ON MEMORY'S BACK TRAIL By Darrell Beck A Voting Legacy

Gertrude Wilson holds the Better Citizenship silver cup in 1935. Photos courtesy of Darrell BEck

In 1924, the California Chamber of Commerce sponsored a statewide contest to encourage voter registration.

A $100 silver citizenship cup was offered as a prize to any community with an organized chamber of commerce that could get the greatest percentage of registered voters to the polls in the general election that year.

The contest generated considerable interest and enthusiasm within the state, as many large and small cities entered, including the small unincorporated town of Ramona.

On Election Day that year, the entire community turned out to get the voters to the polls. Leaders rounded up voters and brought them to town, students were let out of school early that day to assist as part of a high school civics class project, phone calls were made to others and, when the voting was done, the town of Ramona had won.

It was reported that the Ramona precinct had 339 registered voters. Of those, six were sick and unable to get out, seven were away on trips and two were under quarantine. Six were unaccounted for and could not be located. A total of 318 Ramonans had voted to achieve the victory by a 93.8 percent turnout.

Gertrude shown holding the same cup that recently was presented to her.

Much of the success was credited to efforts by chamber president Clara Keyes Graham, Elisabeth Seay Green and Professor John Wilson, with support from the Ramona Sentinel and the Ramona Woman's Club.

In 1926, Ramona made a supreme effort to keep the voting cup, and once again the community united to get out the vote. Of a possible 360 registered voters, 354 reached the polls for a 98.33 percent victory. Only because three were gravely ill in hospitals, two were out of town on business and the fire warden was away on a forest fire, was Ramona kept from total success.

Ramona won permanent possession of the better citizenship cup in 1928 after a third straight win. With 442 registered voters, Ramona was able to muster 436 to the polls for an amazing 98.64 winning percentage.

For good measure, Ramona again won the honors in 1930 with a 97.8 percent turnout, and again in 1932 with a 98.0 percent voter turnout. Today that little known, but esteemed memento representing the true spirit of early Ramona, can be seen at the Ramona Chamber of Commerce office.

On Nov. 2, 1935, during the third annual Turkey Day celebration, a second silver cup was presented by State Senator Ed Fletcher to Ramona's first Turkey Day queen, Gertrude Wilson (now Gertrude Page). Upon accepting the honor on behalf of Ramona for having won the better citizenship contest five consecutive times, Miss Wilson responded by addressing the gathering: "Every citizen in the Santa Maria Valley has had some part in winning this trophy...We hope when it comes our time to vote we shall continue to win this cup for our community."

Over the years the second silver cup became forgotten or lost, perhaps overlooked in someone's attic or trunk. Only a photograph taken during that 1935 Turkey Day of Queen Gertrude, who was posed holding the silver cup, survived to remind Ramonans of that great achievement. And only recently that cup was discovered by a local resident and presented to Gertrude Page on behalf of Ramona.