STORE'S ROMANCE
The marriage of Miss Jane McOuat and W. H. Lydiard in Grants Pass
Monday morning may have surprised a number of people in Medford, but
not W. A. (Bill) Gates. In fact, Bill expressed himself as not being
any more surprised at that than at any other marriage."I've known about it for a long, long time," reminisced Bill. "I knew it before Bill did and before Jane did. It was an inevitable outcome." And then Mr. Gates quoted Huxley, Schopenhauer, Marx and Kant to prove his point. Nobody in the office followed him, so it was all right. "Of course, my knowing all about it made it easier when they came to spring it on me," continued Bill. "I helped them spring it, and they shared my surprise. The effect was perfectly synchronized and absolutely shockproof." Then he pulled one about having the wedding gift all picked out. "You see Bill Lydiard is a Scotchman so he will appreciate it. I'm going to present him with a pair of homing pigeons." Medford Mail Tribune, May 3, 1933, page 3
GATES' BROTHER DIES IN ILLINOIS
W. A. Gates of the Economy Groceterias of this city announced today
that he had canceled his trip east this summer, as he had received word
of the death Sunday of his brother, Harry E. Gates of Peoria, Ill.,
whom he planned to visit. Although he had been in poor health for some
time, his illness became critical recently.Harry E. Gates was an illustrator and assistant advertising manager of the Peoria Daily Star. Medford Mail Tribune, June 13, 1933, page 3  'Peoria Bill' Gates Tight Rope Walker When Young, He Says Also Wanted To Be Engineer; Came Here To Enter Automobile Business With His Brother; Likes To Study History, Archaeology By MOORE HAMILTON The
secret is out on W. A. (Peoria Bill) Gates. He used to be a tight-rope
walker.
Furthermore, says he, he can still walk a tight rope, if anyone doubts him. Walking tight-rope was his first ambition, and first accomplishment. He has never forgotten how. The trouble with interviewing a man like Gates is that you get more data in a few minutes than you could write in a week, and the information you get extends from tight-rope walking to archaeological research in Southern Oregon and Central America, and from quaint humorous personalities to philosophies of life and a treatise on the history of religion. Born in Peoria
Born in
Peoria, Illinois (he
didn't say when), he spent his youth going to school, learning to walk
a tight rope, and wanting to be a railroad engineer. The death of his
father when he was 19 set him adrift upon the world, and his
occupations have been many."I used to stand by the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks and watch the trains go by," he said, "and I used to think that to be a railroad engineer would be perfection. I wanted to run an engine and blow the whistle. I could think of nothing better." Leaning back in his chair in his small office in the back of Groceteria No. 1 [100 North Central at 6th Street], where he holds forth, he put his hand to his chin and a broad smile crept over his face. A spot on the ceiling attracted his gaze. "The more I think of the ambitions I had as a youth, the more I become convinced that we are nothing but driftwood, cast about by the waves and floated here and there by circumstances. Our fates are sealed by others." Was Engineer Once
"I got
myself as a job as an
engineer," he said, "in a large manufacturing plant in Chicago, when I
was 21 years old. I loved to hear the machinery run, and I loved to
whistle as it roared. One day the boss said to me, 'Bill, if you don't
stop that d----- whistling, you'll have to stop working here.' I quit,"
he said, breaking into a laugh. "I couldn't think of machinery without
some sort of whistle. "I sold merchandise in Medford long before I ever came here," he said, "but always by correspondence. I was chief correspondent for the Larkin Company, a mail order house, of Peoria and Buffalo. I had dozens of Medford citizens on my mailing lists." The old question of whether or not C. E. (Pop) Gates and W. A. Gates are brothers was definitely answered. Joined "Pop" Here
"Yes," he
said, "Sure, 'Pop' and I
are brothers. He's a year or two older than I am. That's why I came to
Medford in 1914, was to go into business selling cars with 'Pop.' I was
with him for about six years, before I went into business in this
store, in 1920, with Lydiard."W. H. Lydiard and Gates are the Medford pioneers in modern grocery merchandising. Theirs was the first store that made a specialty of studying foods, and of helping the buyer to select proper, seasonal foods, and at a lower price. "I figured out a long time ago that the volume of business in foods was greater than the volume of business in any other line of merchandise. That's why I got into the business. Merchandising of late years has proved my contention. The grocery business has grown away from the old standard," he said. "Then the business of the merchant was merely to supply food to eat. Today's standard of food merchandising places a grave responsibility on the merchant. To supply proper foods, under modern laws of dietetics, and foods that are the most healthful according to the season, is a serious business. Food merchandising must be approached from that angle. The buyer's health and pocketbook must be protected at all times." Advised Young Men
Turning
from talk of his store, he
changed abruptly from Gates the merchant, to Gates the philosopher. His
advice to young men is worth taking."Young men should not take life too seriously," he said. "That's the mistake so many of them make. Don't let misfortune get you down. If you'll work, and study, and not think the world rests upon your own shoulders, you'll get along. "Getting back to what I said about us all being just driftwood," he said, leaning forward, this time to fix his gaze upon his desk, "let me give you an example of what I mean. Of all the young men I went to school with, only one is now doing the thing he studied and hoped to do when young. He is a doctor." Slowly he enumerated a dozen men, some now barristers, manufacturers, students and clerks, but none of whom is practicing the profession or business he wanted to when a young man. Fate Isn't Yours
"Your fate
is entirely in the
hands of other people," he said. "You might not think it,
but it
is. You're just driftwood in human form. Say you're working someplace
on a newspaper. You don't think your job amounts to much, but you do
the best you can. Someone older than you, with experience, will see
your work, and if he likes it, he'll just pick you up and put you
someplace else, in a different part of the world or in a different type
of work, and he, not you, has determined what your life is to become.Defines Happiness
"Furthermore," he said, "don't
ever think that the things you have are the things that make you happy.
That isn't true. The things you haven't are the things that make you
happy. Anticipation is more pleasant than realization. I see dozens of
examples of that right here in the store every day.""How about your theory that the writings on the rocks in Southern Oregon and Northern California are the same as those found in the Mayan jungles of Central America, written in the ruins of the ancient Aztec and Maya civilizations?" he was asked. "It sounds interesting!" "It is interesting," he said, "so much so that I doubt if anyone fully realizes, yet, just what those findings in the lava beds [at Petroglyph Point in the Lava Beds National Monument] mean. "You see," he said, "the American Indian is of Mongolian ancestry. They crossed over from Asia to Alaska at some time when the two continents were connected. They traveled south. "When Cortez first entered Mexico," he said, "the natives said that their ancestors had come from a land of reeds and marshes, and pointed towards the north. There are many lands of reeds and marshes," Gates said, "but the Klamath country is the only one bearing the writings found in the ruins of the Mayan cities." That the establishment of the Mayan empire, about 15,000 years ago, and the destruction of Mt. Mazama, about 15,000 years ago, are closely connected, is the theory held by Gates. He explained: "Geologists now tell us that Crater Lake resulted from the destruction of Mt. Mazama about 15,000 years ago," he said. [Today's geologists date Crater Lake's birth at 7,700 years ago.] "Archaeologists tell us that the Mayan civilization started some 15,000 years ago. [Now they date the first Maya settlements at about 3,800 years ago.] The writings found in the Mayan jungles and in the Klamath Basin speak for themselves. "I believe that a high civilization existed here when Crater Lake was destroyed, and it was driven out, partly through fear and partly because the lands were covered with hot lava and the people killed. These people went south." Gates first became interested in archaeology while living in the artists' quarters in Chicago, working in the engine room of the manufacturing plant where he got fired because he wouldn't quit whistling. He attended several of the free lectures on archaeology given at the university there, and has been a student of the ancients ever since, gaining most of his information from research and reading. His library is well stocked with such lore, and he reads everything he can get his hands on. "I have studied enough of it," he said, "and talked with enough authorities, so when I started to read this book called 'The Lost Continent of Mu,' I just said 'rot' and threw it away. "If you want to get interested in the study of the ancients," he said, reaching for his hat which meant a close of the interview, get 'This Believing World,' by Lewis Brown. You can get it at any of the rental libraries here. If that won't make you want to learn more about it, nothing will. Brown knows what he's writing about too." Medford News, September
22, 1933, page 1
GATES EXPLAINS CLIFF MESSAGES TO KIWANIS CLUB
Cliff writings in the Klamath Basin and Tule Lake country with their
interpretation formed the subject of the lecture given Monday by W. A.
Gates before the Kiwanis Club at luncheon at the Hotel Medford.Mr. Gates, who has an extensive library devoted to the subjects of archaeology and geology, dealing particularly with the Pacific section, illustrated his talk with a chart of hieroglyphics. Writings, supported by competent authorities, showed a direct contact between those of the Tule Lake country and those of races which occupied the lost continent of Lemuria (incorrectly known, according to Mr. Gates, as Mu). In his address yesterday, Mr. Gates also traced the exodus of the Lemuria peoples into Mexico and the Aztec civilization. To establish this contention he introduced the architecture, myths, legends and folklore traditions of the people for comparisons. Their exodus, he stated, was undoubtedly connected with the destruction of Mt. Mazama, where Crater Lake was formed. The hieroglyphics on the islands, left from the lost continent, are the same as many of those found on the coast, Mr. Gates stated. They are religious writings, many of them readable. Reading them, the speaker added, enables one to arrive at the source of many of our own cherished religious traditions. Mr. Gates will be going to Klamath Falls sometime during the next two weeks to speak before an organization there on the same subject, which he has studied for the past 20 years, taking advantage of the findings on the Pacific Coast to improve his understanding of the great amount of literature he has read on the subject. Among other guests of the Kiwanians at luncheon yesterday was Dr. C. H. Paske, who was welcomed home from San Francisco. Dr. Paske announced that he was resuming his dental practice here. Medford Mail Tribune, October 24, 1933, page 3  Medford Mail Tribune, June
4, 1934
LAST RITES FOR MRS. W. A. GATES 2
P.M. MONDAY
Funeral
services for Mrs. Anna Catherine Gates, widely known Medford woman who
passed away yesterday morning, will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the
Perl Funeral Home with the Rev. Louis C. Kirby of the Methodist church
in charge. Private interment services will follow at the mausoleum of
the I.O.O.F. cemetery.
Mrs. Gates had lived in Medford since 1914, having come here at that time with her husband, William A. Gates, Medford merchant. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Daughters of the Nile and had served on the executive board of the First Methodist church. During the first world war Mrs. Gates worked with the supply department of the Jackson County Red Cross chapter and subsequently received a citation from President Woodrow Wilson. At the outbreak of the second war, she again joined the supply department volunteers and remained with the staff until her health failed. Mrs. Gates was born February 3, 1884, in Beardsville, Ill., the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Flamme. Her marriage to Mr. Gates took place in Pekin, Ill., in 1904, and the couple resided there and in Peoria, Ill., until moving to Medford from the latter city. Survivors are Mr. Gates, a daughter, Mrs. Paul E. Smith of 27 Crater Lake Avenue, Medford, her mother, Mrs. Carl Flamme of Pekin, and two brothers, Carl Jr. and Ralph Flamme, both also residing in Pekin. Medford Mail Tribune, May 16, 1947, page 1 30th Anniversary Noted by
Groceteria,
GATES, WILLIAM ARTHURFriendship Said Key in Long History
Friendship is the key to success. That axiom has been tested and proved
through the years by Gates and Lydiard Groceteria, which will
commemorate its 30 years of service to the Medford community with an
anniversary observance starting Friday and continuing until
Thanksgiving Day.
This success is evidenced by the firm's report that more than 600 [sic] Southern Oregon families have looked to the Groceteria for their food during these 30 years. There is additional proof in the growth of the enterprise. Staff of 35 Stressing friendship and keeping pace with the most modern trends in merchandising, the business has expanded from a two-man-operated store into one employing approximately 35 persons. William A. Gates and William H. Lydiard opened their first Groceteria in part of the room now occupied by F. W. Woolworth company in the Medford Center building. Before their business was launched, according to Gates, there was no real cash store in town and prices were very high. This fact indicated need for a low-expense enterprise which in turn suggested self-service. The two men met the challenge with the first self-service store in the Northwest. Open Present Store They occupied the Medford Center building until August 1923, when they moved to a structure they erected close by on the corner of Sixth Street and Central Avenue. In 1930 they opened another Groceteria at their present location, Sixth and Grape Streets. Lydiard passed away about 12 years ago and since then Gates has had the principal hand in guiding the destiny of the corporation. He is president of the firm. Following sale of the Central Avenue location to J. C. Penney company in 1946, the Grape Street store was closed for renovations. On Jan. 25, 1947, the Grape Street establishment was reopened, completely modernized with the latest in equipment and fixtures. The other Groceteria was closed and the building later razed to make way for a new J. C. Penney store. The present store, with its bakery, "$aving $enter," large meat department, kitchen, fountain and lunch counter, egg candling department, the food departments with many attractive rows of display counters and cases and the friendly atmosphere, are a source of satisfaction to Gates. Unique Bakery He maintains that the Groceteria bakery has one claim none other can make. It is that Groceteria cakes, ordered by people in other states or sent as gifts by local residents, have been shipped to every state in the nation. These out-of-state shipments, mostly to Minnesota and Texas, are constant, Gates said. Cakes have gone to Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Cuba and Australia. Lowell Iverson, Groceteria director, recalled that a cake was shipped to him [at] Fort Lewis during the war. Before the delicacy caught up with him six weeks later, he was in Australia. The cake, kept in an airtight container, was still in good condition, he declared. A huge anniversary cake has been baked and decorated. It will serve 1,200 to 1,500 people and will be cut starting at 10 a.m. Friday. Gates said that it is full of prize-designating capsules. Open refrigerated display cases, with shelves of varying temperatures to suit the requirements of different types of food displayed, are an outstanding feature of the Groceteria. Use Ultraviolet Most department shoppers can view a portion of the cutting and grinding operation in a back room. The meat refrigeration room is equipped with sterilizing and odor-killing ultraviolet ray lighting. One of Gates' successful sale techniques was reported in the November issue of the National Grocers Bulletin. On the evidence that the housewife is too busy planning meals to think about candy, hard candy has been placed on display shelves with easy reach of the check stands and sells as an "impulse" item. Candy is now a top profit item, he told the magazine. The Groceteria axiom of friendliness is further credited out on the "Friendship Circle," broadcast by radio station KMED for 21 years. Gates pointed out that the program has the distinction of being the oldest one in the United States broadcast on one station by one sponsor. Gates heads a board of five directors who operate the business. Mrs. Jane Lydiard, widow of one of the co-founders, is vice president; Melvin Hall, with the firm since 1926, is secretary and manager and general buyer; Iverson and Paul Smith are directors. Their aim, according to Gates, is to "run a store we ourselves would like to trade in." They seek to contribute to [the] home life of their customers. Good, clean, low-priced food brings happiness when the family is gathered together. Gates calls it "dinner table harmony." The Groceteria is a meeting place for oldtimers, the veteran grocer said. He added that he knows of nothing he enjoys so much as being at the store among the people he has known so long. Medford Mail Tribune, November 17, 1949, page 8 President, Gates & Lydiard, Inc., Groceteria Super Food Markets. b. Winamac, Indiana, May 16, 1878; son of Jacob and May A. (Hastings) Gates; educated grade and high schools west Indiana; m. Anna Flamme, Pekin, Ill., March 24, 1904; daughter Mary Ann (adopted); began as factory agent (manager) Corn Products Refining Co., Pekin, Ill. 1898-1904; advertising manager Larkin Co. (mail order house), Buffalo, N.Y. 1905-15; partner auto supply business, Gates Auto Co. 1915-20; established present business in 1920, partner until 1939, president 1939 to date; director Bagley Canning Co. (ex-president); Jackson County Chairman bond drive 1942-43; Pacific Coast Industries, Advertising Committee, O.P.A.; member Oregon State Grocers Association, three years president old organization, one year with new; student of Egyptology, archaeology (on cliffs near Medford); has made scientific study of all forms of same; Rotarian (past president); Chamber of Commerce (director since 1925); S.R. Mason; Hillah Shrine; Elks; Republican; Methodist; home 31 Crater Lake; office 6th & Central, Medford. Capitol's Who's Who for Oregon 1948-49, page 208 30th Anniversary Noted by Groceteria, Friendship Said Key in Long History
Friendship is the key to success. That axiom has been tested and proved
through the years by Gates and Lydiard Groceteria, which will
commemorate its 30 years of service to the Medford community with an
anniversary observance starting Friday and continuing until
Thanksgiving Day.
This success is evidenced by the firm's report that more than 600 southern Oregon families have looked to the Groceteria for their food during these 30 years. There is additional proof in the growth of the enterprise. Staff of 35 Stressing friendship and keeping pace with the most modern trends in merchandising, the business has expanded from a two-man operated store into one employing approximately 35 persons. William A. Gates and William H. Lydiard opened their first Groceteria in part of the room now occupied by F. W. Woolworth company in the Medford Center building. Before their business was launched, according to Gates, there was no real cash store in town, and prices were very high. This fact indicated need for a low-expense enterprise, which in turn suggested self-service. The two men met the challenge with the first self-service store in the Northwest. Open Present Store They occupied the Medford Center building until August, 1923, when they moved into a structure they erected close by on the corner of Sixth Street and Central Avenue. In 1930 they opened another Groceteria at their present location, Sixth and Grape streets. Lydiard passed away about 12 years ago, and since then Gates has had the principal hand in guiding the destiny of the corporation. He is president of the firm. Following sale of the Central Avenue location to J. C. Penney Company in 1946, the Grape Street store was closed for renovations. On Jan. 25, 1947, the Grape Street establishment was reopened, completely modernized with the latest in equipment and fixtures. The other Groceteria was closed and the building later razed to make way for a new J. C. Penney store. The present store, with its bakery, "$aving $enter," large meat department, kitchen, fountain and lunch counter, egg candling department, the food departments with many attractive rows of display counters and cases and the friendly atmosphere, is a source of satisfaction to Gates. Unique Bakery He maintains that the Groceteria bakery has one claim no other can make. It is that Groceteria cakes, ordered by people in other states or sent as gifts by local residents, have been shipped to every state in the nation. These out-of-state shipments, mostly to Minnesota and Texas, are constant, Gates said. Cakes have gone to Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, Cuba and Australia. Lowell Iverson, Groceteria director, recalled that a cake was shipped to him to Fort Lewis during the war. Before the delicacy caught up with him six weeks later, he was in Australia. The cake, kept in an airtight container, was still in good condition, he declared. A huge anniversary cake has been baked and decorated. It will serve 1,200 to 1,500 people and will be cut starting at 10 a.m. Friday. Gates said that it is full of prize-designating capsules. Open refrigerated display cases, with shelves of varying temperatures to suit the requirements of different types of food displayed, are an outstanding feature of the Groceteria. Use Ultra-Violet Meat department shoppers can view a portion of the cutting and grinding operation in a back room. The meat refrigeration room is equipped with sterilizing and odor-killing ultra-violet ray lighting. One of Gates' successful sales techniques was reported in the November issue of the National Grocer's Bulletin. On the evidence that the housewife is too busy planning meals to think about candy, hard candy has been placed on display shelves within easy reach of the check stands and sells as an "impulse" item. Candy is now a top profit item, he told the magazine. The Groceteria axiom of friendliness is further carried out on the "Friendship Circle," broadcast by radio station KMED for 21 years. Gates pointed out that the program has the distinction of being the oldest one in the United States broadcast on one station by one sponsor. Gates heads a board of five directors who operate the business. Mrs. Jane Lydiard, widow of one of the co-founders, is vice president; Melvin Hall, with the firm since 1926, is secretary and manager and general buyer; Iverson and Paul Smith are directors. Their aim, according to Gates, is to "run a store we, ourselves, would like to trade in." They seek to contribute to [the] home life of their customers. Good, clean, low-priced food brings happiness when the family is gathered together. Gates calls it "dinner table harmony." The Groceteria is a meeting place for oldtimers, the veteran grocer said. He added that he knows of nothing he enjoys so much as being at the store among the people he has known so long. Medford Mail Tribune, November 17, 1949, page 8 William A. Gates, Groceteria
Head, Dies in California
William
A. Gates, 78, president of the Groceteria Super Food markets,
died
today in a Palm Springs hospital. Funeral arrangements are pending
through Perl funeral home.
Youngest of a family of six, Mr. Gates was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Gates. He was born May 16, 1878, at Winamac, Ind., and came to Medford in 1915. From 1915 to 1920 he was associated with his brother, the late C. E. Gates, in the automobile business. In 1920 he established the present business in which he was a partner until 1939. Since that time he has been president of the firm. Mr. Gates was interested in encouraging athletic activities, baseball in particular. His hobbies included Egyptology and archaeology, and he made scientific studies on the subjects. He was a past president of the Medford Rotary Club; was a past director of the Chamber of Commerce; a Scottish Rite Mason; a member of the Hillah Temple of the Shrine; was a member of Elks lodge, and the Methodist Church. He was a former president and director of Bagley Canning Company. For three years Mr. Gates was president of the State Grocers Association. His wife died on May 15, 1947. Survivors include an adopted daughter, Mrs. Paul Smith of Medford; and several nieces and nephews, Mrs. A. C. Dean and George Gates, both of Medford; Mrs. Marie Thielman, Bend; Parker Gates, in Illinois; John Gates, in California, and Marian Gates, who lives in the East. It is the desire of the family that those wishing to honor Mr. Gates' memory, in lieu of flowers, make donations to the Rogue Valley Memorial Hospital, which can be mailed to the hospital campaign office at 28 South Bartlett St. Medford Mail Tribune, May 25, 1956, page 1 "Bill" Gates
In referring to the passing of William A. Gates at Palm Springs last
Friday, we can say that he will be mourned by a host of friends, young
and old, without being charged with using an old familiar cliche.We are sure that many, indeed, will feel a deep and personal loss, because Mr. Gates was a kindly man with a vast capacity for friendship; easy to meet and to know. Old timers will miss him because Bill Gates was, himself, an old timer. Whenever a receptive ear was at hand, he loved to indulge in nostalgic memories of early days in the Rogue River Valley, when he entered the automobile business with his brother, the late C. E. "Pop" Gates. That was back in 1915. Five years later he pioneered the self-service food business in Southern Oregon with Bill Lydiard. Youngsters, too, have lost a friend in Bill Gates, who always had a cheery greeting for them in his store or on the street. One of his most satisfying activities was helping to plan and finance an annual Christmas turkey dinner for children of the valley, with an assist from the Salvation Army. Another thing is certain. William A. Gates will be missed in civic and business circles of this city. Being a gregarious man he enjoyed participation in clubs and fraternal orders, yet always seemed to have the time and energy to do his bit for the community he loved. Long a sports enthusiast, Bill Gates never missed the opportunity to help along his favorite sport, baseball, and athletics in general. Since early manhood, Mr. Gates was an avid reader, a homespun philosopher, and indulged in such unusual hobbies as Egyptology and archaeology. In recent years he extended his many interests to the study of religions, and to enjoy speculation and contemplation along these lines he frequently sought the solitude of remote and scenic roadways of the Rogue River Valley, a habit known to few of his close friends. IF . . There would happen to be an Elks Club in that heavenly place the Koran calls the lofty towers, or in Omar Khayyam's bowl they call the sky, there "Peoria Bill" Gates is most likely to be with his cronies of yesteryear--Smudge Pot Perry, Judge Kelly and the rest of them, in friendly argument and spinning tall yarns over 3-cushion billiard, snooker and rummy tables. After a long, busy and useful life this would be, we believe, the reward Bill Gates would want and appreciate most of all.--H.G. Medford Mail Tribune, May 27 1956, page 4 Services Scheduled for W. A. Gates
Funeral
services for William A. Gates, 78, who died in Palm Springs Friday,
will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the First Methodist Church. The Rev.
Raymond E. Balcomb will officiate. Entombment will be in Medford
memorial mausoleum.
Medford Lodge 103, A.F. and A.M. will participate in services at the mausoleum. Mr. Gates was president of the Groceteria, and has been associated in the grocery business here since 1920. He moved to Medford in 1915. The family has suggested that in lieu of flowers donations may be made to Rogue Valley Memorial hospital by contacting Col. Charles Stafford at 28 South Bartlett St. Perl Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Active pallbearers will be Ross Minneci, Fred Mast, Darrel Mitchell, Bob Darnell, Morris Boughner and George Holzgang. Honorary pallbearers will be Jimmy Dunlevy, Herb Grey, Joe Jorgenson, Bill Walker, Jerry Watkins and Charles Baucom. Medford Mail Tribune, May 29, 1956, page 1 GROCETERIA SUPER FOOD MARKET
(As told by Mel Hall, 1985)
In
the early 1920s, Bill Gates made a trip back East to observe
self-service stores, which were new at that time. After extensive
research he came back to the Rogue River Valley, searching for a
partner to join him in this new concept of the food industry. Someone
suggested Bill Lydiard, who owned and operated the Jackson Street
grocery store on West Jackson.
Gates & Lydiard formed a partnership, with Gates, the promoter, doing the selling and Lydiard, more conservative, doing the buying and management. November 20, 1920, the first self-service grocery store in the state of Oregon and possibly the first of its kind on the West Coast was opened on the southwest corner of 6th and Central. Previous to that time the clerks filled all orders. In those days many of the stores displayed their wares clear to the ceiling, and the clerk had to be pretty handy at using the sliding ladder to reach many of the items in making up a grocery order. In 1922 the store was moved to the southeast corner of 6th and Central into a brand-new building built by Porter Neff and later called Groceteria #1, with Groceteria #2 opening on the northwest corner of 6th and Grape in 1930. In the early years of Groceteria #1, where Penneys is now located, Jane McQuat was office manager, affectionately called "Tillie the Toiler" by her fellow workers, in the 1930s she became Mrs. Bill Lydiard. I started my career at the store in 1926 as an "out-boy" carrying boxes to the cars--no nice baskets with wheels then--just lugged them out on the shoulder. I gradually acquired an interest in the business, and after Mr. Lydiard's death a corporation was formed of Bill Gates, Osa Boyd, "Doc" Pope and myself, with me serving as manager of #1 and supervisor of #2. In 1961 the corporation sold. Later in 1966 my wife, Dorothy, and I purchased the store back. Groceteria #1 had been gone for some time by then, and we closed the doors of Groceteria #2 in 1975. Thomasine Swoape Smith, ed., More Than a Cookbook, Medford, 1985 Last revised November 16, 2024 |
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