Mike Reed/Pages From the Past
(Editor’s note: This feature takes a stroll down memory through the pages of the Novato Advance. To get the current news of the day, please subscribe. Details on page 3A.)100 Years Ago
March 1921
— Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Bojorques of Oakland have rented the home place on the Cannell ranch and will make Novato their future home. Mr. Bojourques is cashier in the Express office in Petaluma and motors up to the egg city every day. Mrs. Bojorques, who is a brilliant pianist, will be welcomed at Novato. She taught for many years, having studied with Prof. Anderson of Los Angeles and madame Osborne of New York, both pupils of the famous Theodore Leschetisky of Vienna. Mrs. Bojorques appeared in many concerts in Oakland and San Francisco. Mr. and Mrs. Bojorques are greatly impressed with the beauty of the country around Novato.
75 Years Ago
March 1946
— Ray Wingate, “night man” at the Novato Fire house and associated with the Rancho del Pantano seed cleaning mill, has announced his candidacy for Constable of Novato Township. His opponent will be the incumbent Fred C. Nave.
— A.W. Bowman and Charles. C. Smith have been named to the Board of the Novato Sanitary District, to replace David Freeland and Tom Keena, who have retired from the board.
— R. H. Trumbull, pioneer Marin County resident, entered the Supervisorial race in this district when he filed his papers last Friday in the County Clerk’s office. Mr. Trumbull was born in this county and has been a resident of Novato for the past 41 years. He was a director of the Golden Gate Bridge District for 12 years and serving the entire time as Vice President of the Board, and Chairman of the Finance Committee. He was the first president of the Marin Municipal Water District and served on that board for 22 years.
— Having operated a farm of his own for many years, Mr. Trumbull has taken an active part in farm organizations throughout Marin and Sonoma counties. First coming to Novato, he was secretary-manager of the Novato Land Co., which owned and operated 11,000 acres west of Novato, all of which has subsequently been subdivided and sold.
— A total of four now aspire for the Supervisor’s post left vacant in this district when Supervisor R. A. Thompson decided against being a candidate to succeed himself. The four contestants are: Henry R. Sanborn, Jack Dias, Reno Grandi, and Trumbull.
Thus far only two have filed for the office of Constable in Novato Township, they are being Constable Fred C. Nave and Raymond Wingate.
— Hans Eide, who has operated the O. K. Meat Market for the past 8 years, announced this week that he has sold his interest to A. P. Azevedo of Novato and Emil J. Baroni of Oakland. Eide, who has no definite plans for the future as yet, will remain with the new owners for a time until they become accustomed to the routine of the shop, etc. The new owners announced that the establishment will keep the same name and carry the same high grade of meats.
50 Years Ago
March 1971
— Funeral services were held Saturday for Mrs. Pearl L. Lieb of Novato, who died after a brief illness. She was 78. Mrs. Lieb had lived in the same home—at 1521 Hill Road— since 1917. Born in Findley, Ohio, she left her native state for California in 1916. Her husband, the late Lloyd L. Lieb Sr. started a poultry ranch here in 1917. She lived with her son, Wilfred H. Lieb, who ran the family poultry ranch. Mrs. Lieb, who was a seamstress for many years, taught sewing to 4-H’ers in Novato. She was a member of St. John’s Church in Petaluma and sang in the senior choir for over 30 years.
— Peter Levine, formerly a chef at Galli’s Restaurant, has “cooked up” a-new-idea. It’s called Youforya and it’s a bright and colorful new store in Nave Shopping Center next to Fuller Hardware, offering a unique assortment of handmade arts and crafts. Levine stresses that Youforya sells on consignment and is an outlet for Novato artists and craftsmen—everything from carvings to clothing.
— For the third time in six years, Alameda Homes Corp. has unveiled plans to develop the 700 acres of the old ‘Sartori Farm” in Black Point. Each time John Kenney and sons, Jerry and Jack, have appeared before the Black Point Improvement Club to explain the plans and win approval. In 1965 the Kenneys had the land rezoned to ‘‘planned community” for conventional homes and apartments. Nothing ever materialized. In 1968 the Kenneys sought approval for an 1800-pad mobile home park. This project was resisted by the club. Backed by the North Marin Federation of Homeowner Associations and the Marin County board of supervisors, the trailers were defeated. Next the Kenneys annexed their land to the city of Novato and tried again to win approval for their 1800 trailers. Before the project reached the Novato city council, Renney withdrew his petition. Friday night Jack Kenney again appeared before the Black Point club. This time he was accompanied by his wife, Joan, and Terry Curran his general manager. They propose to develop 700 acres for 2313 townhouses, 1550 apartments, 340 conventional homes, two lakes, a number of parks (public and private), one sewer plant, three school sites, commercial, professional and administrative buildings. Forty per cent of the total property would be dedicated as open space, 75-acres as water, 162 acres as hill area and 30 acres as periphery parks or parks around the lakes.
25 Years Ago
March 1996
— Agostinho Cardozo Almeida, a retired dairyman and mill worker, died March 7, 1996. He was 91 and was born in Linhares, Portugal on Dec. 16, 1904. He worked as a dairyman for many years, but for the last 25 years before his retirement in 1973 he was a mill worker for H. Pini Feed in Novato. Mr. Almeida was a member of the Ancient Order of Druids Novato Parlor No. 113, the Teamsters Union Local 624 and the IDESI Lodge of Novato. His wife, Isabel M. Almeida, died in November 1994. They had been married 65 years. He leaves his sons, Joseph W. “Bill” Almeida of Novato and Edward A. Almeida of Petaluma; his daughter, Jerri R. Levy of Modesto.
— Facts about ML Burdell Height: 1565 feet Location Just north of San Marin Drive along Highway 101, Mt. Burdell is one of the most popular outdoor spots in North Marin. History: Mt Burdell is named after Dr. Galen Burdell, a San Francisco dentist who, upon marrying the daughter of Novato’s James Black in the mid1800s, inherited Olompali Ranchero and the “mountain” beside it. In 1972, Olompali and the northern slope of Mt. Burdell were purchased using tax assessment district money and preserved as permanent open space. In 1976, another tax assessment district helped buy almost all of the southern slope. The mountain is currently managed and maintained by the County of Marin Parks, Open Space and Cultural Services District. Mt. Burdell received a great deal of attention recently over plans to construct the Buck Center for Research in Aging along the eastern slope
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