Michale Ellerman:  

Life I attended grade school in Cambria, & then Coast Union High School from 1965 to 67. Our family moved to Grass Valley/ Nevada City in 67, where I graduated from Nevada Union High School in 69. My parents bought me a horse to make up for the move, and that was probably the only saving grace! I wanted a car but the horse worked out great! I spent the last 2 years of high school riding Nevada County with Jill Brown, who is still one of my dearest friends today. Went to private merchandising and finishing school in San Francisco, graduated with an AA,& then worked in the Bay Area and Beverly Hills for Roos-Atkins as a women's manager and buyer until 74, when I moved to Santa Barbara to get over it all. I was a member of the Santa Barbara Performing Artists Guild for a couple years, taking voice lessons and hanging on the beach as much as possible. Found my way to the north shore of Lake Tahoe in 1976 & have been here ever since; married in 1980 & divorced in 1996, no children. Back in 1967, my name was changed from Alice to Michale. Many of you know this already, but in case you didn't - now you do! I lost my two brothers, Curtis & Alan (Jonn), in the last two decades, which was very sad for our family. Curtis joined the Marines during the Viet Nam War, then became a full-blown hippie trying to freak out staid old Cambria; he eventually made his way to Alaska and worked on the pipeline construction. He was such a free soul and adventurer! He trekked across Alaska, leaving Nome in May of 76 and arriving in Anchorage in October! I asked him once what was the longest time he went without seeing another human being - and it was 45 days! I have a hard time spending the weekend by myself! Curtis decided to return to Shasta College to get his BA in Engineering. Unfortunately, he was traveling through Oregon in 1978, and was killed by a young hitchhiker that he picked up. Jonn (Alan) married and had a son, Chris. He moved to Lake Tahoe and became a boatwright, restoring antique wooden boats like Garwoods and Chris Crafts. In 1987, he was recruiting new business in the bay area, and was attacked and killed by 3 young out-of-control kids. His legacy to us and everyone at Tahoe was his craftsmanship on the Thunderbird boat, which is considered the premier jewel of Lake Tahoe in boating circles. If you Google "Thunderbird Lodge" and look at "The Boat", you will see this spectacular beauty. You can also check out Lake Tahoe Yacht Club, then Concours d'Elegance, then click on Tickets, and a great closeup of the Thunderbird. Their deaths lead me to resolve to be a positive influence in childrens' lives, which led to my current career path. Jonn (Alan) had a son named Chris, who graduated from Cal Poly SL...Expand for more