Glen Park  Neighborhoods  History Project

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Afterwards, the up and coming generation of the Theriault Family spoke impressively of how their grandmother, Zoanne, had so positively influenced them. It was very clear that Zoanne had taught them truth to power, and had channeled to them the powerful moxie that Minnie Straub Baxter had channeled from Glen Park women suffragists of the early 1900s to the Gum Tree Girls:

 

• No matter their differences, the willingness to lock arms and collaborate with others who may hold very different beliefs and perspectives from theirs;

• Standing up and speaking out with courage and fortitude to increase knowledge and understanding, and bring attention and raise awareness to their cause;

• Participating in peaceful assembly to create a public spectacle to further bring attention and support to their cause;

• Staying true to their mission to bring equality and rights to all.

 

To highlight the depth and breadth of Glen Park Moxie, the Glen Park Women Hall of Fame was on display in the new wing of the Recreation Center. In addition to the Gum Tree Girls, an additional 17 women were heralded by the festival. These women are associated with the Glen Park district either as former residents or because a park or school in the district has been named for them, including:

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• The mother of California civil rights, Mary Ellen Pleasant;

• Johanna Pinther, co-leader of America’s first march for woman's suffrage in 1908;

• Loretta Starvus Stack, a California communist leader who was a defendant in a 1957 Supreme Court decision that overturned the US Antisedition Act and reconfirmed First Amendment rights for all;

• Union activist Dolores Huerta, who cofounded the United Farm Workers with César Chávez;

• Artist Ruth Asawa, who is nationally recognized for her wire sculptures;

• Hollywood actor Irene Ryan, “Granny” on the 1960s sitcom, “The Beverly Hillbillies,” whose gift to The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC continues to support the development of young actors;

• Barbara Kascinell, a specialist in American Sign Language who worked with Koko the Gorilla at Stanford;

• Environmentalist Dorothy Erskine who in the 1940s advocated for a San Francisco Master Plan, in the 1950s encouraged integration of public housing, and in the 1960s emphasized the importance of preservation of green space in public planning;

• Jean Kortum (at the link, scroll down), who not only fought to stop construction of a nuclear power plant at Bodega Head, but as a historian is responsible for registering California State Historical Landmark No. 1002 in Glen Canyon Park in 1992 for America's first dynamite factory that was personally licensed by inventor Alfred Nobel and for which the GPNHP, in partnership with the Native Sons of the Golden West Foundation and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, placed a plaque to commemorate the designation in 2018; 

• Environmentalist Ruth Gravanis, credited with being an early proponent of banning the sale of single-use water bottles and who made the recommendation to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom (Governor Newsom recently signed a bill to reduce single-use plastics in California);

• And several others.

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An article about the legacy of the Gum Tree Girls was published in the San Francisco Examiner on the day of the festival. They had previously been highlighted by National Geographic and the San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate. The Glen Park News also published a report that captured the spirit of the festival.

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After 15 months of planning, the festival was suddenly over in 6 short hours. Despite all of the bumps in the road and angst leading up to it, the festival was a huge success! There are many people to thank for helping to make it a reality. We especially thank Gum Tree Girl Joan Seiwald, her husband, Robert, and their children, as well as the families of Gum Tree Girls Zoanne Nordstrom and Geri Arkush. A special note of thanks to Charlotte Theriault, granddaughter of Zoanne Nordstrom, who created the beautiful logo art for the festival!

 

This could not have been possible without the support of the Glen Park community. We thank the Glen Park Association, and the Glen Park Merchants Association and Avenue Greenlight for the two grants totaling $2500 they awarded in support of the festival. We also thank our sponsors: the Glen Park Association, the Glen Park Merchants Association and Avenue Greenlight, Bird & Beckett Books & Records, the League of Women Voters of San Francisco, and Canyon Market. The very fun kids' sports and coloring activities would not have been possible without the generous support and enthusiasm of Jessica Bogo of the Glen Park Association, and Renee Berger of Burnside Mural+ and Twin Walls Mural Company, respectively. Thanks also to the Golden Gate Audubon Society for reaching out to the GPNHP for co-leading the combined Birding and History Walk in Glen Canyon in April that helped raise nearly $500 for the festival. We look forward to collaborating with them again! And also to Betsy Eddy and Patrick Carroll of the Diamond Heights Community Association and also Brynna McNulty of Friends of Christopher Park for their endless support and helping us spread the word about the festival!

 

Without event planner Susie McKennon, the festival could not have been the success that it was. Thank you, Susie!  A huge thanks also to St. John Catholic School and to Bonnee Waldstein of the Glen Park Association for putting the call out for volunteers, as well as to the dozen or so volunteers who arrived to assist with festival set-up, showtime, and/or take-down between 7 am 6 pm. We could not have done it without you! And a big thanks also to our fiscal sponsor, Independent Arts & Media and Executive Director Lisa Burger, for all of the essential guidance and support.

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We also want to express our thanks and appreciation to the staff at the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for their critical support of the festival and their incredible guidance, including Shauna Bogetz, Supervisor, and Serena Lau of Special Events, Permits and Reservations Division; Lisa Graves, Park Section Supervisor, Parks and Open Spaces; Carol Sionkowski, Recreation & Parks, Park Service Area Manager; Marcus Santiago, Lieutenant of the San Francisco Park Rangers; Conor Casey, Facility Coordinator, Glen Park Recreation Center; and also Erik from the Grounds staff on the day of the festival. It is a shame that SFRPD could not send a representative to speak during the opening ceremony of the festival to not only support their amazing work, but also help highlight how Minnie Straub Baxter and the Gum Tree Girls played such a key role in conserving Glen Canyon Park, the most beautiful natural park in San Francisco.

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And last but not least, we thank YOU, our enthusiastic GPNHP members and followers who have supported us throughout the years with your passion, enthusiasm, and generous financial support to not only help us carry out our mission to rediscover our forgotten histories, document our living histories, and share our histories with others, but also in direct support of the festival to help us herald and commemorate all of these amazing women. We could not have done it without you! You will always have our deepest gratitude.

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All in all, it was just a glorious day! And, following the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the timing of the Glen Park Gum Tree Girls Festival celebrating the rights and achievements of women could not have been more perfect. The lessons we can learn from Glen Park’s historic women have never been more important than they are now. Let's use that Glen Park Moxie and carry it forward!

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