University of California Berkeley Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California MARTHA ALEXANDER GERBODE (1909-1971): ENVIRONMENTALIST, PHILANTHROPIST, AND VOLUNTEER IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND HAWAII Interviews with Garland Farmer Esther Fuller Huey Johnson Maryanna Shaw Clarisse Stockholm Aaron Levine Georgiana G. Stevens J. Russell Cades With an Introduction by Maryanna Shaw Stockholm Interviews Conducted by Harriet Nathan and Ann Lage 1989-1991 Copyright 1995 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of Northern California, the West, and the Nation. Oral history is a modern research technique involving an interviewee and an informed interviewer in spontaneous conversation. The taped record is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The resulting manuscript is typed in final form, indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ This manuscript is made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, 486 Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: To cite the volume: Martha Alexander Gerbode (1909- 1971): Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and Volunteer in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii, an oral history project of the Regional Oral History Office conducted 1989-1991. The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1995. To cite an individual interview: Garland Farmer, "Martha Gerbode: Informed Volunteer with a Worldwide Perspective," an oral history conducted in 1989 by Harriet Nathan in Martha Alexander Gerbode (1909- 1971): Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and Volunteer in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hawaii, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1995. Copy no. Martha Alexander Gerbode Photograph by Romaine Photography Cataloging information MARTHA ALEXANDER GERBODE, ENVIRONMENTALIST, PHILANTHROPIST, AND VOLUNTEER IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AND HAWAII, 1995, vi, 280 pp. Retrospective interviews about environmentalist Martha Alexander Gerbode (1909-1971) with eight individuals, friends, family, and co-environmental and civic advocates. Gerbode 's support of World Affairs Council, Institute of Pacific Relations, Japan Society, Encampment for Citizenship, Planned Parenthood, Visiting Nurses Assn., Cross-Cultural Family Center, Exploratorium; planning and housing; women leaders in public life; San Francisco Bay Area conservation issues: opposition to the Marincello development in Marin Headlands, protection of Alcatraz, and of Bodega Bay; support for Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Art and Ecology Institute; Hawaii: defense of Diamond Head, Oahu Development Conference, forebears and Alexander holdings, the firm of Alexander and Baldwin, family properties Lanihau and Haumalu on Maui, Papaa Ranch on Kaui; husband Dr. Frank L. A. Gerbode, and children, and attitude toward wealth and responsibilities; friends Alice Spalding Bowen, Catherine Bauer Wurster and William Wurster; discussion of WWII experiences, Japanese Relocation, McCarthy Era, Harry Bridges, historic preservation, the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation. Interviews with Garland Fanner, Huey Johnson, Clarisse Stockholm, Georgiana G. Stevens, Esther Fuller, Maryanna Shaw Stockholm, Aaron Levine, and J. Russell Cades. Introduction by Maryanna Shaw Stockholm, Martha Gerbode 's daughter. Interviewed 1989-1991 by Harriet Nathan and Ann Lage. Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. TABLE OF CONTENTS- -Martha Alexander Gerbode Retrospective Oral History INTRODUCTION- -by Maryanna Shaw Stockholm i INTERVIEW HISTORY--by Harriet Nathan iii Garland Farmer Martha Gerbode: Informed Volunteer with a Worldwide Perspective 1 Huey Johnson The Challenge of Defending Nature Areas 27 Clarisse Stockholm Martha Alexander Gerbode: and Maryanna Shaw Decades of Friendship 44 Georgiana G. Stevens International, Civic, Personal Interests 71 Esther Fuller Martha Gerbode: Personal Connections 90 Maryanna Shaw Family Antecedents and Interests in Hawaii 101 Aaron Levine Planning, Educating, and Organizing for Citizen Action 121 J. Russell Cades Legal Aspects of the Effort to Save Diamond Head 151 TAPE GUIDE 175 APPENDICES 176 A. "Martha Alexander Gerbode, 1909-1971, A Life of Generosity, Involvement, and Responsibility," by Harriet Nathan 178 B. Martha Gerbode to Alec, Maryanna, and Frank Gerbode, December 7, 1941 (re: bombing of Pearl Harbor) 216 C. Loyalty Oath documents: 217 Statement from Martha Gerbode to the FBI, circa November 1952 Letter of support from Herbert S. Little to "whom it may concern," November 10, 1952 D. Diamond Head correspondence: 227 Letter from Alice Spalding Bowen (hereafter ASB) to Martha A. Gerbode (hereafter MAG), October 29, 1966; Telegram from ASB to MAG, March 13, 1967; Telegram from MAG to ASB, March 14, 1967; Letter from MAG to ASB, March 15, 1967; Letters to the Editor from Dr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Shaw, and MAG, April 17, 1967; Letters from MAG to Fred Farr, Mr. Phleger, Andre Kostelanetz, April 17, 1967; Letter from MAG to ASB, May 10, 1967; Letter to the Editor from "Louise Carroll" (Martha Gerbode) re: the "Mad Tea Party," June 22, 1967; Letter from MAG to Ben F. Kaito, June 30, 1967; Letter from MAG to ASB, August 1, 1967; Letter from MAG to ASB, October 22, 1967; Letter from MAG to Aaron Levine, January 22, 1968; Letter from MAG to Aaron Levine, March 12, 1968; Letter from Aaron Levine to MAG, March 18, 1968 E. Diamond Head documents: 249 Save Diamond Head Association- -members and members at large of the board of directors, June 1969 "The Diamond Head Story," prepared by Oahu Development Conference, June 9, 1969 "Fourteen Years of Diamond Head," prepared by Oahu Development Conference, October 1975 F. Diamond Head articles: 267 "Owner Says No to Hotels," Honolulu Advertiser, July 1, 1967 "Paul Fagen Home Has A Historic Background," Honolulu Star- Bulletin & Advertiser. March 23, 1969 "Her Saving Grace," by Bernice Scharlach, San Francisco Magazine, February 1971 G. "Make Rock a National Park," San Francisco Examiner, November 14, 1969 271 H. Poem written by Martha Gerbode for Penny Gerbode on her twentieth birthday 272 I. "In Memoriam," by Huey Johnson, 1971; and San Francisco Chronicle obituary, October 20, 1971 273 J. Letter from National Park Service to Thomas Layton, Gerbode Foundation, re: Gerbode Preserve, September 25, 1975; Map of Marin Headlands showing Gerbode Valley 275 INDEX 277 INTRODUCTION- -by Maryanna Shaw Stockholm Martha Alexander Gerbode as I remember her, was a devoted mother and fine "grassroots" politician. A woman driven by an internal sense of social responsibility, her influence is still felt in this changing world. Those who felt her presence knew she was important for the future generations and their survival. She was a humanitarian familiar with feeling the need to respond to her conscience in order to be at peace. She was, for her time, a "radical" in search of the meaning of life, with a social awareness which helped her to respond to the needs of society. Martha grew to acknowledge she was a legacy in philanthropy. Most of her early years were spent in cultural pursuits with the strong influence of her parents who devoted a good part of their lives to community service and foreign relations. They did not live lavishly, but respectably, as due their "station" in life. Martha learned from them the importance of wielding influence without showing decadence or deceit. Her visionary heritage helped give her the conscience; her intelligence and creative thinking helped form her leadership capabilities. Her influence was felt as lasting and unpretentious. In today's world we hear the words "social responsibility." Having a sense of this, showing commitment to changes, hers was a devotion to the survival of future generations, and to her the keys were in two areas of commitment: the first, conservation; the second, in the area of personal choice . Land use and ownership was a tangible and real area of concern. She was one of the first to put down her own hard dollars and use strategy to preserve the natural beauty of Hawaii at Diamond Head where she spent the early years, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Martha traveled extensively both with her parents and with her husband Frank, who often