Mike Read/Pages From The Past
Editor’s Note: Pages From The Past is compiled by the Novato Historical Guild and recounts news from the past that appeared in the Novato Advance.)
100 Years Ago
February 1923
– R. M. Cantwell expects to move his household effects to Sausalito to-day. Wm. Simmons and family will occupy the house vacated by Mr. Cantwell, and C. E. Kiser will take the Simmons house.
– A.D. Scott is having a concrete sidewalk built in front of his grocery store. This will be a wonderful improvement and change the appearance of that part of Grant Avenue, reflecting credit on the progressive spirit of the owner. Paul Renati is doing the work.
– C. E. Riser, manager of the Novato lumber yard, has concluded to wait until his new house is built before moving his family here.
75 Years Ago
February 1948
– Prayers for rain were offered at Sunday masses in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto and at the Sunday morning services of both the Presbyterian and Baptist churches.
– Rudolph A. Thompson, former Marin County supervisor and Golden Gate bridge director died, he was about 65. He was the husband of Natalie J. Holly, San Rafael attorney. Two years ago, the couple moved from Novato to Paradise Cove, near Belvedere. Thompson represented the Novato district on the county board of supervisors for 16 years. When his current term expired Jan. 1, 1947, he declined to run again for reasons of health. He was the son of the late Jefferson Thompson, early California settler who came here by covered wagon.
50 Years Ago
February 1973
– Here’s the latest word on Alpha Beta going into the Nave Shopping Center: Everything was pretty well set with Alpha Beta market to locate in a rebuilt main wing —yes, much of the shopping center was going to be torn down and replaced, that’s the way they build things these days. Either Thrifty or Payless Drugs was going to join them. However, Alpha Beta officials watch TV too and after viewing part of Novato under water on the boob tube during the recent floods, they’ve decided to reevaluate the situation.
– The Novato Theatre, dark since Jan. 10, reopens tonight at 2 p.m. under new ownership. Keith K. Hansen, who has been in the theater business for 35 years, is the new owner. Although he has had an interest in the Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma, he plans to relinquish it and concentrate on the Novato Theatre which he will open seven nights a week.
– The city council shook out its piggy bank last week and decided it had enough wherewithal to start buying two significant parks, one in South Novato and the other in West Novato. Purchased at last on a 3-2 vote was the controversial, if beautiful, O’Hair property across from San Marin High School on Novato Boulevard. The agreement to buy the O’Hair property came after months of bickering by the present council with Mayor Wayne Sartain and Councilman David Price Jones favoring the purchase as did the city parks and recreation commission. But Councilmen Fred Ruegg and George Quesada were opposed, primarily because the property is not as centrally located as they would prefer and because it’s in the general area already graced by what few parks Novato has (Pioneer, Miwok and Stafford Lake).
– Water lapped at the doors of the Novato Advance yesterday during the heavy squall that flooded intersections and swamped the city’s overloaded drainage system. A passing truck sent a wave to splash under the doors of the Advance. Water entered the editorial department. If some of the stories in the Advance today appear to be all wet, blame the weather. Some 1.82 inches of water fell yesterday, bringing the season’s total to 40.95 inches.
25 Years Ago
February 1998
– Novato voters, by a 60 percent margin, gave approval to the controversial Black Point Golf Links Project. Despite the stormy campaign that preceded Tuesday’s vote on the plan to build a championship golf course and 53 luxury homes on the Renaissance Faire site at Black Point, the result of Tuesday’s special election was seldom in doubt. “I think people are tired of the Flat Earth Society.”—Bill McDill, Black Point supporter. Measure A, the developer backed initiative, was approved by 6,803 voters, and opposed by 4,405, receiving 61 percent of the vote. Measure B, actually placed on the ballot by the project opposition but worded so that a yes vote was a vote in favor of the project, received 6,691 votes with 4,466 opposed, a 60 percent approval rating.
– Marin County’s Paul Nave, a former Novato resident, fulfills his dream on Friday, March 27, when he fights for a world championship. Nave will face three-time world champion Greg Haugen of Auburn, Wash, for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) welterweight championship in the Marin Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael. The world-title bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and will be televised live nationally by ESPN on its ESPN2 system. Nave has a record of 15 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws with 8 knockouts.
Growing up in Novato I hiked Mt. Budell and big rock as well as the redwood (ships mast) on the west side. And on the top of the hill off Marion Ave. And watched the jets land at Hamilton field , I remember jets scarabling from Hamilton and once seeing a u-2 spy plane coming in. The good days were down at the creek as living off Simmons lane and remembering before it was a park, We flew kites there in the meadows, The army corps built the stone walls at the hilltop cemetery back in the day.