Name/Title
Oral History of Jeanne Pitts LovettEntry/Object ID
2002.027.001TScope and Content
Arriving in Los Altos with her parents in 1927 at the age of two, Jeanne Pitts Lovett has lived in Los Altos her entire life. After attending Mountain View High School, she worked as a secretary at the Veterans Hospital in Menlo Park for a majority of her adult life. As a lifelong resident of Los Altos, she provides insight on life in early Los Altos, her family’s involvement in WWII efforts, and how Los Altos has changed.
Jeanne describes Los Altos during the 1930s and 1940s as being a tiny, quiet, and beautiful town, reminiscing on summers spent helping in the apricot orchards, watching the Toonerville Trolley from her porch, and the few stores dotting the dirt road that used to be Main Street. She also mentions the outbreak of WWII and her parents’ active participation in war efforts; in addition to both parents giving blood and listening for planes on the Listening Post, her mother sewed for the Red Cross and her father began working in the defense business during the war. She notes many changes in Los Altos, tracing the development of Los Altos from a small, peaceful town dominated by orchards and wildflowers to the bustling city it is today.
Her vivid descriptions of life in Los Altos capture the natural beauty she and her daughter Lisa Ann grew up with while stories about Lisa in her youth illustrate the impact it had on her. Jeanne demonstrates Lisa’s early love for animals by mentioning the variety of animals she took immaculate care of as a child, including monkeys, chipmunks, a pony, a raccoon, and more. Jeanne proudly mentions how Lisa, upon discovering bubbling soap in a stream, followed the stream to the source and sent two letters to the Palo Alto Times, raising awareness of the problem, the source, and solutions. Their admiration of Los Altos’ flora and fauna highlights a common sentiment amongst many longtime residents and desire to preserve the innate charm of Los Altos’ landscapeCollection
Oral History CollectionOral History Details
Interviewee
Jeanne Pitts LovettInterviewer
Marion Grim and Ellen ShawInterview Date
Aug 30, 1990