George Allan Hancock still looms as an impressive figure in the Santa Maria Valley. The multifaceted magnate, whose birthday passed by on July 26, made his fortune in oil, agriculture, aviation, railroading, developing, banking, and other ventures.
But Hancock brought more to the Santa Maria Valley than just money and business acumen, explained the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society and Museum’s Executive Director Cindy Ransick, but also his cello and a voracious appetite for music.
“They say part of the reason why he got divorced from his second wife was because all he wanted to do was play that cello,” she said.
Hancock was involved with the Los Angeles Symphony Society before he moved to Santa Maria, Ransick said, and he immediately became involved with local musicians once in the valley. When he was young, he started his musical endeavors with the harmonica, Ransick explained, and then, the bugle, finally coming to the cello in adulthood, which he became quite skilled at.
“He was very accomplished; it wasn’t like they tolerated him, he was very good,” Ransick said.
Not long after his arrival, the Hancock Ensemble formed—probably one of the earliest iterations of the Santa Maria Symphony, which would later become the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society. Hancock and his wife, Marian, hosted concerts showcasing local musicians, brought traveling musicians through the area, and even produced a few vinyl records featuring ensembles in which Hancock performed the cello.
His group performed up and down the coast of California, according to the jacket of a record titled Musical Moments from the Library of Marian and Allan Hancock, which is held in the Hancock room at the Santa Maria Historical Society Museum.
That’s right, Hancock has an entire room to himself at the museum, which showcases a variety of photographs and artifacts that have to do with his business ventures, philanthropy, and musicianship—including his piano (yes, I played it).
“If you look at the successful men of his times, that’s what they were like,” Ransick said from the Hancock room. “They were looking for the next new thing, and it was as much about educating themselves and seeing what was next as much as it was about the money, if not more.”
Hancock was a pilot of just about every vehicle available at the time. He bought the Santa Maria Valley Railroad and famously chugged a steam engine to Guadalupe and back every Tuesday. He was an aviator who helped rebuild The Southern Cross and established the Hancock College of Aeronautics to train pilots during World War II. He often flew himself back and forth from Santa Maria to LA.
Banks were established in the valley with help from Hancock. He donated huge tracts of land for the current Santa Maria Airport, Allan Hancock College (that one is obvious), and the Marian Medical Center named after his wife. And during all of that, there was always music happening.
“He lived a big life,” Ransick said. “He did make serious money, and I think he enjoyed that, but I don’t think that’s how he measured his success. It’s an accomplishment to be a boat captain; it’s an accomplishment to be a pilot; it’s an accomplishment to be that good at the cello.”
Hancock’s accomplishments reverberate through the community today, whether it’s in the next generation of musicians receiving an education at the college that bears his name or the newest Santa Marians born at the Marian Regional Medical Center. In the history of a city often dismissed as a blue-collar agriculture town, Hancock’s a reminder that ranchers and businessmen can do more than just support the arts, but rosin up their bow and take part in the culture of a city as well.
“He made so much money, he couldn’t give all his away, it’s amazing,” Ransick said. “Music is a great way to unwind and work your mind and I imagine someone who is doing all the work he was doing, creating all those things, that would have been a wonderful way to stay sane.”
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2015.