- Born
- Died
- Birth nameNelson Fredrick Mathias
- Nickname
- Nels
- Nelson F. Mathias was initiated into I.A.T.S.E. Local 80 on January 18, 1936. Nels was the first born of four children. He was raised on his parents farm in Shadeville, Ohio. He quit school when he was 12 years old to help support the family. At 16 years of age he learned construction, working for his Grandfather. He arrived in California in 1927. His construction background made him an asset when he got a job with Mascot Productions at the Republic Pictures lot in 1935. He worked on the Republic Pictures lot for 32 years retiring in 1967.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Doug Mathias, Son.
- Nelson Mathias was an amateur boxer and in 1929 began boxing in the "Golden Gloves" at Jim Jeffries barn in Burbank, California. He was living at the Glendale Y.M.C.A. and worked out in the gym.
- During the Great Depression of 1929, Nelson worked construction in Glendale and in 1933, worked on Off Shore Oil platforms on the California coast at Santa Barbara and Ventura.
- In 1944 Nelson became the first official Head of the Republic Grip Department but stipulated that it was to be on a temporary basic. While Head of the Grip Dept., Nelson took a proposal up to management and convinced them to change the stage hangers from the wooden ones, that were used for years and purchase the new "patented" metal hangers which were easier to work with, safer and would last longer, thus saving the company money. By 1945, the new metal hangers were in use at Republic Studios.
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