"Richard
Schwartz has an absolute genius for showing his readers what was
going on behind the big headlines -- little-seen graphic images
of what the average person saw and experienced and remembered
forever."
"Richard Schwartz is living proof that there is no such thing as
dull history...The past springs to life through his nimble
mind with absolutely no sacrifice of authenticity."
-Mary-Ellen Jones, retired Bancroft Library archivist, UC
Berkeley and current editor of the California Historian, the
quarterly magazine of the Conference of California Historical
Societies
"Besides being an extremely knowledgeable local historian,
Richard has a rare gift as a storyteller. When he combines these
two roles the result is a wonderful and entertaining evening for
his audience. For me, attending one of Richard's lectures is
like having a short course from the best possible history
professor. You leave having learned a great deal, and having had
a most enjoyable time in the process!"
-Arlene Baxter, President, Berkeley Association of Realtors
The History Guild of the Oakland Museum of CA had the good
fortune of asking Richard Schwartz to be the speaker at the 2008
annual meeting in June. One hundred and thirty members
attended and were treated to a wonderful, informational
presentation by Mr. Schwartz which brought the characters of
early Berkeley to life. By the end of the presentation we felt
like we intimately knew the individuals in his book..."
-Yvonne S. McCredie, Immediate Past President of the
History Guild of the Oakland Museum of California
"Everybody that night was delighted to meet [Richard] and hear
his colorful stories full of characters with a Berkeley- San
Francisco connection…
The most impressive thing is this: he told stories folks
had never heard before. And that says a lot about how deep
his digging goes, because we had some veteran history-hounds
sitting there in the room that night…Good going Richard!"
-Lisa Dunseth, Bernal Heights Branch Library
Manager, San Francisco Public Library
"The audience at this Arts and Culture Salon was enraptured by
Richard's presentation, and his description of the heroic fire
horses of San Francisco particularly entertained and moved me…my
husband has been enjoying the book, Eccentrics, Heroes, and
Cutthroats of Old Berkeley, which I purchased at the event."
-Elizabeth Thacker-Estrada, Excelsior Branch Library Manager,
San Francisco Public Library
"Richard Schwartz is a fabulous storyteller of Berkeley's
history. As a pertinent example, at the Berkeley Public Library,
Richard presented stories and slides from Earthquake Exodus,
1906...He made that incredible time come vividly alive with
unforgettable and carefully researched vignettes. He tells
unique stories about a unique city...'
-Allan Bern, Community Relations Librarian, Berkeley Public
Library
"Richard Schwartz is an amazing speaker. I have seen four of his
presentations, and all were excelant, and each featured unique
content...Schwartz has clearly done substantial research in
historical archives, but he has also discovered much more
through diligent legwork. The history of Native American
life in pre-European times is an area of his special
expertise. He has discovered a number of historic
sites and he is working with local authorities to
protect them from vandalism... My personal favorite of Richard's
yarns is his account of finding a cannonball in Codornices Creek
in North Berkeley.
Our East Bay Regional Parks Volunteer Hiking Patrol was
enthralled by Richard's lecture on Native American sites in the
local park lands."
-Amellia Marshall, Co-Chair, East Bay Regional Parks Volunteer
Hiking Patrol
An Audubon walk I led on a cold, quiet January morning at
Redwood Regional Park was one of the more challenging in years;
for finding and seeing birds that is. But 'challenging' turned
to 'engaging' when Richard began a 30 minute talk about the
astonishing history of our Redwoods. Everyone was riveted and
many thanked me afterwards for adding this historical dimension
to a nature walk. Richard saved the day. He really did. Anyone
who has not heard his recounting should seek this out. You will
never view the East Bay Redwoods the same way again.
-Rusty Scalf, Audubon Society Field Trip Leader
"Richard speaks with contagious enthusiasm about the history of
Oakland's redwoods. The depth of his knowledge is impressive as
he makes unique connections between Oakland's redwoods and
California's history."
-Madeline Horn, Associate Director, Peralta Hacienda
"Richard, you are a Berkeley Treasure. Really enjoyed the talk
and will see the neighborhood differently and with more open
eyes from now on. My husband and I LOVED learning about Thousand
Oaks. He said, "It's so good to see someone doing what they are
supposed to be doing!" Your love of local history is
contagious. Thanks again."
-Nan Phelps, Nan Phelps Photography
"Thanks again for your wonderful talk to our CERT group--people
still discuss the lessons learned from your presentation."
-Member, Community Emergency Response Team, City of
Walnut Creek, CA
"When we decided to offer a special event in October 2015
exploring the Emperor's "imperial diplomacy" in the East Bay and
were considering whom to invite as our guest speaker, we quickly
reached out to Richard Schwartz, whom we knew from his 2007
book, Eccentrics, Heroes, and Cutthroats of Old Berkeley —
which includes an excellent chapter on Emperor Norton.
Richard was an engaging speaker and a terrific storyteller. He
also had done his homework — mining both the Oakland
and Berkeley newspapers of the day and other
contemporaneous accounts to present the kinds of details about
Emperor Norton that one doesn't usually encounter.
Richard was able to marry all of these skills to create an
empathetic portrait of the Emperor — a portrait through which
Richard's evident love for the subject matter shone
brightly."
-John Lumea, President, The emperor's bridge campaign
"The accolades keep coming in; people
loved your discussion. Thanks for your passion and
dedication to the native peoples and keeping their memory
alive... Schwartz' talk was informative and thought provoking
about a subject too little discussed today in Berkeley,
pre-Columbian civilization in the East Bay. For over two
hours he captivated an audience of over 60 Berkeleyeans
with tales of discovery and study of the people who lived in
what is now Berkeley centuries ago. Excellent job
Richard!"
-Jef Findley, Berkeley History Room, Berkeley Public Library,
Main Branch.
"On Saturday, September 24th, with a standing-room
only crowd in attendance, the Contra Costa County Historical
Society honored the culture and heritage of the County's first
inhabitants. Author/historian Richard Schwartz gave an
excellent introduction to the earliest migrants into what is now
California. He also spoke of the weather and geography
changes that gave rise to the landforms that we know today.
He spoke particularly about the imminent destruction of
the remaining East Bay Shellmounds and their importance to
understanding inhabitants there."
-Dean McLeod, Contra Costa Historical Society
Richard Schwartz held the audience in rapt
attention when he spoke to the San Leandro Historical Society on
June 17, 2017 about the remarkable story of M. B. Curtis.
Schwartz knows how to tell a good story, and he is the kind of
researcher who dives in to discover and follow the fascinating
details and side trails of his subject.
-Cindy Simons, President, San Leandro Historical Society
"Richard Schwartz kept our Commonwealth Club
audience entertained while informing them about a missing piece
of history: the 19th century actor and entrepreneur M.B.
Curtis's fascinating life on stage and off. Schwartz
rescues this once-famous man from the dustbin of history, where
he did not belong. Curtis hobnobbed with other celebrities
of the time, but was a man of deep substance as well.
Schwartz makes it all clear with a storytelling style that
matches his 19th century topic."
-George Hammond, Chairman of the Humanities Forum at The
Commonwealth Club of California
Grammy award winner rap artist M. C. Hammer
(Record of the Year; Album of the Year) approached Richard
Schwartz after Richard delivered a private speech and shook his
hand and said, "You did a really good job."
