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 […]
Oral History: Dawn Eames — March 4th, 2014
Masaji “Harry” and Shigeko Ides were married shortly before the start of World War II. During the war they were sent to internment camps in California, Arkansas, and Texas. In the 1950s, they established a nursery at 3295 Mt. Diablo Boulevard. Dawn and her three older sisters were raised in a house on the same […]
Oral History: Bill McNeil — June 8th, 2016
This interview took place at the time that an antique barrel, which once held corn syrup, was added to the Lafayette Historical Society’s collection. The barrel had originally been in use at the general store in Lafayette that was owned and operated by Bill’s grandfather Robert McNeil. Bill, now 93 years of age, recalls some […]
Oral History: Marianne Millette (Malley) — March 5th, 2014
Summary: Marianne talks about growing up in Lafayette when it was a small, mostly farming community where everyone knew each other by name. In 1932, she moved here with her family from Oakland when she was 2 years old. In 1910, her grandparents Francis and Agnes Malley had purchased land east of Upper Happy Valley […]
Oral History: Theodore “Ted” Murphey — 11-29-1976
Ted Murphey opened Murphey’s Valley Prescription Pharmacy in downtown Lafayette in 1947. He and his wife Linda lived above the store. They describe their business and also many of the other businesses in the community, giving a picture of the commercial side of Lafayette in that era.
