Related Records

1. Locke McCorkle on Druid Heights - Druid Heights Oral History

   In this oral history, Locke McCorkle reminisces about Druid Heights and many of the people associated with the legendary bohemian community. Locke recounts first visiting Druid Heights in the early 1950s and his subsequent involvement in building some of the structures there. He conjectures that the community received its evocative name from one of its early residents, the poet Elsa Gidlow. In addition to Elsa, Locke discusses various other peopl...

   Record Type: Archive

   
2. Oral History of Alan and Ruth Barnett - Oral History

   After meeting in New York City and marrying in 1955, Alan and Ruth Barnett took a long time to find the perfect place to live. Alan had grown up in Chicago and Ruth in Germany and Czechoslovakia. It was a job as secretary to Grace Morley, the first woman director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, that brought Ruth to the Bay Area. Alan served in the National Guard and wound up working for the military in the public information sector. He...

   Record Type: Archive

   
3. Oral History of Anne Layzer - Oral History

   In this oral history, longtime League of Women Voters member and activist Anne Layzer recounts her community and political involvement over the course of five decades of living in Mill Valley. The great-great-granddaughter of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, Anne was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Anne recalls getting political in high school, and then going on to major in American Government at Radcliffe. She recounts moving with her husband...

   Record Type: Archive

   
4. Oral History of Antonia Cipollina - Oral History

   Born to residents of Mill Valley in 1952, Antonia Cipollina grew up in Mill Valley and experienced life as a member of a well-known musical family. Her mother was a concert pianist, and her brothers John and Mario Cipollina were famous rock and roll musicians from their youths. A musician herself, Antonia began teaching piano at the age of 16, and was still teaching students in Mill Valley at the time of this interview. In her oral history, Anton...

   Record Type: Archive

   
5. Oral History of Beryl Jean Symmes - Oral History

   Beryl Jean Symmes grew up in Richmond, Surrey, England. In 1943 she met Laurence M. Symmes Jr., an American serviceman. They married in 1947, and Laurence brought her to Mill Valley where he had settled after the war with his aunt Ruth Boericke White, the widow of Ralston White, who owned the Garden of Allah. Beryl and Laurence spent two weeks living at the famous Mill Valley residence before moving into their own home, named El Nido (The Nest), ...

   Record Type: Archive

   
6. Oral History of Bill Champlin - Oral History

   In this oral history, musician and raconteur Bill Champlin vividly recounts a life devoted to music, one fundamentally shaped by his experience growing up in Mill Valley. Born across the bay in Oakland in 1947, Bill moved with his mother and two sisters to Mill Valley when he was 12 years old. Rock n' roll and R&B were sweeping through Marin in the 1960s, and Bill describes his total immersion in the local music scene, even while still a student ...

   Record Type: Archive

   
7. 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

   
8. Oral History of Cyra McFadden - Oral History

   In this oral history, author Cyra McFadden recounts her life in Mill Valley and the creation and reception of her satirical novel The Serial. Born into a rodeo family in Montana, Cyra describes moving out to San Francisco with her young daughter Caroline in the late 1950s and then subsequently over to Mill Valley after marrying her second husband, John McFadden. She recalls how in 1977 she started writing The Serial, which was initially published...

   Record Type: Archive

   
9. 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

   
10. Oral History of David Freiberg - Oral History

    In this oral history, David Freiberg, a key figure in the Bay Area music scene from the 1960s onward, recounts his life, career, friends, and family. Born in Boston in 1938 and raised in Cincinnati, David moved out to California in 1959 where he first took up playing the guitar. Touching down in Oakland, he moved to San Francisco in the early 1960s and then over to Mill Valley a few years later. David gives a detailed account of his time playing ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
11. Oral History of David Getz - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician and artist David Getz discusses his life and musical career. Born in New York City in 1940, David grew up in a Jewish family in Brooklyn. David recounts how an interest in Native American cultures originally brought him to the drums and tells the story of how he acquired his first drum kit at the age of 15. David explains that as an adolescent he aspired to be an artist and consequently attended Cooper Union after g...

    Record Type: Archive

    
12. Oral History of David Talbot - Oral History

    In this oral history, writer, media entrepreneur and social activist David Talbot shares a life of political commitment and historical engagement. Born in Los Angeles in 1951, David first came to San Francisco as a teenager when his father, a famous Hollywood actor, was performing in theater productions in the city. David recalls falling madly in love with San Francisco at that time. He later attended college at U.C. Santa Cruz, after which he be...

    Record Type: Archive

    
13. 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

    
14. Oral History of Edmund (Ed) Stiles - Oral History

    In this oral history, Edmund Stiles recounts his more than 50-year residency at Druid Heights. Born in Michigan in 1939, Edmund grew up on the East Coast and attended Dartmouth College. Edmund describes how he first came out to the Bay Area in the early 1960s, just as he was discovering his vocation to make furniture. He recounts the first time he visited Druid Heights and his first impressions of Roger Somers, one of the founders of the communit...

    Record Type: Archive

    
15. Oral History of Ernie Bergman - Oral History

    In this oral history, Vietnam veteran Ernie Bergman discusses his life in Mill Valley and his experience serving in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Ernie was born in San Francisco in 1948, and his family moved to Mill Valley one year later. His father was a sea captain from Sweden, and his mother was a registered nurse from Iowa. Ernie discusses fond memories of growing up in Mill Valley, including his time as a student at Tamalpais High Sc...

    Record Type: Archive

    
16. Oral History of Huey Lewis - Oral History

    In this oral history, singer Huey Lewis recounts his life in Marin and his career in music. Born in Manhattan in 1950, Huey's parents Hugh and Magda moved to Marin when he was five years old and the family settled in Strawberry Point. Huey evokes the distinctive character of Mill Valley in the 1950s and '60s. With a musical father and a bohemian mother, Huey first started playing music at the age of 11. Huey attended Strawberry Point School and t...

    Record Type: Archive

    
17. Oral History of Jean Barnard - Oral History

    Jean Barnard was born in New York on October 30th, 1918 and graduated from Vassar College in 1940. Jean was a summer visitor in Mill Valley from 1919 to 1930, her family traveling from the East Coast by train to visit her Aunt Ruth Boericke and Ruth's husband, Ralston White, at their "Garden of Allah" estate. During her visits to Mill Valley, Jean's family would take the train up the winding mountain railroad and enjoy Mill Valley's scenic outdoo...

    Record Type: Archive

    
18. Oral History of Jesse Barish - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician and songwriter Jesse Barish recounts his life in music and describes Mill Valley during the 1970s. Born in 1945, Jesse grew up in Brooklyn, the Catskill Mountains, and Miami. After graduating from high school in 1963, Jesse moved out to California, originally touching down in Los Angeles before moving up to San Francisco and settling in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Jesse moved over to Marin in the 1970s, and he ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
19. Oral History of Jill Young - Oral History

    In this oral history, Jill Young describes the emergence of a soccer culture in Mill Valley that was importantly shaped by Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments federal law, which opened the doors for women to participate in sports. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada in 1941, Jill moved down to the Bay Area with her husband in 1968, initially living on a houseboat in Sausalito before moving to Mill Valley, which she has called home eve...

    Record Type: Archive

    
20. 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

    
21. Oral History of Locke McCorkle - Oral History

    In this rollicking oral history, Locke McCorkle recounts a colorful life full of passion, humor, and adventure. Born in San Jose in 1930 — and at the time of this interview proudly "as old as God and as young as spring"— Locke grew up in Eureka, California. After studying English and French at Humboldt State University, he moved down to the Bay Area to attend graduate school at Berkeley, but changed his course when he heard Alan Watts’ lectures o...

    Record Type: Archive

    
22. Oral History of Lorin Rowan - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician and songwriter Lorin Rowan recounts the unfolding of his musical life and the role Mill Valley and its environs has played in it. Born in Massachusetts in 1952, Lorin grew up in a suburb of Boston with two older brothers, Peter and Chris, who turned him on to playing music at the age of eight. The three brothers formed a bluegrass band together and moved out to California in 1969, pursuing fame and fortune in the mu...

    Record Type: Archive

    
23. Oral History of Mark Watts - Oral History

    In this oral history, field recording specialist, archivist and epigrapher Mark Watts recounts his life and narrates the life story of his father Alan, famous spiritual teacher and former Druid Heights denizen. Born in 1953, Mark grew up in Mill Valley; El Cerrito; and Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where he studied psychology. Mark recounts how he moved back to California in the early ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
24. Oral History of Otis Guy - Oral History

    In this oral history, bicycle enthusiast, retired fireman, and father Otis Guy recounts his life on and off two wheels. Born in Alabama in 1953, Otis’s family moved soon after to San Rafael, where he grew up. After high school, Otis joined the fire department, beginning a long career as a fireman and EMT. Throughout this oral history, Otis conveys his passion for bicycles. He discusses his life as a road racer and his founding of the Velo Club Ta...

    Record Type: Archive

    
25. Oral History of Paul Liberatore - Oral History

    In this oral history, Paul Liberatore recounts his life as a journalist, rock 'n' roll writer, and participant-observer in the Marin County music scene over the course of several decades. Born in Yonkers, New York, in 1945, Paul moved to Southern California with his mother and stepfather in the early 1950s, and grew up in Santa Clarita. After graduating from San Diego State University, Paul landed his first newspaper job with the San Diego Union-...

    Record Type: Archive

    
26. Oral History of Peter Brindley - Oral History

    Peter Brindley was born in San Francisco in 1942. He spent what he describes as an idyllic childhood in Mill Valley, enjoying time with friends out in nature, seeing matinees at the theater, and cruising around Marin and San Francisco. During his youth, Peter especially enjoyed watching local baseball games at Boyle Park, as well as seeing the Oakland Oaks and the San Francisco Seals at larger arenas. Unable to join the army due to an injury, Pet...

    Record Type: Archive

    
27. Oral History of Phil Fath - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician, husband, father, and long-time Mill Valley resident Phil Fath discusses his musical career, family, and community. Born in 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, Phil grew up in an Eastern European Jewish family. Phil recounts how he was introduced to music through a working class political organization his father belonged to and started playing the clarinet at the age of 10. Phil attended the renowned High School of Music & ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
28. Oral History of Rita Abrams - Oral History

    Musician and teacher Rita Abrams was born in 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio. She graduated from the University of Michigan and did graduate work in Special Education at Boston University. In 1969, seeking a change of climate and scenery, Rita left the East Coast for the Bay Area and found a job as a kindergarten teacher at Mill Valley's Strawberry Point School. Inspired by her newfound home, Rita describes how she sat on a bench in the downtown plaza on...

    Record Type: Archive

    
29. Oral History of Robert Green - Oral History

    In this oral history, gallery owner Robert Green recounts his life in the art world. Born in 1941 in New Jersey, Robert grew up in the New York metropolitan area. He attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania, after which he joined the U.S. Coast Guard. Robert worked in publishing and advertising before moving into the fine art sector. Robert recounts traveling the world for 22 years as an enterprising young art dealer before he settled in Mill V...

    Record Type: Archive

    
30. Oral History of Rob Moitoza - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician Rob Moitoza shares his memories of growing up in Mill Valley and participating in the local music scene since the 1970s. Rob recounts his first gigs as a teenager performing Hawaiian music with his parents while his two sisters hula danced at venues such as the Outdoor Art Club and the Marin Art and Garden Center. He describes getting into rock ‘n’ roll in the early 1970s and recalls his favorite bands of the time, ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
31. Oral History of Roger Packer - Oral History

    In this brief interview, Roger Packer recounts living in Mill Valley in the 1960s. Roger spent time with the legendary philosopher and poet Alan Watts, who was living aboard the docked ferry Vallejo. Roger describes his love for the eccentric and his experiences with other colorful locals such as Roger Summers, Art Grant, and Margo St. James.

    Record Type: Archive

    
32. Oral History of Ruth Lescohier - Oral History

    In this oral history interview, Ruth Lescohier recounts a long career steeped in local history and political activism. Ruth first moved to Mill Valley with her husband after his naval service during World War II. The couple eventually built a home in Blithedale Canyon with two decks and a "beautiful view" of the Bay. Ruth was teaching elementary school in Marin City when a credentialing requirement led to a serendipitous discovery of her passion ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
33. Oral History of Shirley Hasley - Oral History

    In this oral history interview, beloved elementary school teacher Shirley Hasley discusses not only her 38-year career in Mill Valley, but the people, experiences and attitudes that helped shape her steadfast convictions. Shirley (nee Andrews) moved with her family from Oklahoma to California in 1943. Growing up in a farm-like environment on the edge of Bakersfield, Shirley learned to work hard and take pride in what she did. Shirley tells how, e...

    Record Type: Archive

    
34. Oral History of Shirley Larkins - Oral History

    Shirley Claire Dias was born on November 8, 1931 in San Rafael and spent her early childhood on her father's dairy farm in Petaluma. When her family moved to Mill Valley in 1942, Shirley enrolled in Old Mill School and later, Park School. She went on to attend Tamalpais High School, working part-time as a waitress at the Mountain Home Inn. In 1951, Shirley graduated from College of Marin and went to work at the American Trust Company Bank in San ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
35. Oral History of Steve Coleman - Oral History

    In this oral history, set designer and artist Steve Coleman discusses his life, work, and creative collaborations in Mill Valley. Though his parents were Mill Valley residents, Steve was born in Geneva, Switzerland. When he was small child, his father got a job with the United States Information Agency and moved the family to India for a few years. Steve and his family then returned to Mill Valley, where he primarily grew up. Steve reminisces abo...

    Record Type: Archive

    
36. Oral History of Steve McNamara - Oral History

    In this oral history, writer and publisher Steve McNamara recounts his life in the newspaper business. Born in Chicago in 1934, Steve grew up in Urbana, Illinois. After graduating from high school, he attended Princeton University, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Steve recalls that he initially planned to pursue a career in the Foreign Service, but then decided to go into the newspaper business. He got his start as a rep...

    Record Type: Archive

    
37. Oral History of Steve Potts - Oral History

    Esteemed mountain biking pioneer Steve Potts was born and raised in Tamalpais Valley. From an early age, Steve learned to live with and off the land, learning to hike, fish, and hunt. These formative experiences led to a lifelong connection with Mt. Tamalpais and the great outdoors. After taking to bicycle riding as a child, Steve developed an interest in motorcycle racing while at Tamalpais High School and became a professional motorcycle racer ...

    Record Type: Archive

    
38. Oral History of Terry Haggerty - Oral History

    In this oral history, musician, psychedelic explorer, and end-of-life guide Terry Haggerty shares the encounters, events, and experiences that have shaped his life. Born in Marin in 1946, Terry grew up in a family of performers: his father was a musician and his mother was a dancer who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba. Terry recalls jam sessions and dance parties held at the family home in San Anselmo during his childhood, which had a formative e...

    Record Type: Archive

    
39. Oral History of Trubee Schock - Oral History

    In this oral history, longtime Mill Valley resident and energetic citizen Trubee Schock recounts her civic involvement in Mill Valley over several decades. Born in New York in 1935, Trubee grew up in Southern California. Trubee recounts attending Beverly Hills High School, where she became very involved in student activities, swimming, and social life. After graduating from high school, she moved up Northern California and attended San Jose State...

    Record Type: Archive

    
40. Oral History of Verna Parino - Oral History

    Born in 1917 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Verna Parino lived in Mill Valley for more than 60 years until her death in 2015. In this oral history, Verna recounts how she moved to San Francisco in 1942, and soon after made her first visit to Mill Valley with her church youth group to spend a weekend at the Alpine Hiking Club Lodge. She tells the "romantic tale" of how Mill Valley's first Youth and Community Center was brought into being in 1962 - a p...

    Record Type: Archive

    
41. Oral History of William Walsh - Oral History

    In this 1978 oral history interview, police chief Bill Walsh discusses the trends and issues, current and past, of his tenure on the Mill Valley police force. Bill enriches his discussion both a wide lens and an eye for detail, recounting crime statistics, offering theories about the causes of certain crimes, addressing popular policing myths, and providing reasoned opinions on the nature of law enforcement. Bill grew up in Mill Valley and chose ...

    Record Type: Archive