George Emanuels
1908 - 2005
George Emanuels at his desk, enjoying his study of early
California history.
Books by George Emanuels
Ygnacio Valley 1834-1970 (1982)
John Muir Inventor (1985)
California's Contra Costa County - An Illustrated History
(1986)
Our First One Hundred Years (1988)
The story of Mason-McDuffie...
California Indians - An Illustrated Guide
(1994)
Diablo Books
George Emanuels passed away in Sonoma on Sept. 28, 2005 at the
age of 97, healthy and alert to the end. His wife, Helen
Parsons Emanuels predeceased him in 2003 after 75 years of
marriage.
Born in Berkeley, he attended the Montezuma
School for Boys in Los Gatos and the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan
(his father being employed as a sales manager in that country). While
attending San Mateo Junior College he met his future bride and they
were married at her parents' ranch house in Walnut Creek. After a
career in Bay Area sales, George and Helen traveled extensively in
their Airstream trailer and led dozens of caravans throughout the
United States, Mexico, and Europe.
He collected California history books and was the
author of seven: Ygnacio Valley, Walnut Creek - Arroyo de las Nueces,
Contra Costa County illustrated, California Indians Illustrated,
Sonoma Schools and Scows, John Muir - Inventor and Early California
Voyages.
In 1992 George received an "award of merit for
local history" from the California Historical Society. He had been an
active member of Walnut Creek, Contra Costa and Sonoma County
historical societies.