Elliott Stephens

Interviewed by Camille Antinori, September 6, 2024

First from Texas, Mr. Stephens identifies as a true Berzerkleyan. His uncle taught his brother and him to fish, and a favorite activity was driving them down to the pier in his '58 (or '59) Chevy Impala station wagon to fish. With 52 boys in the neighborhood who would spend days together in school and then free time playing together, there was always a pack of kids ready to ride down to the marina. The time together lead to a sense of camaraderie and experience of teamwork which he value today. Mr. Stephens contrasts his South Berkeley neighborhood with the new one he moved to in North Berkeley. His description of black-owned businesses in South Berkeley include Assemblyman William Byron Rumford's pharmacy where Mr. Stephens worked as a young man. He also describes how Mr. Rumford's son was responsible for removing the railroad running down Sacramento Street, where the statue of his father now stands. Fishing skipped a generation in his family and he describes passing the art onto his granddaughters. The interview ends with a desire to reopen the pier and reflections on the sense of freedom that the time and place afforded him as an integral part of his life.

Image: '58 Chevy Impala "Nomad" station wagon, James Laga 2018

Clip

Elliott Stephens Clip - MP3 (2.5 MB)

Image: Plaque commemorating William Byron Rumford, found on yelp.com

Full Interview

Full interview - MP3 (52 MB)

Image: Railroad through South Berkeley, African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection, Oakland Public Library

Topics (in order):

From Texas to Oakland to Berkeley

Uncle getting Elliott and his younger brother taking them to the pier and teaching them the art of fishing

Riding in the Chevy Impala

Types of bait

Always together with his brother and uncle going fishing weekends, after church, and sometimes weekdays

The international group encountered on the pier

Catch: sharks, rock cod, sturgeon and whatever was running in the bay

Crab fishing as his favorite; always guaranteed a catch

Being taught how to clean the crab for cooking

Kids owning the streets with their Stingray bikes and getting down to the waterfront

Sense of peace, camaraderie, and naturalness of fishing springing from home life

CJ's bait shop and how cool was CJ

The Hot Dog man v. brownbagging it

Brother getting into deep sea fishing with Mr. Kramer but motion of the ocean not for Elliott

South Berkeley neighborhood Asian, Caucasian and Black-owned businesses, Bob's Liquors, dentist, mom-and-pop grocery stores, Chevron gas station, pool hall and nightclub

The pack of kids growing up, the cast of characters, knowing who to trust, and getting along with everyone

West Berkeley and the "front"

Mom as sole provider and moving family to North Berkeley

Playing in the big hole when they constructed North Berkeley Bart station

Difference in mindset and number of kids and less fishers

Coming in the Berkeley schools and his brother as first cohort integrated into Berkeley schools and bussed to Emerson

Dr. Sullivan and integrating the BUSD system

He and his brother introducing their kids to fishing

Skipped a generation for Elliott and he gets his granddaughters their first fishing poles

Experiencing the serenity of fishing on a lake with grandkids

Favorite memory: Catching a shark for the first time

Opening the pier: one of few low maintenance, low-cost things to do, just a cool place to go, introduce others to same experience he and his brother were so fortunate to have

Fishing derbies

Grocery stores and other differences in South v. North Berkeley

The Sacramento corridor and Assemblyman William Byron Rumford

Working for Mr. Rumford Senior and being close friends with William Byron Rumford III

Pharmacy as a hub of who's who in Berkeley

Railroads in Berkeley

Housing displacement due to Bart construction

Being in the right place at the right time and appreciating the sense of freedom that comes with community and access to what they had

Full interview transcript

Image: Plaque on Sacramento Street, Berkeley, commemorating William Byron Rumford, Jr., Credit: Nico Savidge for Berkeleyside

Citation (APA style):

Stephens, E., Antinori, C., Exploring Intergenerational and Community Connections to the Outdoors. (2024). Interview with Elliott Stephens conducted by Camille Antinori. September 6, 2024. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Berkeley Fishing Memories Oral History Project: https://www.cmantinori.net/berkeley-fishing-memories-oral-history-project/interview-with-elliott-stephens.

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