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Description
Janet Upham was born in San Francisco in 1927. Her father was Elmer Michael Shapiro, a Russian immigrant who came to San Francisco in 1893. Her mother was Ethel Margare Willis, a native San Franciscan whose mother came from Ireland. Janet's parents met on a blind date at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. Janet's grandfather owned properties in Mill Valley near the Blithedale Hotel, where the young family settled. They eventually moved to a home on Bigelow Avenue in Mill Valley. Janet attended Summit School, Old Mill School, Tamalpais High and College of Marin. She spend much of her adult life in Mill Valley as well, ultimately moving to 225 Blithedale Ave with her husband, Ben, and building a family of their own. In this oral history interview, Janet reminisces about childhood in Mill Valley during "simpler times," describing activities, shops and schools. She discusses the effects of World War II on Mill Valley, including rationing and the relocation of the town's Japanese population. A member of the Mill Valley Historical Society and a former docent in the Mill Valley Library History Room, Janet takes the long view and paints a picture of a quiet, communal town as it navigated through some of the challenges and changes of the twentieth century. Editor's Note: This audio recording begins at the bottom of page one of the transcript. The recording also contains an addition at the end, covering Janet's experiences in the 1929 Mill Valley Fire, that was not transcripted. Finally, the transcript appears to have been modified slightly for narrative flow.
Identifier
D69BF8E9-FB4D-4641-8DD7-528887569200 2017.076.001
Subject
Blithedale Hotel Business - Mill Valley Childhood & youth Cottage Avenue Goddard, Wilson Hiker's Retreat Klyce, Melvin Miss Barrett's Private School MV history - Interwar years MV history - WWI and WWII Old Mill School San Francisco Shapiro, Elmer Shapiro, Enid Shibata, Akiko Summit Avenue Summit School Tamalpais High School Teachers Traffic congestion Upham, Ben Willis, Ethel Margaret World War II
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