World War II | Mill Valley Public Library

Civil Defense training for women for firefighting during World War II, 2/15/1942 - Print, Photographic

MVU2179

Record Type: Photo

Clyde Hickey in naval uniform, circa 1942-1945 - Print, Photographic

2017.155.002

Record Type: Photo

Mill Valley World War II honor roll - Pamphlet Files

Two sheets of paper with a photo of the honor roll for World War II armed forces. There is a photograph of the honor roll, and an alphabetical printed list of all the names on it. This was found encased in plastic with a title label reading "Mill Valley Bus Depot. During World War II this Honor Roll was erected in front of what is now the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Honor Roll was sponsored by the M.V. Rotary and honored those serving i...

Record Type: Archive

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

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

Oral History of Betsy Andresen - Oral History

Betsy Andresen, nee Betsy Anne Brown, begins her oral history with the story of her parents meeting and recounts her family uprooting and sailing from Seattle to San Francisco in 1918, one year after her birth. Betsy describes a move in 1924 to San Anselmo, and fondly recalls how during the family's three-year stint in Marin they would take the electric train from San Anselmo's Lansdale Station to Sausalito, and then the ferry into "The City." Th...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Carl Mosher - Oral History

Carl Mosher was born in December 1910 in the "wheat belt" of Alden, Kansas. In 1928, Carl came to California with his parents, and eventually began his professional career as a high school teacher in Compton, Los Angeles County. During World War II, Carl served in the Pacific Theater with Army intelligence. He gave up a teaching career to open Mosher's Shoes, which he ran in downtown Mill Valley for nearly three decades. In addition to his involv...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Carol Budds - Oral History

Carol Connelly Budds' grandparents, Alfred Axel Lundquist and Caroline Lundquist, came to San Francisco from Sweden in the 1880s. Around 1904 they bought a large plot of land at the corner of Marion Avenue and Cascade Drive in Mill Valley. Carol's mother Karin Lundquist Connelly was the youngest of the Lunquists' four children. Karin married Frank "Pat" Connelly in 1919 and Carol was born in 1926. In this oral history, Carol discusses her family'...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Carol Wilson - Oral History

In this oral history, Mill Valley native and fifth-generation Californian Carol Wilson recounts her life in Mill Valley and her family's history in Marin. Carol tells the story of her great-grandfather who bought land in Larkspur around 1850, and of her maternal grandparents who moved to Mill Valley as refugees from San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Born in 1931, Carol was baptized at Mt. Carmel, attended Park School and Tamalpais High Sch...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Charles Crawford - Oral History

Born on June 16th, 1928, in the San Francisco Presidio, Charles "Chuck" Crawford spent the first 13 years of his life in the bustling Outer Mission neighborhood of San Francisco. On the weekends, his family would take the ferry, and then later the brand new Golden Gate Bridge, to visit his maternal grandparents in Mill Valley. During these trips, his parents fell in love with the town and decided to move up north. After settling in Mill Valley, C...

Record Type: Archive

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

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

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

Oral History of Don Oman - Oral History

Don Oman was born in Seattle on June 7, 1915. His parents were Levi C. and Laurie Oman. After graduating from the University of Washington, Don took a job at Miller Freeman Publications in San Francisco and rented a small room on Lovell Ave. In 1939, he married Agnes and the couple moved into a cottage at 333 Molino. During World War II Don served as a Navy combat correspondent in the Pacific. After the war Don and Agnes moved to Larkspur, then b...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Doris Bloom - Oral History

In this oral history, Mill Valley native and lifelong resident Doris Bloom presents a view of a beloved and evolving Mill Valley over the course of many decades. Doris recalls the Mill Valley of her childhood, including the Locust neighborhood stores to which her mother took her as well as the devastating fire of 1929 that her father participated in fighting. Doris recalls the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and how she walked across it on...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Edward M. and Katharine S. Mills - Oral History

Edward Meredith "Ned" Mills Jr. was born on November 9th, 1915 in Los Angeles. Katherine Sherwood Mills was born in Omaha, Nebraska on April 7th. Ned attended college at the University of Virginia in Richmond before serving in the Army Air Corps on an anti-submarine base in Trinidad during World War II. Katherine went to Scripps College in Claremont, California, and then returned to Beatrice, Nebraska, where she got a job as a writer for the dail...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Edward Reichmuth - Oral History

This oral history interview with longtime Mill Valley resident Edward Reichmuth was conducted at his home at 21 Hilarita Street. Edward evokes daily life in Mill Valley over the decades, recounts his work volunteering for the fire department as well as his work as a lithographer, and shares stories about many local residents and shops. Edward was the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Mill Valley. During World War II he worked as an aut...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Elliott & Kent Seymour - Oral History

Editor's Note: The transcript of this interview differs from the audio interview. The transcript condenses and re-orders the interview. Kent and Elliott Seymour are twins, born July 10, 1902 in San Francisco. They were raised in Mill Valley, and have lived most of their lives in Mill Valley and Marin County. In the interview, they recount their school years in Mill Valley, and then their attendance at, and degrees from, the University of Cal...

Record Type: Archive

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

Oral History of Frank and Frances Dittle - Oral History

In this oral history, longtime Mill Valley residents Frank and Frances Dittle discuss their lives in Mill Valley, including raising five sons together. Frank was drafted in April of 1941 and served four years in the Aleutian Islands. Before and after the draft Frank worked for General Time Corporation in San Francisco, spending 40 years total with the company. In this oral history, Frank and Frances touch upon the great Mill Valley fire of 1929, ...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Frederick LeRoy Martin - Oral History

In this oral history interview, old-timer Fred Martin brims with memories of daily life in Mill Valley - from school, to groceries, to regular hikes down to Muir Beach - during the first half of the twentieth century. Fred describes living in Tam Valley when there were maybe "ten automobiles" and still people travelling by horse and buggy. Without wheels, he and his brothers walked into town from Tam Valley every day of the 1929 fire to help figh...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of George Cagwin - Oral History

In this oral history, Mill Valley native George Cagwin brings into view a significant stretch of town history as he recounts his long and spirited life. Born in 1936, George begins his story a few decades earlier, around 1910, when his grandparents on his mother's side - Swiss nationals expatriated in Peru - moved their family to Mill Valley. George's paternal grandparents, meanwhile, were settled in Larkspur, having moved west in the 19th centur...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of George Omi - Oral History

In this oral history, longtime Mill Valley resident, retired landscape architect, and memoirist George Omi shares the story of his life. George begins with the immigration story of his Japanese parents who came to America in the early 20th century and subsequently became naturalized citizens. George himself was born in San Francisco in 1930, a second-generation Japanese American. George describes his experience growing up in two languages - two d...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Howard Harker - Oral History

Howard Harker was born in Santa Cruz on July 14, 1933. At the beginning of his oral history, Howard traces the immigration of his Harker ancestors to the United States from England, then follows them on their route to the Bay Area and ultimately to Mill Valley during the 1890s. Howard moved with his parents to several Army bases during World War II, and then came to Mill Valley after the war to settle on family property. After graduating from Ta...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Janet Daijogo - Oral History

In this oral history, beloved kindergarten teacher and proud aikido black belt Janet Daijogo recounts a happy life despite a traumatic childhood experience of being among the 120,000 Japanese Americans interred by the federal government during World War II. Born in San Francisco in 1937 to second-generation Japanese American parents, Janet grew up on a farm in Pescadero until the age of five, when her family was detained and relocated to an inter...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Janet Upham - Oral History

Janet Upham was born in San Francisco in 1927. Her father was Elmer Michael Shapiro, a Russian immigrant who came to San Francisco in 1893. Her mother was Ethel Margare Willis, a native San Franciscan whose mother came from Ireland. Janet's parents met on a blind date at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Janet's grandfather owned properties in Mill Valley near the Blithedale Hotel, where the young family settled. They eventually moved to a h...

Record Type: Archive

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

Oral History of Jean Coleman - Oral History

Jean Coleman, born Jean Spangler, was born in Fremont, Nebraska, and moved as a young girl with her family to Mill Valley in 1937. In her oral history, Jean remembers her childhood with friends, attending schools and church, and belonging to the Campfire Girls. Amidst the backdrop of World War II, Jean's mother died and her father moved away, leaving her with a relative and friends. After graduation from Tamalpais High School, she attended Coll...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Katherine Kirkland - Oral History

In this oral history interview, longtime Tennessee Valley resident Katherine Kirkland recounts tales an active life as part of a close-knit community. Kathy spent her childhood on her grandfather's dairy farm in Tennessee Valley, part of the community of Portuguese families that worked the land both in the valley and beyond. With a practical mindset, she relays some of the challenges of farming, from the rationing days of World War II to the high...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Lorraine Goddard - Oral History

Lorraine Goddard was born Lorraine Roux at her family home at 35 Sycamore Avenue in 1914. Her parents George Francois Roux and Mary Agnes Johnson, immigrants from France and Ireland, respectively, met in San Francisco. Lorraine attended Park School, Summit School, and Old Mill School. She graduated from Tamalpais High School and majored in French and History at Dominican College. She later received her teaching credential from the University of C...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Louis Ferrario - Oral History

In this oral history, artist Louis Ferrario reminisces about his long life lived in Mill Valley. Born in Point Richmond in 1925 to Italian immigrant parents, Louis’s family soon moved over to Mill Valley, where his father had worked on building the railway and the Mt. Tamalpais gravity cars before going on to work for the city’s maintenance department. Louis recalls the untimely deaths of his mother and sisters, and poignantly describes the speci...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Margaret Dowd - Oral History

Margaret Dowd was born Margaret Lee Wosser on January 10, 1906 at Duncan's Mills in Sonoma County, California. A third-generation Californian, Margaret came to Mill Valley at the age of three, when her mother purchased a home in Blithedale Canyon. Margaret married Jack McGinnis, with whom she had two daughters. Margaret and Jack divorced after six years, and Margaret married Charles Irvine "Irv" Dowd in 1948. Margaret eventually moved to the Redw...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Norman Ortman - Oral History

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 grass...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Patricia Fleming - Oral History

Patricia Johnson Fleming was a long-time resident of Mill Valley. In her oral history, Patricia vividly describes daily life in Mill Valley from 1923 onward, including her experiences attending local schools, stories about local residents and shops, and the fun and entertainment everyone enjoyed. Patricia provides personal recollections of the devastating 1929 fire in Mill Valley and discusses the effects of the Depression and World War II. With ...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Peter Rhodes - Oral History

Born on January 22nd, 1920 in Manchester, England, Peter Rhodes began his career in America at the tender age of 7, selling newspapers on the tramcars that ran down Fillmore Street in San Francisco. Peter grew up to become a dedicated athlete, business owner and lover of languages who prided himself on a lifetime of hard work. Peter's first awareness of Mill Valley came from the town's Great Fire in 1929, whose smoke he recalls seeing from the to...

Record Type: Archive

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

Oral History of Ray Strong, 1978 - Oral History

California artist Ray Strong was born January 3, 1905 in Corvallis, Oregon, and was a resident of Mill Valley from 1948 to 1965. He married Elizabeth Rumsey Brown and they had two children, Timothy and Barbara. In this interview, Ray expresses deep admiration for the California landscape, and for the beauty of Mill Valley in particular. Ray's broad, interdisciplinary experiences shine through as he recalls his involvement in projects ranging from...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Richard Dillon - Oral History

Born on January 16, 1924 in Sausalito, Richard "Dick" Dillon attended Central School in Sausalito and Tamalpais High School. He was drafted right after Pearl Harbor and sent to Europe where he was wounded, hospitalized, sent back to the front, and wounded a second time. Richard earned his master's degree from UC Berkeley, taught at several universities, and eventually became the Sutro Librarian. In 1950, he married Barbara Allester, with whom he ...

Record Type: Archive

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

Oral History of Rodney Hartman - Oral History

In this oral history interview, well-rounded and ever-active physician Rodney B. Hartman reflects on over forty years of medical practice in Mill Valley. After a "crash course" educational experience as a young doctor at San Quentin prison, Rodney transitioned to private practice in Belvedere, and then Mill Valley, during the 1930s. Rodney reflects upon the ups and downs of local medicine with vivid and detailed anecdotes, including the emergency...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of Ruth White Bowie - Oral History

Ruth White Bowie was one of Mill Valley's grande dames in the true sense, though she would have deplored the use of the term. Ruth was born in San Francisco, and she and her twin sister were educated at Miss West's private school in the city, then at the Waltham School for Girls near Boston and Briarcliff Manor on the Hudson. In 1910, Ruth married Ralston L. White, a member of one of Mill Valley's most influential families. In this oral history, ...

Record Type: Archive

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

Oral History of Tom Killion - Oral History

In this oral history, renowned artist, writer and historian Tom Killion recounts his upbringing in Mill Valley and how it shaped his artistic development. Born in 1953, Tom recalls having had an early talent for drawing that was inspired by Mount Tam, encouraged by his parents and nurtured by the local artistic and cultural community. Tom recalls attending Tamalpais High School in the 1960s, which "felt like the center of the universe" on account...

Record Type: Archive

Oral History of William Provines - Oral History

William "Bill" Provines was born on July 4th, 1908 in Willits, California. His father was a locomotive engineer on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad operating from Sausalito to Willits. In 1916, they moved to Mill Valley to provide more advantages for the family. Bill attended Summit School and Old Mill School and was part of the first eighth grade graduating class from Old Mill School in 1921. He then attended Tamalpais High School and Marin Jun...

Record Type: Archive