A Police Shrink Who Gives Up on Nobody — Part III
Sue Grafton’s recent death reminded me what a joy it was to watch this gracious, no-nonsense writer break into the male-dominated mystery genre back in 1982. I’ve been thinking of Grafton while writing...
View ArticleRemembering Peter Mayer
Reading about the death of legendary Penguin publisher Peter Mayer at 82 reminded me of an episode in the late 1970s that demonstrated the makings of that dear man as one of the book industry’s most...
View ArticleLet Glide Be Glide
Recent decisions by a conservative Methodist bishop are causing an uproar among the many followers of Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco. A few weeks ago, the bishop, Minerva Carcaño,...
View ArticleChanging the World, One Idea at a Time: Part I
A modern-day Gold Rush has been mining its way through the hills of West Marin, thanks to the oddball brilliance of one very smart iconoclast named Richard Kirschman. I mention the Gold Rush because...
View ArticleChanging the World, One Idea at a Time: Part II
It may not seem that a $4.95 paperback with nothing but word lists could make a difference to an industry — maybe to the world — but that was the potential I saw in Richard Kirschman’s self-published...
View ArticleChanging the World, One Idea at a Time: Part III
“Every now and then, a person will have a good idea for an invention, but the concept rarely goes beyond idle speculation and cocktail party chatter. Richard Kirschman is not one of those people.” So...
View ArticleChanging the World, One Idea at a Time: Part IV
“Thus began Richard in West Marin: He had ideas, he invented, he petitioned. He studied, learned, asked questions and offered pragmatic ideas, always with a smile and good humor.” — The Point Reyes...
View ArticleRichard Kirschman, Changing the World – One Idea at a Time: Part V
Part of the fun of writing about Richard Kirschman lies in discovering an entrepreneur of a half a century ago who might be unrecognizable today. The young Richard Kirschman was a clean-shaven,...
View ArticleRichard Kirschman: Changing the World, One Idea at a Time, Part VI
I started this series wanting to describe only one thing about Richard Kirschman because it fascinates so many — that is, his role as creator of the now-legendary $3 Coin Project in West Marin. The...
View ArticleThe Amazing History of the Amazing Richard Kirschman, Part VII
Dear Readers: Richard Kirschman died peacefully at home in Point Reyes Station on November 6, a dear friend to many and a voice in West Marin that will never be silenced. I miss him already. — Pat...
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