Harry Carr Los Angeles City of Dreams (Illustrated by E.H. Suydam), D. Appleton-Century Co.: NY, 1935, 402 pp.
Chapter XXVII The Athens of America
"Occidental College, founded in 1887, is purposedly and intentionally a smaller college . . . devoted to high scholarship. It has a beautiful campus in the foot-hills near Eagle Rock and its president is Dr. Remsen Du Bois Bird. It is famous in the eyes of the laity for having produced the greatest all-around athlete who ever lived -Fred Thomason, the only college man who ever won the national all-around athletic championship twice in succession. He became a Presbyterian minister and went to France as chaplain of one of the Western regiments. Entering one of the Allied [p. 378] athletic games, he made the French and English so indignant that they wouldn't play any more. Among other events they had a contest in throwing trench bombs. The flags marking the throws of the puny French soldier arms were gathered in a bunch like a little forest-then far out alone came Thomson's flung bomb. While in the service, Mary Pickford became honorary colonel of his regiment and Thomson married her scenario writer, Frances Marion. Through her influence he became a star of Western pictures and died from lockjaw as the result of an injury received in his stables."