CHESTER
VERSTEEG
1887-1963 |
A dynamic force of
character, energy that knew no bounds, a certain stubbornness of purpose that
refused to accept reversal, a warm friendliness embodied in a congenial sense
of humor, and above all, an inspirational quality that enstilled in others his
love for the mountains - these qualities were all present in Chester Versteeg.
Chester was one of those rare persons of this world who left a marked
impression on those who had the good fortune to have known him. Who could
listen to him describe in his own enthusiastic manner his experiences in the
High Sierra, or in the desert mountains, without "catching" some of his
enthusiasm? All of those who listened to him talk about his beloved mountains,
or who had the even greater good fortune of sharing a wilderness experience
with him, gained immeasurably from it.
Few of today's Desert Peakers
remember Chester (his last trip with the section was in 1951), or realize the
energy he put into founding the section. It is no exaggeration to say that the
section was originated almost entirety through the force of Chester's
personality a purposeful force that finally won out over obstacles that would
have appeared insurmountable to most of us - resistance to new ideas, lack of
interest, inertia, and world War II.
Niles and Louis Werner and Parker
Severson are the Desert Peakers whose lives were enriched by sharing
experiences with Chester. They have written the following farewell tributes to
our section's founder. |
CHESTER
VERSTEEG - He struck a spark |
Long before any of us had
any conception of the desert as a mountaineering possibility, Chester Versteeg
had a vision of people climbing mountains in the desert.
It was his love for
exploring that led him to look into those seemingly dry, barren peaks he
sometimes caught sight of, while looking across Owens Valley from some summit
in the Sierra Nevada. He wondered what the Sierra Nevada would look like from a
vantage point in the Inyos. When he found out, his enthusiasm knew no
bounds. |
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