Growing Up in Oakland

I was born at Oakland Kaiser Hospital and went thorough all public schools (Maxwell Elementary [now Melrose Academy], McChesney Jr. Hi [now Brewer Middle], and Oakland High School–go Wildcats!). My family lived first in the Havenscourt neighborhood of East Oakland and then Maxwell Park (where my parents still live), between High St. and 55th Ave.

I have an older brother, two years my senior; and a younger brother, five years my junior. Here are three class pictures, each in 2nd or 3rd grade, and so spanning 7 school years from 1967 – 1975:

Mike (2 years older)
Me
Greg (5 years younger)

Clearly what’s most striking (besides the advent of color photography) is the changing racial makeup of the school. I remember the sensation of my white classmates’ families moving away, one after another. I’m glad my family stayed put.