Holiday Memories....

With the holidays upon us, I sought inspiration from elders by asking them to share favorite holiday memories for my final 2010 column. So I set off to the Santa Rosa Senior Center to collect vignettes from a few willing subjects.

Quite frankly, I was humbled by some of the memories shared below, because they speak as much about the strength of the human spirit as they do about holiday spirit. The stories are not uniformly 'upbeat' because the memories were not. However, to me the challenges represent powerful statements about what the "Greatest Generation" has experienced and endured through the past century, which is worthy of celebration. It also reminds me how lucky I am to have been raised a Baby Boomer, a generation which has benefited tremendously from the blood, sweat and tears of the generations preceding my own.

Addie's fondest and most vivid holiday memory was in 1936 at age six. That year, all the girls in her Austin, Texas orphanage received Shirley Temple dolls and she absolutely cherished hers. She claims "they spoiled us."

Dee fondly remembers her Irish Grandmother in El Reno, Oklahoma, who would take down her long, lush white hair and act like a bear. She also remembers not having indoor plumbing and being afraid to go outside at night to use the outhouse...especially during a blizzard!

Raised in Manchester, England, Judy remembers spending Christmas 1940 in an air raid shelter in Manchester after her first year of military service. During the day, they would come out to survey the fires and devastation left by the German air raids, and recalled when her sister ran out of a shelter despite the protection it offered because she feared a nearby rat more than the bombing!

Prudence, who was raised in Shanghai, China, thought of Chinese New Year when I asked about her holiday memories. She loved to play with dice, and her family would visit ancestral temples on this special day.

Ralph, who served in the 41st Infantry Division during WWII, will never forget his holiday memories in Hiro, Japan after the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima where he witnessed human starvation firsthand; a stark reminder of the casualties of war.

Bea loved the smell of the freshly cut Christmas tree her father would find in the woods near her home in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and the simple joy of stringing it with popcorn, tinsel and lights. When the snow came, they always built a snowman with nose and eyes made out of mud!

Raised in Sydney Australia, Liz remembers celebrating hot and humid Christmas days there. Despite the weather, her family always had a traditional British Christmas lunch, complete with Plum Pudding and brandy sauce. They were 'incapacitated' for much of the afternoon, but managed to reach the beach by late afternoon. Then, on December 26 (Boxing Day), friends would converge at their house by Sydney Harbor to watch the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Joe, who was raised in Alabama, recalled his 7 year old brother's reaction when he didn't receive the present he expected for Christmas, declaring "I hate Santa Claus" before marching back to bed. Joe never did find out what his brother was expecting that he didn't get! (Maybe he even kept it a secret from Santa...?)

During the winter months, Miriam enjoyed riding her wooden sled with metal glides from the top of the hill in her home town of Salem, Massachusetts. When the pond they used for ice skating froze over, they'd build a fire and sit on logs nearby to stay warm between spins.

In closing, I'd like to celebrate and give thanks to the wise elder who has helped shape my life: my father, Kent Tweeten, who celebrates his 95th birthday on December 17 in Madison, Wisconsin. Happy Birthday, Dad!

May you experience the simple joys this holiday season has to offer.

“There but for the grace of God go I.”

Mert Preston, who will turn 85 this December, was raised by his mother, Henrietta, and grandparents in the farming community of Visalia, CA. His grandfather was a businessman during Mert’s childhood, and became a farmer after the stock market crash so he could put food on the table. His mother also had good business sense, and eventually opened a successful corset & lingerie shop in Visalia. Having devoted her life to raising and supporting her two children and her parents until their late 80s, Mert fondly remembers her “lusting for a T-Bird,” and felt his mother deserved this indulgence, but she resisted the temptation because she wanted to save money to pass on to her children. Unfortunately, she died of cancer shortly thereafter at the age of 58, and her dream never became a reality.

Henrietta was a powerful role model for Mert. She never spoke poorly of anyone, including his father who abandoned the family when Mert and his sister were young children. He vividly remembers his grammar school days when the local sheriff was arrested for drunk driving. In his small town of Visalia this news was quite a scandal, but his mother’s response was, “There but for the grace of God go I.” The lesson? Our fate is not entirely in our own hands, and another’s misfortune could very well have been your own! Personally, it reminds me to guard against pre-judging others and their human foibles. Henrietta also left Mort with the gift of being able to listen to all sides of an argument and “giving people a lot of leeway to be themselves.”

Reflecting on his life, Mort remembers the Golden Rule, and believes and practices “you get back what you put out.” He was a self-described “sissy” as a kid, who was underweight and nonathletic. In retrospect he ponders the role this played in his becoming “a gentle guy.”

After completing high school, Mert served in Germany during WWII (1944-1946). He started in artillery, but after D-Day he worked in a clerical capacity in medical aid stations and became responsible for running an aid station within a few short months. This was his first of many experiences stepping into a leadership role.

When Mert returned home after the War, he was expected to complete his training and become the doctor in the family, but after taking a biology class at the local junior college he soon discovered he was destined for experiential vs classroom learning and a career in business. Doors began to open, starting with the opportunity to run a car parts department for family friends in San Rafael. This experience quickly led to others; first as a buyer for a parts store in Stockton and then in Fresno. He fondly remembers the business owners/teachers he had along the way, who ultimately helped him gain the confidence he needed to open his own store, Preston Automotive Center, which he operated from 1959 until 1980 when he sold the business.

As Mert achieved the American Dream of a successful business, marriage, four children, and mortgage-free home by the age of 49, he suddenly became “terribly depressed” to the point where he had suicidal thoughts and “couldn’t see any way out.” He was raised in a very private family, and men didn’t talk about their feelings to anyone. But when he saw an ad about couple’s therapy, he brought it home and encouraged his wife to attend sessions together.

The year was 1980 and Mert’s life was about to undergo a profound change. He started private counseling sessions and it wasn’t long before the counselor put a name to the struggle he faced: he was homosexual. To Mert’s amazement, while he saw disaster lurking, the counselor repeatedly responded, “And what’s the problem?”

Through counseling, Mert was able to come to terms with this truth, and confided it to his wife. He prepared himself for their discussion with the book, “Loving Someone Gay,” by Don Clark, which he later also shared with his four adult children. Again to his amazement, both Mert’s wife, Ann, and his children accepted him for who he was without major upheaval. For the first time in his life he was living life on his own terms, not someone else’s. Mert and Ann never legally separated, but he did eventually move out of their shared home. He felt particularly blessed that his children accepted him and he was able to maintain a good friendship with his wife until she died of cancer six years later. The one hole in his life that remains is love. “The kind of love that grows over time, with a life partner you fall in love with and share your life with.” With that said, he has no regrets, because he wouldn’t be the person he is today without the experiences he has endured and the children he and Ann raised to adulthood.

Even before his life view dramatically changed both at work and at home, subtle changes were underway which called Mert to a life of service and leadership. This calling ultimately led Mert to his personal mission “Encouraging men to look at the way they lead their lives and be willing to explore change and stimulate their own personal growth.” Mert’s call to service began at Petaluma People Services Center, where he served on the Board of Directors from 1978-1982. He went on to co-found a men’s support group in Sonoma County, MEN: Men Evolving Non-violently. He was also a charter board member of Sonoma County AIDS Foundation, where he served through 1995. One of his proudest achievements was his work with the AIDs Foundation, because it opened him up to life. He was particularly honored when the AIDS Foundation established the Mert Preston Award to honor outstanding volunteer service.

Raised Catholic, Mert still considers himself Catholic and enjoys mass, although he struggles with the church’s position regarding homosexuality. When asked what he’d like to share with today’s youth, Mert borrowed a quote from the Book of Micah (6:8) in this simple yet profound statement:

“To act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Regardless of your belief system, to Mert the universal message is a simple one. “It is incumbent on each of us to be a decent person.” As I concluded our interview and glanced around Mert’s living room, I couldn’t help but notice the books prominently displayed on his coffee table which speak volumes about who Mert Preston is and what he believes: “Elders on Love,” by Lakritz Knoblauch and “When we were Colored, a Mother’s Story,” by Eva Rutland.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Mert!

ATTITUDE is EVERYTHING…

According to Lynn McClintock, he “shouldn’t be here.” Born prematurely on November 29, 1918, Lynn weighed in at about 2 ½ pounds and has maintained his lean physique ever since. His mother reportedly brought him home “in a shoe box” and he slept “in a dresser drawer.” Now almost 92, Lynn’s positive attitude and commitment to cycling has helped him stay trim and healthy. He used to ride his bicycle 6,000+ miles per year, but now is averaging under 5,000 miles per year with his son and two other riding buddies, or 80-100 miles per week (!), not to mention occasional rides with other friends from Sonoma County and elsewhere. Lynn has downsized from owning five bikes to ‘just’ two road bikes at this time: a steel frame Waterford, and a carbon fiber Trek Madone. You gear-heads out there will know what that means; for the rest of us, suffice it to say they’re pretty impressive bikes!

Lynn has been legally blind in his right eye for about fifteen years, but that hasn’t affected either his riding ability or his spirit. He moved to Santa Rosa’s Oakmont Village senior community with his wife, Lorraine (“Raine”) in 1981 and has only missed “3 or 4” of the annual Wine Country Century rides hosted by the Santa Rosa Cycling Club throughout this 30 year span, despite moving to Woodland several years ago to be closer to his son. And yes, he’s ridden the full 100 mile century each year.

Lynn’s attitude about life and the ease with which he has climbed the hills and mountains along the road are truly inspiring. Born and raised in Southern California, he studied animal husbandry at Cal Poly and spent several years on his uncle’s cattle ranch preparing to become a cattle rancher himself, but health issues prevented him from pursuing this physically demanding vocation. So he entered a business college and worked for Pfizer, the world’s largest research-based pharmaceuticals firm, in veterinary medicines and supplements. He traveled extensively for work, and spent many lonely nights away from home. Then in June of 1969, Lynn happened to notice six+ cyclists in a pace-line formation near his home in Arcadia, and told Raine that he thought it ‘looked fun.’ At her urging, Lynn bought his first bicycle since his paperboy days, and soon started bringing his bike on business trips. He started riding two to three hours at the end of the work day to pass the time away from home…and a forty+ year exercise habit was born!

Lynn learned a thing or two from his father, who met his own fate re: cattle ranching when he bought a head of cattle to start a cattle ranch: the business was “wiped out” when they discovered the cattle had hoof and mouth disease. Trudging on, he developed a retail meat trade in supermarkets throughout Southern California and became quite successful. Success had its own price tag, however, as the family moved almost annually during Lynn’s formative years as his father was transferred from one store to another.

You’ll understand the meaning of true love when you hear Lynn speak about his wife of 69 years, Raine, who passed away on July 4 of this year. They met in a most unusual way: via his sister’s ex-boyfriend. As the story goes, Lynn had grown fond of this young man, and was in Alaska hoping to land a canning job when they split up. Hearing the news upon his return to California, Lynn decided to visit the young man’s family home and extend his condolences regarding the breakup. When a young woman opened the door, “that guy with an arrow” pierced Lynn’s heart. Yes, it was the young man’s sister, and love at first sight which continued throughout Lynn and Raine’s “special” marriage. She lives on in the memories and carefully placed mementos throughout their home in Woodland, including the first birthday card Lynn gave her that still sits on the bedroom dresser; or the jumbo Mother’s Day card from their son, prominently displayed in the living room.

Lynn’s tips for living a long, healthy life include exercise; watching what you eat; and a good attitude. Despite his own health challenges from infancy on, this philosophy has certainly worked for Lynn, as he currently takes no medications; “not even an aspirin”. His advice for today’s youth: “Don’t be influenced by what you think others think you should do, and don’t be afraid to do something different. You can do anything if you’re motivated and have a good attitude.” And for those of you over fifty who are considering cycling for exercise? Lynn says, “if you cycled as a kid and like exercise, you can’t beat cycling now because you use everything with no jarring”. You also get to enjoy the landscape and wildlife from a unique vantage point.

When asked what his own future will hold, Lynn quipped that he’s “signed on for ten more years,” at least as far as cycling is concerned! So be sure to look for him at the 2020 Wine Country Century…

Marion Almeraz

When I interviewed Marion Almeraz for this column, she didn’t understand “what’s the big deal” about her life other than the fact that she’s still independent and active at age 99. Marion’s friend Claudia, who referred her to me, felt otherwise.

Born Marion Reese in Detroit, MI on September 3, 1911, Marion’s family participated in the post-WWI Upper Midwest migration to the Golden State. Her fondest lifetime memory is of the family trip west over a 3+ month period in 1920, driving a 1914 Ford Touring Car with a canvas top and “Isinglass” windows (made from a form of mica) and camping along the way.

Marion’s father was a sheet metal worker in Detroit, but when WWI ended it was difficult to find the coal needed to fuel their family furnace the following winter. After suffering through temperatures dropping to 20 degrees below zero during the winter of 1919-1920, her father declared he was “never going to spend another winter in that Godforsaken country!” Thanks to her father’s love of reading and knowledge about world affairs, he knew the family’s future was destined for the Golden State of California and they arrived in the Central Valley on Marion’s 9^th birthday.

During the Great Depression, Marion recalled that her parents and two older siblings stood in food lines. Her father found odd jobs and her older brother ultimately worked for the phone company. In Marion’s opinion, the most significant World event in her lifetime was when Teddy Roosevelt was elected and established the Social Security system, because this system “has kept this country from being in even worse shape today. Before Social Security, when people lost their jobs they went to the Poor House and had no security whatsoever.” Marion has always been very interested in democratic politics, and her work included being secretary to the President of the Democratic National Committee in Santa Rosa.

Marion moved to Santa Rosa with her husband in 1941 to be near her sister. He was in the sign business, but materials weren’t easily accessible as WWII approached so he found work painting buildings for the air force and in 1943 they bought the house Marion still occupies today. Marion proudly raised two children in that home, and boasts about her three grandchildren who “are all college graduates.”

A dominating theme in Marion’s life stems from her love of animals. She received her first dog at age six, raised Irish Setters and Poodles, and had a poodle grooming parlor for 30 years on her property in Santa Rosa. In 1949 Marion helped start the first dog obedience class in Santa Rosa, and also established the first AKC dog show at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. Today, she owns two cats, Dexter (Maine Coon) and Raja (Siamese).

Despite a small physical setback earlier this year when she fell boarding the bus to a local casino (an outing she enjoys weekly), Marion remains incredibly active at age 99. She plays bridge 3-4 times per week at the Santa Rosa Senior Center, and loves to dance at every opportunity. She also enjoys crossword puzzles and chauffeurs her much younger friend, Claudia, around town, boasting a 67 year accident and ticket-free driving record. Her current license expires in three years (age 102), and Marion fully intends to keep driving herself and others as long as she is able!

Marion credits her long life and good health to being “lucky, I guess!” She claims to eat and drink whatever she wants, but doesn’t smoke and religiously eats half a grapefruit every day. When asked what advice she’d like to share with today’s youth, her knee-jerk response was to say “I’m glad I’m not raising children now,” and then, “establish a goal and stick to it.” She also wishes young people would write and appreciate “good music” again! Me, too, but I do recall my own parents’ reaction to Rock ‘n Roll…

David Franklin

David Frankin, age 89, was born in Vancouver BC and raised in Victoria. His father died when he was an infant, and his mother, Jeannette, raised David and his older sister, Muriel, as a single mother. Jeannette had graduated from nursing school before he was born but her license wasn’t recognized in British Columbia so she became a dress maker and “informally” shared her nursing knowledge with others. David particularly admired the soft, gentle way she managed very difficult situations, including her ability to ask for what was needed “for the children,” providing David and his sister with food and shelter despite a very modest income of $30/month. She also provided wise counsel to help other parents care for their children’s health needs.

At an early age, David was aware that his mother wanted him to have male role models, and she pursued opportunities for him to attend a private school with male teachers. After multiple rejections, a local Catholic school accepted David for the tuition his mother could afford: $1.00 per month. While David felt the bitter disappointment of rejection before this school finally accepted him, his mother’s perseverance taught him two very important life lessons: first, don’t give up; and second, don’t take rejection personally.

David “came of age” during the Great Depression, but his mother struggled to make ends meet from his infancy. As a young child, David recalls the family owned two goats. While his mother worked as a dressmaker, David and his older sister brought the goats to empty fields around Victoria and tied them up to feed. In return, the goats provided them with milk, cream, and butter.

When asked about his greatest fear, David responded, “History repeating itself.” Raised in the Liberal Catholic Church, the local priest in his small community congregation repeatedly emphasized that fighting and war were not the way to behave, which helped shaped David’s views about war. Despite a strong desire to support his mother country of England and honor Queen Victoria, David was never drafted during WWII and considered himself a conscientious objector. This was far from a popular view in the 1940s, and many people considered him simply “messed up.” He credits his priest with supporting him through this difficult time and helping him honor the values he was raised with: “to love one another, including people with different belief systems and values.”

In 1939, David was given the opportunity to attend college through a fellowship program. As a result, he became an educator himself, first in primary school mathematics and then in sociology at the University of British Columbia. Rising above his family’s financial limitations to attend and then teach college level courses is David’s proudest accomplishment. He has both witnessed and participated in many opportunities to bring people together to work out their differences, and appreciating them.

Perhaps David’s greatest teacher (beyond his mother, who he admires more than any other single individual) was Dr. Emma Smiley, president of Victoria Truth Centre and teacher/counselor as well. The values reinforced by Mrs. Smiley have shaped David’s life, including: (1) Don’t fight; (2) Be kind to everyone, especially people with different ideas and values; (3) Be kind to animals; and (4) Don’t accentuate differences. David was not only a student of Emma Smiley’s; he ultimately coached speakers at the Center as well.

David is a life-long learner. He believes he has discovered the secret to staying vibrant within the past five years through a simple yet profound lesson: “You’re not alone.” To David, this means asking for help from the Holy Spirit; a higher power reminding him “I am here always.” Conflict has been troubling for David, but now when he finds himself in conflict with someone, even in daily matters, he asks for help and a resolution is always forthcoming. He no longer feels the need to figure it out or push for what he wants. He understands that his way is not the only way, and others may have a better solution. He now simply stands back and “allows the healing to unfold.”

Not surprisingly, David has been involved in the field of holistic health for over 20 years, working with human chakras (energy centers) and auras (energy fields). Emma Smiley was his inspiration for this work, which he still practices today.

When asked what he would change if given the opportunity to live life over again, David confidently responded, “Nothing!” Shaped by a culmination of rich life experiences, David Franklin would be not the person he is today without following the path which has unfolded for him over the past 89 years, and it continues to be a rich and rewarding life journey!

Wisconsin farm girl, redhead, WWII code breaker, and that’s only the beginning…

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dorothy Heinemann in the home she shares with her husband, Bill (who clearly still makes her heart go pitter patter), high above Austin Creek in western Sonoma County. Born a middle child of six on a Wisconsin farm, the highlight of Dorothy’s childhood was spending time with her grandmother. A prolific writer, Dorothy shared several memoirs with me, including “Everyone Needs a Grandma,” in which she recounts, “You made each of us feel special and loved. Never did I hear you say a critical word about anyone. You were the most understanding person I ever met.” She was also proud of both the special relationship and the red hair that she shared with her Grandma, who “…would bake me special cookies and let me have her sewing scraps to make clothes for my doll.”

Dorothy is a gifted woman who clearly thrives on adventure. Her first big break was at age seventeen when she was awarded a college scholarship. She recounts that she “left home and never looked back.” Following her mother’s advice, Dorothy attended a teacher’s college, but after a short time she concluded it wasn’t the profession for her so she went to work in a Milwaukee defense plant inspecting superchargers (point of wisdom: if you don’t like what you do, don’t do it!) Then one day, like many primarily male youth of her generation, Dorothy’s life changed forever when the bony finger of an “Uncle Sam Wants YOU” poster grabbed her attention. In the blink of an eye, undeterred by the reaction she expected from her mother, Dorothy stepped into the recruiting office and signed up!

Little did Dorothy realize in July of 1944, after completing boot camp, she would be one of only four women (all redheads) to be selected among several thousand new female recruits to serve in the signal corps (responsible for military communications) and participate in “one of the greatest secrets of all history” by working as a cryptologist at Arlington Hall to help decipher the Japanese code. So secret was her mission that she maintained silence regarding her assignment “under the penalty of death” for treason until after the work was declassified in 1989. They were repeatedly reminded how important their work was to the war effort, but at the time she didn’t fully realize this and “as time went on, I almost forgot my experience. I consigned it to the remote and distant past…”

After serving ten months at Arlington Hall without leaving the base, Dorothy’s unit was granted leave to attend the funeral parade for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As she recounts in a memoir, “the funeral procession moved slowly past the spectators, most of whom were in tears…I remember the crushing sadness…for once I recognized the unfolding of an historic event. An era had passed by, and such a one as our dead president would never come again.” And then, “…on August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped, the world changed forever, and the war was over. By the end of August I was in Dallas, Texas and another adventure loomed before me…” She met an Air Force supply sergeant by the name of William Heinemann, two years her junior, “who looked quite sharp in his uniform…”

Dorothy reports the adventure that shaped her life the most was marrying a career air force man (yes, Bill). They had two children. Their son was born just 10 months after the wedding, and daughter followed 7 ½ years later. Dorothy continued to work and pursued further education through the years. Some of her experiences included computer operations for the U.N. and working for several newspapers including two in Texas and the Marin Independent Journal after moving to California in 1959. She went on to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in management from Sonoma State University at the age of fifty-five and worked as a bookkeeper at Hastings College. Dorothy misses the writing class she used to attend in Guerneville but continues her adventures through independent writing, and both reading and sharing her works. She even has her own blog: grandmadottie.blogspot.com. Check it out!

When asked what she would change if she could live life over, Dorothy pondered the question a moment before asserting she would have waited longer before starting a family after marrying Bill. She also would have stayed home with her children when they were young rather than working. A self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive, her advice for younger generations is to “go with the flow” of life, or borrowing from John Lennon, to “let it be.” The value Dorothy places on maintaining a good sense of humor has served her well through the years, and she credits Bill with helping her keep things in perspective (including the stove and sink she’s been known to cuss at, but that’s another story…) And her secret to a life well lived? Chocolate, of course!

Where were YOU in 1902?

Yes, it’s true. Born Rose Wyrsch, Rose Cliver entered this world in her family home on October 9, 1902. She was a middle child of thirteen, raised on a farm in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. Rose is the lone survivor among her siblings, has outlived one of her two children, and is the oldest known survivor of the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.

Recalling her upbringing with amazing clarity, Rose boasts that she “wasn’t supposed to live even twelve years” because she was born a month early after her mother chased a family cow during her pregnancy. She also vividly remembers climbing the Bernal Heights hill with her father and siblings to gaze down at the burning City of San Francisco after the Great Quake.

The 1906 earthquake wasn’t as impactful on a three year old as you might expect. The World events which had the greatest impact on Rose were the World Wars: two of her brothers served in World War I and a third brother served in World War II. Her parents never talked about war or discussed politics at home, but she knew they worried about her brothers’ safety.

When you first meet a spry 107 year old, after reeling with amazement a logical first question is, “What’s the secret to living so well, so long?” Rose lived independently in San Francisco until 2008, and then with her son, Don and his wife in Santa Rosa until earlier this year, when she moved to a local residential care home. Without hesitation, Rose responded, “my Grandchildren kept me alive” (she helped raise one grandchild and one great-grandchild). After a little more digging, I’m also attributing an active lifestyle, along with never smoking or drinking, to Rose’s longevity. As for food, Rose says she’ll eat “whatever you give me!” Despite some hearing loss, at age 107 Rose can hear without aides and moves around quite well with a three-wheeled walker.

The Wyrsch’s were “strict but good people” from Switzerland, and Rose attended Catholic grammar school. She fondly remembers the “good old days” of picnics, parties, “kids to play with,” hiking, singing, and dancing. She also reminisced about her regular adventures taking the train from San Francisco to Marin County and “hiking a mountain” in Mill Valley before descending on a dance hall (Muir Woods?) She met her husband, Charles, on one of these hikes and they married two years later, in 1923. Rose admits her parents didn’t approve of their non-Catholic nuptials (Charles was Episcopalian) but they had a good life together until his death in 1985, and enjoyed traveling throughout the United States. Reflecting on her life, Rose has no regrets but does wish they kept their plans to travel to Germany with her sister.

At age 107, Rose Cliver still has an amazing amount of “get up and go,” and clearly knows who she is, what she wants, and what’s important in a life well lived!

Del Raby

Through the years, Del Raby has demonstrated an inspiring commitment to the Boy Scouts of America, which celebrates its 100^th anniversary this year, and Rotary International, a business service organization which currently spans 200 countries and promotes “Service Above Self.” Del joined the Boy Scouts as soon as he was old enough, knew he wanted to be a Boy Scout executive by age 16, served a 31 year career with the organization, and has remained an active advocate for Scouting since his retirement in 1981. On May 16, Del will be presenting an Eagle Scout badge to the grandson of a man Del presented the same badge to at age 16. The boy’s great grandfather was also an Eagle Scout; one family’s tradition Del is honored to be a part of.

Demonstrating a similar commitment to Rotary, Del has been an active member of Rotary International for 40 years. He holds an impressive 100% attendance record, served as District Governor, and has been an active member of the Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Club since its founding in 1987.

Now 83, Del was born in Grass Valley, CA and grew up in Chico. His parents both worked for the Salvation Army, holding weekly services in halls and preaching on street corners during the 1920s and 30s. He was married to two very talented women: Mary, a vocalist he met through scouting at age 20 who died in 1970, and Harriet, an artist he met through both Rotary and Scouting who died in 1998. He has no children.

“Scrounging” with his father for Indian artifacts, followed by the pursuit of old bottles in dumps was one of Del’s fondest memories growing up. He credits his father and these experiences with planting the seeds for his post-retirement interest in archaeology and his proudest accomplishment: While at his first “dig” in Chile’s Patagonia, Del noticed a nearby boarding school had no hot water or showers and limited cooking supplies, so he approached the Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary board of directors with what became the club’s first international project: bringing these services to the school in Patagonia.

The single world event which has left the most lasting impression on Del was World War II. He tried to enlist in 1944 and was initially turned down but was then drafted in February, 1945. Del was training in Okinawa, Japan during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He recognizes and appreciates the fact that the course of his life may have been quite different if his wartime experience had been different.

Many people ponder the question “If you could live life over again, what would you do differently? Del would have “pushed” himself more within both Boy Scouts and Rotary to realize his goals. He wouldn’t want to be overly aggressive, but in retrospect sees missed opportunities to become more visible within each organization.

Del’s advice for today’s youth is to stay away from drugs, graduate from high school, pursue higher education, and plan your life around a career. He also strongly supports scouting because it builds character and leadership skills.

As for his secret to staying healthy and vibrant, Del credits the fact that he never smoked and is a light drinker: he didn’t have his first drink, a martini, until age 25. He also has many hobbies which keep his mind active, including crossword puzzles, computer word processing, collecting inkwells and Boy Scout memorabilia, extensive travel, and staying in contact with the many people he’s met through the years.