San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Stories set here
- A Loving Day with Bernie in San FranciscoIn a poem signed Dee, Delores describes visiting her brother Bernie at his Victorian home in San Francisco. She admires his flowers and orchids, creative success, and zest for life. They visit an old-time ice cream parlor and order chocolate Yoplait with pears. His encouragement and conversation leave her inspired, and she bids him an affectionate farewell as she boards a trolley car with a fifteen-cent fare.
- A Christmas Visit Captured in Family PortraitsBernie borrowed a Leica camera to photograph a new place in San Francisco, then brought it home to Moline at Christmas. Using orange and green fabric tacked up in the girls’ bedroom as a backdrop, Bernie photographed the family. A portrait of Bernie taken by high school chum Jerry Edlund during the same trip completed the folio. Later on the family portrait day, the family celebrated Carol’s 23rd birthday. Bernie treasured how clearly the portraits revealed everyone’s personality.
- A Love of Architecture, One House at a TimeBernard describes architecture as his greatest love and recounts buying, remodeling, decorating, and selling homes at increasing prices. A loan from Rick’s father helped with the first down payment at 248 Day Street. Successive homes included 333 Laurel Street, a house in Sausalito, and 373 Cumberland Street, where he still lives at the time of telling. The profits brought investments and a sense of financial independence, while the houses themselves deepened his enjoyment of architecture.
- Five Thousand Miles and Still FriendsRobert recalls his best family vacation: three weeks out West with Sue, Steve, and Brian in their new 1975 station wagon. Their route included mountains, parks, cities, several days with Bernie in San Francisco, Universal Studios, and friends in San Bernardino. After five thousand miles, he marvels that everyone still liked each other.
- Back to the Drawing Board, with a Party to FollowHaving just turned nineteen, Bernard received a 4F classification after a brief draft examination. He walked back to FCB and resumed his layout, then used his going-away gift money to throw a party for his coworkers. Mr. Fairfax Cone, pleased he was staying out of the army, asked him to help save the San Francisco office and offered to pay his train fare home if he disliked it.
- A New Home and a Life of Art with RickBernard recalls meeting Rick at Kitty Sheon’s in Chicago, moving into his apartment, and later sharing a home on Surf Street. Following a farewell party, Bernard flew alone to San Francisco on New Year’s Day, stated as 1960 under a 1961 heading, and was astonished by snow. Rick followed a day later and found a new apartment with a bay view. Bernard bought a white 1961 Volkswagen convertible and received an alarming hill-driving lesson. Their shared enjoyment of travel, theatre, and fine arts enriched Bernard’s advertising work.
- A First Taste of Europe with BobFCB sent Bernard on his first European trip to create a Renauld of France sunglasses campaign in Paris and a Beauty on the Beach suntan lotion ad in Cannes. Traveling with account executive Bob Leefeldt, he discovered fine restaurants, antique shops, and Versailles. Bob’s example of the good life encouraged Bernard to work harder.
- Remembering Life and Travels with LarryAfter recalling about sixteen years living with Rick, Bernard describes meeting Larry Savitz on a Caribbean cruise with Rick in 1988. Larry brought singing, friendships, sign language, dancing, parties, and cruises into Bernard’s life. Especially treasured were visits to Larry’s Uncle Irv’s beach-view condo in Aculpolco. Bernard also states that Larry returned to Philadelphia in 1982, contradicting the meeting date. Larry died there of AIDS in 1993, and Bernard remembers him with affection.
Events here
other
Dee visits Bernie in San Francisco
Dee visits her brother's Victorian home, enjoys his conversation and an outing to an old-time ice cream parlor, and leaves by trolley car.
job
Asked to help the San Francisco office
Cone asked Bernard to help save the office and promised a train ticket home if he did not like it. The passage does not describe the actual move.
The next day
A white convertible and a hill-driving lesson
Bernard bought a brand new white 1961 Volkswagen convertible for $1,200.00 and was horrified by the salesman’s hill-driving lesson.
job
Larry runs a retirement-home restaurant
Ran a large restaurant in a luxury retirement home.
Family corrections
Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.
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