Gaye LeBaron--Sonoma County Historian

Sonoma County, a diverse county of over one million acres is famed for its agriculture industry and recreation boasting a booming economy and a unique lifestyle for its citizens described by the same Luther Burbank as the chosen spot of all the earth. Sonoma County is the place

to live work and play as we move into the 21st century. Led by the forward looking philosophy of its governing bodies. Sonoma County's 340,000 residents are a harmonious, successful blend of ethnic and economic backgrounds. We invite you to take a closer look at Sonoma County in

the nineties with your host Rich McGlinchey. How you doing everybody. Welcome to what I consider a very special edition of Sonoma County in the 90s. Can be talking to a friend of many years standing friend that I've shared a lot of things with. We've described the

Rose parade, we've been in the press club. She's a wife, she's a mother, she's a columnist for the press democrat. She's an author and she's also Sonoma County historian and in case you're wondering why I'm talking about. Her name is Galen Baron. Hi dear, How nice

to have you here look, I kind of gave them a little bit of a rundown, but in just a minute, I want you to finish up on it before we go into that. There's one thing I want to call your attention. Ladies and gentlemen, that's the

artwork on the studio walls today by joe Hoffman and on the left of your screen. Yeah, I mean from the backstretch, it's called exercise boys at morning work. That's a 24 by 48 inch work? And it's a beautiful piece of work. We're going to see the

both of the exercise boys in just a moment. It's called from the back stretch exercise boys at morning work. The other painting is the Del Monte Forest Point to point number one at Bird Rock. And it's open to members of hunts in hunting attire. And I

think that's another fabulous work. Hoffman's okay. And I happen to both think that joe Hoffman is probably the best equine artist in northern California. Don't As a matter of fact, one other little side like years ago if he did a painting, a beautiful painting of a

number of horses coming down the home stretch and he had one of the horses in the box and it was gonna temporarily named it in the box. And you and I got together and persuaded him to call it the race of the century I think as

I recall that each of the horses was someone, it was a magical race with. Yeah, yeah, well we had this man, Oh God, I can't remember. Oh yeah, I can too. We had silky Sullivan, we had native dancer. We had Seattle slew man of war 8

31 other one, I'll remember him later. Probably the greatest horse of all time gay. What I said a moment ago is, is true all those things about you? But what about your background, where did you come from? Where were you educated? How did you get into

the newspaper field? Well I came originally from humboldt County. I was born in Scotia And uh moved to Sonoma Sonoma Valley when I was 14. So I went to high school in Sonoma. I went to santa rosa Junior College just like everybody else. And uh I

went to the university of California and graduated there in 57. And I started at the press democrat. Actually I started at the Sonoma index tribune when I was in high school working for bob lynch and uh started working summers at the P. D. In 1955 and

uh just never left after college. I came back full time. You went to work for the p. d. and 55 to work part time for two years. And then you were the reporter who covered the government beat for quite a while. Well I covered I covered

different beats. I I covered general assignment which is the you know the catch all term for people who do anything that somebody points at them tells them to go do. Um I covered uh county planners for several years which was a good education. I'm not being

sarcastic. It was a fine education in land issues and and politics and and county government. I covered supervisors some city hall some even even cops on vacation relief and that kind of thing. So yeah it was a good broad background for columnist, got to know the

town different town but a little bit about your family. You have, you're married to john I'm married to john. My husband was the chief photographer at the press democrat when I met him and when we married and But more than 20 years ago now he went

to work at the Junior College and he teaches photography in the Art Department. He's an excellent excellent photographer. Just had a show clothes and we have to, I can't say Children. We have a son and a daughter. Uh Suzanne uh Pellegrini. Uh she and her husband

live here in town and David owns a produce market and Westside produce. And Suzy runs the Susie's a publisher, imagine a reporter, having a publisher. Uh She's the publisher of the North Coast Farmer which is a twice monthly farm newspaper. And our son Tony who's uh

working for piano organ warehouse, he moves pianos actually I think he's crew chief and he's he's doing real well. And he lives, he lives here in town to Suzanne has a good background in, she followed you along in journalism. Well I think she would would bristle

at that. But she she has a degree in communications from Mills Mills College because she Mills and then she was an apprentice and with the T. V. Studios and then she worked with the press democrat I think for a while she worked for K. R. O.

N. For a while, Let's take a look at newspapers for a moment in your opinion, a veteran of many years in the field, do you think that the press is fulfilling its role, its supposed role in our present day society and doing it properly? Let's put

it that way. Of course, that's a real broad question. It depends on who you ask me which press, but uh I'm a little bit uncomfortable I guess not. Yes, basically the answer to your question is yes, the responsible press is fulfilling its role probably better than

it's ever done because of of an increased interest in ethics and increased interest in in um um governmental concerns were probably much more issue oriented uh than than we used to be. Although sometimes it seems with Humphrey, the whale that this isn't true, but I think

it, it concerns me a little, the newspapers may try to follow television too far. Um, I think usa today is a good example of that kind of, we, you know, we jokingly call it a cartoon paper where you get, it's, it's the the press, the print

equivalent of the sound bite. Um things are and I think newspapers and I think they will eventually kind of recapitulate and realize that the value of a newspaper is that you can read it again that you can hold it in your hand, that you can study

it and what newspapers need to be doing is more background, more commentary, more what's behind the news because television and radio have of course preempted the hard news approach. We're going to learn about things from tv. Another thing too is you said a moment ago if

you read something that you're especially impressed with or you can clip it, that's a lot more difficult to set up some kind of a thing and tape something off well. And you know, even if you don't want to clip it, you can read it again and

say now what was that? That's that's an interesting point and kind of study it. Um jump to the individual. What does it take today to make a good reporter or columnist for that matter in your opinion. I want your opinion. Well a good reporter has to

be curious. Good reporter has to have an instinct for news which is something that I would find it hard to define. Uh I've seen people who wanted to be in the newspaper business who just didn't have it and they didn't know why and I didn't know

why and yet I've I have seen a lot of people that it's instinctive, they know what makes a good story. They know what what questions need to be asked. Um I think it's it's I'm not saying you're born with it but I think curiosity is the

main thing when a, when a new reporter comes to santa rosa to the press democrat and we've seen a lot of new ones in in recent years. You know, the ones who come come into the office and and come and ask me or people who have

been here a long time. A lot of questions about the town, A lot of questions about the county, where do I go to find this? What is this road named after? How come, you know, there's redwood trees here, but not here. Those the people who end

up being the best reporters because they just have a native curiosity about where they are and what's going on. And they go find out either ask you or go find out and then they write about, you know, and many times someone new like that comes in

and does come to you and say, what about these things? And you say, well go check them out and see this and they come up and do a story. That's great that many of us that have sat here all these years never stopped. Okay. You've, you've

mentioned a couple of things about newspapers and whether they're doing their job, so to speak or not. What would you say makes a good newspaper, independence, um, independent of advertising, influence, independent of political influence. Um, um, good writers, good staff. Um, generally you find that those

are newspapers that pay better salaries. Uh, if you go around the state of California and you look at some of the smaller newspapers owned by some of the the less favorable chains newspaper change. You'll find that they're the worst newspapers salary schedules go hand in hand

with not giving a darn about what you're doing. You get what you pay for. I think that um good newspapers try to serve their community. Um the P. D. For a while had a slogan the news you need which may have been over simple oversimplified but

the idea the idea that they're giving you the world news are giving you the sports, the business news you need plus covering you should cover your community like a blanket. Okay that's that's a that's a good thought. I was thinking too in terms of it seems

like newspapers have brought more editorially and they're certainly influencing the vote a lot more. So I think I think here, you know, I think you're seeing that here because the town has grown so fast that people have people, people who've only been here two years come

to an election and they have, you know, they can ask their next door neighbor who they may or may not agree with and and other things or they can take a look at the newspaper and read what the newspaper has to say. And I think in

this respect the press democrat has done an excellent job of providing that service for for new people. Um we talked briefly about what some people call quote quote electronic journalism. I'm thinking in terms basically of television or even broadcast journalism. Um There are a lot of

people that still are asking this question. Do I get more from television? Do I get a better review? We talked a minute ago about the paper, you can go back to what you prefer to go back to it. But in your opinion has electronic journalism kind

of taken over the audience? Well, it certainly has taken over the immediate information audience. I think that you know, if if you, somebody comes running down the street screaming, you probably wouldn't go out and pick up your newspaper, you would go and turn the television and

radio on to see what was happening. I think that that you know, they have the immediacy, you know, we don't have extras anymore. We don't have people out on the street yelling extra extra read all about it. Um, I think that that television, you know how

I feel about about tv journalism probably I think that it's, they have not yet made the leap that newspapers have made to separate entirely from advertising. They are so bound by the cost of what it costs to put on a show and the need for advertisers

that we're talking, you know, I mean you can't talk about the state budget or the federal budget in in 30 seconds or 92nd bites and that's what they're forced to do. Um or that's what they choose to do because of the, of the cost of network

time. The sad thing about in my opinion about television broadcasting the news especially is that short shrift. They have to give everything 90 seconds let's say is is is, you know, that's a long time for a subject and and they based that on the fact that

our attention span. Is that true? I don't know if it really is or not. I've, I've watched things on the educational channels for 15-20 minutes, intensely that I never were bored with for a minute, but they seem to have that idea. Alright, we're gonna pause this

for a moment and bring the audience a couple of services announcements but then gala Baron columnist, author, mother and friend and I will be back with more on this program. There was a time when people helped their neighbors and together they built a stronger community. This

spirit lives on today in neighbor works, a unique partnership of local residents, business and government leaders, neighbor works, volunteers have rebuilt over 100,000 homes, restoring pride to millions of neighbors. So help a neighbor and a nation join neighbor works reversing decline, rebuilding pride. Hi, this is

Arnold Palmer, I've taken some risks with my golf game that maybe I shouldn't have. There are some kids I know that are at risk. Also, these are the kids at Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma California. The risk is, can they return home again and lead mature,

responsible, productive lives just like golf, it's a challenge. Help Hanna boys center change that risk to a sure thing. Welcome back to this edition of Sonoma County in the nineties. In addition I'm sharing with an old friend and buddy I guess I can almost say gala

Baron who is a press Democratic columnist and she's also author. We're gonna talk a little bit about that book in a moment. Uh, and and the fact that it's it's just about sold out I think. But before we do that, I've always considered you a good

politician, observer, not political politician. Uh, and you've done some great columns and some of the colorful people of the past here. Uh, what would you say though from the political standpoint, what makes a good representative nowadays? Oh same has made a good representative then in the

old days I think um you want somebody who's honest who's smart, who doesn't have a hidden agenda. Both. Yes, preferably both. And somebody who um works for the good of the district. There's a you know Dick Art. If I can be go off on a fling

D card has a writes about in his essays, a thing called the Invisible Force or the Invisible Hand that guides people to do the pub. What's in the public interest for their own self interest? Uh a good politician, a good representative realizes that it's to his

advantage to do good for his district of the majority of the public. Sometimes those are very hard to define. Yeah, But I mean I think that I think that nails it pretty good. You're looking for some character and some uh somebody that has some ethics a

little. It's kind of in short supply. Some days it seems like um okay let's get to your book or one of the books, I know you worked on several past but you recently I believe you had some other co authors did santa rosa 19th Century Town

two or three years ago, a beautiful book. Uh how has it done? And then you're going to do a sequel to. We'll talk about that in a minute. But how's the santa rosa 19th century santa rosa 19th century Town was actually was five years ago that

we published it. And um the researchers who worked with me uh co authors, Joanne Mitchell de Blackman And Harvey Hansen who died before the book was published, Harvey from the J. C. But it's done very well. I think there are about 20 left and that's all

and they're at 20 copies. And uh the last I heard corks has has all that's left and they're selling them for $125 a copy. Which is absolutely staggering to be there. We'll we'll print another edition of that book when we finished the sequel Son of santa

rosa in 19th century town. Now we're doing a second volume that comes from 19 oh six up to the 19 fifties and we're still debating, we originally the working title was santa rosa 20th century city and I imagine we'll probably stick with that. It's um, it's

about two thirds of the way complete and it's just that, I don't know whether you've noticed rich, but the town in the county seems to be getting bigger and busier and I find that, uh, it's, I don't have, I don't have that much spare time to

write a book in anymore kate you have taught in the past. Are you teaching anywhere? Now I teach every, every semester I teach a 44 class short course on Sonoma County history for santa rosa Junior College. In fact, I just finished the fall semester for santa

rosa Junior College. Great. Um, all right. Let's take a look at your past as a reporter here. Also, you saw them all. It seems like the colorful people dot is a little so much who were some of your favorite or non favorite politician's favorite and non

favorite are almost the same thing because reporters like people who are interesting, which isn't all doesn't always mean that they are your best, their best pal. That's that, that's right. Exactly. But you know, I've written about this rich and you know, I guess you and I

have talked about it that, that as, as things get the population increases and, and uh, people public servants seem to not have the peaks and valleys that they used to and, and uh, the kind of larger than life life people are, are gone away. Of course

you can't, you, you mentioned in God dot e. Um, and uh, there's, there's, he, he ran that board for what, 25 30 years? And I mean there was no question. And he was very colorful eggs. Ella, certainly very colorful, certainly larger than life. Um, um, there's

a lot of people who've been, that I've known in public office. Don head comes to mind marvelous guy. I've never in all the years that when Don was, was with the county, I've never asked donna question. He hasn't given me a straight answer to and genuine,

genuine professional. And of course ken Blackman is a larger than life figure. I don't think anybody has more, more power and more influence in santa rosa or has had more influence on the way. I'll make an opinion here uses it well that uses it very well.

Okay. Very ethical. Man. You tell you were teaching and teach these four courses each year. Are you working with kids in any other way? Um, not as much as I'd like to, you know, in the past, I've done a lot of Girl Scout cub Scout, you

know, the heavy duty mother stuff all the way from Brownie leader to the Girl Scout board, but my time has become such an, and the way the paper is now, we're not encouraged. In fact, we're discouraged from being active in organizations for fear of conflict of

interest. So what I, what I have to do, what I do through my column? Uh, so I'm not as active as I used to be. I still work, you know, if if people call up and say I'm interested in the newspaper business, have you time to

talk to me? I always find time. I imagine a lot of kids do too because you are and without blowing smoke, you're respected figure in journalism. And certainly as a columnist, uh, and widely read and I hear young people all the time have some of them

on the program, usually every spring and we'll be talking about it. And they mentioned that they read in gala Barron's column. And these are things that they pick up and many of them and part of their education, they feel they think, well you do your historical

column on sunday, which is always, I think it's always a delight. There's always a lot of information and I'm born and raised. I wasn't born here, but I was raised here and you tell me things I don't know every time I read it. So I count

on you for my old olders Rich, I said, I count on you for my old olders. Yeah, it's been a pretty unit one of the oldest oldest, I think what advice would you give a youngster who comes to you now and says, look, I like what

you do or I like what the reporter does. I want to be a newspaper person or I want to be in communication. What would you say to him? Okay, uh, good luck. Um, you know, I don't know, I, I certainly wouldn't discourage them. I mean if

that's what you want to do, then that's what you should do. I think that, that a lot of them don't realize how that you have to really start. Uh now you have to start with weeklies and working practically for nothing uh build yourself sources and uh,

clip book so that you can, our newspapers, you know would not hire. I mean the newspaper here would not hire me now. Um, just out of college we'd hire someone who was a journeyman reporter who had worked in, in, in other newspapers. Uh, so you have

to really start elsewhere and start low and work your way to the top. You have to, in many cases with the weekly papers, if you think you're going to make money, it's, it's not the business to go into. You know, it isn't, it really is not

the fourth estate is not that well rewarded gay among other things that I know you've had an interest in and have supported over the years, the Sonoma County Fair, what are your feelings about that? Well like everything, I think it's changed. Like everything else has changed

and I don't mean that that's necessarily all necessarily for the bad, I think it's a balance. There are things about the old fair that I miss the the um kind of small town aspects of it, but it's still there if you look for it. And I

think the fair seems to me at least to be very well run these last few years. Um you know, you can still go to the barns and skip the heaven forbid, I should say so. The horse races rich, you could, you can still, you know, you

don't have to, there's there's really something there for everyone. And of course the flower show makes our fair very special because our flower show is always just extraordinary. Well, that has such a history too. We had will for me for many years and now this is

Jackie Judd has done a splendid job last 34 years, certainly has gotten a lot of praise. I know the racing, you've you've attended a race or two, haven't you been there? You don't have your success rate. Well, that's all right, joe Hoffman who comes with me

every year and he talks me out of my good horses. Um another group I know that you have supported over the years and I know that you have a fondness for it. What is the reason you strongly support canine companions, Oji. All you have to do

is listen to Bonnie Bergen story of how she started that organization and listen to the stories of, of carrying now since some of the people who were the first and how The trained dogs, how they trained the dogs and how those dogs changed their lives. I

mean, these are people who had 24 hour help and couldn't do anything for themselves. And they've they've got this dog and they're independent. The dog pushes the lift to put them in the car. They can operate the car there in turns them into independent people. Not

to mention the love. I don't think I can't even look at a tape of videotape from canine companions without crying. I think they're just a remarkable organization. They have done amazing things. Listen, you can't, you gotta credit bob Trowbridge to Trowbridge has devoted an awful lot.

Oh, he's marvelous. And boy when bob believes in something he believes in it, doesn't he though? And he really works for it too when he does um What are some of the other things you'd like to touch on? I know one of the things that you're

uh you're known as a local historian. Do you get to spend much as much time as you like on that? I don't get to spend as much time as I like on anything that's that's uh given I think yeah, I I would like to spend more

time. Um I would like to finish my book um within the next year so that I can move on to some other things I've talked about putting columns in in a collection and publishing those because you know, they're, they're taking over my office? I've got drawers

and drawers full of, you know, they really multiply. I'd like, there's, there's lots of things I'd like to do, an awful lot of things left undone, you know, from uh sorting my family pictures into albums right up to the big stuff. I'd like to do a

video for classrooms in Sonoma County history with still old photographs and voiceover. I'd like to, it's just a question of finding the time. How did you get so involved in history? I know you're a journalist, you might naturally like something you can blame Harvey for that

Harvey Hansen who taught at the junior college. Um I'm minored in history and in university. I majored in english and minored in history. And I've always been interested in it as a, you know, in theory. I got very interested very into Sonoma County history. Specifically when

Harvey Henson brought me the unfinished in a box, literally the notes for a book called Wild Oats in Eden, which he and jean Miller had worked on in the, in the 19 sixties 62. This was I think her 63 I had a New Baby who she

was like nine months old and was working from my home writing a column from home and had more time. And uh uh Harvey said, you know, can you put this together for us in a book. And I did end up doing that and got very much

involved in a lot of things from first in Fountain Grove in the, the Utopian community there. And then one thing led to another and the other person who deserves credit is Beth Winter who was a photographer who, who worked on wild oats and she had a

show of a slideshow of old buildings. Some of them were gone. Some of them were still there, historic Sonoma County buildings. And Beth invited me to join her in giving the slide show and I learned a lot and got started and learn more from the people

we talked to. And one thing led to another. First of all, I love you and you know that and one of the reasons is that you've always had a lot of diverse interests going. You and john together have had a lot of diverse interests going and

it's really, it's really a pleasure to have you over here. Our time is just about escaped. It usually does rather quickly and you make such infrequent visits. See I can rarely get you over here. Thanks for being a guest. Ladies and gentlemen, we've been talking to

gala Baron as I said to begin with and she's a wife, she's a mother. She's an author. She's a columnist, She's a historian. The woman does a little bit of everything. She's also past president of our Sonoma County. My name is Rick McGlinchey, the program in

Sonoma County in the nineties. I'll be back with you next week with a member of the county government family or a unique individuals such as Gable Baron. Until then, Good night, good luck and good health to each and every one of you.