Remembering the 1918-19 Influenza Pandemic in the Tri-Valley

Travel limitations, temporary hospital facilities, makeshift face masks, business shutdowns, and school closures are hallmarks of the current COVID-19 pandemic.  The Tri-Valley had a similar response to the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, as contemporary newspaper accounts and government records demonstrate.

The Livermore Herald newspaper reported weekly on the growing public health crisis and Tri-Valley responses to the flu pandemic during late 1918 and early 1919.   This took place amidst the backdrop of the final days of World War I, which ended with an armistice that took effect on November 11, 1918.  Newspaper accounts and government records suggest a premature declaration of victory over the influenza in late November of 1918, before the epidemic re-surged with virulence by mid-December 1918.

The October 12, 1918 issue of the Herald announced, "Spanish Influenza invades Livermore, 7 cases are reported."  The October 19, 1918 issue noted that James Connolly was the first local fatality and chronicled local precautions that were being taken to control the flu threat.

On October 21, 1918, the Town of Livermore Board of Trustees (today known as Livermore City Council) called a special meeting "to take whatever action said Board may determine upon in re the Spanish influenza and to pass all resolutions and ordinances necessary therefor (sic)."  The meeting minutes state, "The matter of the present status of the epidemic and the best additional measures for checking it was discussed for about an hour."   Col. M. M. Ogden addressed the Board, "giving a number of reasons why, in his opinion, the strictest measures should be taken at once to prevent further spread of the disease."   Town Marshal D. A. Smith reported on cases of influenza and quarantines on them that he had knowledge of.

Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner made the first of many reports that he would make to the Livermore Town Board of Trustees over the next few weeks.  According to the October 21, 1918 meeting minutes, Dr. Warner "made a detailed verbal report on the present status of the epidemic, stating that the number of cases in the community was steadily increasing and that several persons had come home here from other places ill with the disease; that he had quarantined all cases in town that he had treated and reported all his cases outside of town to the Deputy County Health Officer; that the county authorities were not then quarantining influenza cases, but simply asking the members of the household to keep away from other persons; that his personal recommendation is that all influenza cases be reported and quarantined at once; that he advocates the use of sterilized gauze masks by all nurses and other persons in households where the disease exists and also by others, especially those much exposed in meeting the public."

At the Livermore Town Board of Trustees special meeting on October 21, 1918, the Board voted to instruct the Town Clerk to send letters at once to all of the local lodges "requesting them to hold no further meetings during the present epidemic except such as may be absolutely necessary."  The Board also voted to instruct the Marshal "to notify all managers of saloons and pool rooms in town to permit no card playing or dice shaking in their places of business, to remove all chairs and card tables usable by visitors to observe strictly the State law in regard to sterilizing all drinking glasses after each use of them and to discourage the close crowding together of persons in their places; also, to notify all store keepers selling fruit to keep their fruit covered with mosquito netting or the like in order to deep (sic) off the flies; these regulations to go into effect immediately and remain in effect during the epidemic."

By the October 26th Herald edition, three more people died locally, Frank Connolly, Mrs. Edwin F. Kennedy and "a stranger."  That edition also observed that patients were being shifted from the county infirmary (probably located in what are now the San Leandro hills) to the local sanitorium in order to make space for flu patients.  The October 26th edition also stated that cotton masks had been deemed to prevent the flu and gave instructions on how to make flu masks.

On October 28, 1918, Livermore Board of Trustees called another special meeting "to take whatever action said Board may determine upon in regard to the safeguarding of warehouses in said town in which food stuffs are stored and also to take further action in regard to the influenza epidemic and also to appoint a deputy marshal, including the passing of any resolution or ordinance which said Board may deem necessary for these purposes."

The special meeting minutes state, "In regard to the influenza epidemic reports were made to the Board based on information received from the Health Officer and others, that the disease is now under control in the community and that none of the newly developed cases were considered serious.  Hence it was the sense of the Board that, while the continued taking of personal precautions to avoid catching or spreading the disease in [sic] recommended, it was not considered necessary or advisable to enforce mask wearing by every person in the town."  (But nine weeks later, the Livermore Town Trustees ultimately required mask wearing by every person in the town via adoption of Ordinance No. 100 on December 30, 1918.)

The State Council of Defense through its Alameda County division had requested that all fruit canneries and warehouses wherein foodstuffs are stored in the town to be guarded by armed watchmen paid by the Town, but, according to the October 28, 1918 meeting minutes, "the [Town] Clerk was instructed to answer the communication with the information that there are no canneries here, nor any warehouses in which any considerable amounts of grain or other foodstuffs are now stored, and that hence in the Board's opinion special guards for the warehouses in town are hardly considered necessary at this time."

The November 2, 1918 Herald issue stated that "very little travel" was occurring and that influenza was on wane in the Livermore-Amador Valley.

At the November 4, 1918 the Livermore Board of Trustees meeting, Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner gave a report on the influenza situation.  The minutes state, "Dr. J. K. Warner appeared before the Board and reported that the situation as regards the influenza epidemic was very much improved, as very few cases had been reported to him of late; that many persons, however, were carriers of the disease for about two weeks after recovery, according to the best authorities on the matter, but that quarantines were removed about four or five days after recovery of the patients, and that therefore he recommended that all persons released from quarantine be required to wear masks at all times when near any other person for a period of ten days thereafter; that in crowded places the wearing of the marks in [sic] always advisable during the epidemic; that it might happen that the epidemic would flare up again here, and that therefore it would be best not to reopen the theater, schools or churches for at least another week."

Later at the November 4, 1918 meeting, Town Ordinance No. 99 was introduced "[p]roviding for the wearing of butter cloth or fine-mesh gauze masks by persons on the public streets or public places or in any assemblage of persons."  The mask requirement was not imposed on the general population, but instead was limited to those who had contracted the flu or had been isolated or placed under quarantine.  The fine for disobeying the mask ordinance was set at between $5.00 and $100.00.  Violators could be imprisoned for up to ten days.   (Livermore then was cattle country; the November 4, 1918 minutes also state: "On account of complaints in regard to cows being allowed to run loose on certain streets in town, the Deputy Marshal was instructed to enforce the pound law by permitting no stock to run at large on the public streets.")

Also on November 4, 1918, the trustees of the Town of Pleasanton (the equivalent of today's Pleasanton City Council) adopted their own mask ordinance.  Pleasanton Ordinance No. 108, "An emergency ordinance to protect the Health of the Citizens of the town of Pleasanton, and providing for means of Preventin[g] the spread of an epidemic," took effect immediately.  It required every person who appeared on the streets of Pleasanton or in stores or public places of business within the town limits to cover their mouths and noses with gauzen masks "composed of six thickness o[f] gauze."  The Pleasanton ordinance declared, "[I]t shall be unlawful for any barber shop, saloon, pool room or other public or business place to permit persons to gather or congregate on such premises, unless such persons are actually receiving service or engaged in the transaction of business with the proprietor of such place, or someone representing him.  All chairs, benches or seats of any kind not used for the transaction of such business or the receiving of s[u]ch service shall be removed."  The Pleasanton ordinance also said, "No church services, lodge meetings, dances or entertainments, motion picture show or other exhibition, where people congregate shall be permitted during the time this ordinance shall remain in effect."  Violators could be imposed fines of between $5.00 and $100.00 or could be imposed in the town jail for five to one hundred days.

Municipal ordinances requiring face masks were very controversial across California during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic.  San Francisco strongly advocated face masks and strictly enforced their use after they were mandated beginning on October 25, 1918, but critics later noted that San Francisco's death rate from influenza exceeded that of other cities that did not strictly require face masks.  The City of Los Angeles questioned the efficacy of face masks and resisted passing an ordinance requiring their use. Oakland Mayor John Davie was a strong critic of the mask ordinances, especially after his arrest in Sacramento for not wearing a face mask.

By the November 9, 1918 edition, the Herald reported that influenza was "under control," but as later newspaper editions from early 1919 show, this declaration proved to be inaccurate.  The November 9th issue also reported on the mask ordinance and that precautions were required of those released from quarantine.

The Town Trustees approved the mask ordinance (No. 99) at their November 11, 1918 meeting, which took place at 8:00 p.m. on the same day that the World War I armistice took effect.

The November 16, 1918 Herald issue reported that "only one local death" had occurred that week and that the flu was abating. 

The November 21, 1918 Livermore Town Trustees meeting minutes include an upbeat health officer's report:  "Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner appeared before the Board and made a verbal report on the present status of the influenza epidemic and made recommendations in the matter, stating that there had been no new cases of the disease in the community during the previous four days and that all the remaining cases were very light in form; that the epidemic was therefore under control, and that the Board would be justified in releasing some of the restriction.  The doctor recommended that the churches be permitted to open for short services, but that the schools all remain closed until at least the 1st of December; also that lodge meetings be permitted, but that all such meetings be limited to about half an hour, as before proposed; also, that if the theater be permitted to open all who attend should be required to wear masks."

Immediately after this report at the November 21, 1918 meeting, the Trustees voted to permit "short" church services and "short" lodge meetings: "A motion was made ... that the churches in town be permitted to open for one short services [sic] on Sundays, and ... by vote of the Board, the original motion was amended to permit lodges also to hold short meetings, to transact business; then, by vote of the board, the motion as amended for carried."

On November 23, 1918, the Herald reported the the "influenza ban" had been partially lifted.  County officials endorsed a serum treatment.  Draft boards were thanked for their work during the epidemic.

At the November 25, 1918 Livermore Town Trustees meeting, Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner effectively declared victory over the flu virus.  The minutes state, "Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner appeared before the board and made a report and recommendations as follows: that the situation as regards the influenza epidemic here was looking very good, there being but one new case and two suspicious cases during the preceding week's time, while the quarantines on the only other cases in the community, four in number had either just been removed or were about to be; that it is reasonable to expect sporadic cases of influenza here for the ensuing month or so but that the mere possibility of this would hardly justify continuing the restrictions any longer; that in Pleasanton, according to reports received, but one case of the disease remained and the restrictions were to be removed there Thursday next, and in conclusion recommended that the schools and theaters be permitted to open."  Immediately after Dr. Warner's optimistic report, the minutes note, "Restrictions Removed ... by vote of the Board, it was ordered that all restrictions which the Board had placed on schools, theaters, churches and lodges or otherwise, on account of the influenza epidemic, be removed, this order to take effect immediately."

As the Tri-Valley celebrated Thanksgiving in November 1918, its residents were grateful for the apparent end of the flu epidemic.  Communities across northern California removed their restrictions, while the flu emergency continued in Los Angeles.  In Stockton, whistles blew at noon on Thanksgiving Day to inform citizens that the mask restrictions were over, upon signing of a mayoral proclamation after advice from the city health officer.  The Stockton Independent reported on November 28, 1918, "When she hears the whistles blow at noon today, Miss Stockton will immediately expose her face for the first time in six weeks. She will remove that semblance to Turkey, just before she eats turkey."  Stockton Mayor A.C. Oullahan said, "Dr. Goodman, our city health officer, states that the masks must be worn at the big civic Thanksgiving service in the morning ... We are not going to take any chances. The fire whistles will blow at noon tomorrow, signifying that the influenza ceases to exist in Stockton as an epidemic. It will be a signal for unmasking."

The November 30, 1918 issue of the Herald reported that influenza restrictions had been removed locally.  According to the December 2, 1918, Livermore Town Trustees meeting minutes, "Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner appeared before the Board and reported that not a single new case of influenza had appeared in the community for about a week past and that the last remaining quarantine would be removed next day, but that at Pleasanton there were four new cases of the disease.  In conclusion, the doctor thanked the members of the Board for their hearty co-operation in taking measures promptly to curb the spread of the epidemic."

The December 7, 1918 Herald issue announced, "Community is now free of influenza."

Two-Wave Epidemic: Second Influenza Wave in December 1918 to January 1919 Followed Premature Declaration of Victory Over Flu Virus in Late November 2018.

However, the declaration of victory over the influenza virus in the Tri-Valley and elsewhere in northern California proved to be premature.  The December 14, 1918 Herald announced, "Spanish Influenza takes fresh start," followed on December 21st with "Spanish Influenza is making new start."

At the December 16, 1918 meeting, the Livermore Board of Trustees introduced a new ordinance "[p]roviding for the wearing of butter cloth or fine-mesh gauze masks by all persons on the public streets or public places or in any assemblage of persons, during the period of the epidemic of the so-called Spanish influenza."  This ordinance was broader than Ordinance No. 99 adopted at the November 11, 1918 meeting.  This ordinance applied to "every person," not just those who had contracted the flu, or were under isolation or quarantine.  The Town Trustees adopted Ordinance No. 100 at their December 30, 1918 meeting.

Just three of the five Town Trustees attended the December 23, 1918 meeting, according to the minutes.  They appointed L. E. Wright Quarantine Officer for the Town, "to work in conjunction with the Health Officer, said appointment to take effect immediately.  Mr. Wright accepted the appointment with the understanding that he should have full charge of the matter of enforcing all quarantines established in the town."  The December 2, 1918 meeting minutes show that Mr. Wright was an assistant policeman.

The Herald reported on December 28, 1918: "'Flu' situation is very serious" and "Spread of
epidemic causes Trustees to adopt drastic ordinance."  William Jackson was arrested for failure to wear a mask.

The minutes of the December 30, 1918 Town of Livermore Board of Trustees meeting included a health officer's report: "Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner appeared before the Board and made a verbal report on the influenza epidemic and made recommendations concerning the restrictions put in effect to curb the spread of the disease, stating that seven new cases had been reported in the community during the day, that two deaths had recently occurred and two other persons were seriously ill with the disease, and recommending that the closing of the saloons and pool rooms, the prohibiting the sale of ice cream and soft drinks for consumption on the premises where sold, and the other restrictions, be continued in effect for at least two weeks as it would require that long or longer to bring about the desired improvement in health conditions.  After considerable discussion, the Board finally left the restrictions unchanged."  Just three of the five trustees were present at the December 30th meeting.

The January 4, 1919 issue of the Herald reported that the Town Board of Trustees had passed the broadened mask ordinance (no. 100).  The fuse works (based in what is today Livermore's Trevarno district), a sizable local employer, shut down.  A home demonstration agent was giving helpful suggestions about how to prevent spread of influenza.  Most local flu cases were of "light form."  The newspaper also gave advice to "flu" convalescents.

On January 6, 1919, the Livermore Town Board of Trustees voted down a motion to reopen saloons the following morning, "provided that all persons in saloons be required to wear masks in accordance with the ordinance when not actually drinking, that the chairs and tables be removed from the saloons and that those in charge limit the numbers of visitors at any one time to three persons as nearly as practicable, during the prevalence of the epidemic," according to the meeting minutes.  "After considerable discussion, the motion was put to a vote and lost."

At the January 10, 1919 Town Board of Trustees meeting, Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner "reported that the situation as regards the influenza epidemic was very much improved in the town; that only a few new cases were appearing and those could be traced to contamination from outside sources, and that the saloons and soft-drink places could now be safely reopened for business provided certain precautions be taken to insure patrons of these places against contamination by influenza germs," according to the minutes.  The Board voted to order the saloons, pool rooms and soft drink and ice-cream parlors in the town be permitted to resume business the following morning, Saturday, January 11th, under restrictions recommended by the Health Officer.  The Town Clerk was instructed to furnish the Acting Marshal with written statements of the restrictions, one copy to be delivered by the Marshal on the following morning to each of the business places concerned.

The flu epidemic was on wane in Livermore when the January 11, 1919 edition was published.   When the January 18, 1919 Herald issue was printed, there was a "favorable outlook."  The fuse works had resumed operation.

The January 20, 1919 Livermore Town Board of Trustees minutes recount Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner's latest report: "[T]he situation in regard to the influenza epidemic in this town and community was looking very good, there being then only three places remaining under quarantine in the town, while one of the cases came from Oakland; that he had had only one new case of the disease in some time, and that the rapid decline of the epidemic in this community evidently proved the value of the face mask.  In conclusion the Health Officer stated that there still [were] a good many cases of influenza in Pleasanton, Hayward and the bay cities and that on this account he recommended that the masking ordinance be continued in force for at least two weeks yet."  The January 20, 1919 minutes also state that the Board "decided to dispense with the services of Ed Conrad as quarantine officer, there being no further need of an officer for that purpose.  The peace officers of the Town directed to enforce strictly the sterilizing of drinking glasses in saloons, as recently ordered."

The January 25, 1919 Herald issue stated that the community was "practically free" from influenza, but further precautions had been ordered by Trustees.  Schools were to remain closed until conditions were safer.   The minutes of the January 27, 1919 Livermore Town Board of Trustees meeting state, "Health Officer Dr. J. K. Warner reported that there were then no cases of Spanish influenza in the town, but that there were three or four in the community outside of town, which were expected to be cleared up in a few days, and in conclusion recommended that the mask ordinance be continued in force for another week."

The February 1, 1919 Herald stated that Livermore schools would open on February 3rd.

By February 3, 1919, the influenza epidemic appears to have ended in the Livermore Valley.  The Livermore Town Board of Trustees meeting minutes of that date say, "[B]y vote of the Board, it was ordered that all restrictions which had been made by the Board on account of the influenza epidemic be removed."

The number of deaths in the Tri-Valley due to the 1918-19 influenza pandemic is not readily available.  Nearly 1,300 people died in Oakland due to the flu pandemic between October 1918 and February 1919. An estimated 650,000 died nationwide.

One of the last living Tri-Valley residents who lived here during the 1918-19 flu pandemic was Elizabeth Ziegenfuss Hall, who died in 2003 at age 101.  Born in 1902, she was a member of the Livermore Union High School class of 1920.  (Pleasanton students attended Livermore's high school until Amador Valley Union High School opened in 1922.)  Livermore High School closed for around six weeks during the 1918-19 school year.  The school year was lengthened in order to partially make up for the lost time.  In a 2003 interview with the author, she recalled covering up some mild symptoms of sickness at one point during the pandemic so that she could continue to participate in social activities.

The Tri-Valley History Blog acknowledges the late Barbara Bunshah, longtime Livermore librarian, for making these facts readily accessible to future generations through her comprehensive indexes to local newspapers.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Visit to Tri-Valley: 50th Anniversary

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., twentieth-century American civil rights icon, made his only known visit to the Tri-Valley 50 years ago this month.

On January 14, 1968, Dr. King flew to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit singer Joan Baez and other anti-Vietnam War activists who were incarcerated in Santa Rita jail near Pleasanton.  This would be Dr. King's final visit to northern California as he was assassinated less than three months later in Memphis, Tennessee.

Joan Baez was the most famous of the anti-Vietnam War protestors held in Santa Rita jail in December 1967-January 1968.  Ms. Baez participated in "Stop the Draft Week" protests at the Army Induction Center in downtown Oakland (Clay Street) in October and on December 18-19, 1967.  She was among the hundreds of demonstrators who called out to Army inductees as they entered the building for processing. On December 19, 1967, Ms. Baez, Ms. Baez's mother, activist Ira Sandperl and 146 other anti-war demonstrators (95 men and 54 women) were arrested at Oakland Army Induction Center, arraigned at the county courthouse and brought to Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center to begin serving "Christmas prison terms," according to the Livermore Herald & News of Dec. 20, 1967.  Their jail sentences were an average of "20 days plus 1."  Ms. Baez and Mr. Sandperl received 45-day sentences.

Dr. King sent a Western Union telegram to Ms. Baez at Santa Rita on Dec. 29, 1967.  It read: "At a time when our nation wages such an inhuman effort against the right to life and self-determination of the people of Vietnam, jail is the most moral place to be.  Your witness in behalf of peace and against our nation's policy stands in the highest traditions of the faith and wisdom of the ages.  I know full well the frustrations of confinement but I pray that this imprisonment, for conscious sake, will lead to a new level of inner awareness and spiritual strength, enabling you to give even greater leadership to mankind's quest for peace and justice."

As Dr. King stated in his telegram to Ms. Baez, he was no stranger to prisons and jails.  His 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a renowned piece of civil disobedience literature.

Ms. Baez's lawyer, Sherwood M. Sullivan replied to Dr. King on January 3, 1968, "We are certain that your message was very well received by Miss Baez and the other women who made a witness with her on December 18 and 19, 1967."

On January 13, 1968, the Livermore Herald & News reported an announcement by the War Resisters League that Dr. King would join a "vigil protest" at Santa Rita jail on the afternoon of January 14th, sometime between 12:30 and 3 p.m.  A War Resisters League spokesperson said that Dr. King would visit "some of his friends arrested in the pre-Christmas demonstrations at the Oakland Induction Center."  Ms. Baez and Ira Sandperl were among the protestors who were sentenced to 45 days; many of the protestors who received 20-day sentences were already released and planned to join Dr. King in the vigil.  According to the Alameda County Sheriff's office at the time, Mr. Sandperl was among the male demonstrators who refused to shave their beards or bathe at least once a week in compliance with Santa Rita rules, and so had mail and visiting privileges suspended.

Joan Baez and Ira Sandperl had a long history of activism with Dr. King.  Mr. Sandperl was director of Ms. Baez's Institute for the Study of Non-Violence.  Both joined Dr. King on civil rights marches in the South.  Their relationship with Dr. King was strained at times due to their disagreement with the aims and activities of Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  "We feel that time is running out and that we must attempt to fight the political and economic nationalism that is doing us all in," Sandperl and Baez wrote to Dr. King on December 10, 1966, "And in our assessment S.C.L.C. is not only entrapped by this nationalism, but it actually buttresses it and never does serious battle with it."

Sunday, January 14, 1968: Dr. King Visits Joan Baez & Other Protestors at Santa Rita Jail

Dr. King likely drove to Santa Rita jail from San Francisco or Oakland airport. He almost certainly drove on U.S. 50 (now I-580) through Dublin Canyon, then a four-lane expressway (today an eight-lane freeway with BART tracks in the median).  Dr. King exited U.S. 50 at Tassajara Road and took a frontage road westerly to Santa Rita jail. It's presently unknown where he parked his car.  It's possible that he parked outside the jail gate and walked some distance to the front door of the jail. (The 1968 jail and frontage road are gone as of 2018. The jail moved to a new location in the late 1980s and the frontage road became obsolete after Dublin Boulevard was extended to Tassajara Road in the 1990s.)

Some 200 people maintained a vigil in front of Santa Rita jail that day.  Many lined the frontage road leading to the jail, according to Barry Schrader, then-managing editor of the Herald & News and retired in De Kalb County, Illinois in 2018.  Mr. Schrader joined Herald & News reporter John Oliver and photographer Jim Lewis in covering Dr. King's visit to Santa Rita jail.  Mr. Schrader made one of two known audio recordings of Dr. King's impromptu speech outside of Santa Rita on the afternoon of January 14, 1968, after Dr. King exited the jail.  Colin Edwards of Pacifica Radio made the other known recording, which can be listened to here.

Dr. Martin Luther King's Impromptu Speech To the Vigil at Santa Rita Jail

Dr. King spoke for around fifteen minutes to the crowd of approximately 200 people who attended the vigil outside of Santa Rita jail on Sunday afternoon, January 14, 1968.  Barry Schrader of the Herald & News was a few feet away from Dr. King as he spoke.  Mr. Schrader recalls that Dr. King addressed the crowd while standing on the running board of his car.  Mr. Schrader snapped the photo of Dr. King that appeared on the front page of the January 15, 1968 Herald & News (erroneously credited to Jim Lewis).

Dr. King noted the "inclement weather." He spoke about his visit with Ms. Baez, Ms. Baez's mother and Mr. Sandperl inside the jail.  He compared the civil rights and anti-war movements.

Among the attendees of the vigil was Stanford University student David Harris, who later would became Joan Baez's husband.  Mr. Harris challenged his own induction into the armed forces.

Thursday, January 18, 1968: Joan Baez Quietly Released from Santa Rita Jail

On January 18, 1968, Joan Baez, her mother and several other protestors were quietly released from Santa Rita jail.  Oakland Municipal Court Judge Delmar Probst issued the order.  Ms. Baez was released 15 days before her 45-day sentence was due to expire.  Judge Probst explained the release of Ms. Baez to the Herald & News in its January 19, 1968 edition, "What we run is a rehabilitation center.  It isn't a prison.  She's shown respect for law and order.  We do this for everybody ... They watch all the prisoners. When the penalty has had the desired effect, then we release them."

Ms. Baez told a press conference in San Francisco after her release on January 18th, "Jail is really peanuts, nothing for people like us."  She indicated that she possibly would return to jail "when it's politically relevant."  Judge Probst warned Ms. Baez through the Herald & News that she was still on probation, "If she reverts back, she has 60 days facing her. We feel the penalty has had its effect. Otherwise, we wouldn't have released her ... She wasn't treated any differently than anyone else.  She didn't even know we were watching her."  Ms. Baez had worked in the supply office during her sentence.

Andrew Young accompanied Dr. King on his visit to Santa Rita Jail.  Mr. Young later would become a congressman, U.S. ambassador and Atlanta mayor.

Dr. King's Santa Rita Jail visit came on the eve of his 39th and final birthday anniversary.  Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929.  His birthday became a federal holiday by act of Congress and President Ronald Reagan in 1983.  The nation has commemorated the "Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr." on the third Monday in January since 1986.

The Santa Rita jail complex that Dr. King visited in 1968 was replaced in the late 1980s by the "new" Santa Rita jail.  The "old" Santa Rita was much closer to the highway that is today known as Interstate 580.  When Dr. King visited in 1968, the area was largely rural and the highway was a four-lane expressway known as U.S. 50.  Today I-580 freeway is at least ten lanes wide.  The site where Dr. King addressed the crowd of anti-war protestors is now likely covered by an automobile dealership (Toyota or Chevrolet).

The Vietnam War was a major topic of political discourse in mid-January 1968.  The same day that Dr. King visited the anti-war protestors at Santa Rita Jail, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota addressed the California Democratic Party convention in Fresno.  "We find ourselves becoming not just the arsenal of democracy, but the arsenal of dictatorships all around the world, "Sen. McCarthy said.  The Vietnam War took a bad turn for the Americans and South Vietnamese later that month with the Tet Offensive.  Sen. McCarthy and his anti-war platform stunned President Lyndon Johnson in the New Hampshire presidential primary election on March 12, 1968 (Johnson 49% vs. McCarthy 42%), leading to President Johnson's March 31st announcement that he would retire instead of continuing his re-election campaign.

April 4, 1968: Dr. King Murdered in Memphis: Tri-Valley Reaction

Dr. King was assassinated on Thursday, April 4, 1968 at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee where he was aiding sanitation workers in their strike for better employment conditions.  Beneath the headline, "Martin Luther King Murdered," the Herald & News ran a photo of Dr. King's January 14, 1968 visit to Santa Rita jail on its front page on April 5th.  The caption read, "DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SPOKE RECENTLY IN PLEASANTON. He Re-Emphasized His Commitment To Non-Violence."

A photo of the American flag at half-mast at the tall flagpole in downtown Livermore ran on the front page of the April 6, 1968 Herald & News with the caption, "LIVERMORE PAYS TRIBUTE."  John Oliver of the Herald & News reported on the memorial tributes to Dr. King at the Jobs Corps center then operating at Camp Parks under the headline, "Corpsmen Shocked: Camp Parks Prayerfully Mourns King." Many economically disadvantaged young men from across the country lived, studied and worked there.  Mr. Oliver reported, "These were boys from the ghettoes, from the streets, from broken homes and disadvantaged lives. Many were still in their teens and had not yet reached manhood. Shocked and stunned and overwhelmed by a monstrous problem made more ominous by the death of Martin Luther King, they felt the assault on him as an assault on each one of them."  One young man at the Job Corps gathering said, "Martin Luther King died in the belief of his Bible and his belief in brotherhood. The Bible says 'turn the other cheek.' I dunno ... The main thing to understand is that the black people have got all the power, the strength. But we don't have the minds.  We need the minds, we need education."

On Sunday, April 7, 1968, sixteen religious leaders from the Tri-Valley's Protestant, Catholic and Jewish faiths jointly conducted a memorial service for Dr. King.  Organized by the Interfaith Religious Association of the Livermore-Amador Valley, the event was held at Livermore First Presbyterian Church at 2 p.m. Rev. Denton Roberts of First Christian Church provided personal recollections of the 1965 Selma, Alabama march. Hymns sung included "Precious Lord Take My Hand," "We Shall Overcome" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."  The Herald & News reported on April 8, 1968 that 500 attended the 90-minute program.  The interfaith council prepared a resolution encouraging Livermore and Pleasanton school and city officials to increase the proportion of minority persons in their employment.

The Monday, April 8, 1968 Herald & News ran an editorial about Martin Luther King and his legacy.  It stated in part, "For the second time in less than five years, America has been shocked and saddened by the senseless assassination of a national figure ... He did not court death, but he knew that the forces which he was so largely responsible for putting into motion might make this ultimate sacrifice inevitable.  He was prepared to pay it. ... While we had frequent cause to complain of Dr. King's tactics, there can be no argument with his dream and his faith in achieving it without violence."