Looking Back: Histories, Stories and Profiles
DO YOU REMEMBER? by Don Holmlund Santa Claus (Papa Berensmeier) at the Holiday Fair in the ’70s and ’80s? Outdoor film nights in Summer 2003 at the Cultural Center? Field of Dreams, Yellow Submarine , and My Big Fat Greek Wedding were shown on the lawn ( Stone Soup , Oct. 2003). The Recycling Center on School Road (next to the school where Wilderness Way is now)? County officials permanently closed the site on Monday, September 13, 2004, due to extensive and ongoing dumping of trash, including toxic materials ( Stone Soup , Oct. 2004). Stone Soup only four pages long? It started in 1989, but already had features of Valley artists, poetry, a calendar of performances, meetings, ads, and services at the Center. Valley Day? A day-long festival at the school with enter- tainment, games, workshops. It started in 1996 and con- tinued for several years. Geronimo Radio? The Valley had its own radio station: 88.7 FM on the dial, with a full schedule every evening. The Jerry Garcia Memorial Concert and Dance? Held at the Cultural Center on August 5, 2000 ( Stone Soup , June 2000). When the Community Center was the Art Center? Jack Dorward was its first president in 1969 when the Center sold pink “Survival Cards” to keep alive ( Stone Soup , Feb. 2001). The House of Richards? “Large selection of organic pro- duce, 150 herbs and spices, 14 different coffee beans...” (ad in 1983 Valley Resource Guide ). Speck’s Irish Coffee? “A Landmark in Lagunitas since 1916” (ad in 1983 Valley Resource Guide ).
February 2001 WITH RESPECT: Jack Dorward
Jack Dorward moved to the San Geronimo Valley with his wife, Sandy, in 1964. His parents were Scottish émi- grés to Killarney, Manitoba, Canada, where he was born. He attended George Williams College, now part of the University of Chicago, where he earned a degree in Sci- ence Education and met Sandy Hall, his future wife. Jack was a natural teacher, delighting in introducing others to new ideas and experiences. Although he spent most of his career teaching physical education and computer science at Mill Valley Middle School until he retired in 1995, he was interested and involved in many other endeavors. Jack was instrumental in developing the Open Class- room program in the Lagunitas School District. His wife, Sandy, became the first teacher and taught in the program for the next 30 years. Jack was the first president of the San Geronimo Valley Art Center (aka Community Center now Cultural Center) in 1969. Those were the Center’s lean days when they sold pink “Survival Cards” to try to keep it alive. He even taught a class in bagpiping at the Center. But bagpiping was not passed down, as one might think, as part of a family tradi- tion. Jack was introduced to it in 1964, after moving to the San Geronimo Valley, by Jason Marden, a local friend. For years, Jack could be heard in the hills above Wood- acre on a Sunday playing his pipes, including a favorite, “Amazing Grace.” He also played at gatherings for his favor- ite environmental or political causes. Longtime friend Frank Prouten said, “Jack was a person who was constantly on the search for meaning. I recall him telling me once that even the smallest positive thought made for a better world.” Jack served on the County Human Rights Commis- sion in the 1980s, working hard to abolish a rental policy that did not allow children. He loved the computer. After retirement he spent a lot of time developing his internet research skills and shared what he learned with anyone interested. Jack was a philo- sophical, sensitive man with a thirst for knowledge. He was also a devoted family man and deeply loved his three daugh- ters, Margaret, Heather and Jenni. His daughter Heather said, “My Dad had a way of showing you how to appreciate so deeply.” Editor’s note: Jack Dorward passed away in 2001; his wife Sandy, a founder of the Open Classroom, passed away in 2017.
A town is saved, not more by the righteous men in it than by the woods and swamps that surround it. Henry David Thoreau
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50 th Anniversary
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