Evening star., 1933-02-04
|C|V|C BODY STAGES
PAYING ATHLETICS
Funds Coliseum, Gets Huge
Grid Returns, Puts on
Best 0Iympiad.
By LAWRENCE PERRY.

M Having turned over to the
l Y city and county Of Los
Angeles nearly $5O0,0O0
representing profits from the
Memorial Coliseum since the Fall
Of 1928, the Community Develop
ment Association goes out Of
existence.
Meager dispatches chroniclng the
above facts have come from the West
Coast; but more should be told because
the achievements Of the c. D. A. have
been as signal factors In the develop
ment Of sports as In the furtherance Of
Los Angeles not only as an athletic
center. but in many ways economically
satisfying.
The history of the Community De.
velopment Association is sort of
American epic and, being so, let it now
be told.
Back in 1920, when we were first in
tnls lovely city, they were discussing
plans TO enIven the city, to straighten
out some OF its problems and to make
1t beyond question or cavil Of any other
community the metropolis of the west.
1t was not long before bankers, mer-
cnants, newspaper publishers, real
estate men, politicians and others agreed
upon a progr1n. They formed the
community Development Association.
me, non-prof1t organization commit.
teo 70 the project of furthering the in.
terestS OF Los Angeles in particular and
Soutnern California in general.
THE prime objective was a play-
L ground Of the West, carnival CITY
OF unparalleled scope and grandeur.
Parades. hestas, ordered holiday re.
joicings, athletic contests were on.
yisioned. Zack Farmer. then lust re.
turned from the war, formerly a news.
paper reporter. was appointed executive
secretary, and every one got down to
work.
Results were almost immediate. but
not altogether satisfactory. The shows
put on were well worth coming miles
70 see-which many did. But trades
people and hotel men, who had con.
trlbuted largely to the spectacles, soon
Wearied OF watching the spectators
stand IN the streets, eat box lunches
Drought from home and then depa-t
with practically as much money in
.nen pockets as they had brought into
So, logically enough. came the idea
OF an tnclosure within which shows for
merly given gratis could be viewed to
the tune OF gate receipts Now the city,
county and State owned plot OF
ground within the city limits known as
ExpoSltlon Park. The c. D. A. people
went 10 the various authorities con.
cerned and sold them the idea of do.
mating the ground for the erection Of
a coliseum to be owned and operated
by the city.
But Los Angeles at the time had no
money to spend on a stadium project.
SO tne G. D. A. underworld the cost OF
tne arena to the extent Of $500 900. The
Guy was 10 pay them back and take
p MssesSion on January l last. The obli-
CATION was met on schedule.
THIS is the place where Southern
L California plays her home foot bali
games, and draws more than loo
oVo spectators at SO and 81 top. But
at tnls time the Trojan institution was
a small Methodist college PLAYING foot
pan with Pomona, Occidental, Los An
geIes High, and posing as an occasional
Set-up Tor the University of California.
ne pisseSt crowd U. S. G. had ever
oraWn had not exceeded 10000
In sum. U. S. c. was a pretty NOR
prospect as q stadium filler. But how
ABOUT the Olympic Games2 Surely
tney would be WOW If the show could
pe Drought to Los Angeles.
Accordingly, William May Garland
aDie business man, was sent to Europe
10 ask whoever one asks (this is exactIv
tne way he was nstructed) for the
olympic Games Of 1924. He cid not
get them, but so skillfully did he work
mat when he went after the 1899
Oiympics he got them before any COM
petltor took him seriously.
Every one knows what Los Aneeles
dld with the Olympics-the best Con-
quoted, most satisfactory, most nleas-
urable, most thrilling and most msrao-
iapie OF all Olympic Games eve18HId
including the ancient ones of {IE aoe
Of Pericles. "se
In the meantime the University NJ
southern California had scared over
tne gr1diron like Phoebus, and the
Autumn turnstile clckings at the Coli
scum suggested machine-gun fire. And
Will continue to click.
What more for the C. D.. A.p Moth.
ing put dissolution. Its work was done
90 ~ passes out Of existence, leaving
many monuments behind.