Font ResizeSEVENTY FIVE years ago, the Nov. 19, 1934, Berkeley Daily Gazette carried a note about the publication of a new book, "The Incidence of Delinquency in Berkeley, 1928-32."
It was just out from the UC Press, and a product of the Bureau of Public Administration on the campus.
Your correspondent, in one of those rare coincidences that makes history a pleasure to research, was able when he read that item to reach over to the bookshelf and take down a copy of that very same book: a thin, blue-covered, volume.
The authors studied records of nearly 2,000 juvenile (under 21 years old) delinquents over a four-year period and put together an extensive analysis of trends and behavior.
They even mapped where Berkeley's delinquents lived; all over the city, essentially, with the most dense concentration seemingly running from north central Berkeley south to the Oakland border. The ratio of delinquents to population was highest in central Berkeley, immediately west and southwest of the UC campus.
What sort of crimes had they committed and what problems did they cause?
The list was extensive, including "petty theft, truancy, sex offense other than rape, larceny, larcenous mischief, burglary, disorderly conduct, drunkenness, rape, automobile stealing, shoplifting, arson, forgery and theft, receiving stolen goods, assault, purse snatching."
The numbers were inflated, however, by items we
"Bad companions," as well as "Incorrigibility" and "Domestic difficulties" were also included. Berkeley Police provided clarification of meanings, including "quarreling with parents" as an example of "domestic difficulties."
"Bad companions" meant children "whose influence is unfavorable on some other individual." And "sex offenses other than rape" included lewdness and exposure, but also encouraging someone to "take part in any model artist exhibit... such as is offensive to decency."
Petty theft was distinguished from grand theft, which included stealing a "horse, mare, gelding, any bovine animal, mule, jack, jenny, sheep, lamb, hog, sow, boar, gilt, barrow, or pig." Berkeley did have in that four-year period, the statistics showed, one case of manslaughter and 18 cases of rape among those under age 21.
Community Chest
Despite rainy weather, thousands of Berkeleyans came to Harmon Gymnasium on the UC campus to see the first Berkeley Community Chest Exhibit.
Complete with musical entertainment, the exhibit showcased the needs and programs of Berkeley's community service agencies.
Participating programs ranged from the Albany School Lunch Committee to the YWCA, and included the Camp Fire Girls, Catholic Ladies Aid Society, Salvation Army, and Berkeley Welfare Committee.
Thanksgiving
On Nov. 21, hundreds assembled for the 13th annual Berkeley Community Thanksgiving Dinner, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The event took place at the Hotel Claremont.
That Saturday, unbeaten Stanford beat Cal 9-7 in the 40th annual Big Game played at Stanford.
Pioneer passes
Mrs. Elizabeth Terry White, age 91, died in Berkeley on Saturday, Nov. 17. She was a Berkeley "pioneer", having lived in the community most of her life, from the 1860s on.
She attended the first graduation exercises at UC, and lived on a farm near today's College and Ashby with her uncle and aunt, Mark and Elizabeth Ashby.
Stormy weather
A three-day storm blew across the Pacific Coast 75 years ago, dropping more than an inch of rain in Berkeley, nearly stranding dignitaries in the high Sierra who were attending the dedication of the Tahoe Ukiah Highway, and causing minor flooding.
Three men drowned when their boat overturned in San Francisco Bay, but a boy sailing with them was saved by a Berkeley dentist, out fishing, who rowed to his rescue.
