The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-25
Ex-saloon Keeper Of San Antonio,
Texas, Was Elected Park Com
missioner of That City and
Made Good at Job.
PERSON OF NO CULTURE
This Was What the Hiehhrows Called
Him and They Declared He Would
Wreck Fair city-Enen,ies
Were Surprised.

No one in San Antonio, Texas, APP
peared to have fewer outstanding
qualifications for the post of park
commissioner than one Roy Lambert.
"A saloonkeeper, before that stone
cutter, his calling, at the time of the
appointment doubtless qualified him
as good judge of human nature and
!of Kentucky bottled goods, but he
made no pretentions beyond that to
being man of such education. In
certain circles he was, I hear, Openly
damned as person of NO culture"
and those who prided themselves
upon their culture groaned aloud in
anticipation of what such a PARK
commissioner might do when he let
himself loose to wreak his taste upon
writes Charles Phelps Cushing in
Leslie's.
| But one thing these persons Of self.
confessed culture happened to over
| look-namely, that other men with
THE souls of artists have followed
the same callings as Lambert and
yet emerged none the worse for the
experience artisticaNy.
! The interesting thing about r.
Lambert is what he did when he was
handed that glittering opportunity to
cherish or ruin the physical charm
of San Antonio. There was no hest
itation on Lambert's part about MAX
ling a decision. He was as senti-
mental as the highest highbrow about
the charm of San Antonio. With all
his heart he longed to maintain or
even to augment it. So on the first
morning after his appointment he
marched into the office of the secre-
tary of the San Antonio chamber Of
commerce. citadel of idealism-and
laid his cards face up upon the
table.
Il don't know a thing about this
Job" he confessed "but I'm here
to say" he added earnestly, chat l
mean to learn an do my duty by it.
Where can fellow get the books
about this job an study up?"
! John B. Darlington, secretaryman
lager of the chamber of commerce,
there and then gave Ray Lambert
hand, literally and metaphorically.
the first batch of books, devoured
them, then eagerly returned for
more.
Then, after a while, Lambert got
+ on the job with his sleeves rolled up,
as in the days when he earned a Iiv-
ing with his own two hands," as a
stone cutter. Perhaps he had the
soul of an artist and didn't know It. !
Anyway, he took to the work as if |
by Unborn instinct and fairly reveled !
in it. .-......r
Pretty soon San Antonio opened her |
eyes and began to remark that this !
fellow Lambert had something on the |
ball People had credited him with |
being a practical soul, but the thing
that no one had ever suspected was !
that in addition to shrewd business
sense he had the far rarer quality of !
Imagination.
He took over the water supply reser-
voir of San Pedro and transformed it
into q charming park lake. He turned
his attention next to the little river
that meandered through the heart of
the town and visioned it as another
civic asset. He curved its banks and .
sodded them like park terraces, work
ing a transformation from sordiness
to beauty that stands as an object
lesson to every other city in the land
that has a similar physical feature.
Then out in Breckenridge park he
created a Japanese tea garden and lily
pond, a picture of which is treasured
in the snapshot album Of every tourist
who in recent years has returned east
or west or north or south chanting the
praises of the charm of San Antonio +,
Lambert created this famous beauty
spot out of-what would you guess?
an old stone quarry and the ruins
of a cement plant!
All this and many more of the feats
of imagination that may be credited l.,
to Ray Lambert have been done at an
amazingly low cost. ..f