Early South Coast Conservationist: Theodore Hoover (4)

At some point it became clear to many that Herbert Hoover was destined for greatness. He fulfilled that expectation by becoming a post-World War I international hero and later the 31st president of the United States.

By contrast, brother Theodore’s future appeared more modest, although he did become the dean of the School of Engineering at Stanford and traveled extensively with wife Mildred.

Theodore never had high political ambition but when something caught his fancy he could become willful and tenacious.

By 1898, he was enthralled with the sight of the beautiful Waddell Canyon near the San Mateo-Santa Cruz county line. Describing the stunning natural grandeur, he wrote of the “fern-carpeted redwood forest,” the “polychromic blue Pacific” and the “little Waddell river with its still pools and singing ripples running through the meadowed valley into the wide lagoon…”

The scenery was unforgettable, a setting of incomparable beauty, bursting with energy. “The Waddell” became an indelible image, forever a part of Theodore Hoover’s life.

…to be continued…