Do you want to know who the top 10, most famous people who came out of Livermore and Pleasanton are? Well, if so, you’ve come to the right place, because this is our conversation starting now. If you stay to the end, I’ll tell you which Hollywood star connected to Livermore that my mom actually dated.
If you like this video, give it a thumbs up, hit the subscribe button, and ring the bell. We come out with new videos every Monday, on smart real estate decisions and living in the beautiful Tri-Valley California. Not only is Livermore a beautiful and affordable place to live in the bay area, if you do decide to make Pleasanton or Livermore your home, it’s important that you’re in the know about who you might be rubbing elbows with or who are trailblazers before you. Who did grow up in this area and make it so special?
Number one, James DePaiva. James DePaiva was born in Livermore in 1957. And according to the locals who are in the know, James went to Granada High School. And today, he’s best known for being a doctor in General Hospital, Dr. David Bensch. But many, many years before that he was also in One Life to Live as Max Holden. So, any of you soap opera fans will recognize him. A couple of little known facts, before he became a Hollywood soap opera star, he played in a band in Livermore called, Live Wire. He’s also a descendant of a former U.S. president, Andrew Johnson.
Number two, Daisy de Borba, the adorable Darla from The Little Rascals, if you remember that when you were a kid, was also raised in Livermore, California. And according to locals, she lived on Camino Tassajara. She charmed the producers by her uncanny ability to cry on the spot. And she was always endlessly teasing the boys. They called her, Echo, because she would echo what the boy said and twist and turn it and delight everyone.
Number three, Vicki Stubing from The Love Boat, the captain’s daughter, also known as, Jill Whelan. Jill was born in Oakland, but she grew up in Livermore until age of six, and went to Smith School. Since then, she’s had a long line of successes in acting, both on the east and west coast.
Number four, Phoebe Hearst. Phoebe Hearst was a powerful influence in the Tri-Valley in Northern California, Berkeley, and even nationwide. When she was here, she passed over a hundred years ago, but her powerful influence continues, even today. Phoebe was the mother of William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate and of Hearst Castle fame, and the wife of George Hearst, who is a gold miner, and a very, very successful one at that. She lived in the beautiful, lush foothills of Pleasanton where Castlewood Country Club resides right now, and where my Tri-Valley Rotary Club meets on a regular basis. If you haven’t been to Hearst Castle, then make sure you get right down there as soon as possible, in San Simeon.
When Phoebe’s child, William Randolph Hearst, was only eight years old, Phoebe was a school teacher. And took him out of school to bring him to Europe, to show him all of the beautiful castles and the artworks and the churches and how amazing Europe was. They did an extensive tour for over a year of Europe. And at that time, William Randolph Hearst decided that when he got older, he was going to make his own castle. And so to that, we have the beautiful and amazing Hearst Castle here in California, which is a must-see. Again, a credit to Phoebe’s imagination, passion, love for culture, learning, and the arts.
Phoebe formed the PTA, or what was originally the organization that became the PTA. She also was responsible for Pleasanton’s first library and many other educational organizations throughout California. She was an avid advocate of women’s rights, suffragists, children’s rights. And she also believed heavily in women’s education and spearheaded that in the early 1900s, which was such an important foundation for what we have today. Again, her influence permeates even today. And we were blessed to have her in the Tri-Valley influencing this very powerful region.
Number five, the drummer from the very hip band, Tower of Power, David Garibaldi, who started playing music in Pleasanton in his elementary school, many years ago before becoming famous. He still lives in Livermore today.
Number six, Scott Adams. Don’t know who Scott Adams is? Well, maybe you know Dilbert. Dilbert is his saucy, quick-tongued, syndicated cartoon character expressing the woes of white collar workers in corporate America. Scott is an excellent author, blogger, and thinker, and is also a great social observer. If you haven’t read any of his work, I would recommend it. Scott has lived in Pleasanton since 1979, after earning his MBA.
Scott gave the keynote address for my Pleasanton Rotary Club’s 50th anniversary celebration. By the time he was done speaking, I was ordering his books online. He’s excellent, fascinating thinker, and I will recommend any of his books, or of course, enjoyed his cartoons.
Number seven, George Foreman. George Foreman is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Do you remember the George Foreman grill? Yeah, same guy. George had a training center at the PX Plaza in Livermore, and he completed his education in Pleasanton at the Job Corps. Not only has George been inducted into the World and International Boxing Hall of Fame, cited as the eighth best heavyweight champion of the world, he’s made over $200 million on that George Foreman grill, way more than he’s ever made in boxing.
Number eight, Randy Johnson, a very impressive, former professional baseball player with a long list of impressive wins in a streak, was born in Walnut Creek. And they was raised in Livermore, where he went to Livermore High School. Nicknamed, the Big Unit, because of his size, he’s six foot 10, and a south paw like me, by the way, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Andy Weir. Andy is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Martian, which later became a blockbuster movie starring, Matt Damon. He went to high school in Livermore at Livermore High and was grabbed by Sandia Labs at 15 years old in order to help them with the computer programming. Both of Andy’s parents worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Labs. His dad was a particle physicist for over 31 years, and his mom was a very impressive laser fusion target builder. During the time of the press release of the film, Andy found himself back here in Livermore doing book signings while over a hundred people waited and speaking about the film.
Number 10 Max Baer. We have a Max Baer Park here in Livermore, to his credit. Max Baer was a world heavyweight champion, back during the Depression times. He’s considered one of the top 25 heavyweight punchers of all time. Max moved in 1926 to Livermore, when Livermore was definitely cowboy country. Max often credited working as a cowboy and a butcher boy, carrying heavy carcasses of meat, stunning cattle with one blow, and working at a gravel pit for his massive shoulders that helped him win the championships.
While researching for this video, I found out that Max Baer Junior was actually Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies. Well, here’s what you didn’t know. My mother dated Jethro from the Beverly hillbillies. So apparently, my mother, even though we were living in Pasadena at the time, we have a tie to Livermore with her dating Max Baer, Jr., Max Baer’s son.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video on the famous people who have loved and lived in Livermore and Pleasanton throughout the years. If you’d like a copy of my free relocation guides for either Pleasanton or Livermore, then please shoot me a text, 9-2-5-5-8-0-2-2-3-1. I’ll get it right out to you. In the meantime, until next week, signing off, Ginger Faith from Golden Canyon Properties here in Tri-Valley, California. God bless
I hope you’ve enjoyed this…