The Gull's Call - Jul/Aug/Sep 2024

President'sColumn Personal Stories of Alameda by Bill Pai, Community Board President That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach. – Aldous Huxley

their generation that I knew as a child, in retrospect I wish I had taken greater opportunity to ask them about what they witnessed and felt during their youth so long ago. One of the great benefits of technology is that it enables us to gain access quickly and easily to information about the past. With a few keystrokes, we can quickly locate details of every significant incident known to historians. Still, most reference sources reduce events to a dry accounting of facts, devoid of personal details which humanize those who experienced them. This can lead us to forget these were real people just like us, with their own hopes, heartbreaks and dreams of a better life. I, therefore, consider us fortunate to have access to many 1st-person sources of stories about Alameda’s past. One of them is the result of a project started decades ago by California’s state libraries to preserve memories of their own communities, called California of the Past. This has generated a treasure trove of audio/video recordings by long-time residents, many of whom participated personally in the events they describe. On YouTube, there are currently 18 videos from Alameda residents who recorded stories for the California of the Past project over the years (to locate on YouTube, search “California of the Past Alameda”). If you have interest in our city’s history, consider taking a few minutes to peruse the list of recordings. Among other personal accounts, you can hear the story of Judith Givens, runner-up for the 1978 Maid of Alameda competition and a trailblazer as its 1st Black contestant. Hearing her and others tell the stories in their own words, sometimes smiling as they recall memories of long ago, brings the richness of our city’s past to life. In addition, you will find my personal favorite called “I’m So Sorry”, which brought the speaker and this writer to tears as she told of the empathy her mother felt for Alameda residents of Japanese descent after Pearl Harbor, as she witnessed them being compelled to sell off their family business and be herded off to internment camps. May we never forget our mistakes and past injustices, so that we do not repeat them in the future. In the final analysis, we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal. – President John F. Kennedy

When it comes to Alameda’s past, did you know that: • The Alameda Pool Association was co-founded by one of the country’s richest men, Frank Weeden, a long-time resident whose 1984 passing was noted by the New York Times? • Before he became famous as a writer, Jack London raided Alameda oyster beds? • It wasn’t until 1978 that the Alameda beauty contest had a Black contestant? • In 1945, Alameda High School won the State of California track and field meet? • The worst single-day death toll in Alameda history (11) occurred on February 7, 1973, when a U.S. Navy A7-E Corsair II jet traveling at Mach 1 smashed into an apartment building on Central Avenue? Having moved to Alameda as an adult, I knew little of the city’s history when I arrived. In the decades since, I have grown increasingly aware of the events that have shaped the community in which we now live. Through times of world war, civil rights struggles, and more, Alameda’s chronicle of past events is a microcosm of the American experience, both positive and negative. History never comes more alive than it does when recounted by the people who lived through it. While the passage of time brings new life and fresh perspectives, it also means the inevitable loss of first-person memories of bygone times. Thinking of my grandparents and others of

6 July | August | September 2024

The Gull’s Call