Civil engineer, orange rancher
Native Claremonter Allan Taylor Stover died on February 10, 2008 at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.
Born and raised in Claremont, Mr. Stover graduated from Claremont High School in 1949. At CHS, he played football and continued studying the violin, which he had already been playing for several years. As a junior high student, he played violin with the Pomona College Orchestra.
Mr. Stover’s familial associations with Claremont date back to his grandfather, who graduated from Pomona College, ranched oranges and lemons on near Baseline Road and served as a general contractor in town for many years. His family also owned and operated groves in Riverside, for which Mr. Stover helped manage and coordinate the water and irrigation rights. He knew the groves well even as a child, when he would help with the smudging.
After high school graduation, Mr. Stover earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He served in the US Army, stationed at Fort Ord in northern California.
For many years, Mr. Stover worked as a civil engineer for Coxco, Inc. in Orange, continuing to ranch oranges for the National Orange Company in Riverside simultaneously. Locally, he was involved with the Padua Hills Corporation through which he worked with Pomona College to coordinate the sale of the theater and surrounding property to the city of Claremont. In addition, he assisted a well-known Los Angeles-based architect in the construction of the pathway extending southward from Honnold/Mudd Library at the Claremont Colleges. He also served as chief engineer in the development of the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.
Slightly more distant from the Claremont area, Mr. Stover oversaw the construction of the San Marcus Pass, the road leading from Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley.
In 1961, Mr. Stover married and moved to Corona del Mar where he taught his daughters to play bridge, love the surf, value the right to vote and cherish the joy of laughter.
“He loved to laugh and taught us all the joy of laughter,” said his daughter. “You had to look for a twinkle in his eye to see if he was being serious or telling a joke.”
And, although he held and expressed rather passionate opinions and loved a good debate, he was “always willing to cross the aisle and respect the opinions of others,” said his daughter.
Together, he and his wife supported the arts, serving as founding supporters of the Foothill Philharmonic and the Music Center, more formally known as the Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County. He was also a member of Kiwanis, the American Society of Engineers, the Hutchins Consort Board of Directors and Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Parish Church.
Mr. Stover’s family also noted, with affection, that he liked to mix a stiff drink.
Mr. Stover is survived by his wife, two daughters and many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. today, Saturday, February 23, 2008 at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 3233 Pacific View Dr., Corona del Mar.
