| |
North Dakota. His father's job involved travelling and real estate.
At the time of the January 10, 1920 census, Walter was 17 years old and
living with his parents and brother Wilton in the family home at
4233 Sheridan Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. Also living with the family
were Florance Teunis, a 29-year-old divorceé who worked as their
housekeeper, and her 9-year-old son Arthur. Walter was attending
school at the time and working as a musician in a theatre.
There were actually two drummers named Walter Anderson. Musicians distinguished them by their hair color. "Black"
Walter Anderson played with pianist Norvy Mulligan in George Osborn's Orchestra, and "white" (light hair) Walter Anderson led the
band at the Golden Pheasant Cafe on 6th Street in Minneapolis, an upstairs Chinese restaurant that was one of
the first spots in the Twin Cities to feature local jazz. This locale provided the name for his band, Walter Anderson and His Golden Pheasant Hoodlums. In the fall of 1927 at the Lowry Hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota, Walter's hot
jazz band made several recordings with three record companies, Bell, Challenger and Gennett. These pre-Swing jazz
records are highly sought after by collectors today.
Artist |
Instrument |
| Walter Anderson |
Drums, Director |
| Les Becker |
Banjo, Guitar |
| Eddie Bratton |
Trumpet |
| Charles Forsythe |
Vocals |
| Gordie Green |
Bass Brass |
| Norman Hendrickson |
Trombone |
| Dick Hall |
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone |
| James Kelly |
Vocals |
| Arthur Swaline |
Piano |
The band also played live.
In June 1932 when Diane was born, Walter and his wife Alice were
living at 3649 Elliot in Minneapolis, MN with his in-laws. Walter was
self-employed as a music arranger at the time. He and Alice were
divorced when Diane was six years old.
By the end of 1936 Walter was
working for Franklin Simon & Co., a first-class department store located at the corner of 38th St.
and 5th Ave. in New York City. Former Stern Brothers clerk Franklin Simon opened a store here in
1902, the first important retail business to open above 34th St. on 5th Ave. (At this corner from
1858 to 1938 was the site of the Brick Presbyterian Church where Mark Twain's funeral
was held on April 23, 1910. At this corner, Buster Keaton got on a double-decker bus
in the silent movie, "The Cameraman.") During this time everything
in the department stores was stylish: noted industrial designers Raymond Loewy and Norman Bel Geddes began their illustrious
careers, respectively, as the display directors at Macy's and the Franklin Simon store on Fifth Avenue. The curator of the Brooklyn Museum declared the department stores "the greatest influences for culture and taste
that exist today. They make it possible for us all to participate in the creative thought of a new and revolutionary era."
On Oct. 30, 1942 Walter enlisted in the Army at Hartford, Connecticut. He had been working as a surveyor, was separated with
no dependents, and stated he had one year of college education. He was 39 years old, 6 feet tall and weighed 163 pounds.
After the war, Walter moved to Rockville Tolland, Connecticut where he lived with his
second wife, Florence E., until her death. They were listed as living on Tolland Road in Vernon Rockville in the 1949, 1952, 1960 and 1960
Vernon Rockville, Connecticut, City Directories, where his occupation as salesman was indicated. The specific address was 714 Tolland
Stage Road, known as the Dr. Gilbert Preston house. It was originally built around 1790 by Joseph Pitkin
and designed as a saltbox. In 1868, it was partially destroyed in a fire and the owner, Dr. Gilbert Preston,
had it rebuilt with the Italianate roof style seen today. Dr. Preston came to Tolland to practice
medicine in 1845 and lived there until his death in 1883. The home remained in his family for over 100 years since his
daughter, Sarah Preston Lathrop Young, lived there, and then her granddaughter Florence Meacham Anderson and
husband Walter.
Walter was a smoker who
later in life developed chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung
cancer. He passed away a widower at the Rockville General Hospital in
Vernon, Connecticut at the age of 70 and was buried at South Cemetery
on Cider Mill Road in Tolland.
|
