Verdugo Views: Church’s history coincides with city’s expansion

Dick Holway dropped by one day to give me some old photographs that had belonged to his parents, Cyril and Alice Holway. They were photos from First Methodist Church of Glendale, that huge sanctuary at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Kenwood Street.

The photos were of the choir and of some of the church’s theatrical productions. Holway told me he grew up in the church.

“My dad was in the choir,” he said. “He helped with the manger scenes at Christmas time and was very active in all the church productions.”

Cyril Holway, who had been an amateur actor in little theater and a movie extra, “also did the beards and makeup for all those plays.”

I needed more background, so I made a couple of trips to the Special Collections Room at the Glendale Public Library, but I couldn’t find any information that would explain the photos. I contacted George Ellison, recently retired from Special Collections and now volunteering at First United Methodist (as it is now known). He invited me to visit and search through the church’s archives.

So, one recent morning, I went to the church, took the elevator to the fourth floor and found the archives where Ellison and his friend, Bud Lovick, were sorting through old photos and other historical materials.

Ellison brought out a large file box filled with programs, booklets and assorted newspaper articles. Going through the box, I also found a history of the church and soon realized why it had become a venue for musical productions.

According to the booklet, the Methodists had been around since Glendale was a small 300-person village.

As the town grew, so did the church. By 1914, there were 450 members, plus they needed room for 500 Sunday-schoolers. Three years and $54,000 later (a huge sum at the time), the congregation dedicated a new church building.

Because it had the largest auditorium in the city, it quickly became the venue for community gatherings, including productions by the Glendale Oratorio Society. A church orchestra played at many events and community singalongs were held in the social hall.

They soon dedicated another new structure, an education building with room for all those Sunday-schoolers.

I found a directory for the 1954 Builders Class, a group of young adults who met in the Builders Classroom on the second floor. Organized in 1935 as a small group of high school alumni, they had become a large and influential class of adults.

The directory included a listing for Cyril Holway, of 221 N. Kenwood St., and his wife, Alice, and noted that he worked as a payroll clerk for Pacific Electric Railway.

A stack of unidentified, undated newspaper clippings revealed that Cyril Holway directed several productions, including dramatic scenes of the life of Christ performed as a prologue to a Sunday morning sermon by Hardy A. Ingham. Cast members were from the dramatics department.

Another clipping told of a three-act operetta performed in the church recreation hall with leading roles filled by Ruby Lee and Fred Ullman. It was directed by Lyle Wheeler, with Holway as assistant director. Sets were designed by Ray Conner, painting instructor at Glendale Evening High School.

There were more clippings, many including Holway’s name, but time was running short. I thanked Ellison and Lovick and went on my way, happy to know that First United Methodist cherishes its role in Glendale’s history.

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Readers Write:

First United Methodist Church‘s archives contain several programs from productions put on by members. One was “Sailing, a Trip Around the World,” a benefit for the summer camp fund.

Cast members included Jack Jacobi, Doris Thomas, Doris Jacobi, Marion O’Bryan, Rodney and Helen Nern, Bob and Helen Davidson, Fern and Linus Bittner, Beatrice and Wesley Freeman, Rose and Eugene Schrock and Mary and Elwood Ingledue.

Another was “Miss Cherryblossom,” with cast members Ruby Lee, Stanley H. Jones, Fred Ullman, Hillard Warren, Dan Green, Lloyd Dietz, Bobby Warren and Paul Stuart.

A third was “The Seeing Heart,” with cast members Helen Davidson, Elizabeth Dunham, Sally Chaffee, Clifford Chaffee and Kenneth Lee.

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