ALVA TRAVER (“Ted”) HUBBARD
1899 - 1989
Ted Hubbard was born in Michigan in the Spring of 1899. He spent much of
his youth in Huntington Park(Southern California,) attended Huntington Park
High School, and attended the University of California at Berkeley, majoring
in Political Science.
In 1918, Ted served in the U.S. Army until the end of World War I. He then
joined the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and served as Secretary
from 1922-1925. He was a member of the committee that selected Joseph
B. Strauss as architect for the Golden Gate Bridge, and he organized the
first rail trip of California businessmen and politicos to the newly-reformed
nation of Mexico.
In 1927, Ted published The Pacific Commerce, “The Only Complete
Exposition of San Francisco’s Air Port Problem.” In The Pacific Commerce
can be seen early aerial-view illustrations of the Bay Area that undoubtedly
served as inspiration for Ted’s larger body of work involving many of the
communities, parks, and military bases in the Bay Area.
Ted also served as Editor of the Journal of the California Banker’s
Association, and was a staff writer for Sunset Magazine. Ted was an active
freelance writer, cartoonist and illustrator in the Bay Area during the 30’s,
40’s and 50’s, where he worked with Herb Caen, numerous other editors and
journalists, and interviewed many of the leading military, corporate and
political figures of the time.
In the 1960’s, Ted and his wife Ethel, moved from San Francisco to the
Sacramento Valley, where Ted was editor of various weekly newspapers
including The Folsom Telegraph (“All the News by a Damsite”), the Dixon
Tribune, the Lemoore Advance, and the Sanger Herald.
Ted died of natural causes in 1989, and is survived by his son, Ernest
Hubbard, Sr., his daughter, Ethyle Harrigan, and more than 30 grandchildren
and great-grandchildren.
Ted’s work spans more than five decades, and consists mainly of hand-
drawn pen & ink illustrations of Marin County, San Francisco, and Oakland.
While there is no record of Ted ever receiving formal training in the graphic
arts, his native ability and enthusiasm coupled with his lifelong love of news
and illustration were major contributing factors in the development of his
skills.
Ted’s illustrations, sketches and prints have been collected and cherished
over the years by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Ted’s work can be broadly divided into three categories:
•
Marin County “Cartoon-O-Maps”
•
San Francisco Parks and Military Bases
•
Oakland Districts and Military Base
Some of Ted’s works were commissioned by the Military and Parks
Departments. Others were self-funded and focused on the Bay Area’s
rapidly-growing local communities. Ted would sell advertising in his
illustrations, then work with the local Chambers of Commerce to “get the
word out.”
In its imaginative use of perspective, witty cartoonist-style, and focus upon
detail, Ted’s body of work captures the vitality of the Bay Area after WW II,
and offers us a glimpse into our past during a simpler and more innocent era.
-- Written by Ernie Hubbard, Ted's grandson. For more information on Ted's
work and how to obtain reproductions, contact Ernie by Email.
