Oral History: Gil Johnson reflects on eight decades of blindness training, advocacy and community
Dec 21, 2018
Show notes
A distinguished longtime board member and pioneer of rehabilitation services at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco, there are few denizens of our community more respected and knowledgeable than Gil Johnson. Growing up as a confident, free-thinking young blind man and coming to the LightHouse during a pivotal moment for blindness in the late seventies, Johnson changed the course of our training services and defined the future of the then somewhat fractured LightHouse organization.
In honor of Johnson’s 80th birthday, LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin set out to record an oral history: to capture the nuances of Johnson’s early life, career, and ongoing journey after LightHouse. The result is nearly six hours of humorous, thoughtful reflections on the past, present and future of what it means to be or become blind.
The podcast series was recorded on three separate days and is broken into seven total parts below. Mp3s are available for download or to stream directly.
Part 1 (recorded November 2017, 2 segments): Gil talks about his childhood, development as a young blind man and the early career moves that brought him to the blindness field.
Part 2 (recorded December 2017, 3 segments): Gil discusses the state of LightHouse when he arrived in the late 70s, and goes in depth into the challenges and opportunities as he took on the task of innovating in rehabilitative training through the 1980s.
Part 3 (recorded August 2018): Gil discusses his transition away from LightHouse, taking on services for the blind in Illinois and the new era for the LightHouse and its community as the 1990s approached.
Our Blood Drive was so successful – we’re having two more
Feb 28, 2018
Show notes
More than 60 gracious donors showed up at the LightHouse headquarters to give blood at our 6th Annual Bay Area Blind Community Blood Drive this month. We collected 56 total units of blood, which helps approximately 168 patients in need. We also welcomed cameras from ABC7 News, who did a terrific little story about the drive which you can check out below. Thank you to everyone who came out to donate and support!
Don’t miss our next blood drive on May 31.
Our annual blood drive is a much anticipated event each year, held in conjunction with the American Red Cross. We have so many eager participants that we often have to turn donors away when the slots fill up. Because of this, we’ve decided to hold two more blood drives this year, on May 31 and again in October. We hope you’ll join us!
The beauty of our blood drive is that blind and sighted donors are giving side-by-side, and all blood donated benefits anyone in need, regardless of sight. Though many don’t realize it, it’s a unique dynamic.
“The idea of a community of blind people rolling up their sleeves and giving back to a society that often thinks of them as charity cases, well, it’s just great to give back in such a life-affirming way,” said Martinez.
And though many don’t realize it, it’s a uniquely equalizing dynamic in a world that often stigmatizes blindness to the point of misinformation.
“In areas around the world, blind people would not be welcomed if they wanted to donate blood,” said Martinez. “We know that blind people are a cross-section of society and that blood coming from a blind person is no different than that of blood coming from a sighted person.”
A heartfelt thank you to the donors who came out this year, we hope to see you again in May or October this year!
A New Gathering Place: EHC’s Redwood Grove Theater
Aug 09, 2017
Show notes
Over the weekend, Enchanted Hills Construction Manager George Wurtzel placed the last screw in the final hand-constructed and carved redwood benches that are the signature seating of Enchanted Hills’ new 120-person Redwood Grove Theater. It’s a project that has come to fruition over the last 10 years through patience, perseverance and unrivaled community support. And it’s ready just in time for our annual Music Academy Concert on August 12.
RSVP for our Summer Music BBQ this Saturday, 4 p.m. at Enchanted Hills in Napa.
The idea for the theater was born out of a piece of Enchanted Hills’ history relayed to us by longtime Enchanted Hills friend, counselor and historian Hope Sinclair. Hope’s father, Philip Webster, bought the land in 1927 and operated a boy’s camp there for more than 20 years. Hope herself spent much of her childhood at camp in the 1930s and 1940s and developed a detailed love for the nature and history of the place.
From conversations with Hope about the site’s history, Camp Director Tony Fletcher learned that a section of lower camp was often used for meetings and talent shows during its time as a boys camp, due to its natural acoustics. When new CEO Bryan Bashin toured camp in 2010 he instantly saw the potential to restore the disused and junk-filled natural bowl into an outdoor space of unparalleled beauty and usefulness: an outdoor theater area to host concerts, movie nights and large gatherings that would be shady in the summertime and make the most of the area’s fantastic acoustics.
Listen to this video from an impromptu performance in the theater to hear the breathtaking natural acoustics.
It was in keeping with EHC’s mission and the spirit instilled in camp by founder Rose Resnick, who was a talented musician and former concert pianist who helped make music and performance the part of everyday life at EHC that it remains today.
Starting in 2007 with the EHC fire abatement plan, a bowl started to appear as a troupe of goats hired to clear brush in lower camp. EHC then wrangled various volunteer groups including California Conservation Core, 4H Club and the Greater Napa Kiwanis Club to help clear the area even more, and over the next 10 years the project was brought to completion with the care and collaboration of Bill Cinquini, Alan Butler, Tim Gregory Construction and George Wurtzel, EHC staff and a successful 2015 Indiegogo campaign.
“Getting the Redwood Grove built was a little bit like the LightHouse in microcosm,” says LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin. “Waves of volunteers, AmeriCorps, metal recyclers, architects, the Kiwanis club, donations from Adobe Lumber, and of course our blind camp construction manager, George Wurtzel, who built the benches with his own hands—this is the community and cooperation I find as beautiful and harmonious as the music you’ll hear on Saturday.”
And Tony doesn’t see the project as totally complete—yet. “This project took the creativity and commitment of many many people. I’m most satisfied to think about all the different folks who have had something to do with this. And I don’t see it as done. The theater could ultimately hold as many as 499 people, so I see it as an evolving process. Hopefully it will continually grow and develop over decades to follow.”
Thank you to the many organizations and individuals who helped bring the Redwood Grove Theater into being. We hope you’ll visit us up at camp on August 12 to witness the beautiful and one-of-a-kind fruits of our labors. Learn more and RSVP for the Music Academy Concert here.
The terraced seating and stage of the Redwood Grove Theater surrounded by lush redwoods. Photo by Marilyn Bogerd.A view from behind the stage of the Redwood Grove Theater. Photo by Marilyn Bogerd.A side view of a crowd listening to music in the Redwood Grove Theater. Photo by Marilyn Bogerd.A closeup of the redwood benches, which were individually designed and carved by EHC Construction Manager George Wurtzel. Photo by Marilyn Bogerd.A detail ivy pattern carved into the back of one of the benches. Photo by Marilyn Bogerd.
LightHouse Expands to Support East Bay
Aug 30, 2016
Show notes
Photo: The front of the Ed Roberts Campus.
With the imminent closure of the Lions Center in Oakland, the LightHouse has stepped up to bring services to those who are blind or have low vision in the East Bay. To do this we’ll be expanding the services we offer at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. We sent out a press release earlier in the month and have received the attention of major bay area outlets such as KCBS and the East Bay Times.
Listen to Holly Quan’s report which aired on KCBS on August 29, 2016.
At 90, Elmer Chapson Reflects on Early Bay Area Blindness History
Dec 02, 2015
Show notes
Few people alive today have lived through more Bay Area blindness history than Elmer Chapson. On October 8, 2015 Chapson was interviewed by LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin in a wide-ranging oral history unusual in its breadth and content.
Chapson spent ten years from 1935 to 1945 at the storied California School for the Blind in Berkeley and recounts a bit about Newell Perry and many of the other leaders in the early California blindness movement. He also sheds light on the little-know Berkeley-based Boy Scout Troop #7, which was composed of blind boys, perhaps the first such troop in the nation. The troop, it turns out, spent summers in a rural Napa boy’s camp which 13 years later would be bought by Rose Resnick and later christened Enchanted Hills.
Bryan Bashin Bill Gerrey Interview
Sep 25, 2014
Show notes
In October, 2010 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin and Jernigan Institute Librarian Ed Mormon conducted a 180-minute interview with Bill Gerrey, a longtime participant and observer of the blind movement in northern California. Gerrey and his father are both blind, and his recollections stretch back to the fun and aspiration and the old California School for the Blind in Berkeley and his own development as a blind engineer and inventor. A remarkable story is Gerrey’s description of how he was moved at the 1956 San Francisco convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
Jim Kracht, EHC camper since 1957, tells what it was like to be a child camper in the early days with Rose Resnick
Jun 25, 2014
Show notes
On June 24, 2014 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin conducted a 40 minute interview with Jim Kracht. Mr. Kracht, now a prominent tax attorney in Florida, was an intrepid young 7-year-old in 1957 when he spent the first of seven summers at Enchanted Hills in Napa. In this thoughtful interview, Mr. Kracht tells what it was like to experience cabin inspections, wholesome recreation and his first taste of physical independence. Nearly 60 years later he is as passionate as ever about the importance of the Enchanted Hills camp for the blind. Mr. Kracht is now conducting active research into the early years of our property and is learning more about its complex and fascinating history.
Productivity Tools Blind Executives Use
Jun 02, 2014
Show notes
This extended conversation originally recorded on April 24, 2014 covers calendaring systems, contacts, and tactics for staying competitive by using high and low-tech tools and techniques. Each technique will help a blind executive with finding and using information quickly.
Presented by Bryan Bashin, CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind and Jessie Lorenz, Executive Director of San Francisco’s Independent Living Resource Center (ILRC).
Following is a list of Jessie’s most frequently used apps:
Bill Barker – An Oral History
May 05, 2014
Show notes
In July 2013 Lighthouse CEO Bryan Bashin conducted a wide-ranging interview with Bill Barker, a person with six decades of relationship with our organization. Bill passed on Saturday May 3, 2014 and this record may be the best modern recognition of his life and sensibility.
Cecelia Elkington Setty on Mt. Veeder History
Feb 25, 2014
Show notes
On Feburary 9th, local author Cecilia Elkington Setty met with a gathering of Enchanted Hills Camp neighbors to speak about the fascinating history of Mt. Veeder and the original Mt. Veeder Resort which is now home to Enchanted Hills.
Grape grower Cecelia Elkington Setty has published two books on Napa’s history. “The Mount Veeder Resort, A History of Napa County Settlers” is about our very own mountain and “Atlas Peak” is about her family’s’ 90 year old ranch. Cecelia was born in Salinas, California and is a descendant of early pioneer families that settled in Napa in 1863-1866.
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