International House Berkeley

21 After the war, I went back to UCLA on the G.I. Bill, and later transferred to Berkeley and lived at I-House. As so many have mentioned, some of the best memories of I-House were of the singing on the stairs coming down from the Dining Hall. After dinner, people would congregate and sing up a storm, and who walking by could resist? So, the number of singers would grow as people walked back from dinner. Sometimes there were 4, 10, 20! Nanny and I loved the casual and inclusive atmosphere. There was always someone who knew a new song and they'd sing it, and then everybody would join in, and then you'd have a new song in your repertoire. There was a song book, also, Songs the World Sings, which had a wonderful collection. I didn't have any formal musical training – I just liked to sing, and play the recorder by ear. Though I couldn't read music, I had a feel for harmony and had a bass voice. Another popular spot for impromptu singing was the mail-room at I-House, where the acoustics were very good. As these folks kept singing together, everyone was learning to harmonize. The range of songs and people added to the richness of the experience, as each one learned new songs from the others. This was the best education in singing and harmony I could have experienced. Nanny and I sing these songs still to this day, sometimes in bed in the middle of the night, or wherever we are, with a song for almost any theme or occasion that arises. Rafe [Rafael Rodriguez], was, of course, a beloved friend to us. He was a quiet and subtle man, but had brilliant intellect and creativity bubbling beneath the surface. He loved to sing and write songs ("California Russian," for example). He was so approachable and went out of his way to share music and develop friendships; he was a real dynamo. He was a few years older, and was working on his Ph.D in botany. He used our refrigerator at times to keep crabs or abalone or octopi, which would roam around the fridge, according to Nanny! So many other friendships ensued. Doug Powell was one. He had been in Italy, in combat, and was promoted to officer because he was so capable in leading his men. My first roommate at I-House, Sören Christenson, I remember fondly. He took college very casually but was terrific with ice, glasses and bar offerings! His family was involved with a big shipping company. Sören sometimes took a big group of Norwegians and Swedes out to supper at a good bar and grill in lower Berkeley, where the drinks flowed freely. And, rumor has it that punch at I-House parties was spiked on occasion! Another memory I have is of Malcolm Nobs, or "Knobby," who swooped around in his open air Jeep, and was the first to grow a serious mustache! But his botanical descriptions and discussions about native plants and animals were fascinating to Nanny and me. His family had been involved in the Gold Rush. They had a cabin in the Sierras where there was a fireplace faced with rocks that had visible streaks of gold running through them.

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