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| Home |  |
Preface | |
A Brief History | |
A Beginning | |
Drum Castle | |
Necarne-Castle Irvine | |
Family Tree |
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Myra C. Irvine |
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MYRA C. IRVINE, Myra (nee Irvine) Guardia Kirkendall, 2nd child of Edesse Plamondon of Salem, Or., and Clare Bartlett Irvine of Mt. Vernon - Salem and numerous places in the Metropolitan Los Angeles area, was born 17 Oct., 1895, in Salem Ore. Attended public schools in Santa Monica, demonstrating a leaning toward piano music - in which accomplishment she advanced rapidly. Her father and older brother being in newspaper work Myra had a rather natural entree into the literary and musical life that was developing in the environs of Culver City and Hollywood. By 1920 she had played several bit parts in the movies and was a stand in for Mary Pickford, besides which she had given several demonstrations of her skill at the piano - even an audience before the famous Paderewski, who complimented profusely and urged continuation of her musical career through study in Europe. Having met and become enamored of Harry Andrews Guardia, Myra became sidetracked from pursuit of her artistic possibilities, being married 4th April 1920. Domestic life with a playboy husband habitually short of funds soon proved unbearable and a divorce took place in 1924, Myra being granted the custody of the one child. Financial support of the family, as granted by the court, was not forthcoming with any reliable regularity and Myra sought to pick up the threads of her cultural life in music and the movies. As her 3-4 years absence had taken her out of the swim in these fields this pursuit was not highly successful. An unwelcome amorous pursuit by one of the encourage of Cecille B. DeMille convinced her that the cost of attaining stardom was beyond her willingness to pay. She became accompanist for Betty Noble, a protégé of Harold McCormick, teaching piano on the side. After the untimely death of her father in Dec. 1928 she was employed as buyer in Adult Games at Broadway Gift Shop. In 1935 this work had to be abandoned due to the progressive invalidism of her mother, whom she nursed with ever-increasing care until her demise in 1943. (May 17). The next 1 1/2 years she worked in a radio shop at Lockheed. 29th Nov., 1944 a 2nd marriage took place - to William Edgar Kirkendall. Kirk was Electrolysis Tester for the Los Angeles Water Dept., and electrical engineer that experienced World War II Service in the Chemical Warfare Dept., and is listed in "Who’s Who" for 1941. In Sept. 1946 Myra and Kirk built a small home and moved onto a small Lemon Grove in Duarte, Cal. "Who’s who in engineering 1941" "Kirkendall, Wm. E., electrolysis Tester for Dept. of Water and Power of Los Angeles. Res. 5705 Monta Vista St. Electro-Chemical Engineer. Born Fruita, Colo., 4 July, 1904, son of Nettie Knecht and James A. Kirkendall; educated Cudhesne Co., H.S., Roosevelt, Utah; University of California (Southern) School of Government. Technical Assist. Western Electric, N.Y. 1920-2. Tech. Assist. Vacc. Tub Res. Lab. 1922-3. Assist. Electro-Matallurgical and Chemical, Union Carbide Research Lab., 1923-4. Vac. Tube Productus Bell Telephone Lab. 1924-5. Mach. Service, Michigan Bell Tel. 1926-7. Overhead construction property survey, Los Angeles Rwy. 1927-8. With L.A. Water and Power since 1928. Inventor of Protective coatings for metal pipe. Woodmen of the World. Recreation - scenic photography; hobby - micro-photography. Non-sectarian. Republican." The lemon ranching lasted only about a year - adjoining property was bought up for tract development - Duarte was too far from Kirk’s work - and they found it advantageous to sell their small property for inclusion in the tract. Lemon raising allowed for some fun in bee culture but they were soon back to 117 Bimini Place, L.A. 4. Issue: Albert Henry Guardia, b. 11 Aug., 1921 in Los Angeles. m. Marion Alice Miller, 10 Dec., 1942. Div. 1947. m. 2nd. Barbara Deane Cross, b. 8 Oct., 1925 in Taft, Calif., on 11 April 1948. Note; A letter of 24 Aug., 1941 to Myra from William Guardia - a brother to Harry Andrews Guardia - mentions a Spanish family crest. The correct full name was ‘de la Guardia’ - the ancestors living in Madrid and Barcelona. Possibly the title was too extinct but it would be listed in the Almanac de Gotha. And queer to not "My maternal grandmother was Isabella Fleming from Enniskillen, co. Fermanagh, Ireland, a direct descendent of William Fleming who was knighted in 1066 by William of Orange (William the Conqueror). That Crest was listed some years back in ‘Burke’s Peerage’ and probably still is". (Queer how this little town of Enniskillen keeps popping up - and this writer uses the old spelling ‘Inniskillen’.) Issue of Albert Henry Guardia and Barbara Deane Cross: - DOLORES DEANE GUARDIA, b 14th Dec., 1948, in Salt Lake City, Utah. 5th Generation Bob is the only child of Myra Irvine and Harry Andrews Guardia, was born in Culver City, Calif., on 11 Aug., 1921. High school education entered the Navy 1 May 1942. Boot Training at San Diego Naval Training Station and was then assigned to Salton Sea on Navy Patrol (PBY). While at this station he met and married Marion Alice Miller on 10 Dec., 1942. Medically discharged from duty 22 Aug., 1943. In Oct. ‘43 started work as naval Inspector on all types of Naval Aircraft built by Consolidated Aircraft, at San Diego. After the close of the War, Bob was at loose ends and for a time lived on his father-in-law’s orange ranch near Anaheim, Calif. Mr. Miller - of recently arrived German extraction - sought to have Bob assume all the heavy duties relevant to growing his oranges - without provision for adequate recompense. In his spare time Bob modernized an old barn - presumably to be used as a home for himself and Alice. Meantime the father-in-law passed the time chaperoning Alice and an erstwhile friend of Bob’s to all available race tracks. By the summer of 1947 the situation had become so enormous that Bob undertook to ‘get out from under’ - willfully neglecting the oranges to earn a living at hawking fruits and vegetables at nearby resorts. By fall he departed for Los Angeles, found a job, particulate for an engineering course, and divorced Alice. On 11 April 1948, Bob married BARBARA DEANE CROSS, of Anaheim. Barbara was the daughter of Mary Ethel Shephard (b. 26 Jan., 1898 in Topeka, Kans.) and Adalaska Bird Cross (b. 1 Feb., 1900 in Corona, Calif.) Barbara was born in Taft, Calif., the family removing to Anaheim when she was just 1 year old - 8 Oct., 1926, and she and her brother there grew up and were educated in Anaheim schools. Barbara became interested in the theatre, graduated from Fullerton Junior College with an Associate of Arts degree then earned a Bachelor of Theatre Arts degree at Pasadena Playhouse. As of Nov. 1949 she relates "several summers in stock and several legitimate shows. I was in Los Angeles trying to get a show when I met Bob and we were immediately married. I have not lost my love for the theatre but shall push that to the rear until our little daughter is a bit older." In 1948 Bob found work as chief mechanic for a Ford Agency and took his family to Reno, Nev. 231 Berum Lane. Issue: Dolores Deane Guardia, b. 14 Dec., 1948, Reno, Nev. |
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