Greetings from Monty Martinez - the dishwasher from CCC in 1969

April 22, 2010.

Hi,

I’m Marcelino…..the Coppercreek Dishwasher from Summer 1969.

I am very sorry to learn that John and Lynne passed on. Where is Eric? I still have the walking stick Eric made for me in July 1969.

I enjoyed my wonderful summer with you very much. I took many rolls of pictures with my old Minolta Autocord TLR of the staff and campers. David Spriggs; Clothilde Duffer-Kennedy was the RN from SF State; Linda Manning; and Bonnie Needham were counselors; plus students from Stanford University [whose names I have forgotten]. I think I still have them in an old album, somewhere.

Together, we watched the Moon walk and landing in 1969 with John and Lynne in the living room of their home; went in David Spriggs’ old VW van to the Taylorville Rodeo; and sailed the nearly-by lake with Kit Kurtz, another counselor from Chico State.

Angela Graham, a descendent of the famed Robert the Bruce of Scotland, and Patricia Corke were campers I remember the most. I also remember Sally Friedman of Glen Park, San Francisco.

I am glad that Coppercreek is still in existence and that you are carrying on the tradition.

Since that Summer of 1969, I

• completed two master’s degrees;

• retired as a Lieutenant Commander, Medical Service Corps, U.S. Navy; travelled as a Hospital Corpsman and as a Medical Service Corps officer to the war in 1974 South Vietnam, Korean DMZ, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, Belgium; England, France, and Mexico;

• worked in the CA State Legislature for the Speaker of the Assembly;

• lobbied for Kissinger & McLarthy on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; and,

• served as a delegate to the 1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions; represented my south Stockton, CA, district for the Democratic Party from 1994-2004; served as Co-Chair of the CA Democratic Health Care and Platform Committee from 1999-2004; and received an award as the “Most Outstanding Democrat” for Amador, Calaveras, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, etc. in 2003


My life has been immeasurably enriched by the experiences and memories of the Summer of 1969.

I work for a wonderful company, Walden House, Inc., in SF.

I owe much of what has become of my life during the past four decades to the 90 days I spent at Coppercreek.

Thank you.

M. Monty Martinez, MPA, MS-HCA
Assistant to the Vice President of Mental Health Services
Walden House, Incorporated

In a later email, Monty added:

I last spoke with David Spriggs in March 1970 right after I accepted a position with the Elections Department of Sacramento County. I had intended to return to CCC for Summer 1970, but I declined to do so. I stayed with Sacramento County for three years; moved on to Yolo County as their Elections Supervisor; and, then served a short one year as Consultant to the Joint Assembly-Senate Legislative Committee on Aging under Assembly Speaker Bob Moretti before moving on a twenty year career (4 reserve+16 active) in the U.S. Navy.