Banner of Bravery: Mission Inn’s Tribute to WWI Heroes

With Veterans Day coming up in a little over a week, we look back and observe how Frank A. Miller of the Mission Inn honored veterans who had a connection to the Inn and served in World War I. On February 1, 1919, Miller entertained many of those veterans in the refectory at the Mission Inn with a banquet and a program of toasts and recollections of the soldiers’ experiences. Seventy-five people attended the banquet, including the Miller family and the guests, and were seated at tables decorated with the national colors. Musical selections entertained the guests during dinner.

Not all veteran employees and family members were present, but fifteen were honored in a “Heroes of the Mission Inn Banner” displayed at the Inn. Some of these veterans honored by the Mission Inn are well-known, while some have no or very little-known information after 105 years. The picture of each honoree is set in a star with a gold braid around the photo. Here is a brief synopsis of these fourteen men and one woman.

The first person pictured on the banner is Corporal Earl Taylor, a bellboy at the Inn. He enlisted in the army and joined Company M of 160 Infantry of the 40 Division. He and his wife Edith later had two sons, Delbert and Henry. Earl died in 1962 at the age of 66 and is buried in Olivewood Cemetery.

The middle picture in the top row is Captain Stanley Richardson, Son of Frank and Alice Richardson and nephew of Frank A. Miller. After graduating from Riverside High School in 1903, he attended and graduated from the University of California and Yale. Stanley joined the army in 1916 and served until 1930, rising to the rank of captain. He later worked for 23 years as a public accountant, with his office in the Loring Building at 3691 Main Street, across the street from his uncle’s Mission Inn.  He died in 1953 and was interred at Evergreen Mausoleum.

The last person in the top row is Sergeant Ben Clark, another member of the Miller family. Ben was the brother of Marion Clark Miller, Frank Miller’s second wife. During the war, Clark served under the command of General Leonard Wood in the 89th Division and as a dispatch bearer during the battles of San Miguel, Argonne, and other encounters.  An avid polo player, he managed several polo clubs. He died in 1930 and is buried in Olivewood Cemetery.

The first picture in the second row is of Sergeant Harry Champlin. Harry served as a chauffeur at the Mission Inn and is listed in the 1918 city directory as serving in the army.

The middle picture in the second row is Lieutenant Ernest Yeager. Coming to Riverside from Miller’s hometown of Tomah, Wisconsin, he started as a bellboy at the Mission Inn, rising up to Miller’s private secretary over the years. In 1923, Yeager went out independently, forming E. L Yeager Construction Company. Breaking up his work at the Mission Inn was his service in the army, serving as a gas instructor for officers at Fort Pike. Kathy Yeager Allavie wrote in more detail about her grandfather in the October 2024 issue of the Riverside Historical Society Journal.

Private L W Pittam, another veteran about whom little is known, is pictured on the right end of the second row.

The middle row begins with a picture of Private Ormonde Wilson, an African American listed on his Registration Card as a chauffeur. He was also a popular tenor soloist at the Mission Inn. Ormonde served with Company C of the 812 Pioneer Infantry. He died in 1963 and is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery.

Moving over to the middle photo on the banner, pictured is Private Charles Craig. He is the only casualty of the war depicted on the banner, and the star surrounding his photos is gold. He died of pneumonia while training at Camp Kearney near San Diego. He was a violinist and cornet player who played in the Mission Inn Orchestra and the local Elks Club orchestra.

Sergeant Newell Parker is pictured on the far right of the middle row. Early in 1918, Newell moved to Riverside to become the organist at the Mission Inn. Newell’s position at the Inn was interrupted by service in the army during World War I. He was dispatched to France, where he was part of a glee club that entertained servicemen at one of the large hospitals in France. Upon his discharge in May 1919, he returned to Riverside and the Mission Inn, where he played until his retirement in 1967.

The fourth row begins with the only woman on the banner, BLA Julia Windsor. Miss Windsor was a night clerk at the Mission Inn before joining the British Land Army, a civilian organization enlisting women to fill roles in agriculture vacated by men serving in the armed forces. Miss Windsor wrote several letters to Alice Richarson detailing her agricultural tasks.

The next honored veteran is Robert Odie. Born in Wales, he enlisted in the Canadian army and served as a sapper or military engineer from 1914 to 1918. Following the war, he returned to Riverside and the Mission Inn, where he worked as an engineer. He died in Riverside in 1946 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

The final picture in the fourth row is Leonard Swett, another veteran about whom more information is needed.

The bottom row begins with another member of the Miller family, Rolph or Rolf Newman. He is the son of Gustav and Emma Newman, and his mother is another sister of Frank A. Miller. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, Rolf was a skilled construction engineer. During World War I, he served as a captain in the army.

Captain W. G. Allen clerked at the Mission Inn and the Tavern at Lake Tahoe before enlisting in the army. After the war, he operated a large fruit ranch in Hemet.

The final veteran honored on the banner is Sergeant Major William Wall. He served in Europe for 11 months in the headquarters detachment of the 319th Engineers. The 319th erected the camp Pontanezen at Brest in France. In the 1920 census, he was listed as a secretary at the Glenwood Hotel. William died in 1961 and is buried in Olivewood Cemetery.

Starting in 1919 as Armistice Day to observe the Armistice signing between the Allied nations and Germany on November 11, 1918, the holiday is now known as Veterans Day.  Veterans Day honors all veterans who have served in the various branches of our armed forces. How fitting it is to look back to 1919 and observe how Frank Miller observed a similar day to honor those from his family and the Inn who had served in World War I.