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Civic Benefactor
For the last seven years of his life, Frederick Forrest Peabody, with
the considerable assistance of his wife, devoted himself to works of
beneficence. His obituary stated, “There is not one section of the city from
the seashore to the mountains, but has felt his influence as a benefactor.”
Cottage Hospital, the public library, and the new Lobero Theater
all thrived on his patronage. He served as chairman of the Board of
Education and, as a member of the City Planning Board, personally
supervised the planning and construction of the new $600,000 high
school and the building of Roosevelt School. He organized the funding
and contributed heavily to the construction of the high school stadium
which today bears his name.
After his death, Peabody School was named for him in
acknowledgement of his contributions to the school system. Having
recognized that the housing boom in the San Roque area would necessitate
a school in the near future, he had secured an option on a plot of ground
in that area.
In 1924 he led a group of businessmen who secured options on
oceanfront land for a city park. The committee held the lands until the
city was able to purchase them at cost. Among their many gifts to the
community, he and Kathleen donated the funds to build the East Beach
wading pool (today a playground) near the Cabrillo Pavilion. Kathleen
was especially involved with Wolf Cubs, an organization to prepare
younger boys for Boy Scouts.
Besides these eleemosynary projects, Peabody was a director of the
Commercial branch of the Pacific-Southwest Trust and Savings Bank. He
was also a member of the Bohemian Club in San Francisco, the Banker’s
Club in New York City, and in Santa Barbara – the University Club, Santa
Barbara Club, and La Cumbre and Montecito Country Clubs.
By 1925, time and the effort behind his numerous civic projects
were taking their toll on the sixty-six year old Peabody. His doctors
recommended a restful sea journey and foreign places. On the 30th of
June, he and Kathleen were in New York preparing to embark for Europe
when news of the Santa Barbara earthquake reached them.
Terribly concerned, they spent the night at the
Examiner
newsroom,
A fishing hole at Eagle Ranch in 1920