Keep Martinez’s Rich History Alive!

Nancy Fahden: Martinez Bocce Pioneer

Nancy Fahden made her mark on Martinez history several years before she became the first woman elected to the County Board of Supervisors sparking a huge change in the composition of the Board and its goals for the county.  It was she who started the process that not only brought bocce ball back to Martinez […]

Nancy Fahden – First Woman CC County Supervisor

Martinez native Nancy Cardinalli Fahden had no intention of making history by becoming the first woman on the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors.  In 1976 she recruited a neighbor, Bill Wainwright, to run against an entrenched incumbent who was one of five middle-aged business men on the board. But at the last minute Wainwright withdrew […]

Matthew Barber and His Name on the Street Where He Lived

Editor’s Note: This column appeared in the November 1, 1983 edition of the News-Gazette Martinez is rich with old houses that have a history we can still locate in the old books of the people who built them and those pioneers’ contributions to our city.  One of these is the home on Barber Lane, still […]

The True Heart of Martinez

(Editor’s Note:  At this time in our history when so many people, so many families, are needing and receiving help and support in Texas and in Florida because of two terrible hurricanes, it seems appropriate to celebrate the best of the generous spirit of people even in small and unheralded ways and even when it’s […]