Issue link: http://ihouse.uberflip.com/i/703833
22 Then there was Elliott Castello who was so instrumental in the musical scene at I-House, and was so modest yet encouraging to others. He was, and is, so good- natured, kind, upbeat, funny, brilliant, and a good listener to boot. He has an amazing talent for understanding politics, and knowing every detail of current events. He can discuss these with good humor and respect for all points of view. Nanny [Nowell] Brewer I nitially, I was a bit nervous to come out West to live at I-House and start my graduate studies in social work. I had grown up in Massachusetts but had heard good things about I-House from my Vassar friends, Randy (Helen Randolph), Candy Leaf, and Betsy Williams. Despite my doubts, once I arrived, after driving across the country with them in an old Buick, I quickly made lifelong friends and had the time of my life. I studied social work and later worked as a social worker. Peggy Post [Grunland] was the I-House "social worker," the perfect person for working at the I-House desk, because she was warm and outgoing, loved people, and she had a great way of breaking down barriers between people. This was nice because so many residents came from different countries. We did so many wonderful things together, in all seasons – skiing (and jumping the train from the Cal Ski Lodge to Sugar Bowl, skis in tow!), hiking, camping, singing, dancing.... At I-House, we would sit outside in nice weather, on the patio, for meals and talk. It was such a unique time, with men coming back from the war and the country moving towards peaceful times. It gave the "Golden Agers" such a bond to have gone through such hard times. Bob Brewer I n terms of how I met Nanny – she came on the scene in 1948. We had coffee in the coffee shop, which went well. Then our friend, Bill Ferguson, who was taking Betsy Williams to the big dance that semester, suggested to me that I ask Nanny Nowell - which I did. I've been loving her ever since! We were married at the Congregational Church in Berkeley in 1951. When we were first married, we lived in a basement apartment on Ridge Road, which we loved; we were very happy to be so close to Cal and our friends. I had majored in engineering and had become a civil engineer. Eventually, we moved to Beverly Road in Kensington, then to the Oakland Hills, to Castle Park Way, to live in a house designed by two I-House alumni, Reeve Gould and David Leaf. One year after our marriage, Anne arrived, followed by Katie, Carol and Amy, and so began the Brewer Family, with four wonderful daughters! Taken from interviews by Anne Brewer in April of 2010; editing by Jeanine Castello-Lin and Tonya Staros