Mike Read/Pages From The Past
(Editor’s note: This feature takes a stroll down memory through the pages of the Novato Advance. To subscribe to the Novato Advance today, see page 3A.)
100 Years Ago
March 1921
— Sat Mort — The California Savings Bank to Giuseppe Corda and his wife, mortgage 50-151, west portion Of the Jack Martin ranch in Novato township, containing 2092.5 acres.
— Brought From Novato By Auto Ambulance – Mrs. Hopkins, who recently fell at her home at Novato and who received a broken hip, was brought to Petaluma General Hospital. The trip was made in the Mount ambulance.
75 Years Ago
March 1946
— Glenn Thompson has sold his Indian Valley ranch to Sid Oliva, well known San Francisco restaurant man. Miss Esther Sanky sold her property on Hatch Road to Mr. and Mrs. N. Vickers of San Francisco, who will conduct a rabbit raising farm. Mrs. Maria Valim has sold a portion of her industrial property on Sweetser Ave. to Robert Miller, contractor of Mill Valley, who shall construct a contractor’s office and yard on the site, as well as a nursery. Mr. and Mrs. Percy Trumbull sold their home on Olive Avenue to Mr. and Mrs. George Calvert.
— M. Sgt. John W. Shadowens and Mrs. Shadowens have moved into the Brazil home on Machin Avenue, which they purchased recently.
— Since the declaration that Supervisor R. A. Thompson would not be a candidate to succeed himself in the forthcoming election, there has been quite a bit of rumor and conjecturing as to who might or might not present themselves before the voters for election. Thus far it is a certainty that H. R. Sanborn, a Novato resident and president of the Winfield Trust, has filed his intentions and will soon launch his campaign. Mr. Sanborn was born in Petaluma, but has lived many years in Marin Co. Jack Dias, a Novato rancher, has signified his intentions of filing and has given this paper the “green light” to announce that he will be a candidate.
— A newly formed Girl Scout troop made up of 7th and 8th grade girls, met last Friday at the school house for an organization meeting. ” Present were Andrea Ryan, Barbara Ann Simmons, Betty Jean Silva, Jeanett Wilcox, Margaret Clark, Betty Baeigalupi, Nadine Ashikhman, Rose Mary Lousman, Jean Johnson, Clarice McAbee, Kay Murray, Joanne Clark. Also present were Mrs. Geo, Baeigalupi, Mrs. G. Ashikhman, and Mrs. Joseph Clark. The group will meet today at the home of Jean Johnson to make further plans.
50 Years Ago
March 1971
— The 50th anniversary of the San Francisco wedding which united a young girl who had immigrated to San Francisco with her parents from Colima, Mexico, and a young-man who had come from Trujillo, Peru, to San Francisco to seek his fortune was celebrated in Novato. Antero V. Rivasplata and the former Marguerite Sevilla, were married February 28, 1921. In 1928 the Rivasplatas purchased their present 3/4-acre property on Indian Valley Road, which included a small cabin, for $400. For 20 years it was their summer home. Rivasplata recalls crossing the bay by ferry on weekends and driving from Sausalito in their Model T Ford. In 1948 they moved to Novato and Rivasplata opened a plumbing business here. With the help of his wife, he built their present home. Taxes on their original home, remembers Rivasplata, were $3.16. Now they are close to $600.” Alfred Rivasplata, principal at Lu Sutton School, is their only child.
— The 50th anniversary of a wedding which took place in Lumino, Switzerland, was celebrated February 20 by Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Chiosi. The occasion was also Mrs. Chiosi’s 73rd birthday. Shortly after Mr. and Mrs. Chiosi’s marriage on February 19, 1021 Chiosi left for the United States to find work and a home for his wife, who joined him the following year after the birth of their baby, Adelia. Chioso’s first jobs included ranch work in Reno and gold mining in Virginia City, Nevada and ranch work in Galt, Calif. In 1938 they moved to their present home site when Chiosi went to work at what was then the Corda Brothers (Fred, Henry and Frank) ranch. Most of Novato at that time, he recalls, was made up of vineyards and fruit orchards. He worked for Cordas until 1956. Since that time Chiosi, now 84 years of age, has been semi retired but has worked part time as maintenance man for the Marin Cheese Company. They had two other children, they are Henry Chiosi of Novato; Alma Buchignani of Healdsburg, their first one is now Adelia Lichau of Petaluma.
25 Years Ago
March 1996
— The Marin French Cheese Company has been named Business of the Year by the Novato Chamber of Commerce and will be honored with a special awards ceremony at Hamilton Community Center March 2. Known for their award-winning cheese and beautiful grounds on a historic site just outside town on Petaluma-Pt. Reyes Road, owners Doug and Sue Johnstone have been very involved in the community, volunteered countless hours, and donated an abundance of cheese locally. The Johnstones have served on the chamber’s Ambassadors Club for more than eight years. Doug also served on the chamber’s board of directors from 1990-92 and is the past president of the Novato Music Association. The Marin French Cheese Factory has been locally owned and operated since 1865.
— The Rotary Club of Ignacio gave a little party Saturday night and 761 of the Rotarians closest friends showed up to help celebrate. Occasion was the club’s ninth annual Monte Carlo Night and this year’s event evolved into one of the biggest fund-raising efforts ever in Novato. Held at the newly refurbished Fireman’s Fund Headquarters Building in San Marin, the party raised between $20,000 and $30,000 the Rotarians will use to support the Novato Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and other community programs and events.
— A senior citizen advocate and a business that definitely qualifies as a senior in the Marin County business community have been honored by the Novato Chamber of Commerce.
Doug and Sue Johnstone knew going into last Saturday’s banquet that their Marin French Cheese Company was the choice for “Business of the Year,” but being named “Citizen of the Year” was definitely a surprise for Nancy Sangster. “I’ve never even been to this (the awards dinner) before,” she said shortly after receiving the honor. “It was certainly a shock.” Sangster has been involved in many Novato community activities, but it was primarily for her untiring efforts on the part of Novato’s seniors that she was honored. Her involvement with senior issues began when she was confronted with suddenly having to care for her own mother in 1979. Sangster found a place for her mother at Tamalpais Creek Retirement Residence and began taking classes at San Francisco State to learn more about senior issues. Sangster, as well as the Johnstons, were also honored by the city with a Key to the City, by Assemblywoman Kerry Mazzoni, by Liz Dougherty representing State Senator Milton Marks and by the Novato Chamber of Commerce.
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