Even as a teen, Starr latched onto his native state’s distinctiveness and, for the rest of his life, he never let go of it. He found inspiration for his life’s work when he was a scholar and doctoral candidate at Harvard University in the late 1960s, poring through the Horace Davis collection of books on California. He went on to say, with perhaps too much simplicity, “California is a very important part of the American formula…I wanted to see how [the state] fit in.” That abiding curiosity led to Starr’s penning far more than a million words to complete his magnum opus, which has become one of the state’s most treasured records of its culture and history. When Starr passed away in 2017, former California Governor Jerry Brown said of him, “Kevin Starr chronicled the history of California as no one else. He captured the spirit of our state and brought to life the characters and personalities that made the California story. His vision, like California itself, was bigger than life.” Early adversity Starr’s early life was plagued with heartbreak and deprivation. He was born in San Francisco in 1940 to Owen Starr, a machinist, and his wife, Marian, a bank teller. Starr’s parents divorced when he was a child and when he was six, his mother suffered a nervous breakdown and was later committed to a mental institution. Starr and his brother, James, were shuttled off to a Roman Catholic orphanage in Ukiah, California, where the boys spent the next five years. Afterwards, the brothers were reunited with their mother back in San Francisco, where they lived in a meager public housing project and subsisted on welfare. Despite the adversity, Starr drove himself to succeed. After attending St. Boniface School in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and graduating from St. Ignatius High School, he enrolled in the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit school from which he graduated with a degree in English in 1962. A year later, he married Sheila Gordon with whom he eventually had two daughters. Library caretaking Following his college graduation, Starr served two years as an Army tank battalion officer in Germany. He returned to the U.S. in 1964 to earn a master’s and doctoral degree from Harvard, and then followed up
with a Master of Library Science from UC Berkeley. In 1973, then San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto appointed Starr as his executive aide. Later that year, Alioto named him director of the San Francisco Public Library, a position he held until 1976. In 1994, Starr was appointed to the prestigious role of California state librarian, where he made significant contributions to the statewide administration of libraries. In fact, within four years, he increased California’s library budget by 65%. During his tenure, he also initiated landmark library programs, including Proposition 14, for which voters subsequently authorized $350 million for statewide library construction. Starr left the library position in 2006, upon which former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger officially dubbed him State Librarian Emeritus, the only state librarian who was accorded that honor. That same year, Starr was
further recognized for his contributions to the state when he received the National Humanities Medal and later, in 2010, was inducted into the California Hall of Fame. Literary legacy Starr’s contributions to furthering California’s place in American history can’t be overstated. Today, American Studies
“Kevin Starr chronicled the history of California as no one else. He captured the spirit of our state and brought to life the characters and personalities that made the California story. His vision, like California itself, was bigger than life.” Jerry Brown Former Governor of California
students in the history and honors program at Cal State Fullerton often delve into Starr’s writings to gain a better sense and understanding of California’s role in American history. Jason Sexton, honors program lecturer in the university’s history department, noted that, “During any given term, there are probably four or more classes throughout the university assigning Kevin’s work. He’s a major literary figure in understanding the history of California.”
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