Sundial 1155
- Dial City: Norco
- Dial State/Province: California
- Dial Country: USA
- Lat: 33° 55.738' N
- Dial Nr: 1155
- Dial Type: Horizontal Dial
- Dial Access: Public
- Lon: 117° 34/184' W
- Dial Owner: US Navy
- Dial Designer: Adm Farenholt
- Dial Maker: US Navy
- Dial Date: 1941 (presented by Eleanor Roosevelt 1943)
- Location:
- Current dial location is uncertain. In 1941 it was located in the front courtyard of the US Naval Hospital, Norco, CA Today the grounds are on a state prison, slated to close at the end of 2026
- Description:
- This is a Farenholt style sundial, 18-in (460mm) in diameter, with hour lines 6am to 6pm. Gnomon has cut-out star. From article by Steve Lech in The Sun (Friday, May 29, 2026): "The U. S. Naval Hospital at Norco took many of the badly wounded from the attack on Pearl Harbor, and continued to support the navy with medical needs for several years. On April 26, 1943, during some of the darkest days of World War II, the commanding officer forthe hospital, Capt. H. L. Jensen was alerted to the visitation of a VIP with only hours’ notice. That VIP turned out to be Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States.... Roosevelt spent about four hours at the hospital, and was amazed at the beauty of the facility and the improvements made for the care of wounded naval personnel. So what was the gift Roosevelt had for the hospital? It was a simple but beautiful sundial installed at the administration building during the visit. Virgil Stanbaugh, the commissary chief of the hospital of the time, told the story of Roosevelt’s dedication of the sundial. He helped to install the sundial on a pedestal where it was readily "visible and in full sun."
- Inscription:
- At top: QUAERE BONUM, Latin for "Find the Good." At bottom: US Naval Hospital, Corona, California 1941 and small "F" at bottom of dial
- Dial Links:
- https://www.sbsun.com/2026/05/28/eleanor-roosevelt-visited-naval-hospital-in-norco-and-left-a-gift/
- https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/03/the-forgotten-naval-general-hospital-usnh-corona-part-i/
- https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/10/the-forgotten-naval-general-hospital-usnh-corona-part-ii/
- https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2025/07/17/the-forgotten-naval-general-hospital-usnh-corona-part-iii/
- Other References:
- Photos Courtesy of Brigitte Jouxtel
Last Update:
2026-07-11 23:09:15