Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-13

Former Director Mather Is
Praised by Officials
for Service.

Horace NJ Albright, appointed yes
terday by Secretary Roy 0. West as
director of the National Park Service
to succeed Stephen T. Mather, resigned
because of Ill health, Is lover Of Wash
ington and will have an important part
in it's development as a member OF the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission. Mr.. Albright, who has
been serving as superintendent OF yell
| lowstone National Park, and assistant
director in the field to Mr. Mather, has
been with the service since its incep-
ton.
Tributes were paid Mr.. Mather and
also Arno B. Cammerer, associate dl-
rector, by Mr.. Albright, when he took
the oath of Office as director at the In
terror Department, surrounded by en-
ployeS of the service, yesterday.
Mather Praises Workers.
Secretary West, in accepting the
resignation of Mr.. Mather, expressed
regret and referred to 1.-The intensely
patriotic, unselfish work that he had
rendered the Nation since he came TO
the Department of the Interior In
January 1915"
In his resignation, Mr.. Mather con-
yeyed praise for the support given him
by Congress, the Secretaries OF the IN
terror under whom he had worked and
the employees of the National Park Serv-
ice. whom he termed loyal efficient
and untiring in their helpfulness."
Surveying the accomplishments OF the
past decade in his field. Mr. manner
wrote: IT feel that the accomplishments
of the past 10 years have seen the de-
velopment of the national park system
into one of real service to the pubic;
as was the purpose when the Natlonal
Park Service was created"
Secretary Vests letter accepting MT
Mather's resignation said, in part: Es-
necially noteworthy has been the man
ner in which you have brought about
installation of adequate public utility
facilities in the national park, through
inducing private capital, without nope
of immediate financial return upon
their investments and in the race OF
grave hazards, to undertake this work.
Absolute confidence in your administra-
ton has been shown also by Congress In
appropriating larger sums each year Tor
park work.
People Awakened by Him.
"Under YOUR splendid leadership the
people of the Nation have been awak.
ened to the beauties and possibilities OF
the national parks and the necessity OF
conserving these areas for all time"
Mr.. Mather, descendant OF New
England family, is newspaper man
who went into the borax business, mace
a fortune, and then devoted his ener-
gies to upbuilding the National Park
Service. Like the man who succeeds
him as director, Mr.. Mather saw the
service grow from an idea to one OF
+Lo ;rorortaot h,,reauS of the Govern.
ment.
The two men-Mather and Albright
have vet another bond, for both were
born in California and both were edu-
Gated in the University of California.
Mr.. Mather Is classmate OF Repre-
sentative Mrs. Florence Kahn, and at
tending his alma mater at that time was
the late Franklin K. Lane, who became
Secretary of the Interior and brought
his friend, Mather, into the department.
with him. Mr.. Albright's wife-the for
mer Grace Noble-Was his classmate at
the University of California, and they
| have two children, Robert Mather,
aged 10, and Marian, Z.
Five Years on New York Sun.
Mr.. Mather spent five years as re-
porter on the New York Sun, but left
the newspaper business to become a
| magnate in borax. He contributed
substantial sums to the Government for
building up the park service, for when
he saw that Congress was hesitant
about spending money on a project he
thought necessary, he gave from his
own purse.
In inducing wealthy Americans to
become interested in the park move
ment, Mr.. Mather rendered yeoman
servcie to the Nation. He has been par
ticularly active in working for estab-
lishment of the Shenandoah National
Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park In Tennessee
and North Carolina.
The service was created by Congress
August IS, 1916, and has continued to
grow Mr.. Mather, sensing the I'M
portance of the new mode of transpor-
tation, threw open national park gates
to automobiles. Early in the life of the
service, and shortly before illness
forced his retirement, he had under
consideration a program to permit
commercial airplane concerns to Land
in the national parks.
Awarded Gold Medal.
The recipient of several honorary
degrees. Mr.. Mather was awarded the
gold medal of the National Institute of
Social Sciences in 1926, and the Uni
| yersity of California, from which he
graduated in 1887 conferred upon him
in 1924 the honorary degree of Doctor
of Laws. He is member of the So
ciety of Mayfower Descendants. the
Sons of the American Revolution, the
Sigma Chi Fraternity, American Chem
ical Society, and several other organi-
cations. He is member of the Cosmos
and National Press Clubs in Washing
ton, as we'll as of others in Chicago
and New York.
When Mr.. Mather went to Chicago to
vote early in November, he suffered a
paralytic stroke that affected his left
Side. He has since been confined to a
hospital there, and, while his friends in
the park service have been advised he