Growing Up in San Francisco – Mt Davidson (50 foot cross on top of the mountain)
My Father — Dr. Willis Kirk — was a Jazz musician, educator, administrator and for many years a Dean of the Placement Office at City College San Francisco. We lived in a lovely home on Mt Davidson.
I delivered the SF Progress to Willie Mays, and the San Francisco Chronicle to Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor/Mayor/Senator Diane Feinstein. Worked the morning shift at 5 am, 83 customers.
In 1970 a former member of Hitler’s Youth Corps moved right next door to me. He was groomed to be a member of Third Reich since age 12. The stereotypical words about Jews, Blacks and other Non-Whites flowed out of his mouth like water. They made me cringe at times. As a teenager, my neighbor told the racial jokes, uttered racial slurs, nazi propaganda statements and a bigoted historical perspective, so much so that everytime I saw Him, I would try to quickly put my key in the door and rush into the house.
The Nazi propaganda clearly took over his mind and being. The only saving grace of growing up next door to a Hitler Youth Corps member – He and his middle eastern (Iranian) wife played the piano – Beautifully!
MY neighbor loved Beethoven and his Wife loved Schumann. They did not own a television and both husband and wife played the piano every night for enjoyment and entertainment. The couple could read fly specks on the page (excellent music readers) and their reperotire of Beethoven and Schumann was vast. I heard some of the most beautiful piano music coming from next door for years. I fell in love with Beethoven and Robert and Clara Schmann’s music because of them. So much so that in 1977 I recorded a Robert Schumann piece as an audition song on the Vibraphone, for entrance into Indiana University school of music.
My neighbor’s Wife came and listened and gave me a critique on the performance before I submitted the tape. We got into long discussions about classical music, (Beethoven and Schumann) and Jazz music. I educated them on Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Sly Stone. My neighbor wished He was able to improvise, and expressed his admiration for Jazz musicians.
Once when I led my own band in a club in San Francisco the two of them came to hear me play drums. Surprised the stew out of me!
My Dad had no tolerance for my next door neighbor. He and Dad talked a few times, when they first moved next door, and everything turned into a racial conversation, Willis was done with Him! They said hello and that was it. The conversations between my Dad and my neighbor were nothing but pleasantries.
Across the street from us lived a wonderful German friend and neighbor. I grew up with her children, One of the kids committed suicide after being caught up in the SF drug scene in Junior High School! (Vietnam war era) Could not believe it! She was my classmate, neighbor, friend. A straight “A” student and a sweetheart. Very painful to this day.
Both neighbors (next door and across the street) had philosophical heated arguments all the time, in German. He was stuck in the brainwashed philosophy of Adolf Hitler, ala Nazi Germany – While She lived in America now. A beautiful and proud German woman (made a great apple pie and strudel) loved America, Black people, my family and all colors, races, soul food, German food, Italian food, Asian food, and in her heart had adopted America’s creed – All Men are created equal! During my teenage years, She and I had deep conversations about her past and my future, accompanied by a good German Stoudt. Yep, I was underage!
When Willis Kirk (Dad) became the President of City College of San Francisco many things changed in my world. I wasn’t Black enough to my so -called Black friends and to my so-called White friends, there goes that “Uppity N…..” Man – What a dichotomy….