Once Upon A Hillside: 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 years ago
by David Mostardi
November 1898
Hillside Club Meeting: The Hillside Club will meet tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 2 nd , at
the resident of Mrs. Preble on Arch Street, near Cedar. The subject of the paper will be
“Shall we fill in our Building Lots?” A number of new designs for houses by a San
Francisco architect will be a fine addition to the “scrap book” of plans now on exhibition
at the club. [Berkeley World Gazette, 1 November 1898]
The Hillside Club Will Convene: The Hillside Club will hold its regular meeting
tomorrow (Wednesday), Nov. 30 th , at the resident of Mrs. Searby, 1719 Euclid. The talk
will be led by Mrs. Dressler. [Berkeley World Gazette, 29 November 1898]
November 1923
[The Hillside Clubhouse was destroyed in the Berkeley Fire of 17 September 1923]
Business Meeting, Nov 5: Miss Woodall reported for the Committee on the Building Site
that it was the decision of the committee that the present location be retained and
recommended the purchase of the rear of the adjacent lot. After brief discussion, it was
moved, seconded and carried that the report be accepted and the committee discharged
with thanks. Mrs. Maybeck suggested early attention to zoning question in connection
with rebuilding, to get ahead of spring demand for labor and material.
The following resolution was adopted by the Club: “Resolved that the President and
Directors are hereby authorized to take all necessary steps towards rebuilding the
Clubhouse on the lot occupied before the fire and on adjacent property which may be
acquired.”
The entertainment of the evening was a delightful and instructive talk by Prof. Gregg on
his trip to Europe. He had made a particular study of the gardens of Europe and with the
slides which he had saved from the fire, gave many beautiful bits of garden scenery and
many charming descriptions of that which came into his view during his absence from
Berkeley.
Special Directors Meeting, Nov 6: Discussion was upon the question of rebuilding since
the business meeting of Nov 4 had instructed the members and directors to proceed with
the building of a new Clubhouse. The matter of buying additional property was
discussed, the possibilities being the purchase of the lot of Mr. Sinnock on the east, at a
cost of $5000, or the purchase of the rear part of a lot facing on Arch St., and crossing the
rear of the Clubhouse lot. Next was discussed the possibilities of financing the building,
the amount on hand, the extent of the Club’s borrowing ability and the consideration of
donations and assessments.
Directors Meeting, Nov 12: Mrs. Hale read an option of 62.5 or 60 feet of the lot facing
Arch St. and in the rear of the Hillside Club. Discussion was held on plans some of which
had been presented by Mr. Maybeck. It was decided that each Director should draw a
plan for a Clubhouse and at a special meeting these plans would be discussed.
Social Evening, Nov 19: The social meeting was a musical evening named “Beneath the
Lanterns of Old China.” Notwithstanding that the Town and Gown Club had used thei
stage for a very different program in the afternoon, the stage settings were most
satisfactory at least to the audience, and Mrs. Ulsh was most heartily congratulated on her
work and that of her committee.
Special Directors Meeting, Nov 20: This meeting was for the purpose of discussing the
plans drawn by the different directors from which Mr. Galloway volunteered to make a
composite plan for possible reference to Mr. Maybeck.
November 1948
Fireside Meeting: The Civic Affairs Committee, under the chairmanship of Mr. and Mrs.
J. Hunter Clark, will have charge of the program. As the meeting will fall on the even of
a very important Election Day, the committee is planning to enlighten us on the nineteen
State of California Amendments.
Dessert Bridge: Your Club has been called upon for a rather heavy and substantial
expense. By order of the City and State Authorities, all Club drapes including the large
stage curtain have to be flameproofed. This means a cleaning and relining job as well. A
group of Club ladies have planned this Dessert Bridge as a contribution toward this
expense. A very pleasant evening has been planned for our members and their guests.
There will be Door Prizes, Entertainment and Punch. Each hostess will bring cards for
her table. Mail reservations by November 1. $5 per table, including tax.
Evening of Drama: Chairmen Mr. and Mrs. Watson state: “Hillside’s tradition that the
show must go on will be maintained despite the critical illness of George Cummings. It
goes on in tribute to George. That is what he would want, the cast decided. Oliver
Goldsmith’s “She Stoops To Conquer,” as rewritten and drastically revised by George
Cummings, will be staged under the direction of Frank Russell and Bernice Hendrickson.
This production is planned to be a real tribute to a real trouper. [George Cummings
(1869-1948) was a Club member for 24 years, and passed away three weeks before the
Evening of Drama.]
Hillside Assembly: The second Assembly dance falls on “Big Game” night. Your hosts
have planned a grand time for those attending. You will dance to “Hail to California” and
“Stanford Red.”
International Relations: Through the medium of the Speakers’ Bureau of the World
Affairs Council of Northern California, we have been fortunate in securing Mrs. Margaret
L. Cormack as speaker for the evening. Mrs. Cormack was born in India, where she lived
in all about 21 years. She is, therefore, very well qualified to speak to us on the timely
topic, India Today. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas and is a State Chairman
of the American Association of University Women.
November 1973
Fireside Meeting: Our fireside Program Committee will present California
Assemblywoman March K. Fong, who will discuss current problems of the “teenage
generation.” Mrs. Fong, a distinguished educator and legislator, has also made
outstanding contributions in the field of public health. We anticipate a most rewarding
and excellent evening. [March Fong Eu (1922-2017) was a four-term Assemblywoman
from Oakland (1967-1974), and California Secretary of State (1975-1994). Eu was the
first Asian-American woman ever elected to a state constitutional office in the United
States.]
International Relations: Changing relations between the United States and Asia will be
analyzed by Dr. John Bryan Starr, assistant professor of political science and head of East
Indian studies at the University of California, this evening in his talk on “China, Japan,
and the United States in the Contemporary World.” Educated at Dartmouth and the
University of California, Dr. Starr has traveled widely in the Orient, has written many
articles on Chinese politics, and has recently published a book on Chinese culture and
ideology. [Starr grew up in Berkeley and attended Berkeley High. After earning his
Ph.D. at Cal, he spent ten years on the Cal faculty. He then taught for thirty years at Yale
University, and was the executive director of the Yale-China Association.]
Evening of Music: A varied program of choral music by our Club Chorus, duo-pianists
Ruth Johnson and Richard Hillman, and guest soloist Mary Reynold, lyric soprano,
promises an evening of sterling musical entertainment.
November 1998
The Club’s archive of printed monthly newsletters ended with the May 1994 issue. If you
know of a source for any newsletters between 1994 and the Club’s renaissance in the
early 2000s, your historian would love to hear about it!