CRA News February 2007

Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association

From left, Lani and Roger Fremier, Dick Crispo and new CRA member Susan Gardner enjoyed talking at Lugano Swiss Bistro after the January CRA meeting. Dick's presentation on the history of Carmel through its artists received rave reviews from all who attended!

CRA Meeting: City Attorney Don Freeman

President's Message

by Roberta Miller

We can't turn back time, but we can preserve it from being lost. The late Robert Wright Campbell, writer, Carmel Residents Association member, champion of Carmel's unique environment and culture, has left an enduring legacy that is indeed remarkable. Bob wrote 27 novels, 19 of them mysteries, 14 screenplays and 4 stage plays. His 1957 screenplay The Man with a Thousand Faces was nominated for an Academy Award. His novel The Spy Who Sat and Waited was nominated for the 1976 National Book Award. In 1987, he won the prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Junkyard Dog. His poetic piece which follows, Reflections, was quite moving to me and is as timely and poignant today as when it was written.

Carmelites protective of their library

One thing guaranteed to grab the attention of Carmelites is a threat to their library!

That is what happened on Feb. 6 when a sizeable group of staunch library supporters patiently waited through a long City Council meeting to let council members know how important Harrison Memorial Library is to them and to Carmel.

The editorial in our January issue described an Organizational Study of Library Operations presented late in November by consultant John Goss of Ralph Andersen & Associates. CRA President Roberta Miller read excerpts of that editorial to the City Council -- "We would like to make sure that the study does not become a guide on how to dismantle our beloved library. We all agree that our library is a unique institution in a unique city and in the community support it receives. It is clear to us that Carmelites don't just want our library to survive, but that they want it to thrive and be restored to its former service level. To continue to starve it of city support or cut back city contributions even more would carry the risk that the generous support of the Library Foundation would start to dry up as well. No library donor will want to make up the difference if the city starts to cut back its support."

A source of public concern was the evolving goal of this study. In June at budget hearing: to determine how to allocate $35,000 to extend library hours; in November when the report was authorized: achieving cost-effectiveness by administrative consolidation with neighboring cities or other options; Feb. 6 agenda item: "Relationship between City Council and Library Board of Trustees" and "Review of library operation for return on investment, which includes restoring library hours of operation to pre-2004-levels."

The study had suggested that if the library were consolidated with Pacific Grove, Monterey or both, it would be administered by a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) created by the cities rather than by the group solely dedicated to Harrison Memorial Library -- the Board of Trustees. The above agenda item, therefore, on the "relationship between the City Council and the Library Board of Trustees" triggered public concern.

Several speakers, referring to City Administrator Rich Guillen's mid-year financial report earlier in the meeting which showed an increase in hotel, property and sales tax revenues, wondered why there was so much concern about cutting library expenses.

Mary Anne Teed, retired 20-year director of the Monterey Peninsula College Library, said "My special concerns with the Goss report go to the measures of use of the library and conclusions of its efficiency. 1)No measure of use of efficiency of a library is based merely on the number of materials checked out. Computers, internet use, journals, reference collections, local historical records that do not circulate are used by the public. Nowhere does Mr. Goss refer to these. 2) Use of MOBAC, the agency that makes it possible for all libraries to share materials between institutions, was not mentioned at all. 3) Volunteers are used extensively in moving materials throughout the community. I would like to conclude by making a bold statement. The library should be the model of efficiency for the city. What other department provides its building and a substantial portion of a second building for the city? What other department raises money through the Library Board and starting a library foundation to completely provide all the materials that are required to do their job?"

Rare book dealer Cecil Wahle said she has lived all over the world, but finds the service at Harrison Memorial "truly amazing. If we had remote management," she continued, "it would water down one of our city's greatest assets."

Vinz Koller pointed out that "the experts in efficiency are librarians, who have to deal with reduced budgets at a time when the physical facility is stressed and hours are down. You are cutting to the bone!" The city, he suggested, needs to "listen to the foundation to stabilize funding and strengthen the library."

Carolyn Hardy, a former Library Foundation Board member, wondered why Goss was worried about the library serving "non residents" when "no one ever questions the fact that the Youth Center and the Carmel Foundation serve more non residents than residents."

Skip Lloyd, who served on the Library Board in the 70s, commented on the implication in the study that the Library Board does not administer the library. The State Education Code makes clear that it does, he said. He thought that if the city were to form a JPA, "whereby Carmel cedes its authority to a broader board, it could have a negative impact on fund raising."

Mayor Sue McCloud said the city needs to plan for the future, that "maybe there is a better way we can spend our dollars," while Councilman Mike Cunningham remarked that "the library may be a crown jewel, but it's not a sacred cow." These are "opportunities we are obliged to consider, I don't have a hidden agenda, but we have an obligation to do more with less," he added.

The outcome of the meeting, suggested by City Administrator Guillen, was a recommendation to form an ad-hoc committee to review the library study. Composed of two members of the Board of Trustees, two members of the Library Foundation, the interim library director and the city administrator, or the city clerk in his absence, the group will return to the council within 90 days with a report that recommends and prioritizes issues needing further study or action.

CRA's 20th Anniversary Gala

Late breaking news!

A reliable source has revealed that the theme of CRA's April 29th 20th Anniversary celebration will be: "A Salute to the Spirit of the Founders of the Carmel Residents Association." Invitations to this dressy soirée will be mailed in early March. Members should reserve as early as possible to assure a place at the celebration.

(Details in March CRA News)

A travel reminder

Since so many of our members are active travelers, we will pass on a reminder from Congressman Farr's office of which many of you are already aware. Effective January 23, 2007, all persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport for reentry into the United States. The only exemptions are U.S. territories, i.e., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which includes St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

Passport forms can be obtained at most Post Offices or online at http://foia.state.gov/FORMS/Passport/ds0011.pdf

An opportunity for book lovers

The Carmel Public Library Foundation is sponsoring a nonfiction book club. All meetings except the first one (because of carpet installation) will be held on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in front of the fireplace in the main library. You are invited to join fellow book enthusiasts in discussing the following nonfiction titles:

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, Tuesday, Feb. 20, Sunset Center

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Tuchman, Tuesday, March 20

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Tuesday, April 17

For more information, call Stuart Walzer at 622-0983.

Local History Lecture

The year's first local history lecture will be held in the library's Park Branch on Monday, Feb. 26, at 2 p.m. Because of staffing issues, there will only be two this year.

Big Sur artist Erin Gafill will talk about the powerful connection between the art of her great-great grandmother, Jane Gallatin Powers, and her own paintings. Jane was a co-founder of the Carmel Arts & Crafts Club and a member of the Carmel Art Association. Along with her husband Frank Powers, she helped shape Carmel into the artist colony that it has become today. Come explore the fascinating story of a woman, her art, and the indelible legacy she left behind.

Kay Ambro to profile members

Kay Ambro, who a few years ago wrote delightful profiles of Carmel Residents Association members, has agreed to take on the assignment again. Watch for her column in future issues. Kay stopped the monthly column when she took on a full-time position with Harrison Memorial Library. Laid off when the city cut back on library hours, Kay can still be found in the children's library where she works on an on-call basis.

Poets' Corner

Well-known local poet and Carmel Residents Association member Laura Christopher Newmark has graciously shared one of her recent poems with us. She says, "As a nature poet inspired by the Monterey Coast, I have often contributed poems to the Tor House Newsletter and, more recently, to the Point Lobos Association Quarterly. The unpublished poem below describes a phenomenon we've all been observing during this cold winter. I'm delighted to send it to you for the CRA News."

Alaskan Air, Monterey Coast

Alaskan air has cleared the coast of clouds. No fog bank hides the horizontal line where the deep blue of the sea meets the pale blue of the sky.

Laura Christopher Newmark

A big dose of kindness being dished out in Carmel

Carmel is definitely different! Where else would senior citizens receive a daily phone call as well as birthday cards and flowers -- even a holiday luncheon at Ristorante Piatti with a Nielsens' gift certificate for each person?

The Seniors Helping Seniors Program was developed and implemented by the Carmel Police Department in 1987 with a primary purpose of making daily calls and, if needed, welfare checks on the many senior citizens in our community who live alone. This program also provides volunteer opportunities for seniors who enjoy helping others. Each morning they arrive at the police department and make phone calls to a list of those who have signed up. If the recipient does not answer the phone, the caller alerts an on-duty police officer who goes to the person's residence to check on his or her welfare. Receiving a daily phone call from someone who cares can really brighten the day for a senior who is a shut-in or simply lives alone.

All of this might not be happening without the dedication of Community Services Officer Lisa Panetta, who coordinates the program. And, of course, she is also the flower and card lady, the gift giver, the hostess of the holiday lunch.

Funding for the Seniors Helping Seniors Program comes entirely from donations by businesses and individuals in our community. If you know of someone who would like to receive calls or to volunteer, please contact Lisa Panetta at 624-6403.

To send a donation: Make your check payable to "Seniors Helping Seniors" and send it to Seniors Helping Seniors, Carmel Police Department, P.O. Box 600, Carmel, CA 93921.
[Your editor did!]

Shanghai report

Former City Councilman Erik Bethel and his wife Michelle, who recently moved to Shanghai, China, announced the birth of Ana Cristina Mei Bethel in late January. Erik writes, "We chose Mei because it means 'beautiful' in Chinese although if mispronounced, it could also mean 'lump of coal.'"

When asked about the Shanghai hospital accommodations, Erik replied, "The hospital is awesome...better than CHOMP...Michelle had a jacuzzi and flat screen TV in the birthing room...they gave her foot massages to induce labor...tomorrow we leave to go home and the hospital is giving us a candlelight dinner in our room. It was a wonderful experience."

OLD CARMEL
by Connie Wright

Bertha "Buttsky" Newberry

Bertha Bair Newberry was born in Coldwater, Michigan, on May 24, 1874. She married Perry Newberry, also of Coldwater, in 1892. He called her "the best girl in town." They moved to San Francisco in 1897 into a rundown artist's studio on the fourth floor of the Montgomery Block building, familiarly known as "the Monkey Block." Bertha was a poet and Perry, a newspaper man. The rent was $6 a month, no running water, no bath, with the communal lavatories at the end of the hall. In 1903, Guiseppe Coppa opened Coppa's Restaurant on the first floor. A three-course dinner was two bits including house wine. The clientele consisted of North Beach working class Italians, the Coppans (as the Bohemians called themselves), and the wealthy who came to stare at the Bohemians. The Coppans soon asked if they could decorate the walls and Coppa assented. The result was a series of caricatures, partly executed by Perry and Porter Garnett, the editor of the Argonaut. Around the walls ran the names of those who had achieved fame and those who hoped to: "Buttsky, Rabelais, Garnett, Goethe, Maisie, Nietsche, Burgess," and so on including Sterling, Lafler and Newberry. "Buttsky" was Bertha Newberry, who had been included in the list because she was a poet and had passed the test for women for inclusion in the Coppans. She was pretty, a good sport and good fun. Mary Austin did not pass the test and was not asked back. The name Buttsky possibly derived from Bertha's heavy smoking (she rolled her own), and the fact that she stored half-smoked cigarette butts in a jar for future reference. Frank Powers frequently sat at the table with the Coppans, talking up Carmel to the Bohemians.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake put a stop to the operation of the restaurant, and the Bohemians scattered -- some to Carmel.

In 1910 Harry Lafler escorted the Newberrys to Carmel, where he introduced them to Frank Devendorf, Frank Powers' business manager. In no time Devy had sold them two lots on the Point at Carmelo. That summer they built themselves a house. Carrie Sterling summed them up, "She's a weird little creature, but he's very human."

Also in 1910, Bertha's poetry was included in Mitchel Kennerly's Anthology of American Poets. George Sterling was the other California poet to be so honored, and Bertha had a small part in Constance Skinner's David, the first production of the Forest Theater.

In 1912 the Forest Theater Society chose The Toad as the original play to be presented by the Society that year. The anonymous author turned out to be Bertha and the fight was on. George Sterling and Herbert Heron claimed that the play had no artistic merit and, ironically, that it plagiarized from a play of Heron's. Perry defended Bertha with some intemperate language, and Sterling and Heron walked out followed by other Bohemians.

Bertha and Perry won out, however, and The Toad, with Perry in the leading role, was a great success. By request, they repeated the performance at the Greek Theater in Berkeley and were feted afterwards at Frank Powers' fraternity house.

In the famous 1922 campaign for trustee, Perry ran and won against a progress faction and became chairman of the board, equivalent to mayor. Bertha joined him in many lively battles against the progress faction. There is a legend that she, always testy, threw a pot of geraniums at a trustee who defended progress too strongly.

Despite chronic ill health from the time of her marriage, Bertha continued her poetic and dramatic work. In 1933 she had four poems included in the 1933 Anthology of California Poets. She died in January of 1934.

READABLE READS

A Sequel to Dingus Dreaming

Remember Dingus, the charmingly-intelligent, book-consuming canine of Alex Vardamis' Dingus Dreaming? He's back in Alex's latest book The Canine Condition (Journals of a Runaway Dog)!

Dingus is clearly brilliant, a four-legged smörgåsbord of knowledge. The reader is served a delicious feast of literary references, tasty bits of history, Latin phrases, even a survey of dogs seen in great art.

Escaping from Carmel, Dingus and his pointer friend Paula undertake a metaphysical cross-country adventure, in the company of such notable dogs as Stickeen Muir and Lewis and Clark's Newfoundland, Seaman, who leads Dingus in the footsteps of his famous masters. Along the way they commune with the likes of John Colter, Meriwether Lewis, Sacagawea and Thomas Jefferson.

Finally home in Carmel, Dingus is reminded by his friend Sally to appreciate the canine condition -- "To live in the moment ... to make the world a happier place. Humans need us. We set the example, you know ... Humans need to learn to help each other, to be faithful and brave -- all qualities of the dog ...Without dogs, life would be dull and monochromatic." One thing is definite -- after reading The Canine Condition, you will always wonder what your own dog is thinking.

OUR FAVORITE PLACES

Exquisite Wrought Iron and Steel

After adopting a beautiful Plott Hound, Trapper, from the SPCA, Dianne and Jim Brun realized that their gates were too low. Trapper, abetted by partner-in-crime Tucker, their Lab-German Shorthair Pointer mix, repeatedly escaped. Wanting an aesthetic solution to this problem rather than a higher gate, Dianne contacted architectural blacksmiths Cary Lowney and Damon Archer, owners of Iron Age LLC. The stunning result is a graceful expanse of branches forged from steel with a permanent light brown faux finish. Although airy and beautiful, this steel extension is bolted to the fence and gates and now Trapper and Tucker have become homebodies.

Iron Age LLC is at 505 Airport Way, Suite A, in Monterey. Lowney and Archer forge iron, bronze or stainless steel and have done lots of outside jobs in Carmel. They can be reached at 656-0778.

Local Hardware Store is Helpful

We are so fortunate to have a hardware store in town -- Knapp Mill & Cabinet Co., Mission and 8th. Recently your editor visited Knapp's with Clayton's favorite belt which, oddly, had been attached to the buckle with tiny screws, now missing. After sorting through the many small drawers of screws, Robert Lewis found the exact size and put the belt back together. Our cost: $.11 !

Remember that your City Council is on T.V.

City Council meetings are taped and re-broadcast
Sundays, 8 a.m. - 12 noon on
KMST Channel 26