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november 9, 2012
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Pierce and Geller re-elected to council; Diaz leading Liberman Newcomer and veteran candidate duke it out for third council seat
HOWARD GeLLeR
Mayor’S cornEr
Enjoy the Clayton of both present and past during holiday season It’s hard to believe another year has almost gone by. The votes are counted and we will soon see how the results will affect our local, state and federal governments. We can now concentrate on the holiday season. With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Christmas and New Year’s not too far behind, you will want to mark your calendar for some of Clayton’s great holiday events. Dec. 1 is our annual caroling and tree lighting event. Starting at 6 p.m. at the Grove Park with caroling, Santa will lead a parade down Main Street to Oak Street to light our town’s Christmas tree. Dec. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is our annual Tea with Mrs. Claus and Santa at Endeavor
See Mayor, page 9
TaMara STeiner Clayton Pioneer
Tamara Steiner photo
thE four canDiDatES for city council gathered at the home of incumbent Julie Pierce Tuesday for election night countdown. From left, Jim Diaz, Howard Geller, Julie Pierce and Kevin Liberman. In early results, Pierce had a commanding lead with Geller close behind. At press time, Diaz was leading Liberman by a narrow 131 votes.
Wright’s legacy will touch generations to come Peggy SPear Clayton Pioneer
Dorothy Tudder Wright had two regrets when she was 8 years old: “1. I was not born 100 years ago so that I could have been part of the Wild West (or better yet been Annie Oakley). “2. I wasn’t born a boy.” Luckily for the East Bay, Dorothy was neither of those things. Although she is remembered as a great hostess, a wonderful musician and a devoted mother and grandmother, it was because of where she lived that she touched the most people. When Dorothy died on Oct. 29 at age 92, the longtime Clayton resident left a legacy of historical preservation and stewardship – along with decades of memories – for those who love her former property, Mt. Diablo’s Wright Canyon and Curry Creek Park. She sold the popular picnic area to Save Mount Diablo in 2002. “I want the public to continue be able to ride and walk up to the mountain, and my property will allow it,” she told SMD back then. “I want Morgan Territory’s rural nature to remain.” SMD’s Seth Adams said that the group had been familiar with the Wright property for
ple would come from Walnut Creek to picnic, hike and camp and Martin’s grandpa would come down on Saturdays and charge them two bits a car, his only real source of cash during the Depression.” A swimming pool was added in 1933. The Park was well used until 1938 when Sylvester suffered a stroke and then closed the picnic grounds. He died in 1941 and the remaining 110 acres were put on the market.
years – an oak-studded 70-acre parcel in lower Curry Canyon. Not only was it a beautiful piece of land, but the history of the parcel made it especially alluring. From the 1940s, Dorothy and Martin Wright operated the family picnic and camping spot, and many longtime East Bay residents remember going there for overnight camping trips. The property was near Martin’s ancestral home. Swedish immigrant Peter Olofson and his wife Clarissa – Martin Wright’s grandparents – home-
steaded in the Mitchell Canyon area in the later 1800s and early 1900s, and are remembered today in the name of Olofson Ridge near Tenderfoot Flat. In December 1895, their sons Sylvester and Alfred bought land along Curry Creek. Sylvester and wife Louise Fake Olofson moved there to farm and ranch, and in the 1920s and 30s operated a picnic grounds on the property. Families arrived on weekends and in the summer, for 25 cents a group. According to Dorothy, “peo-
Love and war That’s when true love and war intervened. Martin Wright, who grew up on Oakland, spent summers at his family’s’ beloved property. Even after he met and began dating Dorothy Tudder at Roosevelt High School in East Oakland, he juggled his time with her with trips back to the ranch. He was class president and she was editor-in-chief of the newspaper, The Roosevelt Crimson. Still, neither could afford to go to college at first, so they both worked to save money. Finally he went to the UC Davis in 1939 and Dorothy started at UC Berkeley in 1940. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Martin joined the Navy, and he and Dorothy married secretly, since it was against the rules during his officer train-
What’s Inside
Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Community Calendar . . . . . .14 CVCHS Reporter . . . . . . . . . .7 Design and Dé cor . . . . . . . .13 Directory of Advertisers . . . . .5
Fashion Over 50 . . . . . . . . . .6 Food for Thought . . . . . . . . . .8 From the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Garden Girl . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Photo courtesy of SMD
SMD ExEcutivE DirEctor ron Brown with Dorothy wright at the mouth of Wright Canyon on Morgan Territory Rd. In 2001, SMD acquired Wright’s 70 acre ranch, adjacent to Curry Creek Park which Wright and her husband operated for 33 years. Wright died Oct. 29 at the age of 92.
Around Town . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
ing. He went overseas to the South Pacific, while Dorothy eventually became Personnel Manager over Women at Standard Oil in Richmond, helping
See Wright, page 18
Early returns on Tuesday virtually assured re-election of the two incumbents to the City Council, but the race for the third seat was too close to call. At press time, with early mail-in ballots and the polling place results in, it was certain that Julie Pierce would return to the council for a sixth term with 3173 votes counted. Howard Geller, running for a second term, was close behind Pierce with 2687 votes. Veteran candidate Jim Diaz took a slim 131 vote lead over newcomer Kevin Liberman. Joseph Medrano was also on the ballot but disqualified from serving when he was convicted on Oct. 11 of embezzling $159,000 from a former client. By law, he was removed from the City Council on that date and prohibited from holding public office. The verdict came too late, however, to remove his name from the ballot, and despite his conviction, he had 629 votes in the early count. The new council will choose a mayor at the regular council meeting on Dec. 4. Traditionally, the office rotates between the council members based on seniority. Pierce is next in line for mayor.
league champion Eagles top seed in north coast Section playoffs
Mike Dunn photo
Clayton Valley Charter high SChool won its first league football championship since 2008 and capped the Diablo Valley athletic league season with a 62-6 win over long-time Concord rivals Mt. Diablo at gonsalves Stadium. the eagles will bring a nine-game winning streak into the north Coast Section playoffs next Friday as the no. 1 seed in Division ii. they will host the winner of the livermore at Dublin openinground game played this Friday. See story on Page 10.
Holiday Guide ..........16 Mind Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Performing Arts . . . . . . . . . .15
Pioneer Photo Album . . . . . .6 Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Teen Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Weather Words . . . . . . . . . . .8
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CLAYTON, CA PERMIT 190