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Show Davis' Benjamin Franklin By DONETA GATHERUM When Dr. Sumner Gleason was 83 years old a reported from the "Philadelphia Evening Bulletin" interviewed the former Kaysville, Utah resident in order to write a feature story about a western frontier physician. THE STORY could have been centered around the experiences of Dr. Gleason in the saloons and mines of New Mexico. The author could have concentrated on the numerous horse and buggy expeditions Dr. Gleason made across the dirt roads on North Davis County. The reporter could have credited Dr. Gleason with practicing dentistry, working as a type setter, being a slight of hand artist and a hypnotist, dabbling in art, establishing a school health program in Davis County or organizing a band. The kind deeds performed by the doctor doc-tor who practiced medicine in the Kaysville area for 44-plus years were so numerous a feature fea-ture story could easily have been developed around this humanitarian character trait. The news reporter considered all of these accomplishments secondary in importance to the one major achievement that Dr. Gleason made to society, the chance discovery and the development of a special peach tree. THE NEWS article, printed in Philadelphia on Aug. 20, 1943, quoted Dr. Gleason, "It's been a long life and a good one. And best of all, there was that danged peach tree!" It was the Early Elberta peach that gave Dr. Gleason a place in history'- This particular variety vari-ety ripened about a week earlier than the established estab-lished variety. It was good size. The flavor was unsurpassed. It was almost fuzz-free. The Elberta w as hardy enough to be grow n in home orchards and equally suitable for a commercial fruit grower. TODAY HORTICULTURISTS throughout the U.S. call this wonderful peach the Lemon Elberta or the Early Elberta. Fruit growers in Kaysville, Fruit Heights and other pans of Davis County know it is the Gleason Elberta. It would be unfair to the memory of Dr. Sumner Gleason to tell the story of the development de-velopment of his peach without also giving a biography of his life. "He was an individual. His life didn't follow any pattern." Mabel Gleason, a daughter in law, says of Sumner Gleason, a tall slender built man. "He wasn't a money chaser. He went to the extreme in wanting to help people. He gave service and enriched many lives. He wasn't a practical man. He was very intellectual." SUMNER GLEASON ws born in Maiden. Mass. on May II, 1860. He left school at the age of 14 and worked as a newspaper type setter, a stenographer and other occupations before he decided to return to school and study medicine. Eventually he graduated from the Vermont medical school. Years later the Dr. recalled, "I was sick for months before my graduation, had attended few lectures and couldn't even answer the question. 'What is the scientific name for nose bleed?' in my final exams. But I was graduated. There was a need for doctors in the West. Sumner Gleason traveled to San Antonio. Tex. and then to White Oakes, New Mexico. There was a town of Carthage nearby that needed medical services. Dr. Gleason made arrangements arrange-ments to handle the cases of 1 00 miners for the sum of one dollar per patient per month. THERE WERE no medical facilities whatsoever what-soever in Carthage and so Dr. Gleason was the doctor, the dentist and the druggist. On April II, 1888 Sumner Gleason married Miss Edith Crawford. The new Mrs. Gleason was only five days younger than her husband. She was born in Scotland of a wealthy family. "Mrs. Gleason was a lady," Alice Williams Barton recalls. "In Scotland, she had an upstairs up-stairs maid and her own personal maid. She dressed beautifully and conducted herself like a lady in every way. She didn't do housework. Each week Doctor would travel into Salt Lake to buy a special chocolate for Mrs. Gleason. This was her breakfast drink. She would have tea each day at 4 p.m." IN 1890 the Gleasons moved to Denver, Colo, and then to Utah. They settled in Spanish Span-ish Fork and Salt Lake City before taking up residency in Kaysville. The dental health of children was a major concern for Dr. Gleason. He bought a dental book and studied it. Eventually he started fixing fix-ing teeth. Dr. Gleason later wrote, "first I filled teeth. Then I started making false tcclh. Finally I was straightening the worst cases of crooked teeth you can imagine, all from the book. Technically, I was under danger of arrest all the time for I had no license to practice prac-tice dentistry. Yet there was noonc else tocarc for these people and their dental problems." IT WAS common for Dr. Gleason to take young patients into Salt Lake City to be treated by orthodontist specialists. Many limes the Doctor paid for the services. Dr. Gleason recorded 4, (XX) extractions and 15,000 filling in baby Iccth alone. HE CARED for his denial patients on Sundays, Sun-days, his only day off. From V)U to 19)9, Dr. Gleason worked as (he Davis County school doctor, lie gave immunizing im-munizing scrums to thousands of students. MRS. BARTON remembers one girl in Kaysville had cross eyes. Dr. Gleason look hct inlo Salt Fake and had hi-r filled for corrective knics. In about three years her eyes were fine. "He was abrupt in his speech. He didn't join clubs or socialic. He was loo busy practicing . ft V y ,s . No mere story could cover die width and breadth of Dr. Summer Glcason's life. He was a man with interests and talents and accomplishments that rank him as the Benjamin Franklin of Davis County. ' .. , . . -j - - " , - i 1 t f - T " - .. - ''.,. ' a . ' -' ; ' ' vi ' " . :. . ' i: J. ' i . "" "s 1 1 , .. . t ? ? : ' ? ! -. i If "v:-. ' .. f. The Gleason home still stands. medicine and doing the many oihcr things he enjoved," Mrs. H.irton, a long-time neighbor sas. "It w.is a common sight to sec IXior taking Niuqnets of flowers from his garden to the hoipital or to homes (f sik p.ilients. He would carry dishes of jcIKi or ice cream to suk children." THE Gl.EVSON family had just sclllcd in Kaysville when Dr. Gleason became interested in-terested in horticulture. He wrote. "I was luld it was no use planting an orchard w ithout sufficient suffi-cient water to irrigate the trees. Il look nic five days to prove irrigation for trees was not absolutely abso-lutely necessary. As a substitute for water I used a method of deep cultivation anil in a few years I was raising grapes, berries, apples and peaches in dry ground." The introduction of the loganberry liik n years of experimentation. Before Dr. Glcason's work, the Pacific coast states were the only places in America in w hich the berries were grow n. 1 he must difficult part of grow in k loganberries was lo find some way lo do away with the excessively large vines which kept I he fnnl from ripening Dr. Gleason attached Ihc tops of the vines lo wires suspenced from strong slakes. This allowed Ihc berries to ripen and it give Ihc pickers grcalcr freedom in gathering the fruit. SOON DR. Gleason had a small nurserv established behind his home and lo Ihc cast of the house. He experimented with fruit and shade Irccs as well as vegetables, grapes, berries ber-ries and flowers. When a person gol a Ircc or a start from Dr. Gleason. Ihc consumer was instructed in-structed about Ihc planting and care of Ihc purchase or Ihc gift because Dr. Gleason rarely made money from his horticulture enterprises. Through experimentation. Dr. Gleason developed de-veloped a slrain of Golden liaiilam sweel coin. ANOT HER PROTECT Dr. Gleason became interested in was Ihc canning industry. He established a small canning plant on 2nd South and 1st Fast streets in Kaysville. Gleason grape juice was processed in Ibis plant. I Ic also canned corn and peaches. Dm nig World War I, he conceived Ihc idea of canning buffalo meal. Buffalos from Anlclopc Island were obtained and business looked promising. People jusl didn't like I lie idea of eating canned hull. do and so the project soon died. T lie canning plant was raed in l4 lo clear Ihc land for the Vera l ee Subdivision. THERE WERE two slightly dillcicnl stone i aboul Ihc development of the Gleason l.lbcila Peach. Focal fruil growers and life long Davis County residents thai wric well acquainted with Dr. Gleason claim Ihe liec was slailnl from a peach pil. "You never know whal you will gel when you plant a fill," Sam Kaymong of l iuil Heights says. "It just happened thai Dr. Gleason gol a lir.l rale lice from this one pil. I believe il is Ihe besl pca h giown. Il doesn't ship as well as Ihe Red Hale bul il has belter llavor." CARL BUTCHER sav s his father. Ar'.hur G Butcher, was driving along the road near the (ileason home one day. Dr. Gleason called for Arthur to come into his orchard and taste a peach he had developed from a pit. The flavor was gixi Mr. Butcher got many bud starts from the original tree and established one of Ihc first (ileaston Liberia orchards in I ruil Heights Carl Butcher sa s. "At firt. wc hauled our peaches into Sail Fake City lo sell a! the different diffe-rent stores People soon discovered how j;..0 Ihc pe.ichcrs were and lhc came to our home lo huv hem. Wc couldn't fill all the orders ll was still ihc main peach crop in I ruil Heights Vs hen on lake a bud from seedling, il stav s Iruc lo the slih.k Many of Ihc Irccs privliking arc descendants of ihc original Ircc " WILLI VM BUTCHER, a grandfather of Aldcn Burton, was another early fruit farmer that sel out a (ileason I lbcM.1 orchard "The Doctor started budding and selling trees Grandfather gol some of Ihc original ones was prior lo FN The Ircc has slaved (nic lo the strain Ioslay il is grown everywhere, no! just in Utah. Some call il Ihc St.uk I lln-rU. others sav il is the I emon I llnTta In K.n svillc it is Ihc (ileason I lln-rta. The Stark nursery hough! the palcnl for Ihc Ircc. Il is still the besi peach produced. "Aldcn Burton stresses. In t he storv that appeared in the Angus! 2D. I'M! issue of Ihc "Philadelphia Evening Bulletin." Bulle-tin." Dr. (ileason states. "St.uk Brothers, a large nuisery located in Louisiana. Mo , pisl then was ollermg a $'00 pnc lo anyone who could produce a peach which ripened caiher and had a belter laslc than Ihc old I Ibcilas. THEY DISTRIBUTED small seedlings, asking those who raised them lo keep a close watch for an c.uly type. The lice produced fnnl in two or Ihicc years and Ihe flavor was betlerlhan I have ever lasted. They came early too." Dr. (ileason picked a few and shipped Ihem lo Ihc company. He received a telegram baik immediately asking for buds. He senl Ihem and foigot aboul il for Ihiec years. "THEN I WROTE Ihem letter asking if my peaches had been a success and if so whal aboul ( he S KM). T hey sent me a check and SI00 worlh of tiees." "I had laised an eaily I Iberia! I he company had dislnbuled four million seedlings living lo lind llus vaiiely. It had fallen lo my lot lo gel il... li s been a long life and n good one. And besi ol all, Iheic was that danged peaih liec." T HIS ARTICLE was piepaied with Ihe help of many people. Mis. Alice Williams Ballon saved clippings fiom newspnpeis that wcic invaluable in-valuable in telling Dr. Glcason's sloiy. Her fusl hand meinoiies weie impoilnul, Mis. Mablc Gleason, Samiial Raymond, Aldcn Bui-Ion Bui-Ion and ( ail BiiKlirr all made impoilanl con Inbiilions. Alice Kamplon contnbuled Ihe pic-tuie. |