The weekly Alaska citizen., 1919-09-08
MEMORIAL HELD IIQ JUNEAU FOR
 CHAS. DAVIDSON
(Juneau Dispat ch.)

fall on "Wednesday evening Tor i'm pressive memorial services in memory of Charles F. Davidson. surveyor gen eial Of the territory who lost his life in Taku inlet.
 The services opened with prayer by Chaplain E. J. Dyer, followed by 8 brief announcement by Past Master Charles F Naehel, Thelodge quartet composed of w. NJ. Frye F. G. Smith. | ,.vo'G" Dswtll and F. J. Dyer sang Nearer My God to Thee" and Rock of Ages" Willis F. Novel; rendered | "A Religious Medi ation," by Fich | burg on the violin Miss Forbes ac- companied MT. Nowell on the piano. Past Master John Rustgard deliy. cred the oration.
 MT. Rustgard. declaring his abso lute conviction that life does not end ,th the grave. said: "I cannot con slider that Charles F. Davidson is dead and gone, but is here with Us. | living, conscious and intelligent as cyrr' With perceptblc feelings of emotion Mr. Rustgard reviewed the life and characteristics of the de-
 ceased, laying great stress on his genuine qualities of true manhood individuality. sincerity, frankness and broad sympathies, decision of char acter his unostentatious charity and | love of home and children.
 | Continuing, the speaker said: Charles F. Davidson was q person who would make himself felt in any c"inmunity, and he would make him self felt without any effort to do so on his part. He was a man of indi viduality and true manhood. Charles | Davidson Was q man to whom no on" could be indifferent after they once
 met him Charles E. Da, idson waa a man of highes, ideals and rare ] uh@mrnt oi men aa " Il as of II | faia%. lie was frank, open ana aDoN" | bOaIi do net know of anybody who eyer told m" they were dis ap- pointed with Dayidson every one who met him found him to be up to all that they expected if they Were looking for genuine manhood. The l Qualitirt which made friends for him were undoubtedly his sincerity. frank 1 ness and his general broad sym
 pa thi,s He did not like to put his name on subscription lists: as d rule he would do it under the name of cash friend or some other name always wanting to hide his iden- tity; he was always trying to help somebody without having people find out that he was actually doing 1t; publicity and nG Goriety never ap- rtaled to him; of this. the public knew very little. 1 doubt if thcr" was eyer q man in this connunit | MhO was more asSiduouS in his al | tenlion to the wants of others than was Charles Davidson: and tnose only who have been very close 70
 him have any knowledge of that phase of his character. whatsoever; I
 Charles Davidson was born at Fort Jones. California. March z, 1878; he came to Juneau in 1896 23 years old; since that time he has spent his life in Alaska and given to thIs terri
 tory hhe best there Was in hin He Was not blessed With wealthy parents nor was he prot up un,icI conditions where hr could equip himself With college education without his own per ] SOndl vffolts-in faCp, he had no col lege education, but he had. neverlne-. less, a very broad edu.'al,un which he had acquired mainly in the university of hard knOcks'-,the les sons of which he never forgot and always proflad | by. When he cam" to Juneau h. went into the serI re of one of the popular surveyors Of the time. ThOn- l as George, and worked with hiih learning the surveying business, some two years: after whc h. went hacn to Califoria and tooH q special course in that science; then returned to Juneau. He went to Nome one sea | son anu surveyed in that community, and returned to Juneau in the fal of
 1900 and remained here until l301 at which time he WeI. to Fairbanks. where he followed his own profession as land surveyor. Thrr" years later, in the year 1912, he married the wid- Ow who is now muurpins; him. and leaves in addition to hnl three 6hild- ren, Ethel Belle. five yea s. Charles Edward three yeas. and James Ger aid, one year old.
 Tn 1913 Davidson was appointed | lsurveyor-general for the territory of | Alaska and as such became ex-Ofiicio secretary of the territory AS such he became still move q, quainted with the people of the territory and added laurels have accumulated to his credit. I doubt whether there was ever a man holding public office in Alaska who became so generally ao preciated for his efficiency with which he discharged his official f,lnctionS'