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)HEUXDU\ 6HUYLQJ $ODPR DQG 'LDEOR Teen Esteem By Fran Miller Tao House - Gateway to Eugene O’Neill’s Legacy By Jody Morgan The dramatic views of Mount Diablo enjoyed by Eugene O’Neill and his wife Carlotta are accessible to Tao House visitors free of charge thanks to the perspicacity and perseverance of a few individuals who persuaded Congress to create a unique arrangement between the Eugene O’Neill Foundation and the National Park Service. A memorandum of agreement defines the partnership between the Foundation that saved the property from becoming one more hilltop
The statistics are startling: if a teen begins drinking at age 15, he or she has a 40% chance of becoming an alcohol-dependent adult; 67% of these 15 year-old drinkers will experiment with elicit drugs. Alcohol, which can affect the natural development of the teen brain, is implicated in the top three causes of teen fatalities. And, one out of two eighth graders have experimented with alcohol. The pressures faced by today’s youth can often lead to risky behaviors such as underage and binge drinking, drugs, prescription drug abuse and sexual activity. And, the limited reasoning skills of an under-developed adolescent brain often lead to perilous choices, made without regard to High school students participate in the “Teacup Analogy” consequences. The exercise with Teen Esteem volunteer presenter Jill Daniels. high-risk behavior of today’s youth requires the watchful eye and guidance of not only parents, but also community members and neighbors. Never
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Tao House
housing development and the Park Service that preserves it. Park Service rangers maintain the house and grounds and guide visitors through O’Neill’s secluded haven. Foundation volunteers provide artistic and educational programs that highlight O’Neill’s impact on American theatre. The only American playwright ever awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, O’Neill used the $40,000 sum the 1936 honor brought with it to purchase a 158-acre Danville ranch in 1937. Carlotta oversaw the design and construction of their retreat blending the couple’s interest in Oriental art and philosophy with Spanish colonial architecture appropriate to the site. A 1941 Life Magazine photo shoot provides detailed documentation of the interior décor. (Destined for a December issue, the spread was replaced at the last minute by pages on Pearl Harbor.) In the study where Eugene wrote A Long Day’s Journey into Night, the play that earned him posthumously his fourth Pulitzer Prize, visitors today listen to a recording of the playwright reading from the script and glimpse his crabbed handwriting, which Carlotta transcribed on a manual typewriter. Words only flowed for O’Neill when he put pen to paper.
See Tao House continued on page 14 Local Postal Customer
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Car Theft in Alamo Leads to Major Crime Spree Residents Advised to Keep Cars Locked at All Times By Sharon Burke A Westside Alamo family woke up early one recent morning to find both their cars stolen from their driveway. Although one car has been recovered, the other car is still missing more than two weeks later. When contacted by Alamo Today, homeowner Lynn Cox readily agreed to share their story in hopes that their neighbors can take steps to avoid a brush with crime. The thieves came early Friday morning, January 13th, between midnight and 6am to the quiet neighborhood off Camille Avenue. “Our cars were parked in the driveway as usual,” Lynn said. As is the custom with many Alamo families, the cars were unlocked. A Lexus sedan and a Lexus SUV were taken. “At 6:42am Friday, the thieves tried to use our credit card (which was left inside the car after a recent gas purchase) to obtain a cash advance at the San Pablo Casino,” Lynn said. “Luckily, VISA denied the charge.” The Coxes promptly reported the thefts to 911, and a CHP officer arrived to take the report. The officer cautioned them that gangs of thieves have been known to roam affluent neighborhoods, trying car doors, ransacking vehicles for valuables, and looking for bikes or other valuables that are unsecured. After their contact with VISA, that was all the Coxes heard of their lost property until they were contacted by the City of Belvedere Police Department a couple days later. Belvedere PD had arrested a San Pablo resident Samantha Miller, 25, Volume XII - Number 2 who was discovered rummaging through 3000F Danville Blvd. #117, Alamo, CA 94507 cars in the posh Marin suburb. The arresting officer started checking license plates Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 Fax (925) 406-0547 to see if he could find the car the suspect Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher drove to town. He found the Cox family Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com Lexus sedan abandoned in town with liSharon Burke ~ Writer cense plates stolen off a car in Richmond, sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com then he found property with Miller’s name The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today inside the Lexus. Police also found items not is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising
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