Neighbors

Shonnie Brown
The spirit of generosity is alive and well in Healdsburg — with
our annual Relay for Life, volunteer efforts to rebuild our parks
and clean our waterways, the gazebo project and the largest one-day
blood drive in Sonoma County history for Shannon Boaz last year.
But generosity is not a recent Healdsburg phenomenon. My 90
year-old friend Clarence Ruonavaara told me: “We’ve had a wonderful
community here. The newcomers don’t know our history. They don’t
know that in our community so much has always been done by small
groups of dedicated people.”
In my quest to learn more about Healdsburg’s long history of
giving and volunteerism, I went first to the Healdsburg Museum to
speak with Holly Hoods.
“I have many wonderful stories I can tell you,” Holly said.
“But, in all fairness, we must begin at the beginning, with the
story of Harmon Heald.”
Holly then referred me to the Spring 2007 issue of the Museum’s
Russian River Recorder in which Charlotte Anderson tells the story
of Healdsburg’s founding. In summary, 28 year-old Harmon Heald
chose Healdsburg as a stopping off place on the main road to the
north. Heald built a store and subsequently purchased adjoining
multiple acre land tracts, recording the town plat map in 1857.
Heald, considered to be “a kind neighbor who was universally
esteemed”, began selling the lots for $15.00 each. But not all the
lots were put up for sale. Heald gifted deeds for certain lots—for
a cemetery, two schools, four churches and the lot for our
beautiful town plaza.
Former Healdsburg Fire Chief Bob Taylor tells me: “Our first
volunteer fire department, the Hook and Ladder Company, was formed
in 1858 when hose carts and hooks and ladders were set up around
town. There was also a fire bell located in the plaza which anyone
could ring to signal a fire. The hand pulled Hook and Ladder
Company under the direction of Foreman Henry Lee carried ladders,
water buckets and hooks for pulling down burning walls and
ceilings. By 1900 volunteer firemen had to memorize a variety of
alarm signals — taps and varying rings — which defined the
locations of fires or called meetings for the various independent
fire companies. It wasn’t until 1936 that one daytime firefighter
named Mc Cord was hired and men were paid to stay overnight at the
firehouse. P.A. “Slim” Kearns became Healdsburg’s first paid fire
chief in 1941. Volunteers have always been 75 percent or more of
the department.”
From Bob Curtis I learn a bit about Healdsburg’s long history
with Boy Scouts: “Scouting in Healdsburg is almost as old as the
organization itself,” Bob recollects. “BSA Troop 21 was formed in
1930 and is still active. When Dale and Neil Iversen were boys,
their parents, Waldo and Evelyn, became very involved, earning the
nicknames of ‘Mr. Scoutmaster’ and ‘Mrs. Scouting’.
“Then when Neil became Scoutmaster, I was the Assistant. We
strongly encouraged parents to come along too. The Rosenbergs
established a weekend scout camp out in Mill Creek which is
maintained by local volunteers. And volunteers came out in great
numbers to build the scout house on First Street.”
The late 1940s and the 1950s might be considered a “golden era”
of sorts in Healdsburg — one in which many wonderful ideas in the
spirit of great generosity came into fruition. Clarence Ruonavaara
tells me: “My friend Art McCaffrey was a visionary because he loved
to come up with ideas, and if Art had something in mind, he had a
good following to support him. He got the idea of putting night
lights in the ball park, and thus the Rec Park Lighting Committee
was born.”
The Recreation Park Lighting Committee was a Healdsburg
phenomenon of volunteerism because of the number of people
involved, the intensity of their commitment to children’s sports,
and the longevity of their service. More than 30 local men (too
numerous to name individually) ran Recreation Park from 1948 to
1976. They dug trenches and holes to install the lighting, painted
grandstands, put up fencing and bleachers, and scheduled and
supervised every activity there for 28 years. Clarence even ruined
his good pitching arm while using a crowbar to dig a trench!
From that same era there is a heartwarming story to be found in
Milt Brandt’s own memoirs located in the Healdsburg Museum. MIlt
writes: “I have been asked many times how I managed to cope with my
physical problems (polio) and yet lead a somewhat normal life,
raise a family and be somewhat successful in my accomplishments. In
my case, there seems to be one standard answer: family and
friends…”
Milt continues recounting his life story up until that day in
July 1953 when he was quite suddenly struck with polio and the
abrupt end of the “normal” life that he had known. During his many
months in the hospital with Mary at his side, local TV man, Herb
Solem, hooked up a television for Milt by climbing up on the
hospital roof to install an antenna. All the family finances had
been wiped out. Their cattle operation was lost. Their property
went to auction.
“And in November 1953,” Milt continues, “unknown to me, friends
organized a benefit dinner attended by some 200 local men which was
not only a financial help to me and my family, but a much-needed
morale builder… and one of the greatest displays of support to one
individual that Healdsburg had been part of to this date. It was
planned and organized by my lifelong friend, Lee Engelke. Each time
I look at all the photos of this gala occasion, it brings tears to
my eyes.”
In 1951, the legendary Smith Robinson mobilized the entire town
of Healdsburg (pop. 3,184) in adopting (Ed Langhart’s sister’s
husband) Lt. Col. Fred Weyand’s First Battalion in Korea. Smitty
excelled at securing contributions from everyone in town, including
Healdsburg’s children. And what began as a project of sending prune
cookies in coffee cans to the troops, became an all consuming
effort which included mailing clothing to Korean orphans and
receiving in return generous financial gifts for Healdsburg’s
children and schools from the soldiers.
“The Town That Adopted A Battalion” (Reader’s Digest, December
1953) reads: “All Healdsburg has helped to make the soldiers feel
that Healdsburg is their second home. At the home economics kitchen
of Healdsburg High School, the lights burn late; teams of women
grease cookie tins, mix batter, bake; a shoe clerk cracks walnuts,
a teacher chops them; teenagers pop popcorn… In one evening 50
volunteers turned out 180 dozen cookies and the next day the eighth
grade girls packed them for shipping to the lads in Korea.”
And because what goes around, comes around, in 1960 when Smitty
was hospitalized for his failing heart, the citizens of Healdsburg
once again gathered together to throw a fundraising dinner-dance
for a surgery that he was in the end too weak to undergo. Over 700
chickens and 300 ham servings passed over the tables, raising
$5,000—all donated by friends of Smitty, an African American man
who had spent 28 years as a local janitor, and was, by most
accounts, the most generous Healdsburger of all time.
Many thanks to all those who guided me in unearthing these
memories — especially to Clarence Ruonavaara, Holly Hoods and Ray
Holley. Next month: Part Two.
Shonnie Brown is a Marriage and Family Therapist who is
interested in fostering connections between people and their
community. Shonnie also writes personal and family histories
through her business, Sonoma LifeStories. She can be reached by
e-mail at sh*****@so***.net
or on the web at www.sonomalifestories.com.