September 2022 History Corner

Once Upon A Hillside: 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago

September 1922

Board of Director’s Meeting: A report on the new hardwood floor was given by Mr.

Whitney of a bid from the Inlaid Floor Co., Emeryville, of 36¢ a foot for 2000 feet, oil

and varnish, but no staining. Moved and approved that a new floor be put on the stage,

finished to match the new oak floor.

Club picnic: At the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Swett that the Hillside Club picnic at

their ranch “Hillgirt” on September 9, a committee was appointed to make plans, Mrs.

Maybeck and Mrs. Dewell chairmen. The automobilists were most ready to carry the

automobileless to the ranch, and a most happy day was had by all who attended. Hopes of

an annual picnic was expressed by many members.

Social Meeting: The first social meeting of the 1922-23 year proved especially delightful

to all those in attendance. The use of the first time of all the new conveniences (dressing

rooms and hardwood floors) at the Club was of interest. The program delighted everyone:

Mrs. Ivie contributed vocal solos and Winston Perry cello solos. A charmingly prepared

supper was followed by dancing upon the new floor.

September 1947

Fireside Meeting: John Hicks, who is at present in the Hawaiian Islands, will have

returned before this meeting. We hope he will have an interesting talk for us describing

the experiences he and his family have had during the summer.

Annual Picnic: It is planned to hold the club Picnic on September 20 from noon until

dark, at one of the upper camp areas on Mount Diablo. We have ordered a perfect day

with no wind. There will be a wonderful view and we will all enjoy the hiking,

recreation, picture taking, stories, and singing as the Harvest Moon comes over the

mountain. The Club will furnish ice cream, coffee, and milk. So, get out the picnic

basket, fill it full of good food and eating equipment, and join us in a good time.

September 1972

Fireside Meeting: Opening the fall season on a note of distant places, Dorothy and

Bayard Rucker will present their “Scandinavian Adventure,” a Kodachrome moving

picture of their month’s trip to Norway and Sweden. The movie recounts the Atlantic

crossing from New York to Bergen, a rough voyage indeed, and thence northward along

the fjord-jagged coast of Norway to Hammerfest beyond the Arctic Circle in the land of

the midnight sun, where reindeer herds abound. The film odyssey records explorations of

fjords and coastal towns, and then southward for visits to Sandefjord and Oslo, and the

eastward to Göteburg, Sweden through the Göta Canal, finally returning to California by

polar flight.

Civic Affairs Section: Hillsiders have at times been called “thought leaders in the

community.” If we are willing to accept that designation, we should welcome the

opportunity to become informed, in an impartial way, about the local and state in the next

election. Judge Lewis F. Sherman, presiding judge of the Berkeley-Albany Municipal

Court, and former state senator, is eminently qualified to present as his topic: “An

Analysis of the Propositions on the November Ballot.” [Lewis F. Sherman (1917-1974)

was a US Army veteran who flew 90 missions over Europe in World War II. He

represented the 8 th district in the California State Senate 1967-71. Governor Reagan

appointed him to the Superior Court in September 1974, but he retired six weeks later and

died the following month.]

September 1997

The Club’s archive of printed monthly newsletters ended with the May 1994 issue. If you

know of a source for any newsletters between 1994 and the Club’s renaissance in the

early 2000s, your historian would love to hear about it!