George H. Quackenbos - A Very Outstanding Police Officer

George H. Quackenbos, a graduate of Washington university, in St. Louis, is a member of the New York city police force. He recently brought himself into public notice by arresting a band of colored craps shooters, and the newspapers discovered that he was a man of striking individuality; a man with a history and by no means such a person as is ordinarily found doing duty as a patrolman. He has been a professor of Latin and Greek, is a linguist of note and belongs* to an old' Knickerbocker family.

"I became a policeman because I was tired of teaching deaf mutes," said Quackenbos the other day. "I thought that with the opportunities that would be afforded me for advancement under the rein of Mr. Roosevelt as police commissioner I would have no difficulty in getting ahead. I have a family to keep, and I shall stay in it for their sake, unless I get something much better. Then, too, I thought I would have enough spare time to continue writing for magazines and periodicals, but I find that I am kept busy doing some form of police duty all the time. The time is not ripe for me to work for promotion. When it is I hope to forge ahead. In the meanwhile, I am satisfied."

Quackenbos has been a professor of Latin and Greek and instructor in deaf mute institutions throughout the country, a physician, a hotel manager, an expert accountant and stenographer, a telegrapher, a poet, a magazine writer and a ranch man. He is the only son of Prof. George W. Quackenbos, formerly professor of Latin and Greek in Harvard University and later of the University of Chicago, but now in the LaSalle Institute in New York.

Quackenbos Was born in Chicago in and when about 7 years old moved with his parents to a ranch which his father had purchased at the junction of four counties In Kansas. The monotonous life of the ranch grew tiresome to the boy, who, when 10 years old, ran away to Osage City, Kansas, where he obtained a position as timekeeper In' a mine. During his spare time he loitered around the solitary telegraph office in the city, and obtained a knowledge of telegraphy, which afterward served him in good stead. While there, too, he picked up a deaf mute manual and became an expert in the sign language before he was 11 years old.

His parents, learning where he was. brought him back and sent him to school in St. Louis. He entered Washington university there and graduated with high honors. Then he took a supplementary course' at a business college. Longing to see the sights of the southwest, he then journeyed to New Mexico. There his love for excitement Was fully gratified. The miners of Socorro and the native New Mexicans, who retained many of the ancient customs* v/ere continually quarreling, and several on both c?ides had been killed In the numerous skirmishes. One day the natives waylaid the editor of the only paper printed in the town as he was coming from the door of the church and killed him with their knives. Quackenbos, with a party of miners, procured warrants for the murderers and compelled the sheriff of the county and his chief constable, who were New Mexicans themselves and sympathizers' with the murderers, to go to the place where the latter had taken refuge and read the warrants to them. After this had been done the miners placed dynamite cartridges around the shanty and blew the building up, with the fourteen men inside. Only a few fragments of the house or men remained.

Quackenbos left soon after that arid went to a ranch in Southern Texas. While on his way to Sari Antonio on one occasion Quackenbos was on a train that was stopped by robbers. There were only two passengers on the train, which carried special persons. Quackenbos opened fire on the robbers, and, with the aid of the train crew, put them to flight. He wounded two of the robbers.

Tiring of the west, he went to Chicago, where he obtained a position as an expert telegrapher. He left there to become instructor in accounting at a business college there. He remained there only one year, and Went to New York, where he was appointed instructor of the highest grade at the Westchester Institute for the Deaf and Dumb at Throgg's Neck, N. Y. While the Pan-American congress was in this country, at the Invitation of James G. Blaine, a commission was appointed by the ' president of the Venezuelan republic to obtain a competent man to take charge of the Government Institute for Deaf Mutes at Caracas. The commission, after a visit to the Westchester institute, unanimously recommended Quackenbos, who speaks Spanish as well as he does English. When he reached Caracas he found a revolution in progress and returned to this country.

While Governor Roosevelt was president of the New York police board and expressed a wish to have college graduates go on the force, Quackenbos decided to become a pollceman. It took him one hour to finish the examination, getting through two hours ahead of anyone else. He corrected the questions of the examiners, which he found to be wrong in several instances. He Was assigned to duty and has proved a model pollceman.

Frequently, while waiting for the arrival of the ambulance in accident cases he has afforded relief to sufferers, and on one occasion he rode several blocks off his post to argue the merits of the case with the surgeon. A story is told of him trahslatlng different passages from Latin and Greek text books for two Columbia college students, whom he met on the back of ah Amsterdam avenue car. He was in police uniform and they were astonished. "Where did you learn It?" they asked him. "Oh, on the police force," answered Quackenbos. He had in his possession deeds for $5,000,000 worth of property in Trinity place. Corlear's hook and other places downtown, which his ancestors allowed to be sold for taxes and which he intends to try to recover as soon as he can get money saved. Some of the property was deeded to his ancestors by King George.—St. Louis PostDispatch.

Source: Los Angeles Herald, Number 335, 31 August 1899

Bill Quackenbush - The History of the Ho-Chunk People - Past, Present, and Future

This presentation is presented by Bill Quackenbush, a native American and Ho-Chunk Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.

The Ho Chunk People have remained and continue to remain one of the strongest indigenous Nations in the United States. This is because the Elders of the Nation are honored and their teachings have upheld throughout history.

Ho Chunk Elders say that history begins with the creation of all things on earth. They say that Ho Chunk means "People of the Big Voice," or "People of the Sacred Language." Ho Chunks have always occupied lands in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. They have hunted, fished, and gathered plants to provide their food source. The land was sacred because through it the Creator provided all their needs: Food, Clothing, Lodging and the means or their culture to thrive in its existence.


The Ho Chunk people respected the land and took care to harvest from the land only what they needed and never with greed. They were a benevolent people. The people numbered in the thousands. The Clan Chiefs watched over their people and performed their clan duties with reverence and diligence, teaching their offspring to do the same.

Every member of the Nation has his or her place within the clan system and within the Nation. There was never any identity crisis in the old days, because children were reared in a very strict society with rigid guidelines and duties to perform on a daily basis. The People were rich with culture and pride to perform their duties well.

As Caretakers of the land, they moved as the food source did, and during seasons providing the plant life abundant to this region. Villages moved to conserve the area's resources. Eventually some of the Chiefs took their people south along the Mississippi and migrated to warmer climates. Thus we have some southern tribes that speak dialects of the Ho Chunk Language (e.g., Otoe, Ponca, and Iowa).

MUTINY On The Somers!

SAMUEL, son of Samuel Van Norden and Maria Quackenbush. Samuel G. Van Norden was in the United States Naval Service, and aboard the U. S. Brig "Somers" during the mutiny of 1842, at which time he remained loyal to the officers of the ship. The crew of the "Somers" was composed largely of boy apprentices from the school ships, several of whom, under the leadership of a midshipman, organized a plot with the purpose of murdering the officers and seizing the vessel. But the plot was revealed by the purser's steward, and three of the ringleaders were immediately hanged as a result of a trial by court martial. This summary proceeding on the part of the commanding officer, Captain Mackenzie, evoked a great deal of criticism at the time, and it was not until the following year that a Court of Inquiry fully and honorably acquitted him by deciding that his action was justifiable and in the interest of discipline. 

Gary Quackenbush - Guitarist For 60's Psychedelic Band SRC Out Of Detroit, Michigan

Gary Quackenbush came to rock fame as guitarist for the SRC, one of the biggest bands to come out of Detroit's rock scene in the '60s. He was born in New Jersey, the son of Mary and Eugene Quackenbush. The family moved around a lot because his father was in the military, but once they settled in Birmingham in 1956, the moving ended. 

Gary and older brother Glenn became known around Birmingham with first the Tremelos, playing instrumental Ventures-style music.

"I was kind of a nerdy kid," said Glenn, 17 months older than Gary. "I asked my parents for classical piano lessons when I was in the fourth grade. They wanted Gary to play an instrument, too, so he chose the guitar because he liked Elvis. Well, he corrupted me with rock and roll. I bought a Wurlitzer electric piano, and we used to play in our family room and out on the back porch."

The Tremelos morphed into the Fugitives, one of the north suburbs' more popular bands on the school and teen-club circuit. They often played the various Hideout clubs, co-founded by Edward "Punch" Andrews, better known today as Bob Seger's manager. Gary Quackenbush graduated from Birmingham Seaholm in 1966.

The Fugitives "became" the Scot Richard Case (SRC) by taking part of the Fugitives, incorporated Richardson, guitarist Steve Lyman and bassist Robin Dale, and named themselves the Scot Richard Case. Manager Jeep Holland had suggested that three-word group names were big with British groups.

And the band was heavily influenced by the British groups, with Gary Quackenbush enamored of guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. The Scot Richard Case, and later in their SRC days, had a progressive/psychedelic sound that was unique in the local scene. One of their best-known numbers was a sort of psychedelic mashup, "In the Hall of the Mountain King/Bolero."

By 1967-'68, the Detroit-Ann Arbor rock scene was exploding. Record companies had been signing San Francisco rock bands and were looking for the next big thing."We had a single that came out that was on WKNR, 'I'm So Glad,' in '67, right about the time of the riots," Glenn Quackenbush said. "Then we changed our name to SRC and signed to Capitol Records."

"They thought Detroit was it, so they really signed up everybody, The MC5, the Amboy Dukes," Glenn said. "It was an exiting time; there were lots of places to play, lots of teen clubs, so the bands could make some money. That all changed later on after the Grande closed."

The SRC recorded three albums for Capitol and played as an opening act on many national tours. They remained popular abroad, and reportedly, Peter Gabriel has cited their album, "SRC," as influential. 

Later the group splintered, and the Quackenbushes stayed in Michigan, while Richardson moved to California. After the Grande Ballroom closed, the scene shifted to bars. Over the years there were fewer places to play, and few national acts were booking local openers. 

In recent years, Gary supported himself working for an electronics distributor as a sales representative, working in a wedding band with brother Glenn and a female singer; and giving guitar lessons.

"It wasn't playing SRC music, which is really what he wanted to do," Glenn recalled, although Gary formed a band to play SRC music.

Members of the original SRC did regroup for reunion shows in Detroit in 2011 and 2012, which was a happy occasion for Quackenbush, fans and the band.

Younger sister Martha Leabu said it was fun growing up with "two rock and roll older brothers," although she worried about them during the '60s, when they were living in Ann Arbor. "I was 6 and 7 years younger, so I was not part of their scene. They were renegade rock and rollers. My dad didn't want to take them to the country club."

She did benefit from it: "(SRC) did play for my 16th birthday at the Birmingham Palladium, that was fun."

Gary Quackenbush is survived by brother, Glenn, of New Hudson; sister, Martha Leabu, of Brighton; and 10 nieces and nephews.

Gary Quackenbush died June 20, 2017, after a yearlong bout with pulmonary fibrosis. Quackenbush was 67 and lived in Tecumseh, Mich., where he was under hospice care.

Source: Susan Whitall, The Detroit News, Published 5:46 p.m. ET June 22, 2015 | Updated 6:37 a.m. ET June 23, 2015 

John Duncan Quackenbos - Doctor And Author Of Educational Books

John Duncan Quackenbos, son of George Payn Quackenbos (Teacher/Author) was born April 22, 1848. He married Laura Amelia Pinckney of New York City on June 28, 1871. They gave birth to Alice Pinckney Quackenbos in 1872, Caroline Duncan Quackenbos in 1877, and George Payn Quackenbos in 1879. 

John Duncan Quackenbos was graduated A. B. from Columbia College, N. Y., in 1868, and received the degree of A. M. from the same in 1871. He commenced the study of medicine in 1867, in New York City; attended three courses of medical lectures at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New York, together with hospital practice and summer terms, and was graduated M. D. in 1871. He commenced the practice of his profession the same year in New York City. He is a member of the New York Academy of Medicine, New York Academy of Science and of the American Fisheries Society. He was adjunct professor of the English language and literature at Columbia College 1884; professor of rhetoric at the same college since 1891, and professor of rhetoric at Barnard College for Women 1891-93. In 1894 he took a course in study at the Post-Graduate Medical College of New York City. 


Professor Quackenbos's medical work has been encroached upon by other scientific and literary labors. The literary engagements of his father, Dr. G. P. Quackenbos, the well known author, renders it necessary for him to devote a large portion of his time to the editing of educational books; and the death of his father, in 1881, cast upon him a weight of responsibility and labor under which he completely broke down and was compelled to seek relief in foreign travel. 

Dr. Quackenbos is himself the author and editor of fourteen standard works. Those especially associated with his name are: 

A " History of the World," 1876;

A " History of Ancient Literature," 1878;

" Appleton's Geographies," 1880-81;

A " History of the English Language," 1884;

" Physical Geography," 1887;

" Text-book on Physics, on a New Basis," 1891;

Dr. Quackenbos is also well known as a lecturer on scientific and literary subjects, and is to be credited with having brought to public notice, through literary channels, the presence of a fourth charr, in New England waters, viz.: the so-called Sunapee Lake trout, or American Saibling. His literary contracts having been largely concluded, and his twenty-four years of college instruction having come to an end, he will devote himself to private medical practice. He has recently established a summer sanitarium at Sunapee Lake, New London, New Hampshire, to which he will give his personal attention. 

 Source: Physicians and Surgeons of America.