Gary Bedsworth was interviewed by Andree Duggan on October 22, 2021. Gary’s father, Jay Bedsworth, operated the Tunnel Inn Restaurant and also performed professional-level magic tricks on its stage in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In one trick Gary’s mother would be raised four feet into the air, then made to disappear. Gary later worked alongside […]
Oral History: George Blodgett — October 2004
Summary: George Blodgett was twelve years old in 1946 when his father Kermit founded Blodgett’s Linoleum. His father also purchased land off Reliez Valley Road, then put in Vaughn Road, and developed homes for his family and others. Eleven years later George joined the business, expanding it to offer carpeting in addition to other floor […]
Oral History: Dave Cutter — December 2005
Summary: Dave Cutter was interviewed by Julie Sullivan in December, 2005. Dave grew up in Berkeley, then went to Stanford for both an undergraduate degree and MBA. He worked in the accounting field for a couple of years, then returned to Berkeley to work in the family business, Cutter Labs. He settled and raised a […]
WOW (Wonders of the World) Presentation – Mt. Diablo State Park Centennial
Rising almost 4,000 feet form the valleys of Contra Costa County, Mount Diablo is one of the most recognized geological features of the San Francisco Bay Area. This year, Mount Diablo State Park is celebrating 100 years since being established in 1921. They did a webinar on November 10th, 2021 that explored the human history […]
Oral History: Robert ‘Bob’ M. Fisher — June 28th, 2021
Summary: Bob Fisher was interviewed by Andree Duggan on May 28, 2021. He and his wife and children lived in Lafayette for 19 years, between 1966 when he became a professor of criminology at UC Berkeley and 1985, when they moved to New York for a new career opportunity. Not long afterward they returned to […]
Lafayette History Rabbit Holes – Acalanes Radio Station KCEQ: Miramonte 1957-1958 Electronics Club
In the 1958 Mirada… we find that there was an Electronics Club during the 1957-1958 school year. The Electronics Club played an important role in Miramonte activities this year. Their main goal was the achievement of a licensed radio station at the school. Among their other accomplishments for the year were aiding other students in […]
Oral History: Fran Schroder — November, 2004
Summary: Fran Stanley Schroder, the daughter of M.H. Stanley, was interviewed by Julie Sullivan in November 2004. Her father had been instrumental in developing Lafayette Schools for over 30 years while serving on the Lafayette School Board and the Acalanes High School District Board. Fran has fond memories of growing up in Lafayette in the […]
Lafayette History Rabbit Holes – Acalanes Radio Station KCEQ: Miramonte 1956-1957 Electronics Club
Thanks to the 1959 Mirada… we know there was an electronics club during the 1956-1957 school year. In the senior section there is a student named Martin Smith ‘Marty’. He is listed as being in the Electronics Club during the 1956-1957 and 1957-1958 school years. Since there doesn’t appear to be a yearbook for Miramonte […]
Lafayette History Rabbit Holes – Acalanes Radio Station KCEQ: Miramonte 1955-1956 Electronics Club
Acalanes opened in 1940. Las Lomas opened in 1951. Miramonte was next in 1955. Something interesting to note is that while Acalanes had a freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class the year they opened; Las Lomas, Miramonte, and later Campolindo and Del Valle would all start with only freshman. Thanks to the 1959 Mirada… we […]
Oral History: Tom and Percy Whitten — November, 2005
Summary: Percy and Tom Whitten, father and son, were interviewed by Julie Sullivan in November 2005. In 1960 Tom and wife Patricia settled in Lafayette. In that same year his parents bought 4 lots on Lafayette Circle and built apartments on them. For six decades up to the present day members of this family have […]
