Related Records

1. Oral History of Barry Spitz - Oral History

   In this oral history, author, outdoorsman, and running enthusiast Barry Spitz recounts his adventures, encounters, and investigations over the course of more than 40 years of living in Marin County. Born in Brooklyn in 1948, Barry moved to California at the age of 22 after completing an MBA at Columbia University. He settled initially in San Francisco where he worked in the banking industry for a few years before buying a house in San Anselmo and...

   Record Type: Archive

   
2. Oral History of Bob Burton - Oral History

   In this oral history, longtime Mill Valley resident and former mayor Bob Burton recounts his life and discusses his involvement in the community. Born in 1930 in New York City, Bob was educated at Fieldston and Yale. After college, he worked for the New York Life Insurance Company, which gave him the opportunity early in his career to transfer to San Francisco. In 1966, Bob moved to Mill Valley with his wife, Elza, and their two children, Kenneth...

   Record Type: Archive

   
3. Oral History of Charlie Kelly - Oral History

   In this oral history, Marin County polymath Charlie Kelly recounts a life coterminous with the "greatest bicycle adventure of the 20th century." Born in 1945, Charlie grew up in Mill Valley and attended Tamalpais High School. After graduating from Tam, Charlie briefly attended College of Marin before enlisting in the Army, where he served for two years in the mid-1960s. When he returned to Mill Valley in 1968 he began working as a roadie for the ...

   Record Type: Archive

   
4. Oral History of Dart and Esther Cherk - Oral History

   In this oral history, visionary architectural and choral duo Esther and Dart Cherk recount their lives, their work, and their reflections on community. Esther and Dart describe growing up in San Francisco's Chinatown during World War II where they attended the same elementary school. Remarkably, they continued to attend the same schools all the way through college, both studying to become architects at U.C. Berkeley. In 1956 they got married, and...

   Record Type: Archive

   
5. Oral History of Dennis Fisco - Oral History

   In this oral history, longtime Mill Valley resident, real estate developer, and former mayor Dennis Fisco discusses his life and work in the community. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Dennis moved to Mill Valley in the 1980s with his wife Pam, with whom he raised three children. Dennis recounts his path into community involvement. Dennis first served on the planning commission for a number of years, then the city council, and finally became m...

   Record Type: Archive

   
6. Oral History of Dick Spotswood - Oral History

   In this oral history, former Mill Valley City Council member Dick Spotswood gives an engaging account of a life in politics. Born in 1947, Dick situates his story within a larger family history and network of relations that stretch back to colonial Virginia on his father’s side and northwest Italy on his mother’s side. A San Francisco native, Dick first got into politics as president of the Young Democrats at the University of San Francisco, wher...

   Record Type: Archive

   
7. Oral History of Don Hunter - Oral History

   In this oral history, former Mill Valley City Manager Don Hunter recounts a life deeply committed to the community. Born in San Jose, Don moved to Mill Valley at the age of three. He recollects his childhood in Mill Valley, his schooling at all levels, including many unforgettable teachers at Tamalpais High, his enthusiastic participation in sports, the local music scene during the 1960s, his family life, and his work. Don began working for the c...

   Record Type: Archive

   
8. Oral History of Fredrik Cassee - Oral History

   In this oral history, Fredrik "Frits" Cassée recounts his life as a postwar wanderer and cosmopolitan baker who ended up rooting himself firmly in the community of Mill Valley. Born in Haarlem, Holland, in 1936, Frits came to the United States in 1957 as a trained and certified baker. Initially settling in Coalinga in the San Joaquin Valley, he soon moved north to San Francisco for better employment opportunities. After getting married in 1963 an...

   Record Type: Archive

   
9. Oral History of Jacquie Phelan - Oral History

   In this oral history, road racer and mountain bike pioneer Jacquie Phelan recounts her life on two wheels. Born in San Francisco in 1955, Jacquie grew up in Rhode Island, Kansas, and finally Los Angeles, where she first developed her love of bicycles and her loathing of cars. Jacquie attended college at Middlebury in Vermont, and then moved to the Bay Area in the late 1970s, settling in San Francisco. She recounts her introduction to the Marin Co...

   Record Type: Archive

   
10. Oral History of Ken Bovero - Oral History

    In this oral history, arborist and entrepreneur Ken Bovero recounts his life, work, and love of trees. Born in San Francisco in 1961, Ken moved to Mill Valley with his family when he was three years old. Ken recollects his wild teenage years and then describes the about-face he made at the age of 17, when he started his tree business. Ken shares his first encounter with Sudden Oak Death, a tree illness that he was the first to identify, and discu...

    Record Type: Archive

    
11. Oral History of Marilyn and Kimberly Jessup - Oral History

    In this oral history, Marilyn Jessup and her daughter Kimberly recount their lives and community involvement in Mill Valley over the years. Born in 1928 in Phoenix, Arizona, Marilyn moved to Mill Valley with her husband Richard Jessup in 1956. Marilyn and Richard went on to have five daughters together, Kimberly being the youngest. Marilyn and Kimberly - the latter of whom followed in her father's footsteps in becoming an architect - describe Ric...

    Record Type: Archive

    
12. Oral History of Marilyn Price - Oral History

    In this oral history, bicycling enthusiast and social entrepreneur Marilyn Price recounts the path that led to her life’s work as founder of the nonprofit Trips for Kids. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1940, Marilyn moved to California in 1966 after completing a degree in sociology at the University of Michigan. In the early 1980s, Marilyn set down roots in downtown Mill Valley. Marilyn describes her decades-long work in progressive nonprofits, ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
13. Oral History of Michael St. John and Jeff Davidson - Oral History

    In this oral history, retired Mill Valley firefighters Jeff Davidson and Mike St. John discuss their careers in the fire service. A fifth-generation Mill Valley resident, John joined the Mill Valley Fire Department in 1979 and became fire chief in 2011 three years before his retirement in 2014. Mike started his career in 1985 with the Marin County Fire Department. He went on to join the Mill Valley Fire Department in 1987, becoming captain in 199...

    Record Type: Archive

    
14. Oral History of Rick Misuraca - Oral History

    Rick Misuraca was born in Mill Valley in 1958, a descendant of the German immigrants who opened Meier's Bakery on Miller Avenue in the 1940s. He attended local schools, including Edna Maguire and Tamalpais High School, and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Horticulture. After graduating, Rick took a job with Cagwin and Doward, a landscaping firm in San Rafael. In 2013, Rick retired from his position as the Operations Super...

    Record Type: Archive