ORAL HISTORIES

Eliot "Bud" Macy

Eliot Macy Interview

Eliot "Bud" Macy and his wife Susie were among the earliest Mountain Drivers. Bud was a young writer and Susie was Bobby Hyde's first daughter.
Natalie Daily

Natalie Daily Interview

Natalie Daily, husband Gus, and their young children, Marla, Gordon, and Brian, moved from Pittsburgh to The Castle on Mountain Drive in 1959.
George Greyson

George Greyson Interview

Arriving in 1960 with his family, Miramar Hotel chef George Greyson introduced the Scottish tradition of a Burns supper to the Mountain Drive community.
Marty Birdsell

Marty Birdsell Interview

A native of Santa Barbara, Marty moved to Mountain Drive just after the 1964 Coyote Fire. He participated in community celebrations and edited the "Grapevine".
Peggy Lane

Peggy Lane Interview

Peggy was a mother of five when she and husband, Frank Robinson, lost their MD home in the 1964 Coyote Fire. She describes surviving the fire and aftermath.
Mervin Lane

Mervin Lane Interview

Starting in 1952, musician-author Mervin Lane, and his dance instructor wife, June, built their home studio and raised a family on Mountain Drive.
Kathryn Dole

Kathryn Dole Interview

Although Kate Dole never lived on Mountain Drive, she and Bobby Hyde were good friends for 20 years. She developed many insights into Bobby's character.
Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson Interview

Architect-contractor Frank Robinson moved to Mountain Drive in 1951 with his wife, Peggy. Frank recounts how many of the MD celebrations were conceived.
Susan Robinson Sisson

Susan Sisson Interview

Susan Hamilton was a 17-year-old Westmont student when Mountain Drive beckoned. She reveals the joys and the heartaches of belonging to the community.
Christine Walden

Christine Walden Interview

Christine Walden was a late-comer to Mountain Drive when she moved in with Ed Schertz in 1967. She describes ways she and Ed were self-sufficient.
Ed Schertz

Ed Schertz Interview

Potter Ed Schertz moved to Mountain Drive in 1961. He describes the community as a marvelous place with great freedom, where radical ideas were encouraged.
Sandy Hill

Sandy Hill Interview

Friends made in Adult Ed pottery class led her to Mountain Drive in 1960. Sandy Hill describes family and community life from a mother's perspective.
Mary Lynn Soini

Mary Lynn Soini Interview

As a high schooler, Mary Lynn visited the Mountain Drive dance studio home of June Lane in 1959. By the early sixties, she was living with Ed Schertz.
Becky Rodriguez Claytor

Becky Claytor Interview

Becky was one of the six Rodriguez orphans adopted by the Hydes late in life. She describes growing up on Mountain Drive in the early sixties.
Dick Johnston

Dick Johnston Interview

Radio station-owner Dick Johnston discovered Mountain Drive in the early sixties. He was so impressed by Bill Neely he wrote an unpublished novel about him.
Gill Johnston

Gill Johnston Interview

A World War II veteran, "Uncle" Gill "The Gardner" Johnston lived on Mountain Drive for 30 years. Among many anecdotes he describes his first LSD trip.
Gavin Hyde

Gavin Hyde Interview

The son of Bobby and Floppy, Gavin Hyde grew up on the rural Mountain Drive of the 1940s, learning self-reliance and single-wall house construction.
Noel Young

Noel Young Interview

Noel Young literally wrote the book on Hot Tubs. Founder of Capra Press, Young was the westernmost Mountain Driver and perhaps the most articulate.
Burdette Dunn

Burdette Dunn Interview

Distantly related to Bobby Hyde and an early Mountain Driver, Burdette Dunn was indifferent to the bohemian lifestyle and ultimately moved over a mile away.
Jack Boegle

Jack Boegle Interview

Arriving on Mountain Drive in the early 1950s, Jack Boegle built a neat adobe and was the pleasant host of Sunset Club for 35 years.
Dana Smith

Dana Smith Interview

County Deputy Counsel Dana Smith built his Mountain Drive home on Coyote Fire remains. Bobby Hyde ribbed the lawyer as a “spy in the enemy camp.”
Stan Hill

Stan Hill Interview

Stan Hill was a WWII fighter pilot, civilian optometrist, and winemaker. Along with wife, Sandy, he built 2 homes and 4 experimental aircraft on Mountain Drive.
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Ted Adams Interview

Ted found Mountain Drive through a cannabis connection in the early 1960s. He bought 10 acres in Painted Cave from Bobby Hyde.
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Chris Neely Interview

The eldest son of Bill Neely, Chris grew up on Mountain Drive. He shares his personal journey of family challenges, successes, and staying in the community.