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: 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: Guy Atwood — May 19th, 2016
Summary: In this interview, Guy Atwood—Lafayette’s 1994 Citizen of the Year honoree—looks back on his 43 years of active involvement in civic affairs. As a 5-year member (also serving two terms as chair) of the Planning Commission, Guy drafted Lafayette’s original Hillside and Open Space Ordinances. He was also closely involved with the effort to […]
Oral History: Bill Wakeman
Bill’s parents bought land in the center of Lafayette and built a house in 1918. In this interview he talks about growing up here in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Lafayette School was easy to get to, but after that he had to take the Sacramento Northern train to Mount Diablo High School in Concord. […]
Oral History: Donn L. Black – June 1st, 1980
Summary: After growing up and attending college in Oregon, Donn and Arlene Black moved to California, where Donn started his law career. In 1967 they moved from Oakland to Lafayette. He became Lafayette’s first mayor when the city incorporated the following year. In this interview Donn describes how he and a small group of other […]
Oral History: Andrew H. Young – November 11th, 1981
This speech by Andrew H. Young was delivered at the Town Hall building in Lafayette on November 11, 1981. Addressing a combined meeting of the Friends of the Lafayette Library and the Lafayette Historical Society, he presents a summary of his book, The Developers of Lafayette.
