Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Oral History of Norman Ortman |
Collection |
Oral History |
Scope & Content |
Longtime Mill Valley resident Norman "Bud" Ortman recounts how his family first came to Mill Valley after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. When a fire destroyed the family wood and steel business, Bud's grandfather moved his family to Mill Valley and built the house in which Bud would eventually be born. In this oral history, Bud describes daily life as a kid in Mill Valley, attending school and goofing around; sledding down Mill Valley's grassy hills and making swimming holes by damming the creeks. As Bud grew up, he held a couple of odd jobs around Mill Valley, such as a delivery boy for the Varney Brothers. After graduating from Tamalpais High School, Bud attended Stanford University, where he majored in Economics and Business. During his time at Stanford, he also met his wife Dorothy. After school, World War II began, but due to an injury, Bud was not recruited. While his friends were in the service, Bud would send them weekly newsletters updating them on life back home. On the weekends, Bud would spend time at the Buckeye before heading over to San Francisco to enjoy the night life. In his oral history, Bud recounts the local shops and businesses, as well as his 30-year career working for Nulaid Food Agricultural Co. and his time as a Mill Valley realtor. Bud also shares his post-retirement experiences as a financial officer for the Mill Valley Historical Society. |
Audio and Transcript |
Click here to hear recording. Click here to read the transcript. |
Dates of Creation |
1994-11-02 |
Interviewee |
Ortman, Norman |
Interviewer |
Budds, Carol |
Extent and Medium |
Transcript: 35pp Recording: 02:46:09 |
Search Terms |
1929 Fire Byrne, Bob Byrne, Joe Canet, Joe College of Marin Construction Construction workers Cory, George Creighton, Jack Esposti's Ice Cream Parlor Fire Floods Gas stations Goheen Gulch Hanson, Charlie Homestead Valley Jackson, Blanche Klyce, Harvey Mill Valley changes Mill Valley Historical Society Miller Avenue Moraes, Roque MV history - Early Mill Valley to 1915 MV history - Interwar years MV history - WWI and WWII Old Mill School Oral history - Local business Oral history - Volunteerism, activism Ortman, George Earl Ortman, Howard Ortman, Norman C., Sr. Ortman, Norman F. Owen, Murray Park School Raymond, Rita Scouts & guides Scouts, Boy & Girl, Marin County Stolte, Frank Sycamore Village Tamalpais Hardware Tamalpais High School World War II |
Object ID |
2016.077.001 |
Object Name |
Recording |
Copyrights |
Transcript and recording copyright Mill Valley Public Library, 1994. Materials are made available for research purposes only; all rights are reserved to the Mill Valley Public Library. Requests for permission to quote for publication or for any other usage must be obtained from the Library. |