California Dreamin'

To me the University of California at Berkeley is sacred ground. As a teenager I envied all the young people who had the resources to get to what I thought was the seething center of radical thought, artistic excellence, and political activism in the USA. I hatched a hundred different plans to get myself there when I was in my twenties and thirties, but none of them ever came together. Finally, today, I had my time on campus, and though I’m nearly 71 and the university is between terms, it was a great thrill to be there. Devorah gave us a tour of the university campus and surrounding area, including “Holy Hill,” where there are seventeen different divinity schools, and where her office at Starr King is located. Here she is, studying a manuscript at the Graduate Theological Union library; and in the extra she’s making a fine point as only she can, with the Sather Gates (where so many radical demonstrations were staged in the 70s) in the background and a little off kilter. Sunshine, breeze, and blue sky. A perfect day for California Dreamin.