Archive for the ‘history’ Category
Where was the Robert S. McNamara Residence? Mystery Solved?
Thursday, March 18th, 2010It’s well known that Robert S. McNamara grew up right here in Lakewood Park but many have been uncertain about his exact address. McNamara was the nation’s eighth Secretary of Defense under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and the person most often associated with the nation’s military strategies and decisions during the Viet Nam War. He was the son of Robert James McNamara and Clara Nell (Strange) McNamara (hence his Strange middle name). He graduated from Piedmont High School in 1933 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Berkeley in 1937. According to the city directories of the day, Robert J. and Clara Nell lived at 1036 Annerley Road, the current residence of Clinton and May Arndt who have lived there for the past 30 years. May told me that they purchased the home from a family that was unable to get their children into Piedmont School because the address is actually in Oakland. So how was it possible that Robert S. was able to attend Piedmont Schools? No one seems to known for sure. It could be that the school eligibility requirements at the time were more lenient or perhaps Clara Nell was employed by the City of Piedmont. His father, Robert J. was a sales manager at a wholesale shoe company in San Francisco.
New catagory: History
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010Forum for the discussion of the history of Lake Merritt, historical sites and architecture..
