Yorba Linda History


Historic Documents

Search for specific termsBrowse alphabetical list of titlesBrowse by subject category

close this bookJessamyn West Collection
View the documentJessamyn West McPherson Wins More Literary Laurels With Quaker Stories
Yorba Linda Star December 29 1944 page 3
View the documentJessamyn West most published story writer
Yorba Linda Star July 20 1945 page 1
View the documentJessamyn's first book out soon
Yorba Linda Star October 12 1945 page 1
View the documentJessamyn West's new book is among those offered at Yorba Linda Library
Yorba Linda Star November 23 1945 page 2
View the documentJessamyn West sells movie rights to book
Yorba Linda Star April 19 1946 page 3
View the document"Those Good Old Days" by One Who Can Really Tell It
by Jessamyn West McPherson,
Yorba Linda Star October 17 1947 page 1
View the documentJessamyn West Reminisces On Early Days in Yorba Linda
by March Butz,
Yorba Linda Star October 24 1957 page 3
View the documentFormer Residents Gain National Fame
Yorba Linda Star August 23 1967 page 2
View the documentJessamyn West is city's other famous resident
by Gisela Meier,
Yorba Linda Star January 6 1979 page 2
View the documentJessamyn West comments on Star's article about her
Yorba Linda Star January 27 1979 page 2
View the documentJessamyn West dies of stroke at age 81
Yorba Linda Star March 7 1984 page 5

Jessamyn West Reminisces On Early Days in Yorba Linda

by March Butz,
Yorba Linda Star October 24 1957 page 3   Open this page in a new window

On Sunday afternoon the new library building of the Fullerton Junior College was formally dedicated. The huge 9000 sq. ft. main reading room was nearly filled with visitors and participants of the event. Dr. T. Stanley Warburton , district superintendent, presided at the ceremony. G. Russell Graham, instructor in social science, gave the invocation and William H. Taylor, A. I. A., made the presentation of the building, which was formally accepted by E. W. Wylie, president of the board of trustees.

The building is a very modern, functional and beautiful structure. The color scheme of the main reading room, worked out by Mrs. Mary Hodgden, uses the colors of the eucalyptus: silver green and grayed red. Glass, steel and plastics are used effectively throughout the structure.

The highlight of the afternoon was the address given by the now famous author who grew up in Yorba Linda, Jessamyn West, in private life Mrs. Harry McPherson of Napa, Calif. A generous portion of her talk was given to reminiscences of her childhood in Yorba Linda. She recalled its beauty, its green rolling hills in winter and spring, its tumbleweeds romping ahead of the Santana [sic] winds in the fall, her excursions with friends after the rains came, to pick lupins, yellow violets and other wild flowers.

She told of her great hunger for books to read and of their scarcity; of when there was a library established in the janitor's broom closet at the grammar school, composed entirely of "donated" books, about 50 of them, and to her it was a holy of holies.

At that time there was a charge of one dollar for a library card, and though dollars were scarce at her home she was given one. She dressed herself in a costume considered appropriate for the library visit, (including shoes) and ran all the way to the school house, her dollar clutched in her hand. She recounted amusingly that an early librarian of Yorba Linda tried to insist that she read Master Sylark when she had already read Saint Elmo, The Trail of the Lonessome [sic] Pine, and all the E. P. Roe books she could find. She lamented that she had not been supplied with books of the Master Skylark type when she had been at the stage of immaturity to appreciate them.

All this was prologue to her praise and admiration of the new college library building and its contents. She attended Fullerton High School and Junior College before going to Whittier College.

Applause was long and enthusiastic for Miss West's address. The afternoon ceremony was concluded with refreshments of punch and cookies.

to previous section to next section

Top of page