Many thanks to Lauren Tombari of Lafayette for lending her outstanding doll collection to LHS for display. Ms. Tombari’s collection of dolls represents the 1950’s, including clothes made by Jane Miller who lived in Lafayette at the time. Ms. Miller’s fine doll clothes could be found wherever Madame Alexander were sold. We have two complete […]
Oral History: Edwin Quenzel — September 24th, 2015
Summary: Born in 1917, Edwin Quenzel was 98 when he gave this interview. He was raised in Berkeley and served on U.S. Navy battleships in World War II. After the war he moved to Lafayette and began a 50-year career as a licensed building contractor. Mr. Quenzel also built sets for the Dramateurs for many […]
Oral History: Irene Bunker — October 20th, 1976
Summary: Mrs. Bunker is a long time resident of Lafayette. She has lived on the same property in Happy Valley for 63 years. This property is the site of the Widow Bernal’s adobe and lies approximately a mile up Happy Valley Road. Mrs. Bunker was interviewed in her home on October 20th, 1976 at the […]
Oral History: Don Tatzin — August 5th, 2009
Don Tatzin settled in Lafayette at the age of 27, when a job with a consulting firm brought him to the Bay Area. After serving on two city commissions (Parks and Recreation and Planning), he was elected to the City Council in 1985 and has served there ever since.
Oral History: Ann Skram — January 26th, 2015
Summary: Ann’s family moved to Lafayette in 1946/47. Her parents built a home with a swimming pool on a one acre lot on Redwood Lane in Happy Valley. At that time Happy Valley Road was lined with huge walnut trees all the way into town and was mostly agrarian. Her father was an entrepreneur and […]
Oral History: George Wasson — July 22nd, 2013
Note: The title card in the video is incorrect. The month is July. Summary: George has made numerous contributions to the growth of Lafayette from a small town to the thriving community it is today. He and his family moved to Lafayette in 1957, he became involved in the incorporation campaign, and served as Lafayette’s […]
Oral History: Irene Bunker — 1961
Bunker moved to Lafayette in 1913. Her house was built in 1906. She describes early days of Town Hall, its dances dinners; the Horse Show, parades, and the Improvement Club. There was a great sense of community in Lafayette. Money was raised by volunteers, for needs in Lafayette. Bunker shares memories of the early Railroad, […]
Oral History: Patricia Whitehead Wendt — October 6th, 2014
Summary: In the late 1940s, Patricia’s grandfather purchased 4 acres, and her father one acre, in Happy Valley. They chose the location because they wanted to live in the country, with walnut trees and plenty of land. She discovered a fossilized turtle on the property. The industrialist Henry J, Kaiser, along with other neighbors, attended […]
Oral History: Barbara Langlois — March 24th, 2016
Summary: Barbara Langlois was appointed to the City’s Planning Commission in 1973, only five years after moving to Lafayette from El Cerrito. The next year, she won election to the City Council, and in 1975 she became the first woman to serve as Mayor. In addition to her duties as an elected official, Barbara was […]
Oral History: Ed Stokes — January 26th, 2007
Summary: Longtime owner and operator of Diablo Foods, as well as a prominent community leader, Ed Stokes has been Citizen of the Year and won many awards for civic involvement. In this interview, he talks about his early experiences in business and shares some of the management principles that have led him to be successful […]
