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Special to the Daily Bulletin ONTARIO -- Harold Stewart, a member of one of
the Inland Valley's oldest pioneer citrus ranching families, died Sunday. He was
104. His surviving wife, Mabel, is 102.
Mr. Stewart's father, William Boyd Stewart, moved to the valley from
Pennsylvania in the 1880s, about the same time brothers George and William
Chaffey were founding the original Ontario Colony.
The elder Stewart planted a number of citrus groves in north Ontario, now
known as Upland, throughout the 1880s. That operation grew into what was to
became known as the Stewart Citrus Association. It survived until 1985 when the
last of the groves were removed to make way for housing and commercial
developments.
The ranching enterprise was handed down to William Boyd Stewart's son,
Harold, and finally to Harold's son, Walter, who still resides in Upland with
his wife, Maggie.
At the peak of the ranch's success, the Stewart family shipped tons of fruit
from its own packing house on A Street in Upland. The citrus was packed under
such historic brands as Bear, Coyote, Blue Jay and Monogram.
Harold Stewart was born Aug. 24, 1894, in the family home on Foothill
Boulevard a short distance west of where the Home Savings now stands. It was not
until 12 years later that Upland was incorporated as a city.
When Mr. Stewart was 6 years old, his family moved to a larger Victorian
style home at 830 W. Sixth St. in Ontario. Members of the Stewart family resided
in the home for the next several decades. It was known as the Stewart Homestead
and was destined to become an Ontario landmark.
Mr. Stewart attended local elementary schools and graduated from Chaffey High
School in 1912. He attended Pomona College for two years, then studied at
Stanford University where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1916.
He served overseas with an Army engineering regiment during World War I. For
several years following the war, Mr. Stewart worked for oil drilling and
refinery companies in Long Beach and Santa Fe Springs. He married Mabel Hardwick
of Ontario in 1918.
In 1928 Mr. Stewart returned to the Inland Valley to join his father's citrus
ranch operation, which he ultimately headed. He was later joined in that
function by his son, Walter, who was an Ontario councilman in the 1960s.
Mr. Stewart was active in community affairs for many years. He was a member
of the San Antonio Community Hospital board of directors for 25 years, 10 of
which he served as president.
He also spent 30 years as a director of the San Antonio Water Co.; 29 years
on the Upland Lemon Growers board of directors; 26 years on the Price Foundation
board of directors, and 15 years as a member of the San Bernardino County Farm
Bureau.
Mr. Stewart was a member of the Ontario Rotary Club for 50 years, and also
was active in the Ontario-Upland YMCA, and the West End United Way.
Survivors besides his wife and son include a daughter, Ruth S. Crawford, of
Mesa, Ariz.; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren, and a great-great
grandchild.
A memorial service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Stone Funeral Home, 355 E.
Ninth St., Upland.
The family has asked that friends make memorial contributions to their
favorite charities. |
