Our History from the Beginning
The Anaya Family and the Valley by Anne McClain with help from Marty Meade
If the Valley were to have a sister community, a good case could be made for El Salvador. During the civil war in El Sal- vador the Valley became deeply connected to that country. Through Marin County’s Interfaith Task Force, former Valley resident Kate Bancroft became a “human shield” for human rights activist Herbert Anaya and made several trips to El Salvador to work with him. The death squads finally caught up with Herbert on October 26, 1987, murdering him in front of his children on their way to school. Kate immediately returned to El Salvador and helped Mirna, his wife, and the children leave for safety in Canada. After several months there, Mirna asked Kate for help with the children as she would be going to Costa Rica to work with CODEHUCA (The Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America) and to make a new home for the family. Five children is a lot for a single mom living in a one bedroom apartment in Forest Knolls, so Kate put the call out to the Valley community for families willing to take in the children. As is so often the case, the Valley com- munity came through and the Anaya children (Rosa, Gloria, Edith, Miguel and Rafa) became a permanent part of the Valley family, living here and in Costa Rica until returning to El Salvador. Even after peace accords were signed and the Anayas returned, it was not yet safe for them. Marty Meade writes, “Mirna, who continued as a lawyer, was stopped by six men in masks, who ordered her out of the car. Mirna decided
instead to drive off, and in doing so the men fired 12 rounds wounding Miguel who was in the back seat of the car. KPFA reported the story, word quickly spread in the Valley, and money was gathered from dedicat- ed Valley people to bring the children back to safety.” Valley host families over the years were, Alan and Lynn Charne, Tom and Amy Valens, Kathy (Perkins) and Tom Eller, Teryl (George) and Bob Densmore, and Marty and Bud Meade. Over the ensuing years the Valley community continued to support the family emotionally and financially as needed. The relationships have been maintained, weddings attended and births celebrated. An update from Marty says, “Mirna Anaya Perla became the head of the Supreme Court in El Salvador. Gloria is now a lawyer working with the Central American Union. Edith is a medical doctor working with her people. Rosa is an internationally known expert on human rights conditions within the gang community. Miguel is an IT worker studying to be a psychologist, and Rafa is also a lawyer. Altogether they have 9 children between them.” For more on this story you can read the book, When the Dogs Ate Candles, A Time in El Salvador , by Bill Hutchinson, 1998. A Romantic Nicasio Story By Jody (Cooper) Martin
The Anaya Family
After another year of fun times, trips with and without my boys, and many more horseback rides, he asked me to pack a picnic and join him on a morning horseback ride up the hill behind my house. When we were half way up, a small airplane circled overhead, then dropped a package with a small yellow parachute. When we rode up to check it out, there was a box with my name on it. When I opened it, there were many flowers and a lovely card asking me to marry him. Over our picnic lunch, we decided to get married the next day at a family party, and surprise my extended family. That was 28 years ago this month, and we are still having a great time together. I was so lucky to marry a man who loves being in our beautiful valley as much as I do, and to be able to be in the same home for 42 years and still counting.
When I was in my 40s, I was widowed and living two miles up a dirt road in Nicasio with four sons. I loved my home, and had no intention of moving after my hus- band died, despite some suggestions from my parents and sister that I would be lonely there. No way. I was near my friends and very involved in the Nicasio community. My sister commented that I would certainly never meet anyone new in such a small country town. After a couple of years, a single man moved in just up the road, and we both had horses and began riding together regularly. In about two months he asked me out to dinner, and we began spending more time together.
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50 th Anniversary
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