Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin AAUW Presents Author Anne Marshall Homan on May 12

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Local history expert Anne Marshall Homan will be talking about her work uncovering details of the region's past on May 12 in an appearance hosted by the Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

The Livermore-Pleasanton-Dublin (LPD) group is one of the 1,850 branches of the national organization, which has been doing its good work breaking through educational and economic barriers for women and girls for 130 years. The LPD chapter has been part of that tradition since 1952.

The LPD AAUW generally meets nine times a year, starting in September with a Welcome and Membership tea. Regular membership is open to graduates of a four-year degree program, while currently enrolled undergraduate students are eligible for affiliate membership. "We invite women and men who support equity and education for all women and girls to join us," notes the chapter website.

Monthly programs address a wide variety of relevant subjects. "Everyone is so busy we have to be topical," remarks member Robin Morgan. Meeting separately, individual interest groups for books, bridge, writers, and singles afford additional opportunities for socializing and the exchange of ideas.

The chapter's philanthropic projects include support of a summer science camp for seventh-grade girls, in conjunction with the AAUW California; and the LPD AAUW Local Scholarship Foundation, which has helped 80 women pay for their higher education over the years. The foundation has developed a unique alternative to traditional annual fundraisers, dubbed the "NON-Event." Each year branch members receive a letter inviting them to an imaginary event or one which they are unlikely to attend, such as Kate and William's April 29 royal wedding. Instead of participating, they simply make a monetary contribution.

Author Anne Marshall Homan will be speaking at the branch's last meeting of the season. A former English teacher, she has been pursuing her passion for local history since retiring in 1996. Her first book drew its inspiration from her immediate surroundings. In 1980 she and her husband, a Lawrence Livermore Laboratory physicist, purchased a 13-acre home site on Morgan Territory Road. She became intrigued by the road and its namesake, hunter Jeremiah Morgan, who, attracted by a bountiful grizzly bear population, settled in the area in the 1850s. Homan's research ultimately produced "The Morning Side of Mount Diablo: An Illustrated History of the San Francisco Bay Area's Morgan Territory Road," now in its second printing.

Since then, she has completed two additional books. "Historic Livermore, California: A-Z," an alphabetically arranged collection of facts, photos, and artifacts, came out in 2008 and was recognized by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association as an Overall Best Book. "Vasco's Livermore, 1910: Portraits from the Hub Saloon," her latest, with co-author Richard Finn, was published last year. The book reproduces the caricatures of early Livermore residents drawn 100 years ago by the Australian artist Vasco Loureiro and includes accounts of their lives. It is the recipient of the Bookbuilders West 2010 Recognition of Merit award. All volumes were published by Hardscratch Press of Walnut Creek.

Held at Lynnewood United Methodist Church, 4444 Black Avenue, Pleasanton, the May 12 meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The public is invited to attend. For more information on LPD AAUW, visit www.webbitt.com/lpd.

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