Beulah Park Pool Lifeguard

Memories of Harold “Stub” Jones

Billy Jo Jones stopped into the museum this past Saturday to share photos and memories of his dad, Harold “Stub” Jones. Harold’s scrapbook contained several photos from the original Beulah Park pool, where he and his sister Maxine were lifeguards.

Many recall the 1937 drowning of 12-year-old Adrian Whetzel. That incident was one of the reasons our community built the original pool. The museum discovered that Harold Jones was one of the young boys swimming at Chester Allen’s gravel pit who tried to save Adrian. Tragically, he and the others at that swimming hole were not trained lifeguards. No one was able to save young Whetzel.

This incident demonstrated the need for a public pool in Beulah Park where young and old swimmers could have trained lifeguards nearby. The much-remembered and beloved round pool opened in 1939.

Who knows how this drowning incident impacted Harold, but he and his sister Maxine later trained as lifeguards. That training proved critical to a young nurse, Geraldine Branch, in 1941. She was a cousin of future long-time mayor of Alexandria Max Branch.

According to a July 3, 1941, article in the Alexandria Times-Tribune, Branch was swimming at the pool and took in a lungful of water. Lifeguards Harold Jones and Dick Tobey jumped into action. They pulled her from the pool and performed artificial respiration until more medical assistance arrived. Her life was saved by their training and quick action.

Sharing Memories

We are grateful that the Jones family shared their photos and scrapbook memories of their dad. How many other scrapbooks are out there that can help us shed light on other special stories of our community?

Who else was a lifeguard at our local pool? Contact us to share your experiences, too. We especially want to hear from lifeguards who worked at the newer pool.