Issue 188, Summer 2009 - Telegraph Hill Dwellers

Art & Culture Salon CelebratesHistory on the Hillby Kathleen Cannon and Art PetersonOn July 29, Canessa Gallery was filled withTHDers with special memories of living onTelegraph Hill and North Beach. Sponsoredby the THD Art & Culture Committee’s StorytellingSalon, Tales of North Beach, the event allowed speakerseach five minutes to tell their stories. But memoriesspark memories. One person’s narrative inspiredanother, and the evening became a rich and vivid tapestryof oral history. The event was recorded by JudyIrving and can be accessed at www.THD.org. Here area few excerpts.Danny MacchiariniIt was the “Age ofBeatniks.” Danny saw a distinctfigure in black walkinga lion down Grant Avenue.The lion was roaring. Thefigure was Anton LeVey,founder of the Church of Satan, who had recentlywritten in the San Francisco Chronicle that Godis dead. The San Francisco Board of Supervisorsdeclared lions were verboten in North Beach.GiGi of Sotto MareRestaurant, GreenStreetGiGi was a youngchild when he arrivedin North Beach from afarm in Umbria, Italy. Heremembers a big Easteregg hunt in WashingtonSquare Park, 3 bocce ball lanes at the Savoy Tivoli,four butchers in North Beach and games rolling ballbearings down a hill “because we had no balls.”Kathleen DooleyKathleen recalls parties along Napier Lanewith Grace Marchant who served plum wine.On Halloween, Grace would dress up as a witch.Everyone carved pumpkins and placed them alongthe stairs. When tour busses arrived, it was obviousthe parties had become too popular.Tina SmelzerIn 1963, at four yearsold, Tina moved to NorthBeach from the East Bay.Her family lived at Powelland Stockton. One horriblenight, her house caught fireand her brother as well. Thefireman who saved her brotherdied. Later Joe Sullivan, his partner and friend, connectedwith Tina and she got to say “thank you”.Mark BittnerMark came to San Francisco in 1970s to be aHippie. He had been in high school, reading theBeats. His literary hero was the poet Gregory Corso.Living on the streets, he did not have an easy timeof it. “Hip people had nothing to do with me. I wastoo working class.” One day Mark crossed the streetto avoid one of the mot disreputable characters inNorth Beach, “a known hassler.”As it turned out, thatperson was Gregory Corso.June OsterbergJune came to SanFrancisco “before the Beats,before the Hippies” Everyonewas reading Laughter on the24 Issue #188 • Summer 2009