Leading up to St. Paul’s 150th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the former church members. Looking around the church we see many plaques that name former members of the congregation who are memorialized by their gifts to the glory of God and in remembrance of loved ones.
Starting with the Rose Window, which is certainly the most spectacular of our stained glass windows. The money for the window was donated in 1894 by Herman Oelrichs. Mr. Oelrichs was not a member of St. Paul’s. He was a wealthy millionaire who summered in San Rafael. He had a home in San Francisco, New York City and Newport, RI. The story is told that during a visit to San Rafael, he lost a bet. Not having the means to cover the bet (it was a large amount), he was in a tough spot. He was rescued by some members of St. Paul’s vestry (wealthy men in their own right) who were present at the time. The vestry members were planning an extension to St. Paul’s Church at the time. Instead of asking Mr. Oelrichs to repay them, they asked that Mr. Oelrichs use that sum to buy a beautiful stained glass window to adorn the new extension to the church. So that is what Mr. Oelrichs did and that is how St. Paul’s got its Rose Window.
Mr Oelrichs was the wealthy owner of the Norddeutsche Lloyd Shipping Line. But he became a millionaire when he married in 1890 Teresa Fair, the daughter of James Fair who struck a bonanza in the Comstock Lode in Nevada. Mr. Fair gifted the young couple with a million dollars when they married. Teresa Fair Oelrichs wanted to break into society in New York and shed her humble beginnings as the dirt poor daughter of an Irish immigrant miner. So she built an astounding mansion in Newport, RI she called Rosecliff which still stands and is open to the public. But all that society business was not really Herman Oelrich’s style. So when he accompanied Teresa to San Francisco to fight for her share of the Fair estate after the death of James Fair, he decided to stay. He was a clubman and a sportsman. He was know for his feats of daring in swimming, and boxing. He sponsored contests between local athletes. He was also one of the first polo players in the United States.
Mr Oelrichs and Teresa continued to live apart until the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 when Teresa returned to San Francisco to deal with the destruction of the property they owned in the city. Herman Oelrichs was on the “Committee of Fifty” who were charged withe keeping order in San Francisco following the earthquake and restoring the city to its former status as a commercial center. However, the work and worry was too much for Mr. Oelrichs and his health was broken. He went to Europe to try to recover but when he knew he was dying, he sailed back to New York dying at sea on Sept. 1, 1906.
~Joy Moss