SPEAKING
SCHEDULE is BELOW these listed Lecture Reviews
"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."
M. C. Hammer, Rap Artist, 2-Time Grammy Award Winner
From the Commonwealth Club club talk on Native
American culture of the Bay Area talk 10/14/2019
"I'm 11 minutes into the talk and the tears are flowing."
Upon completing listening to the talk:
"Oh my goodness. I think in the hands (or voices) of others,
this would sound simply bleak and hopeless. Yet, at the end,
I felt positive and hopeful. And I could relate very much.
Thank you so "
-Norma Wallace, Ohlone.
"What a great talk Sunday about Indian Life at the
Hillside Festival. Eye opening. I love the way your
storytelling skills make it possible for people to imagine
that they are back in the 1700s and the early 1800s, to
envision what things looked like, sounded like. And the way
you imagine yourself into the minds of the Indians, how they
saw the European arrivals, how their beliefs caused them to
misunderstand what was happening. And how the Europeans were
also blinded, to worse effect. It is clear you put a lot of
work into this talk and I appreciate it. It seems like many
people there were your fans…Your talk was the best attended
of any event at the Hillside Festival."
-David Weinstein, President El Cerrito Trail Treckers
"Richard's talk and presentation at Mechanics'
Institute was full of historical insights, moving and
hilarious stories, and connections to our world today. The
audience was engaged with rapt attention, not wanting to
miss a detail in the historical photos and documents shared
or Richard's seemingly endless depth of knowledge. A
wonderful program all around!"
-Alyssa Stone, Senior Director of Programs and Community
Engagement, Mechanics' Institute.
"I REALLY enjoyed your program last night. I
can only begin to fathom the amount of research you put
into the subject and it is remarkable how many details
that you discovered and organized them in a manner that is
a very interesting and entertaining program."
- Richard Torney, Board Member on the
Kentfiled-Greenbrae Historical Society and the Jose Moya del
Pino/Ross HIstorical Society
"The historical work you do is such a vitally important add
to the community!"
- Deborah Durant, community member
Richard Schwartz's Event Dates in 2025 - Speaking Events and Media Events
September 6, 2025San Leandro Historical Society Presents1868 Earthquake! Historic Little Brown Church, 384 W. Estudillo Ave., San Leandro
The Alameda County Courthouse in San Leandro after the 1868 Earthquake
A panorama of the damage in Hayward after the 1868 Earthquake
On October 21,1868, one of the most destructive earthquakes in California history ruptured the Hayward Fault. Houses were thrown off their foundations, buildings collapsed, chimneys toppled, and walls fell. Fissures opened in the earth. Beds flew from one side of a room to the other and back. Thirty people died, including the Deputy County Clerk who was caught in the collapsing Alameda County Courthouse in San Leandro.
Bay Area historian Richard Schwartz, whose local history talks have enraptured Historical Society audiences many times, tells the story and shows historic photographs of the largest known earthquake on the Hayward Fault. He includes riveting, first-hand accounts of people who lived through this massive earthquake. Richard will illuminate Bay Area history before and after the quake to reveal its impact on our local culture.
The USGS estimates that major eruptions occur on the Hayward Fault, on average, every 140 years. Are we ready now—157 years later—for the next “Big One”? Join us for a fascinating afternoon discovering the history of a major earthquake and the lessons it has for us today.
Refreshments served after the event. Richard's books will be available for purchase and author signing.
Register to ensure a seat — Richard’s talks sell out quickly.
The Man Who Lit
Lady Liberty and his ties to Marin County. Award-winning author
Richard Schwartz shares the biography of M. B. Curtis,
a 19th-century immigrant actor who funded the Statue
of Liberty’s lighting, starred in America’s
longest-running play, and faced fame, scandal, and
reinvention. Curtis’ ties to Marin will surprise
you Talk takes place in the Livermore
Pavilion at the Marin Art & Garden Center. 30 Sir
Francis Drake Bvd., Greenbrae, CA 94904. Doors open at
10am. Talk begins at 11am. 415-235-9162.
M. B.
Curtis as Sam'l of Posen, the traveling salesman in
the play Sam'l of Posen. (Both photos
Harvard University, Houghton Library TCS 1)
Champion boxer Joe Choynski, the
first Light Heavyweight Champion of the World.Lightweight Champion
Joe Gains. Both boxers trained at Billy
Shannon's in San Rafael, CA
Boxers,
including national champions, who trained at Billy
Shannon's training facility in Marin County. (Alice
T. Kent California Room, Marin County Library)
Billy
Shannon
March 16, 2025 Governor
Pardee House Museum 672 11th St,
Oakland, CA 94607. Exact date and time to be announced.
Governor Pardee was the governor of California during the
1906 Earthquake, where M. B. Curtis visited soon
thereafter to entertain the residents with his comic play
and help them forget their problems. Curtis, too, had
problems he wished to move on from. Richard will reveal
Curtis, a world-famous immigrant actor, had a very deep
connection to and effect on Oakland from the late
nineteenth century into the 20th century. Richard will
reveal them all in this entertaining Oakland-centric talk.
M. B.
Curtis as his comic character Saml of Posen, the
immigrant traveling saleman. (TCS 1. Houghton Library, Harvard
University)
Governor George Pardee House Museum
Refugees outside of Courthouse after 1906 Earthquake
when Gov. Pardee rushed back to Oakland
The Novelty Theatre in Oakland where Curtis gave a
vaudeville version of "Sam'l of Posen" months after the
1906 Earthquake.
Richard Schwartz delivers
the fascinating life story of immigrant actor M.B.
Curtis.
As
the Statue of Liberty stood unlit and unloved by
American politicians in 1886, one of her saviors was
creating a theatrical sensation at New York's Fourteenth
Street Theater. Actor M. B. Curtis, who had achieved
overnight success in Sam'l of Posen, a groundbreaking
play that transcended the common stereotypes of Jewish
characters at the time, was basking in public accolades
at every curtain call when he came to Lady Liberty's
aid. Curtis, the immigrant, jumped up to become the only
private citizen in our nation's history to pay for
lighting the Statue of Liberty's torch while Congress
dodged the funding issue and international
embarrassment.
Curtis's
rise to the top of his profession and his resulting fall
from grace is a dramatic arc that rivals anything
created for the stage. Actor, producer, real estate
developer, promoter, hotelier, benefactor, and murder
suspect, M. B. Curtis's life encompassed the highs of
celebrity and fame as well as the lows of failure,
illness, and a faltering career.
The
Man Who Lit Lady Liberty rescues M. B. Curtis's story
from the silent archives of forgotten history and
reexamines an actor whose creativity and cultural
influence still resonate invisibly today.
"I came
so close to passing on an
opportunity to talk with Richard
Schwartz.
It
is one of the most phenomenal books I
have ever read. Phenomenal story of
the guy who wrote it. Unbelievable
story about the guy who is the subject
of
the book.
And how can a guy be universally known
in 1900 and unknown in probably 60
years later, certainly a century later
nobody knows M. B. Curtis.
...It is written by a guy who is a
construction worker. Who has such
great
command of the English language that
after reading this book I wouldn't
I don't even have the desire to
challenge a book. I wouldn't even
begin to
try and write a book."
Dan Manly,
Radio Broadcaster WMST, Mount Sterling,
Kentucky
