MASTER OF CEREMONIES OF THE ANNUAL RUDOLPH VALENTINO MEMORIAL SERVICE - Wolfgang (Bud) Gerdes-Testa

Longtime readers of this blog know I have always been interested in the life and career of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.  Here I am at his crypt:

He died on August 23, 1926 and to this day (although probably not this year) there is still a memorial service for him every year at the Hollywood Cemetery on August 23rd.  For many years I attended the service each August and I was also a featured speaker several times.

The service was actually run by a Hollywood publicist with the unusual name of Wolfgang Gerdes-Testa (he went by "Bud").  Before we look at Bud's work in Hollywood as publicist for the living and the dead, let's see what we can dig up about him.

Wolfgang Alexander Gerdes-Testa was born March 19, 1912 in Bremen, Germany to Anna Marie Gerdes (1872-1964) and Hungarian Mano W. Testa (1868-????).  Anna Marie and Mano had been married in London on August 8, 1910, but the records also show that they had a daughter Edith who was born in 1897.  

I have run into very few Germans who hyphenated their name with their mother's maiden name and their father's name, but Wolfgang and his family were doing this when they emigrated to the United States, leaving Hamburg on April 5, 1913 and arriving in New York on April 18, 1913 on the SS Pennsylvania.  They reported they were "Maria Gerdes-Testa, age 41, no occupation; Edith Gerdes-Testa, age 16, no occupation and Wolfgang Gerdes-Testa, age 1."  They said their destination was St. Paul, Minnesota, and their nearest relative was Maria's mother, Meta Gerdes in Bremen.  Interestingly while Maria Gerdes-Testa could read and write, sixteen year old Edith could not.

The elusive Hungarian Mano W. Testa did not come over with them and does not seem to be mentioned again.

I was unable to find the Gerdes-Testa family in the 1920 US Census, but my friend and expert researcher Mike Kelly was.  The family was living at 4223 W. Grand Boulevard (now King Drive) in Chicago:

 

4223 S. King Drive, Chicago

The census taker was at their address January 12-13, 1920.  "Marie Testa" said she was was 40 years old (she was 48) and a "Lodger".  She was employed as a "Teacher of Piano."  She had "Submitted Papers" to apply for her US citizenship.  Living with her was 22 year-old Edith who did clerical work for a chemist, and 8 year-old "Wofgan."  German was their mother tongue.  

I don't know if they ever made it to Minnesota, but I know that later in the 1920's they were living in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago because Bud told me that when he found out I was from Evanston.  He recounted many happy memories of Rogers Park (except for the winters) and he remembered especially the Adelphi Theater on Clark Street.  

Wolfgang's sister Edith Gerdes-Testa (1897-1980) has an interesting story herself. Like her mother and brother she came to the US in 1913.  While they were living in Chicago on March 7, 1923 she married Indian professor Jogesh Chander Misrow (1889-1930).  Misrow was referred to in the press as "Dr. Swami Misrow, a Brahmin philosopher and teacher."  When he died suddenly in 1930 his funeral was conducted by the famous yogi Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) who was an Indian monk, yogi and guru.  The Yogananda introduced millions to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his organization Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) / Yogoda Satsanga Society (YSS) of India, and who lived his last 32 years in America.  The Yogananda is interred in the Great Mausoleum of Forest Lawn in Glendale, California.

While she was married to Misrow, Edith started referring to herself as "Edith Indira Misrow," and then "Indira Misrow".  When she applied for US Citizenship in 1930 and married Alfred Ruhe in Los Angeles in 1932 she called herself "Mrs. Indira E. Misrow."

When Edith died in Los Angeles in May of 1980 her Social Security Death Record reported birth dates of March 17, 1900 and March 16, 1901 and her parents as "Robert" and Maria Gerdes.  

I don't know exactly when or why the family relocated to Los Angeles but based on Bud's recollections to me I suspect the weather was a factor.  By 1928 the family had settled in the mecca of the west, Hollywood, California.  Bud must have heard the call of the press at a young age because the Los Angeles Times of February 9, 1928 reported he was a member of the Hollywood Boy Scout Press Association.

At the time of the 1930 US Census, Bud and his mother were living with Edith in a house at 2042 North Beachwood Drive in the Hollywood Hills.  There is an apartment building on this site today that was built in 1964.  Edith was the Head-of-Household; she reported that she was 31 and a widow.  They rented the house for $70.00 per month.  They had a radio.  Edith was a "Teacher of Psychology," and reported that she could now both read and write. Maria reported that she was 57 and also a widow.  She taught piano.  Eighteen year old Bud was not employed.  They all reported German as their native language.   

Bud Testa of Hollywood's name appears in newspapers frequently in the early 1930s because he was a champion ping pong player.  He was also an officer of the Pacific Coast Ping Pong Association.  

By the late 1930s Bud must have taken up his profession of publicist because items started showing up in the papers mentioning him or attributed to him.  Here's something from the Los Angeles Times from March 13, 1938:

And another from Braven Dyer's column in the Times of March 25, 1939:

He did not limit his publicity to the Los Angeles papers.  Here's one from the Knoxville (TN) News-Sentinel from December 15, 1939 (looks like he still hasn't decided what to call himself):

By the 1940 US Census Bud Testa was living on his own - sort of.  He was a "Lodger" at 6133 Glen Tower in Los Angeles.  He said that he had been living in the same place in 1935.  His sister had remarried in 1932 to Alfred Ruhe (1898-1955), a Production Control Expert for North American Aviation, so I'm sure Bud decided it was time for him to move on. 

   6133 Glen Tower Street, Los Angeles, California

Bud told the census taker that he was Single, 28 years old, that he had two years of college, and was a Naturalized US Citizen.  He listed his occupation as "Free Lance Publicity."

There was a rumor going around that at one time Bud had been a Hollywood agent to the Stars.  I found no evidence of him ever working at anything other than publicity, including public relations and advertising, but never as a Hollywood agent.

Here is Bud's Draft Card from October 16, 1940:

Strangely he listed his sister as the "Person Who Would Always Know Your Address" instead of his mother.  

During this period, notice that he drew an arc over the "Gerdes-Testa" when he signed his name.  This was to indicate that his last name was the whole thing "Gerdes-Testa."

Bud enlisted in the US Army on June 15, 1942.  On January 5, 1943 the Army sent him to Bermuda.  He served as a TEC-5.  Technician fifth grade was a United States Army technician rank during World War II. Those who held this rank were addressed as corporal, though were often called a "tech corporal". Technicians possessed specialized skills that were rewarded with a higher pay grade, but had no command authority. 

Bud finished his stint and was released from the Army on November 16, 1945.  He returned to Los Angeles and to his job as Publicist. 

Once the war was over, publicity notices with Bud's name on them started showing up in the newspapers again.  Here's one from March 22, 1946:

It was about this time that Bud took the job that he was best known for, and how he and I came to meet, providing publicity and acting as Master of Ceremonies for the Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service held on August 23 of every year at the Hollywood Cemetery where Valentino was interred in the Cathedral Mausoleum.

There are two different stories about how Bud came to be hired for the Valentino service.  In one interview, Bud said that after the war when he was back in Hollywood, he was approached by Jules Roth who owned the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood.  Roth asked Bud to provide publicity for, and to host the service.  There had been a memorial service for Valentino every year at the cemetery since Valentino died on August 23, 1926.  Frankly Roth felt that the services were getting out of control and wanted some structure added to them.  

Another time, Bud related that he had been  approached by the Valentino Memorial Guild to organize and host the service because they felt it had become quite disorganized.

I would tend to believe the first story because I know that Bud was paid for the service and the Valentino Memorial Guild did not have any money.  There is one thing that is beyond dispute, however, and that was that the service had deteriorated into a circus.

The memorial service which had begun in 1927 as a small gathering of family and friends turned into a real Hollywood spectacle with Hollywood wannabees dressed as sheiks, and women who professed to have slept with Valentino either while he was alive or with his ghostly apparition after he departed.  Things got so bad that Ditra Flame' the original "Lady in Black" stopped coming to the services after 1954 when there were so many "Ladies in Black" at the service that you couldn't tell one from another.

Ditra Flame' the one-and-only original "Lady in Black"

Enter Bud Testa.  He did not eliminate the circus atmosphere of the service, instead he gave it some structure.  He drew up a program for the service:

and sent out a publicity notice to let all the media know what was coming up:

The memorial services as run by Testa were all pretty much alike.  The service would promptly begin at 12:10, the time that Valentino died.  Bud acted as the Master of Ceremonies and introduced all of the guest speakers.  

Bud Testa as Master of Ceremonies 

After Bud gave a few opening remarks, he would introduce the chaplain who would say an opening prayer.  Bud had come up with the idea of having a Protestant minister appear at the service to offer a prayer for the soul of the departed.  (Valentino was of course, Catholic.  I don't know if Bud ever invited a priest to attend, but even if he did I'm not sure he could have gotten one to agree to participate, such was the reputation of the service.)  For many years it was Troupers Chaplain Jack Kelley: 

Troupers Chaplain Jack Kelley

After Kelley's death Rev. Pilson Potter attended:

Rev. Pilson Potter

Bud also asked his friend Bob Mitchell, founder and director of the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir to attend and bring some of his choristers to sing at the service.  I told Bob's story in this blog several years ago:

https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-mitchell-choirboys-bob-mitchell.html

Bob Mitchell

Here's Mitchell with Silent Movie owner Laurence Austin:

Early in the program Mitchell himself would tell stories about defying his mother and sneaking out to see Valentino's movies, and ultimately playing the organ accompaniment for Valentino's films which were all, of course, silent.

Next up were the guest speakers.  Back in the 1940s it was still possible to get speakers who had known or worked with Valentino.  As the years went by this of course became more and more difficult.  Guest speakers through the years included actors Rudy Vallee, Lew Ayres, Richard Arlen, Virginia O'Brien, Vivian Duncan, George Jessel, Franco Nero, Anthony Dexter, James Kirkwood, Raymond Massey, Mady Maguire, Argentina Brunetti and Patricia Medina, author Jack Scagnetti, Lorenzo Tucker "The Black Valentino," silent stars Mary Philbin and Mary McLaren, film historian Mike McKelvy, Valentino biographer Emily Leider, theater owner Laurence Austin, Hollywood Historian Marc Wanamaker, Valentino Newsletter author Patricia Lampinen, psychic and philosopher Anthony Norvell, and yours truly. 

Marc Wanamaker:

Jack Scagnetti:

Patricia Lampinen:

Yours truly:

(Bud did have his little quirks.  He knew film historian Mike McKelvy very well, and Mike spoke at most all of the services through the 1980s and 1990s but each and every time Bud introduced him as "Film Historian Mike Kelvy.")

After the speakers a guest performer would appear.  This was usually someone with a musical background who would sing songs associated with Valentino such as "The Sheik of Araby," "The Kashmiri Song" (Pale Hands I Loved), or "El Relicario." 

At the first service I attended in the 1980s the featured soloist was the famous opera star Ken Remo who sang "The Sheik of Araby."  He has a magnificent voice, and with the acoustics of the all-marble mausoleum, he made the rafters shake!

Ken Remo

After the soloist, members of the Bob Mitchell Boys Choir would sing.  

Bob Mitchell Choir Boys

As the years passed the number of choristers at the service dwindled and finally was down to only one in 2008, the last year Bob Mitchell would be involved with the service.  

Lastly the chaplain would say a closing prayer and Bud Testa would thank everyone for coming and declare the (fill in the number) Valentino Memorial Service officially ended and invite everyone back for the service the next year. 

 Bud at Valentino's crypt being interviewed for television

The "Lady in Black"

It would be impossible to tell the story of Bud Testa and the Valentino Memorial Service without mentioning the famous "Lady in Black", the woman who appeared at Valentino's crypt every year dressed all in black and heavily veiled.

The one-and-only original Lady in Black was Ditra Flame'.  The story was that when young Ditra was dying in the hospital Valentino came to see her.  He told her she would recover, but then asked her to remember him after he was gone.  Ditra balked at this and reminded Valentino that he was famous and adored by millions.  He would never be forgotten.  Valentino persisted and Ditra promised she would never forget him.  A short time later Ditra had recovered and Valentino was dead.

True to her word Ditra spent the rest of her life making sure Valentino was remembered - and every August 23rd she would appear at his crypt and leave roses (because Valentino had brought her a rose) never speaking a word to anyone who was there.  She only told her story in 1947 when phony "Ladies in Black" began to show up and claim to be the original.  Eventually the circus atmosphere and phony Ladies in Black became too much even for Ditra Flame' and she did not attend the services after 1954.

The phony "Ladies in Black" persisted even after Flame's death in 1984.  In the 1980s and 1990s a woman named Estrellita del Regil claimed to be the daughter of the original Lady in Black (Ditra Flame' had no children).  Adding to the mystery Estrellita also claimed to be the wife (or mistress, the story varied) of the Argentinian singer and tango-dancer Carlos Gardel.  At the service Estrellita would display memorabilia of both Valentino and Gardel.

There was never any doubt in Bud Testa's mind about who was the original Lady in Black.  During an interview toward the end of his life he said “The true ‘Woman in Black’ was Ditra.” 

Bud Testa did such a good job arranging the Valentino Memorial Service that in 1958 the cemetery hired him to also produce the Tyrone Power Memorial Service every November 15th.  For the Power service Bud was able to get Power's daughter Taryn Power and actors Francis Lederer, Lawrence Tierney, Tom Brown, John Philip Law, and many more.

But it was not all Memorial Services for Bud Testa.  The Hollywood Citizen-News noted on July 6, 1965 that Wolfgang Gerdes-Testa "recently" had married Florence Beatrice Mellian (1923-1999), complete with a photo of the happy couple:

 

Sadly, the couple divorced in October of 1972.   

During the period that Bud Testa ran the Valentino and Power Memorial Services he also kept his publicity agency going.  He managed to make a good living and have fun doing it.  He even wrote a column for the Hollywood Independent newspaper with bits of gossip about the Hollywood stars.  He would also use that platform to tout the upcoming Valentino service every year:

Sometimes they even included a caricature of him atop his column:

Ever the publicist, Bud always made sure important newspapers were informed of the upcoming memorial:

Bud had remained a happy bachelor since his divorce for most of his life but Cupid finally caught him again on May 17, 1974 when he married the lovely Veronica R. De la Rosa in Los Angeles.  The groom was 62, the bride was 27.  

Bud and Veronica were blessed with a beautiful daughter Leah, who was born in Los Angeles on December 31, 1993.

On January 4, 1998 Hollywood Cemetery owner Jules Roth died.  By that time the cemetery was in dilapidated condition.  In fact things were so bad that on August 23, 1998 the Valentino Memorial Service was not allowed to be held at the Hollywood Cemetery - it was held at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax which was owned by the late Laurence Austin.  Other than the location the service remained virtually the same - Bud was the MC:

Rev. Pilson Potter gave the invocation:

and Film Historian Mike McKelvy talked about one of Valentino's leading ladies:

By the time of the 1999 service Tyler Cassity and his family had purchased the cemetery and began its restoration and transformation.  Tyler Cassity related some years later that after he bought the cemetery Bud Testa gave him a call.  Bud told Tyler his history with the cemetery and especially the Valentino Memorial Service.  He asked if Tyler would be willing to hire him to publicize the service and act as MC as he had done for so many  years.  Although Tyler Cassity and his family changed many things at the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery (including the name - the cemetery was now called Hollywood Forever) they also wanted to preserve those traditions they felt were worth saving.  Tyler happily hired Bud Testa to do his usual magic.  Tyler told a friend that he found Bud to be a throwback to the 1950s including charging "1950s prices" for his services. 

The first major change to the service was that they placed a curtain over the window at the back of the mausoleum.  You can see from previous photos that the window let in so much light behind the speakers that it was very hard to get a photo of them without it ending up all washed out.  Simply placing a curtain over the window solved that problem.  The cemetery also commissioned an original work of Rudolph Valentino as the Son of the Sheik:

Tyler Cassity our host started out by saying a few words:

 

Psychic to the Stars Kenny Kingston:

Mike McKelvy:

Marc Wanamaker:

and Ken Remo:

Many long time attendees were there as well:

Estrellita del Regil:

Michael and Virginia Back:

and yours truly:

By the 1999 memorial service Bud Testa was 87 years old.  His health had deteriorated significantly,  but Tyler Cassity insisted he attend even in his wheelchair, and sent a limousine to pick Bud up at home and deliver him to the cemetery:

Here I am speaking, and you can see Bud in his wheelchair to my right:

Unfortunately not long after that Bud's health had worsened to the point that his wife had to move him to a nursing home.

Wolfgang Alexander Gerdes-Testa died in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles on February 4, 2003.  He was just short of his 91st birthday.

Bud was buried on February 26, 2003 in the Riverside Cemetery in Riverside.  Here is his military issue tombstone:

His tombstone mistakenly gives his last name as "Gerdestesta".  There was confusion about his name to the very end.

Wolfgang Alexander Gerdes-Testa - as a publicity man he was in the entertainment industry but not of it.  Instead he spent most of his life making sure that a silent film star who died in 1926 was remembered appropriately every August 23rd.  Not too bad for a boy from (for a short time) Rogers Park.  

Bud Testa was an interesting man and he led an interesting life.  I'm glad I had a chance to know him.

May Wolfgang Gerdes-Testa aka Bud Testa rest in peace - and we will remember him every August 23rd when we remember Rudolph Valentino.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES OF THE ANNUAL RUDOLPH VALENTINO MEMORIAL SERVICE - Wolfgang (Bud) Gerdes-Testa (Preview)

Longtime readers of this blog know I have always been interested in the life and career of silent film star Rudolph Valentino.  He died on August 23, 1926 and to this day (although probably not this year) there is still a memorial service for him at the Hollywood Cemetery every August 23rd.  For many years I attended the service each August and I was also a featured speaker several times.

The service was actually run by a Hollywood publicist with the unusual name of Wolfgang Gerdes-Testa (he went by "Bud".)  I am going to tell his story this month but I will not release it on August 1st, I will release it on August 23rd, the anniversary of the service.

So, stay well and stay cool, and don't forget to check back on August 23rd.

Bud Testa

OAK RIDGE ABBEY MAUSOLEUM ARCHITECT - Joseph J. Nadherny

Back in 2015 I told the story of Anders Anderson who, among other things, owned and managed Oak Ridge Cemetery and erected the magnificent Oak Ridge Abbey mausoleum:

https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2015/02/whatever-became-of-anders-e-anderson_20.html

In my article about Anderson I described the Oak Ridge Abbey in great detail so I will not repeat myself here.  In this article I want to tell the story of the man who designed and constructed the Abbey, noted architect Joseph J. Nadherny.

Joseph Jerome Nadherny, Jr. was born August 14, 1891 in Chicago, Illinois to Joseph J. Nadherny Sr. (1856-1936) and his wife Anna nee Kreji (1864-1953).  Josef Nadherny and Anna Kreji married in Chicago on August 1, 1885.  Josef (Joseph) Nadherny was a tailor by trade.  In addition to Joseph Jr., Joseph and Anna had five children:  Florence (1887-1970), Victor John (1893-1982), Clara (1897-1983) [Mrs. Charles Phillimore], Rose (1902-1994) [Mrs. Carl A. Berg] and Pauline (Dates Unknown).   

I was unable to locate the Nadherny family in the 1900 US Census, but the 1910 US Census shows the family living at 1845 S. Millard Avenue in Chicago.  

1845 S. Millard, Chicago

The family consisted of 55 year-old Joseph, 46 year-old Anna, 20 year-old Florence, 18 year-old Joseph Jr., 16 year-old Victor, 13 year-old Clara, and 9 year-old Rose.  Anna said she had given birth to six children, 5 of which were still alive in 1910.  Joseph Sr. said he was a Cutter and Tailor by trade.  Joseph Jr. was a "Draughtsman in Architecture."  The family owned their home free and clear.  Joseph and Anna reported their birthplace as "Austria-Bohemia." 

Joseph Nadherny the younger never referred to himself as "Junior," so for the remained of this article when I am referring to Joseph Nadherny I will be referring to the architect, not his father unless otherwise indicated.

Joseph Nadherny graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture in 1916.  

He was not going to let any grass grow under his feet.  When he registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 he was already working for himself:

Joseph Nadherny served in the US Army during World War I.  He enlisted on June 28, 1918 and was discharged April 30, 1919.  He served as a Private in the headquarters of the 13th Field Artillery Regiment.  By that time the Nadherny family had relocated to suburban Oak Park, Illinois.  Their new address as reported by Joseph was 707 Home Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois:

707 Home Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois

The 1920 US Census shows the Nadherny family living at 707 Home Avenue in Oak Park which for some reason the census calls "Wesley" Avenue.  Wesley Avenue in Oak Park is actually six blocks east of Home Avenue.  The census lists the family as Joseph (59), Anna (56), Florence (30), Joseph Jr (28), Victor (25), Clara (22) and Rose (17).  Anna Nadherny could neither read nor write, which was not all that unusual for women of this era.  They also reported that they owned their home, and that they had a mortgage as did most Americans.  Both the elder Joseph and Anna were naturalized American citizens.

Joseph Sr. was a tailor, as was Victor.  Joseph Jr was, of course, an architect.  Clara was a stenographer in a bank.  All of the family reported that they spoke English.  Yes, the Nadhernys had become a typical American family.    

Chicago was a bustling thriving city during the boom years of the 1920s and Joseph Nadherny was right there to build it.  On July 02, 1922 the Chicago Tribune announced that Joseph Nadherny had drawn up plans for a $60,000 temple for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Oak Park Avenue and Windsor Street in Berwyn:

The building is still there today:

3242 Oak Park Avenue, Berwyn, Illinois

Later in 1922 Joseph Nadherny decided to stop going it alone and teamed up with noted architect Scott C. Dyer (1889-1947) to form the firm of Dyer & Nadherny.  Dyer was know for designing Masonic Temples and Nadherny for designing Odd Fellows Halls so it seemed to be a good match for the two.  Nadherny moved into Suite 1531 in the First National Bank Building which had already been occupied by Dyer since 1917.  

The 1922 University of Pennsylvania alumni directory shows that Nadherny's architectural office was at 1531 First National Bank Building in Chicago.

The November 2, 1924 edition of the Chicago Tribune made a happy announcement:

On October 24, 1924 Joseph Jerome Nadherny married Helen Amelia Storkan.  Helen Storkan Nadherny (1898-1987) was born in Chicago to James Storkan (1871-1964) and Marie Emilie Kralovic (1874-1963).  James Storkan was a real estate attorney and banker.  Here is a photo of Helen's parents, James and Marie Storkan:

In addition to Helen, the Storkans had three other children:  Robert (1896-1976), Julie Marie (1901-1987) [Mrs. George A. Basta], and Pauline (1905-1988) [Mrs. Stephen E. Boback].

1925 was a banner year for Joseph J. Nadherny.  On August 17, 1925 Joseph and Helen's daughter Jeanne Helen Nadherny (1925-2013) [Mrs. Norbert Buenik] was born and then on December 6, 1925 the Fort Lauderdale (FL) Sunday News announced that Dyer & Nadherny's plans for a $500,000.00 Hotel Riviera in Fort Lauderdale, Florida had been approved:

The article also mentions that Dyer & Nadherny were currently working on plans for the Michicago Field Club, a 500 room hotel in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and had completed (in 1922) plans for the Golfmore Hotel in Grand Beach, Michigan, said to be the "finest resort hotel in the north."

It was also reported that Scott Dyer had "fallen in love" with South Florida and regretted that it had gotten so much bad press.  Dyer further said that he soon hoped to relocate to Fort Lauderdale and open an office of Dyer & Nadherny down there.

But business was booming for Dyer & Nadherny in Chicago.  After his European trip in 1924, cemetery owner Anders E. Anderson approached Joseph Nadherny about designing a mausoleum for his Oak Ridge Cemetery in the Chicago suburb of Hillside, Illinois.  Anderson didn't want a mausoleum that looked like others that had been built in Chicago, or even like the mausoleum in the cemetery next door, Glen Oak.  So what did Joseph Nadherny produce for Anders Anderson?  The Oakridge Abbey Mausoleum - the only compartment mausoleum built on the cruciform plan, where brilliant wide white marble steps lead to the columned entrance, whose massive doors of solid bronze are works of art.  The Abbey is also said to be "a poem in marble and bronze."

Furthermore, Oak Ridge Abbey is one of the few mausoleums that has the crematorium right inside the same building.  This is not uncommon today but in the 1920s was unheard of.

When the Bella Morte website visited Oakridge Abbey, here's what they said:

Upon entering the Abbey, one encounters columbaria with glass-front niches just outside the chapel. The chapel itself is captivating, resting as it does beneath an expansive arch of stained glass which admits the soft glow of natural, filtered light. Edgar Miller's beautiful art glass "Lady of Eternity" keeps watch over her domain from her place behind the marble altar. Lining the nave of the chapel are large stone pillars beyond which lie numerous interment chambers, each comprising ten burial vaults.

The remainder of the Abbey features red-carpeted marble hallways flanked on each side by gated crypt rooms, our favourite of which is that belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Pelikan. Inside, a bare-breasted marble faerie stands delicately before colourful stained glass windows, her raised left hand posed to open a small urn.

One either side of her rest the ornate tombs of Ruth Lila and Otto Pelikan. Above them, etched letters gilt in gold proclaim "Seventh Heaven." Indeed. We wish nothing less for this obviously loving couple. Incidentally, someone tends this tomb with care as each time we have visited, a fresh red rose has been laid atop each Pelikan crypt.

Bella Morte concluded, "When in Hillside, Oakridge Abbey simply must be included in your list of places to see."

Other architects who designed mausoleums such as Sidney Lovell or Cecil Bryan did not stop at designing just one.  Lovell is purported to have designed fifty-six community mausoleums; we can identify forty-nine.  Cecil E. Bryan is credited with designing eighty community mausoleums.  Unlike Lovell or Bryan, Joseph Nadherny seems to have only designed one: Oakridge Abbey.

His architectural career did continue, however, even if he did not design any other community mausoleums.  On February 24, 1929 the Chicago Tribune announced that Dyer & Nadherny designed a four story factory building for the Triner Scale and Manufacturing Company at Twenty-first Street and Fairfield Avenue in Chicago:

The building is still standing:

But Dyer & Nadherny were not finished yet.  On August 4, 1929, the Tribune announced that Dyer & Nadherny had designed a 2,500 seat theater in Chicago on Ogden Boulevard at Menomonee Street which would be called "The Orient" (not to be confused with the Oriental Theater in downtown Chicago.)

The Orient theater - a 2,500 seat movie theater proposed for a site at Ogden boulevard and Menomonee street.  Designed by Dyer & Nadherny, the structure is to be modernistic in feeling.  Besides the theater, the building will contain stores and flats.  The cost is estimated at $1,000,000.  The United Theater Corporation of Illinois is owner.

 

Unfortunately it does not appear that the Orient Theater was ever built.

The 1930 US Census shows the Joseph Nadherny family living at 4851 West End Avenue in Chicago.  A vacant lot occupies that space today.  The family rented their apartment for $85.00 per month.  The family consisted of 38 year-old Joseph, an architect in general practice, 32 year old Helen, their 4 year-old daughter Jeanne, 9 year-old nephew Benton Annerino, and 20 year-old cousin Marie Levey.  Joseph told the census taker that he had served in the World War, that he was born in Illinois but his parents were born in Czechoslovakia, and that they did own a radio.

The Depression years were hard for all Americans and architects were no exception.  During the 1930s Mrs. Joseph Nadhern's name appeared in print many more times than her husband.  Mrs. Nadherny was involved in many Bohemian social and charitable organizations in Chicago.  One example was when the Chicago Tribune reported on October 1, 1933 that Mrs. Joseph J. Nadherny was appearing in a one-act play 'About Face' for the Bohemian Women's Club with another woman of Bohemian ancestry, Mrs. Otto Kerner.  Otto Kerner, a protege of martyred Chicago mayor Anton Cermak would go on to be elected governor of Illinois from 1961-1968.

Scott Dyer and Joseph Nadherny had not seen eye-to-eye for a long time.  Dyer was more interested in South Florida; Nadherny was perfectly happy in Chicago.  Things came to a head and the Chicago Tribune reported on October 6, 1935 that Dyer and Nadherny were parting company:  

As mentioned in the article, Joseph Nadherny's office was now at 1518 West Roosevelt Road in Chicago, which was the building owned by the Bohemian National Building, Loan and Homestead Association.  Townhomes occupy that site today.

In the 1930 US Census Joseph Nadherny told the census taker that he was an architect in general practice.  He did not limit his expertise to only commercial properties, he was willing to design or redesign houses as well.  Commercial building during the Great Depression had ground almost to a halt, so Nadherny took whatever architectural jobs that were available.  We can see this in an article from the Chicago Tribune of August 15, 1937 when Nadherny gave advice about the remodeling of a house:

 

By 1940 the Depression was finally wearing itself out and things were looking better, but this was tempered by the rumblings of war.  The war was already raging in Europe and the Far East.  Thoughtful men knew that ultimately the United States would be drawn into the war again - just as it had in World War I.

The 1940 US Census taker came to the Nadherny home on April 12, 1940.  Now the family was renting an apartment at 1517 North Austin Avenue in Chicago, for which they paid $100.00 per month.  There were no relatives living with the Nadhernys in 1940 as there had been in 1930 - it was only Joseph, Helen and Jeanne.  

 1517 N. Austin Boulevard, Chicago

Joseph was 48 years-old, he was an Architect in "Private Business."  41 year-old Helen and 14 year-old Jeanne were not employed.  They had been living at the same address in 1935.

Things got a little more lively for Joseph Nadherny later in 1940 when he became involved in what was known as the "Club Western Trial."  On trial was William R. Johnson and some of his associates.  Johnson was an alleged gambling boss who was on trial in Federal Court for income tax evasion and his associates were co-defendants in the tax evasion matter.  Johnson's lawyers attempted to reduce his tax liability by showing that William (Billy) Skidmore owned 1/2 of the Club Western, a gambling joint at 9730 S. Western Avenue in Chicago.  An  8-story medical office building built in 1952 occupies that site today.

Joseph Nadherny was originally set to be a witness for the Defense.  During 1938 and 1939, he had worked as an architect and construction supervisor for both Johnson and Skidmore.  Nadherny had met Johnson through Skidmore.

Nadherny had been prepared to appear for the defense but when court convened on September 2, 1940 the Assistant US Attorney  E. Riley Campbell said that he had just been told that on the previous Saturday night, that Nadherny visited the Bon-Air Club, a gambling establishment in Lake County, and talked with two of the defendants.  He had further been informed that Nadherny discussed the matters at trial with the defendants.  Campbell wanted Nadherny called immediately as a witness for the prosecution.  This was allowed.

Campbell examined Nadherny who admitted that he had been at Bon-Air and that he had "casual talks" with two of the defendants Ed Wait and Andrew Creighton.  "I met Wait first, at the bar," Nadherny testified, "and he told me that he thought that some of the testimony given last week (by William Goldstein) was false."  Soon afterward, Nadherny said, he had met Creighton and their conversation concerned construction work at the Club Western.  Nadherny had drawn up the plans for the gambling house there.

"We talked about the subject that Creighton had paid some of the money for extra work done on the club, and also the fact that Skidmore had paid a portion of the money for the place," said Nadherny.  "Who brought up the subject?" asked Campbell.  "I would say Mr. Creighton.  He said something about my testimony and and I remarked that I never had mentioned the fact that Mr. Creighton had given me some money."

Under further examination Nadherny said he had received $2,500 at one time from Creighton, and that in all Creighton spent $6,000 as his share in the Club Western.  When asked what the total cost of the club was, Nadherny replied "$22,000.00."  Campbell asked further, "Who paid the money?" and Nadherny replied "Skidmore."  Campbell: "In what form?"  Nadherny:  "Currency."

This was the first time, government attorneys said, that they had heard from Nadherny that Skidmore had passed out the money.  Nadherny tried to explain that on previous occasions that he assumed the money had come from Johnson although it had been paid by Skidmore.  Therefore, Nadherny said he had related previously that Johnson had paid the money, although it was Skidmore who had actually paid it.

"It was also the first time," prosecutors said, "that Nadherny had told of Creighton's share in the Club Western."  Nadherny explained that by saying that the district attorney's office had never asked him about such an item.

Nadherny told in detail of his work at the Bon-Air Club.  The cost of the work was $130,000.00.  His fee was $7,800.00.  Again Skidmore's name was brought out.  

"How were you paid?" Nadherny was asked.  "I received two payments," he replied.  "I remember I mentioned the matter to Mr. Johnson, and he said to see Mr. Skidmore because he was going out of town.  I saw Mr. Skidmore and he gave me $2,500.00.  I got the balance from Mr. Johnson."   

This seems to have been the end of Joseph Nadherny's involvement in this matter.  Whether or not Nadherny's testimony made any difference we do not know, but the defendants were all convicted of tax evasion.     

Joseph Nadherny's former partner Scott C. Dyer died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 9, 1947.  His body was returned to Chicago and buried in Graceland Cemetery. 

In 1956 Joseph Nadherny had his sixty-fifth birthday.  In those days most people were required to retire at 65 but people who were self-employed could continue working as long as they liked.  Nadherny however decided that the time had come to enjoy life so he retired.  Joseph and Helen Nadherny stayed in their apartment on Austin Boulevard in Chicago until 1969 when they moved to Pasadena, California.

Here is a photo of Joseph and Helen Nadherny from that time period:

In 1973 they moved from Pasadena to 2727 Miradero Drive in Santa Barbara, California to be closer to their daughter Jeanne, her husband Norbert and their two grandsons, Bert and Michael Buenik.  There were also close to Joseph's remaining sibling, his sister Rose who lived in Laguna Hills, California.

Joseph J. Nadherny died in Santa Barbara, California on June 29, 1986.  He was 94 years old.  Here is his Death Notice from the Chicago Tribune of July 8, 1986:

Joseph J. Nadherny rests today in the magnificent mausoleum he designed, Oak Ridge Abbey in Hillside, Illinois:

Like Anders Anderson, Nadherny chose to be laid to rest in the magnificent mausoleum that he and Anderson had created.  

When you visit Oak Ridge Abbey it would be appropriate to use for Joseph Nadherny the epitaph attributed to another famous architect, Christopher Wren:

"Si monumentum requiris circumspice."

"If you would seek my monument, look around you.''

May he rest in peace.