Evening star., 1925-02-18
NATIONAL PARK BILL
PASSAGE OBSERVED
Leaders In Movement CeIe-
| hrate at Luncheor,-CIub
[ of "Founders" Planned.

Th6 same little group OF mon VINO
sat around blazing log fire atop
Stony Man Mountain one day last
November and described the beauties
of the Blue Ridge Mountains OF Vir-
ginia to the commission that had
come to examine them as a possible
site for a national park, gathered
at the Occidental Hotel yesterday
afternoon and celebrated the final
passage by Congress of the legisla-
tion that creates the area the East's 3
first great national park.
Represented around the luncheon
table were not only the founders"
of the park-the men who first saw
its tremendous possibilities as a
great outdoor playground for the
citybound millions of the East-but
also the commission that selected it
as the outstanding site this side of
the Mississippi River, and the heads
Of the Government departments that
will administer the area.
Temple Is Chairman.
BY unanimous consent, DR.. Henry
W. Temple, representative from Penn
sylvania and chairman of the South
ern Appalachian National Park Com
mission, was chosen chairman. AS
special guests of honor with him
were Stephen II. Mather, director of
inc NdtlOndl IdTh SeTVlCey REPRE-
sentative Charles L. Abernethy of
Harrison of Virginia and Robert Ster-
ling Yard, executive secretary of the
National Parks Association.
On motion of DR.. william j. Sho-
walter, associate editor of the Ma
tional Geographic Magazine. the fir t
act of the aSsembly was to pass q
resolution of thanks to DF. Temple
and others, reading as follows: Re
solved, That the thanks Of the friends
Of the Shenandoah National Park
project are due to DR.. Henry w. Tenn
pie for his able services in behalf of
the park in and out of Congress; to
Robert Sterling Yard, for his splendid
support of the general cause of ma
tional parks; to Theodore w. Noyes,
for the great contribution made by
The Star to the cause, and to Harold
X Philips, for the fine way in which
ne covered the assignment for The
: Star
Founders Club in Prospect.
Out of yesterdays luncheon there
probably will grow soon a definite
club, to be composed of "the found
ers' and those who worked unstinted-
ly without promise OF reward to
make the Virginia area a park. The
thusiasm, and a committee was ap-
pointed to consider the matter more
carefully between now and the early
part of March, when a formal ban
quet of celebration is to be held here,
probably at the Mayflower Hotel
Hailed as the author of the bill that
brought esta tablishment of the park in
virginia and another in Tennessee
and North Carolina nearer final
fruition. DR.. Temple declared he
could have done little without the
able assistance of Representative
Harrison of Virginia and Representa-
tive Abernethy of North Carolina. 1t
was Mr.. Abernethy who did most
toward winning the unanimous sup
port of the North Carolina delegation
to the bill when it finally came up for
passage.
Work just Begun.
Mr. Mather painted a word picture
OF what the East may soon expect to
see in its first great national park.
he frankly told the diners, however,
that there is stfilGmueh work to, be
done before the next Congress meets
to consider additional essential legis-
lation.
Mr. Abernethy referred to the areas
In North Carolina, which the delega-
ton from that State was so anxious
TO have selected. He applauded the
unaninity with which the bill finally
passed, and expressed the belief that
there is room in the East for all the
proposed areas to be. made national
parks sooner or later. Mr.. Harrison
paid high tribute to the work of both
DR.. Temple and Mr.. Abernethy.,
Those present at the. luncheon were:
DR.. Temple, Mr.. Abernethy, Mr.. Harri-
son, Mr.. Mather. Mr.. Yard, George
Freeman Pollock. Harold Allen, Daniel
r. Wine, l.. Ferdinand Zerkle, Harold
x. Philips, Edward H. Droop, Will
liam ]. Showalter, George H. Judd. =
: Kennedy, j. Reginald Boyd, M. o.
Eldridge of the American Automobile
Association, E.. W. Koontz. Harry F.
Almond and James L. Murphy of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.