Growing Up LDS in Pleasanton, California!

It really was the perfect place. We lived at 1870 Tanglewood Way. It was in a neighborhood called Walnut Grove. Our home was built in the 60's in what had previously been a grove of walnut trees. We had 6 trees in our yard. That created a lot of walnuts to harvest each fall. The husks are messy. Thankfully we had friends who wanted walnuts and they would come harvest some of ours, leaving fewer for us to have to pick up. I remember having to pick up a lunch sackful of walnuts before school during the fall.

Our house. The walnut trees are pretty much gone. The room I shared with Jenny is the window on the top left. Dad's office where he did all his bishop stuff was to the right of the front door. The house still looks great.

I went to Walnut Grove Elementary School, which was just a few blocks away. Harvest Park Middle School was behind our neighbor's house, although they never invited us to use the gate in their yard to access the school. We always had to walk around. Weird. Why didn't mom ever ask? Amador High School was further away. We walked some, but we mostly drove our Ford Pinto to school. We would park across the street at aunt Kathy's house. During lunch, we would go back to Kathy's house and eat lunch there sometimes. 

Walnut Grove. Schools in California were mainly outside. There were "pods" of classrooms, but no big buildings with indoor hallways. Friends here included: Jackie LeBreck, Valerie Kopytoff, Cami Adams, Leigh Rudy, Lee Kingsbury. Memorable teachers were Mr. Kenrick and Mr. Kimball. 

Another school made of a bunch of separate buildings. Harvest Park Middle School. Memorable friends: Lou Romano, Cami Adams, Tammy Hansen, my sister Jenny. Awesome teachers were Mr. Lipps and Mr. Puppione.

Friends at Amador: Yvonne Morris, Jennifer Partridge, Kim Rose, Natalie Mano, Cami Adams, Jen and Kris (my sisters), Lou Romano, Lisa Stanley. Teachers who made a difference: Mrs. Patton, Mrs. Roberts (not because she was fabulous, but because she was the sewing teacher), Mrs. Swift.

We attended Pleasanton 2nd Ward in the Pleasanton Stake. Dad was called as bishop when I was 8. After a few years in P2, a new ward, Pleasanton 3rd, was created and dad stayed on as bishop of the new ward. He was bishop for 10 years, from when I was 8 to when I was 18. That's a long time. It didn't seem to have a huge effect on our family, though. Dad never worked on Fridays. He also did interviews at home, in his office, so he was home a lot. Mom might have a different opinion of how hard it was, but overall, having dad as bishop brings good memories.

The demographics in the 80's in Pleasanton made for the perfect ward. We had about 120 youth. We had great leaders. It was a great time and great place to grow up. We had New Years Eve breakfasts at the house with the bishopric. This would happen AFTER the stake new years eve dance. We had overnight youth parties in the church, with movies, games led by Brother Adams, and food. We did roadshows and always won. Again, Brother Adams was at the helm. Camp was awesome, with Sandy Cherry and Carole Hunter as camp directors. We had superb youth leaders. Dad has often told us since that he ALWAYS staffed the youth program first and with the BEST individuals. Sister Fisher, Sister Huber, Sister Nielsen, Brother Morley, Brother Hemming, Brother Brown. The list goes on and on.

The success of Pleasanton 2nd and 3rd wards goes way back, as I learned last weekend. I was talking to dad about his being bishop. A lot of men who worked with dad or were youth with dad have since been leaders in Pleasanton and often ask themselves "What would Bishop Hunter do?." Elder Vaughn Featherstone, former member of the Presiding Bishopric of the church, told Jenny once that dad was one of the best bishops the church has ever had. It really was a miraculous ward. It all began in Chicago when dad was only 28.

When dad was in dental school, he served as bishop of the Logan Square Ward. Dad recently told me that when he was released and moved to Detroit, he felt he had bombed big-time as a bishop. He had received no training, and while he tried to do his best, he felt things could have done better. After leaving Chicago, he told the Lord that if he were ever given the chance to be a bishop again, he would be the best bishop the church had ever seen. Shortly after I was born in Detroit, dad joined a dental practice and we moved to Pleasanton. He spent the next 9 years in stake and ward leadership callings in Pleasanton. He was on the high council, stake YM president, stand-in counselor to Stake President when a counselor was out of town for an extended period, counselor to a bishop, etc. He said he watched EVERYONE in leadership, especially the bishops. He noted everything that he liked and found effective so, if given the chance, he could be a better bishop. 

Well, that chance came in 1974 when he was called as bishop of P2. I think that's a pretty cool story about dad's determination to learn and improve. What a great example. For years after mom and dad moved from Pleasanton, dad's stamp and the Hunter name was still a HUGE part of the church in Pleasanton.