Friday, Sep. 25, 2009
John Spevak: Wild Times
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Reprint"Growing up Wild"--those are the three key words from the title of a recently published book by a local author.
The full title is "Tales from the San Joaquin: Growing up Wild in Stevinson Colony--The Land between Two Rivers." The author is Bob Edminster, who has already published two books, "Streams of the San Joaquin" and "Foxes of the Central Valley."
Many of my readers are familiar with Bob. He has lived, taught, researched, and written in Los Baños since 1971. For the past two years he has been battling bone cancer and has lived a year and a half longer than his doctors had predicted. Today his spirit and his mind are as strong and dynamic as ever.
For the past two decades Bob has been doing what I suggest we all do: writing down his life stories so that his children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know about the experiences that shaped his life.
As he approached his 84th birthday, Bob decided to bring his stories together in one volume, along with photos taken at various points in his life. Even when his left arm was surgically removed at the shoulder earlier this year, Bob kept going on this project, helped by his wife and best friend, Mary Ann, and his grandson Joel.
When he completed this compilation, Bob worked with a printer in Merced and self-published his autobiography, which has just come off the press. I was fortunate to buy one of the first copies of this attractive book, and I've had the chance to read and enjoy it. I recommend it heartily.
Like every good memoir, Bob's book is captivating not just because his life is interesting, but because it reveals much about the times and places in which he's lived. So much of it is pertinent to residents of Merced County because Bob grew up in Stevinson, taught high school in Merced, taught college in Los Baños, and explored streams and fields throughout the region.
During the 84-year span of his life, Bob grew up in a quiet rural area, lived as a kid through the depression, served in World War II, coached high school football in the 1950s, was one of the founding college faculty at the Los Baños Campus, and became the most renowned (and most rational) ecologist in the area. He has also traveled the world, exploring rivers, animals, and rare flowers.
His book reveals a great deal about the history, sociology, and natural science of his times and places. And best of all, it is a "good read."
Part of what makes "Tales of the San Joaquin" a page-turner is Bob's ability to tell good stories. Anyone who knows Bob recognizes he is a naturally gifted storyteller.
Bob has translated his gift for oral tales into his writing. As you read through his book, you encounter one intriguing story after another, which, when connected, reveals a life of adventure.
Born in 1925, Bob was the seventh of nine kids growing up in the very small town of Stevinson. Bob had the freedom to roam as a kid and spent much of his time around rivers and swimming holes.
In the 1930's his mom and dad struggled but through sheer determination survived. Just when things were looking up, his dad was killed in a freak accident. Bob's mom and older siblings pulled the family through that psychological and economic trauma.
In high school Bob had the opportunity to work at Mt. Hamilton, where he pursued his interest in astronomy and by chance became fascinated with botany. After high school, during World War II, he enlisted in the army and became a paratrooper. When the war came to an end, he was part of the occupation forces in Japan.
After he was discharged from the army, Bob was one of the many veterans who took advantage of the GI Bill to earn his college degree at San Jose State, where he met the love and companion of his life, Mary Anne Brill. Soon after, he landed a job teaching and coaching high school students in Merced.
Bob became one of the most successful coaches in Merced High's history, but along the way discovered the real passion of his life was science, especially science as revealed in the outdoor laboratories of rivers and meadows and mountains. His love of the outdoors and the wonders of nature can be seen and felt in almost every page of his book.
He considers himself blessed that he became a college instructor, with the mandate and ability to continue his research into geography and botany. His scientific travels have taken him to Australia, Asia, and Africa, as well as throughout the United States.
Bob has printed a number of copies of his book and is selling them at his cost for $35, including tax. Anyone interested in purchasing a book, and getting the author's signature, can simply call Bob's home (209.826.5425) and set up a time with either Bob or Mary Ann to drop by their house to get a copy.
Bob and his family also plan to have a book signing event at his home in the not-too-distant future.
Reading Bob's book is like going on a trip to intriguing places and along the way meeting fascinating people. When you turn the last page, you realize how much you've learned and how much you've enjoyed the journey.
Comments on the writings of John Spevak, a regular Enterprise columnist, are encouraged and can be sent via email to spevak@telis.org.