Neighbors

Shonnie Brown
Ron is a real history enthusiast with an excellent memory for
the utopian days of his childhood in Alexander Valley. On October
23, 1930, he entered this world in the old Healdsburg Hospital on
Johnson Street, hand delivered by Dr. Seawell. When Ron’s
grandfather, Felix Seeman, died in 1931, his parents took over the
45 acre prune and “a little of everything else” ranch just north of
Alexander Valley Store.
The neighborhood domain for a child in those days stretched from
Alexander Valley Store north to Wasson’s Corner, east to Silas
Young’s place, south to Pine Flat Road and back to the store. Ron’s
family and neighbors called that area “the block.” When they were
up for a little drive, they’d take a “ride around the block”.
“We were a compact unit of kids in the neighborhood,” Ron
recalls. “My brother Del was seven years older. Next door to us was
Junior Peavler, whose grampa once operated Alexander Valley Store.
Then Wallace and Margaret St. Clair. Across from them were Minerva
Powell’s two grandsons, Powell and Bill Grant. Their grandfather,
John Grant, who started the gravel excavation of the river and was
also involved in the Geysers, is a story in himself…
“Powell, Bill and I spent time together riding bikes, building a
tree house and going down to the ‘crick’, which was really a ditch.
Their mother, Faith Powell, married Delano Grant, then got
divorced. She had Hollywood aspirations… As the boys grew into high
school age, they got in a lot of trouble with fisticuffs and such…
And that’s another whole story in itself.
“Leroy Still lived up the road a bit. Then Dick and Virginia
Patteson. Why there’s no “r” in Patteson is quite a story… The
three Cadd kids lived a bit further up: Al, Ayrles and Fleurette,
known as ‘Tootie’. Across from them was the Cavallo family on the
property now owned by the Murphys. Down on Wasson Lane were Everett
Wasson and his two kids, Barbara and John. Then Ruby and her
brother Shirley on the Osborn Ranch. Next to them was Louie Zanzi
with Ed, Nina and Dario. Dario, a few years my senior, was a World
War II pilot who was killed in a mid-air collision the day after he
was released from active duty. And Sharon Smith Soracco lived where
you turned off to Geysers Road.
“We all went to Guilford School. I started there in 1935 and
went through all eight grades. It was a two-room school house with
about 20 kids in all. At that time, Mrs. Eachus taught all eight
grades. She drove out from town, first in her 1937 Chevrolet sedan
and then in her 1939 brown Chevy sedan. She did her teaching for
the day, then closed up the school . It had been opened in the
morning by Nellie Bennett, and when it was cold she’d start up the
old wood stove. Nellie, an Indian lady, is also a story in herself…
She lived with her daughter, Marjorie, on an acre or two at the
foot of Geysers Road and drove an old dark green ‘35 pickup.
Marjorie went on to nursing school and became a surgical
nurse.”
Ron and his buddies particularly enjoyed riding their bikes to
Jess Harrington’s blacksmith shop, a gathering place for tall
tales, located next door to the Jimtown Store. Jess shod horses,
taught himself to weld and made a special survival knife for World
War II fighter pilot, Elwyn Nelson. One of the many tall tales
about Jess has him killing a huge buck up in Pine Flat and then
carrying it all the way back down on his back. Other local
characters included “Squeak” Andrews who wore a ten gallon hat on
the top of his tall, lanky frame, and Jess’ brother, Oscar. Ron
remembers folks asking: “What do you do when you get cold at night,
Oscar?” And the answer: “Oh, I just pull up another dawg.”
Several of Ron’s favorite stories are about early flying in the
valley and the man who greatly influenced his life, neighbor Paul
Rued. Paul had an airstrip by where Alexander Valley Campground is
now. Ron’s first flight came about as a result of Everett Beeson
landing a plane in Walt St. Clair’s hayfield. Young Ron and pal
Junior Peavler went running over, and got invited to go for a ride.
And in those days, a seven year-old didn’t have to ask his mother
for permission to go for a plane ride with a neighbor.
“Everett strapped us in the front seat and off we went! We
circled around the houses and I leaned over to holler at my mother
below.”
After World War II, Paul’s dirt strip became Alexander Valley
Airport. Paul got out his Taylor Cub J-2 (the little yellow plane)
and Ron began helping him fix it up. Before long, without a word
spoken, Paul began taking Ron flying. Then he began training Ron.
The summer Ron was 15 he took his first real solo. On his sixteenth
birthday, he cut school and soloed in each of the four aircraft
available. He got his private license at 17 and was then able to
take others up.
After graduating from Healdsburg High in 1948, Ron went to SRJC
and then enlisted in the Marines in 1951, serving for 21 years.
Soon after enlistment, he began going weekly to the Personnel
Sergeant to request an overseas job. One time the Sergeant finally
replied: “Look, Kron… I’ve looked at your service record and wonder
why you don’t apply for flight training…” Ron went to Korea in 1952
and was soon accepted for training to do the job he so loved.
Stan Ziganti is responsible for fixing Ron up with Ardyth
Nisson, who he married. After the Marines, Ron worked in three or
four Ford dealerships and then for Bob Barbieri at Redwood Oil
Company in Santa Rosa until retiring in 1991. After Ardyth died in
1989, Ron met his present wife, Arlene Austin. They have remodeled
Ron’s parents’ home on North Street and live a wonderful life
there, having a blended family of seven kids plus grandkids and
great grandkids. Arlene still works at Memorial Hospital, but Ron
says he’s basically lazy. However, I haven’t found Ron to be lazy.
He’s a teller of tales and is currently working on a memoir of his
idyllic childhood in beautiful Alexander Valley.
Shonnie Brown is a local author and memoirist who is interested
in fostering connections between people and their community.
Shonnie writes personal and family histories through her business,
Sonoma LifeStories, and is also a licensed Marriage and Family
Therapist. She can be reached by e-mail at sh*****@so***.net or on the web at
www.sonomalifestories.com.