Gwendolyn Williams:  

Life I WAS BORN IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ON APRIL 17TH 1947. I'M NOW 64 YEARS OLD AND VERY PROUD TO SAY I'M A FOURTH GENERATION CALIFORNIAN. I'VE ALWAY SAID IT MUST BE OBVIOUS THAT I'M A BORN AND BRED CALIFORNIAN, AS FOLKS FROM ELSEWHERE SEEM TO RECOGNIZE THIS SHORTLY AFTER THEY MEET ME. I'M CERTAIN IT'S MY CALIFORNIA ACCENT.(SMILE!) IN 1955 MY FAMILY MOVED FROM OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA TO PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD AT THE TIME. IT WAS A CULTURAL SHOCK FOR ME AND MY TWO SISTERS, I.E., MOVING FROM AN URBAN AREA LIKE OAKLAND TO A FAIRLY RURAL AREA LIKE PALO ALTO WAS IN THE 50'S. THERE WERE LITERALLY COWS AND OTHER CRITTERS IN OUR BACKYARD. I STARTED FIRST GRADE IN A SMALL SINGLE STORY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN PALO ALTO. AS I RECALL, I WAS ONE OF TWO AFRO-AMERICAN STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL. THE OTHER WAS MY OLDER SISTER. I WENT ON TO ATTEND WILBUR JR. HIGH, CUBBERLEY HIGH SCHOOL AND FOOTHILL JR. COLLEGE IN LOS ALTOS HILLS. I RELOCATED BACK TO OAKLAND AT AGE 19 AND ATTENDED LANEY JR. COLLEGE. AT THAT TIME IT WAS KNOWN AS A PARTY SCHOOL. I DID MY SHARE OF PARTYING AND ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TARE MYSELF AWAY FROM THE PARTY SCENE, BUT I DID MANAGE TO GET ENOUGH STUDYING IN TO GRADUATE FROM LANEY IN 1968 WITH AN AA DEGREE. AFTER GRADUATING FROM LANEY I MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO AND ATTENDED SAN FRANCISCO (SF)STATE. I GRADUATED FROM THERE IN JUNE 1970. THREE MONTHS LATER I MARRIED A BRILLANT, GORGEOUS,AND VERY HONORABLE GENTLEMAN. TWO YEARS LATER WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL, WHO IS NOW 34 YEARS OLD AND A VERY ACCOMPLISHED WOMAN. WHILE MARRIED, BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I COMPLETED GRADUATE SCHOOL. I GRADUATED FROM UC BERKELEY, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, WITH AN MPH DEGREE, AND HE GRADUATED FROM CALIFORNIA STATE, HAYWARD, WITH AN MA DEGREE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE BOTH LANDED PROFESSIONAL JOBS. IN 1975 WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST HOUSE IN OAKLAND'S ROCKRIDGE DISTRICT, AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST NEW CAR (A 1977 VOLVO). AFTER APPROXIMATELY TWELVE YEARS OF MARRIAGE MY HUSBAND AND I DECIDED TO DIVORCE. I'M PLEASED TO SAY WE STILL REMAIN THE BEST OF FRIENDS. I'M VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A WONDERFUL FAMILY, AND TERRIFIC FRIENDS. MY MOM & DAD HAVE BEEN MARRIED OVER SIXTY-FOUR YEARS. I'VE HAD EXCELLENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND RECENTLY RETIRED AS BUREAU CHIEF FOR JUDICIAL, FACILITIES AND; ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF ALAMEDA. I MANAGED A WONDERFUL, DEDICATED TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS I WAS VERY PRIVILEGED TO WORK WITH. IN THE 1980'S WORKED AS A CLINIC ADMINISTRATOR FOR A PUBLIC HEALTH CLINIC. I SWITCHED FROM THE MEDICAL SYSTEM TO THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN 1990. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH THE TWO SYSTEMS HAVE A LOT IN COMMON. LIKE MANY OTHERS, I'VE HAD MY SHARE OF LIFE'S CHALLENGES. OVER THE YEARS I'VE SURVIVED AN APPENDECTOMY, CYSTECTOMY, HYSTERECTOMY, BREAST CANCER, A BROKEN ELBOW AND RIBS, AND A PARTIAL COLONECTOMY. FORTUNATELY (KNOCK ON WOOD!) I'M HEALTHY NOW, VERY HAP...Expand for more