Mike Read/Pages From The Past
(Editor’s note: Pages From The Past is compiled from past issues of the Novato Advance.)
100 Years Ago
January 1921
— Estate of Albert Maurice Lambert, deceased, to Albert John Reid Lambert, lots 15, 16, map of Garden Place, Town of Novato.
— The will of the late Herman J. Conradt, former justice of the peace of Novato was filed yesterday in Marin County superior court and disposes of an estate worth $60,000. The estate comprises real estate in San Francisco, Oakland and Novato.
75 Years Ago
January 1946
— Mr. and Mrs. Glen Thompson have sold their ranch on Trumbull Rd. to Mr. and Mrs. Sil Olivia of San Francisco.
— Novato was host to twenty-one veterans of the Philippine campaign who came into port at San Francisco Christmas eve. They were brought to Novato Christmas Day in the grammar school bus charted by the Novato Chamber of Commerce.
— Jack Ashby, a recently discharged service man who saw months of service in the south Pacific, opened Wednesday, (Jan. 2nd) a department on the McDermed garden shop on Grant Avenue, for the sale and repair of radios.
— First prize for the best decorated store window was awarded to Don Waite & George Hale meat and grocery store, for the snow scene done by the firm’s employees; 2nd prize went to the Utilities Co., and third to Max Thompson’s Sanitary Meat Market.
— John D. Muholland died on New Year’s Day at his ranch home in Black Point, where he lived alone. A retired plumber by trade. For the past 30 years he had resided in Novato and Black Point. A native of Scotland, he was 83 years of age. His wife, Lucy, died some years ago.
— Mrs. Barbara Fpargue has accepted the position of bookkeeper and receptionist for Dr. R.J. Weseman. She is a daughter of Senator Judah, a veteran newspaper man of Santa Cruz and with her husband, a technical sergeant at Hamilton Field, is living in the larger of the Graham cottages adjoining the doctor’s office on Grant Avenue.
50 Years Ago
January 1971
— Elsie Andersen, president of Andersen Motor Inc. of 1010 Grant Avenue, International Harvester and American Motors dealership, has confirmed that a shift in company officers is underway and she is going into “active retirement” unless there’s a last-minute hitch in arrangements. The Andersen Motors Inc. name will remain unchanged. Nor will the firm’s corporate ownership be altered by the naming of George T. Dexter as president to succeed Mrs. Andersen. Mr. Dexter is a veteran Marin automotive retailer, heading Annex Motors and Dexter Toyota, both on Francisco Boulevard in San Rafael. Annex features Volvo and Datsun. He formerly operated Dexter Pontiac GMC and Dexter Rambler in San Rafael.
— This is a big month for the San Marin Professional Center on San Marin Drive at San Ramon Way, where six tenants are due to occupy a total of 15,000 square feet of a 20,000 square foot two-story slump stone structure. Argus Real Estate is handling rental for Standard Growth Properties. Six tenants slated to move into are C.L. Moore & Associates, Port West Inc, Western Cities Financial Corp., U.S. Real Estate, Argus Real Estate and United Financial Group Inc.
— Arnold M. Baptiste was sworn in as North Marin’s new supervisor at a brief ceremony in the county supervisors chambers. He received two leis from Hawaii, his native state. Outgoing Supervisor William A. Gnoss read a brief letter of retirement, terminating more than 16 years of public service in the county of Marin.
— Plans for a 215-unit townhouse project on the former Oliva ranch at 2100 Novato Boulevard have been approved by the city. The townhouse units are to be concentrated in the flat area between two hills. The hill on the right side, covering 10 acres, is to be reserved for private open spaces and the hill on the left, covering 20 acres is being dedicated for public open space. The development is a Boise Cascade Building Company project.
25 Years Ago
January 1996
— With issues like a new Novato hospital, the Black Point development controversy, and finalization of the city’s draft General Plan, the Novato City Council will have its collective hands full in the coming year. A number of important issues will face the city’s two new councilmembers for the first time, giving them a tough introduction to a sometimes less-than-enviable job. “I expect we’ll be confronted with a lot of tough issues, but every year is a hectic year,” said freshman councilmember Mike Di Giorgio. “But this is a council that really does its homework. They check with staff beforehand on issues concerning them. We’ve had some very large consent calendars and we’ve gone through them rather quickly.
— First it was a car wash, then a Novato auto dealer. Now an oil change business has plans to move into Vintage Oaks Shopping Center, bringing to fruition a concern of some residents: Will the gateway to Novato be framed by the concrete lots of an auto mall like that of Petaluma? Representatives of Oil Changer, Inc. will go before the Novato Design Review Committee on Jan. 3 to present a plan for construction of a quick oil change shop along Highway 101 at the western edge of Vintage Oaks. If the company’s plan is approved, it will join Checkered Flag Hand Car Wash and the soon-to-be-constructed Novato Toyota auto lot and showroom.
— At 2:30 Sunday morning, two Marin Headstart classrooms at 5520 Nave Drive were gutted by fire, causing an estimated $250,000 to $400,000 in damage and killing a goldfish, hamster, and a beloved turtle named Biscuit. “The kids were crazy about Biscuit. They had to have him in their class picture,” Klock said. At a teacher’s request, the volunteer firefighters searched the rubble and found Biscuit’s remains. The teachers and children are planning a burial. According to Cpt. Steve Metcho of the Novato Fire Protection District, faulty wiring was to blame for the fire, which damaged 25 percent of the Marin Headstart campus, and took 24 firefighters to extinguish. The building was built in the 1940s. Some of those wires were there for a long time,” he said.
(You can see more Pages From The Past at MarinLocalNews.com.)
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