OLSEN, Wilfred Franklin, Jr.

Wilfred F. Olsen (1896-1983)

Son's grave in Avalon Cemetery, Santa Catalina Island

OLSEN, Wilfred Franklin (1896-1983)[SS#550-10-7429], born January 8, 1896 in Massachusetts, by the late 1930s he and his family had moved to Avalon, where he was a hotel and hospitality manager for the Santa Catalina Island Company in various positions. From 1939-1941 he was the manager of the Hotel St. Catherine. In 1947 he was hired to manage affairs at the Isthmus.

Wilfred F. Olsen died in May 1983 with Avalon as his last residence.

Wilfred F. Olsen = Margaret M. O'Brien (1898-1961)

• 1. Evelyn T. Olsen (1917-1969)
• 2. Wilfred F. Olsen, Jr. (1922-1968)

[died at age 46 and is buried in Avalon Cemetery]

In the News~

October 1, 1936 [TI/Avalon]: “The members and guests of the Mary Williams Club convened in the Mirror Room of the St. Catherine Hotel on Thursday, September 24, to resume activities. A short business session was held, during which Mrs. W. F. Olsen and Mrs. Harry Downs were elected to membership...”

December 8, 1938 [TI/Avalon]: “North-bound passengers on the S.S. Avalon on Friday afternoon included... W.F. Olsen...”

March 14, 1940 [TI/Avalon]: “Bon Voyage dinner served Chicago Cubs. With their days of wielding the hickory stick and throwing the horsehide on Santa Catalina Island over for this year, the Chicago Cubs gathered in the Mirror Room of the Hotel St. Catherine Tuesday evening for a bon voyage dinner, hosted by W. G. Olsen, manager of the hotel. More than sixty Cubs, newspaper men, and S.C.I. Company executives were guests at the stag affair...”

June 5, 1947 [TI/Avalon]: “Talking it over. A special page of information for personnel of the Catalina Company. This page bought and paid for at straight advertising rates by the Santa Catalina Island Company. Here are the facts on why the change was made at the Isthmus. One of the principal purposes of this page is to keep the personnel of the Catalina Companies posted on facts and prevent the undermining effect of rumor which too often masquerades as fact. Just at present gossip is busy spreading thew rumor that the Isthmus us being used as a stepping stone to all sorts of possible changes in personnel in Avalon. In the interest of fairness to the Santa Catalina Island Company itself and all of its personnel, and particularly to Mr. W. F. Olsen who as director of hotels for the Company some years ago is thoroughly familiar with Catalina, and we with him, and who is just assuming the responsibility of operating the Isthmus for this summer, it seems best to recognize rumors of this kind and take care of them by the very simple process of publishing the facts, which are these. Separate operation works best. From the viewpoint of efficient and effective operation in Avalon, the summer operations at the Isthmus have always been a decided detriment except in those years when the Isthmus was operated as an entirely separate and distinct enterprise, standing squarely on its own feet, and as far as possible in direct competition to the Avalon operations. This fact was borne out again this year when we started to prepare the Isthmus for opening. The efforts of a dozen different people became divided between the Isthmus and Avalon, and their efficiency on their principal jobs suffered accordingly. This is the reason that the policy was changed in mid-stream, so to speak, and we feel very fortunate that Mr. Olsen was available and willing to step in to take over operation of the Isthmus for this summer as a completely independent operator, dealing with the S.C.I.Co. on an arm's length basis. Rumors nearly always harmful. This particular rumor about the Isthmus is one more example of the fact that rumors in general are nearly always unfair and harmful for the following reasons, which apply not just to this situation but to any and all rumors. No company can conduct its business for long without the loyal, whole-hearted cooperation of all its personnel, and you cannot get that cooperation when people feel that they do not know who may be their boss next or if they will even have a job. A corporation just cannot let this happen, so it must lean over backwards to prevent rumor from becoming fact and getting a toe-hold by the "I told you so" method. This can sometimes mean that changes are not made even when they should be in the best interest of the business, and that a good man may be kept out of a better job in spite of his capabilities if to make the change smacks even slightly out of the stepping-stone method backed by gossipy prediction of indirect and devious methods of conducting a business.”

• W. F. Olsen at the Isthmus
• 

  Isthmus brochure under Olsen management
• 

  Detail from an Isthmus brochure

Top of Page