Related Records

1. Oral History of Anne Solem - Oral History

   In this oral history, passionate journalist, political campaign manager, consultant, and former Mill Valley mayor and city council member Anne Bardwell Solem recounts the details of her career and delves deep into the issues and implications of local government action. Anne was born in 1938 in Berkeley, California and was a product of Berkeley public schools, including the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in journalism. Afte...

   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 Captain Joseph Canet - Oral History

   Captain Joseph Canet was born in Cayucos, California, on November 25th, 1895. Canet left Southern California after 1910 and traveled with a captain up the coast to San Francisco's Barbary Coast. Canet's oral history describes his paternal lineage going back to his great-great-great-great grandfather, his early years living on a ranch by Diablo Canyon, his travels to Chile, his career as a policeman in Marin County, and his memories of Mill Valley...

   Record Type: Archive

   
4. Oral History of Colin Menzies, Jr. - Oral History

   Long-time community member Colin Menzies, Jr. moved to Mill Valley with his family after the 1906 earthquake. Growing up, Colin spent a good deal of time among landscape gardeners. His very first job was with Herman Hein, a well-known local landscape artist. Colin eventually became Hein's foreman. He then worked at the San Francisco Theological Seminary as foreman of the grounds, followed by time as superintendent of buildings and grounds for the...

   Record Type: Archive

   
5. 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

   
6. Oral History of Dean Meyer - Oral History

   In this oral history, former Mill Valley Mayor Dean Meyer discusses his life and service to the community. Born in San Francisco in 1927, Dean grew up in Burlingame. After graduating high school, Dean enlisted in the Army and spent three years in Japan as part of the postwar American occupation. When he returned to the U.S., he attended San Mateo Community College and U.C. Berkeley. In 1958 he married his wife Shirley, and soon after they moved t...

   Record Type: Archive

   
7. 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

   
8. 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

   
9. 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

   
10. Oral History of Greg Moore - Oral History

    Greg Moore retired in 2011 as Mill Valley Fire Chief after 37 years in the Fire Department. Greg moved to Mill Valley from San Francisco at a young age and attended Tamalpais Valley Elementary School, Edna Maguire, and then Tamalpais High School, where he explored his love of automobile mechanics and racing. After high school, Greg got a job working at Marin Auto Body in Mill Valley and married his high school sweetheart, Kathy Reynolds. While wo...

    Record Type: Archive

    
11. 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

    
12. 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

    
13. 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

    
14. Oral History of Patrick Williams - Oral History

    In this oral history, innkeeper, retired fireman, and prolific storyteller Pat Williams recounts his life and expresses his deep connection to Mt. Tam. Born in San Francisco in 1948, Pat grew up in a military family that moved repeatedly during his childhood and adolescence. Pat describes how after high school he joined the Navy which brought him back to the Bay Area, where he discovered his vocation for firefighting, but was then deployed to Vie...

    Record Type: Archive

    
15. 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

    
16. 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

    
17. Oral History of Robert Andresen - Oral History

    Robert Henry Andresen was born on November 20th, 1915, at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco. Bob attended Balboa High where he lettered in football, track and tennis, and got a football scholarship to the University of San Francisco. He later transferred to San Mateo Junior College, graduating in 1936. After working as a bellboy on cruise ships he was admitted to Hastings Law School. His first job was at the Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance...

    Record Type: Archive

    
18. Oral History of Thomas Frederick Bagshaw - Oral History

    Thomas Frederick (Fred) Bagshaw was born in 1899 in Cardiff, Wales and came to Mill Valley as a small boy with his parents. Fred's uncle, Frederick W. Bagshaw, had come to Mill Valley a few years earlier and sent for his brother to join him in the building business. In his oral history, Fred recounts his early days in Mill Valley, including the role of baseball games, his experience with the 1929 fire, and his attempt to enlist during World War I...

    Record Type: Archive

    
19. 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