When I was writing “My Sonoma –Valley of the Moon,” which was published last fall, I relied a great deal on memories from my earliest days covering local news.
I started writing for the paper while still at Sonoma Valley High School.
For more than five decades I continued doing so until my retirement in 2012. The vast majority of the thousands of articles I wrote were short, many only two or three paragraphs long.
These constituted what we called “refrigerator news,” the kind of articles mothers and grandmothers clipped out of the paper and stuck on the refrigerator.
My dad, Robert Lynch, considered no story too small for the Index-Tribune. That was the editorial policy of our little community newspaper from the time my great-grandfather, Harry Granice, started it in 1884.
Harry, his oldest daughter, Celeste (my grand aunt) who succeeded him, my dad, who succeeded her, and then I spent most of our careers writing these little stories.
It was the I-T’s formula for success through four generations.
Here’s just a sampling of typical little stories that made up the bulk of the news in the I-T over the decades. Many of these items actually appeared on the front page:
1900-1906
The Juanita Parlor of the Native Daughters of the Golden West elected officers last Tuesday: Miss Teresa Goess, president; Mrs. Walter Bordwell, first vice president…
The pay car of the Southern Pacific Company passed through here yesterday, replenishing the wallets of the employees of the company.
Miss Kate Lilzius is visiting her parents for a couple of weeks.
Al Miller, who has been recently employed at Agua Caliente, will shortly return to the Spreckels farm where he will break horses.
1918
Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Shefner have returned from Southern California where they visited their daughter and are glad to be back in Sonoma whose climate they declare far exceeds the south.
Mrs. Theo Richards won her case Thursday in the Justice Court here against H. Heinz of Agua Caliente, who she accused of taking her hay crop.
William Montini, the well-known dairyman and stock raiser met with an unfortunate accident Wednesday when his horse fell upon him and broke his left leg. The fracture is above the ankle and Dr. Hays attended the injury.
Montini was driving cattle and was on horseback when the horse slipped on a slippery hillside and fell over upon him. Mrs. Nonella has been caring for the patient and Bill’s many friends hope for his speedy recovery.
1939
A vicious ape, which had been raised as a pet by Kenwood people… attacked and severely bit a passerby, Mrs. Evelyn Briggs. A friend, Dewey Lloyd, with Mrs. Briggs, beat off the animal after he had sunk his teeth into her finger and clawed her wrist.
One of Sonoma Valley’s biggest industries is in full swing as the Sebastiani Winery crushes 1939 grapes to fill its cellars with choice dry wines.
Mrs. A.M. Thomson, granddaughter of General Vallejo, and daughter of Mrs. Emparan, was in the fashion show at the benefit for the Sonoma County Symphony yesterday at Santa Rosa.
1946
Shirley and Annette Berman, talented daughters of Mr. and Mrs. D.M. Berman of Sonoma, left yesterday for Mexico City where they will attend the special six-week summer session at the University of Mexico.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Marioni of the Swiss Hotel enjoyed a fine trip to Siskiyou and other beautiful counties of the north. They are now having a visit with their son, Dario, who has been in the Army and in college following the war.
J. Basileu reports this week that striped bass fishing is good at Turkey Point and Hoodmen’s Slough….Joe Better pulled four beauties. A. Peluffo brought home three up to four pounds, Bill Gallo caught two and John Wagner tied into a full limit of five.
1959
Chris Hipkiss, president of the Sonoma Future Farmers of America left last Saturday for the National Future Farmers convention in Kansas City Chris’s tip was made possible with funds raised the Sonoma FFA and with a donation from the Kiwanis Club.
Mrs. Ben Hampton has the best Class A score in the recent medal play sponsored by the Sonoma Golf and Country Club Women’s Association. Mrs. Hampton’s score was 90-15-17. Other Class A cores: Mrs. John Steiner, 97-20-77 and Mrs. Irvin Hansen, 103-23-80.
A dinner party for Lee Conti, who recently arrived from duty overseas at Korea, was held last Saturday at his home on West Napa Street. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Conti invited the following guests: Mr. and Mrs. Ludwig Ghiggioli, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Ghiggioli, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ponzini, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Conti, John Conti, Judy and Jeanne Ponzini, Marsha Vaughn, Harry Conti and Fortunate Gennechinni.
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