DUNSTAN

Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Monday, July 31, 2006 at 07:20:44 :

Marin Independent Journal
Saturday, Dec. 28, 2002

Larkspur literary enthusiast, community leader dies

By Beth Ashley

Maryjane Dunstan, longtime Larkspur bookstore owner and presenter of Marin Literary Lunches for more than 20 years, died at her home Dec. 20 after a seven-week bout with lung cancer. She was 77 years old.

For her community leadership, Ms. Dunstan was named Larkspur's 1989 Citizen of the Year: She helped organize the Larkspur Neighborhood Association, and served on numerous town committees and commissions over the years, including one this year to study development of the Ward Street parcel downtown.

"They call me Larkspur's street-walker," Ms. Dunstan said a few days before her death, "because I'm always walking up and down, trying to get people involved."

Ms. Dunstan thought of herself as a teacher.

After graduating in language arts from San Francisco State University, her first job was at Benjamin Franklin adult high school in San Francisco, from which she moved to Merritt College in Oakland to teach English as a second language, reading development skills and English.

She then spent four "wonderful" years as a Fulbright Scholar in Burma, working at a teacher training college.

Back home in 1963, she joined the faculty at College of Marin, conducting a core course in reading, writing, speech and counseling, which she not only taught on the Kentfield campus but took to Marin City as well.

She headed the College of Marin communications department for 12 years.

"I've been a teacher for 30 years," Dunstan said earlier this month. "Teaching is learning and learning is teaching. That's my main passion."

Dunstan first held her literary luncheons at Fabrizio's restaurant in Larkspur, moving later to Jessup's Orange Works and to A Clean Well Lighted Place in Larkspur Landing before settling most recently at the Larkspur Cafe Theatre. She hosted a long string of notables including Mae Sarton and Wallace Stegner, with a concentration on local authors like Molly Giles, Kay Ryan and Jane Hirschfield.

Shortly before her death, Ms. Dunstan made arrangements with two literary colleagues to keep the series alive. Pat Holt, former book editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and currently author of a weekly e-mail column about books (Holt Uncensored), and Terry Ryan, author of the hit book, "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," plan a brief spring program starting in March, with a longer series in the fall.

For Ms. Dunstan, the author events were a natural outgrowth of her 16 years as owner, with Sherana Frances, of Artist's Proof bookstore on Magnolia Avenue. The two sold the bookstore in 1990, but Ms. Dunstan continued the luncheons, and at one point also led an evening series of Conversations With Authors at nearby Emporio Rulli's.

"I have been an admirer of Maryjane's for many years," said Holt, "not only because of the special elegance she and Sherana created at Artist's Proof, but for the way she stood up, along with other independent retailers, against the earliest incursions by Barnes & Noble to dominate retail book sales in Marin."

Ms. Dunstan spent her last days quietly putting her life in order, "clearing things up, getting things done, putting things where they need to go."

In addition to arranging the future of her literary luncheons, she planned a benefit sale of printed broadsides of poems written 16 years ago by Stepanie Marlis and Kathy Evans, when both were fledgling poets and Dunstan printed their work to promote them.

Evans, who continues to write and teach poetry through Poets In The Schools, said that as a beginning poet, "I always felt her behind me, her encouragement and good will. She has been very central in bringing forth the voice of many new writers."

While many of the broadsides were sold at the time, Ms. Dunstan wanted to sell the rest, which had been "sitting on the top of the dresser in my closet for years," as a benefit for Ecumenical Association for Housing, with the proviso that proceeds support affordable housing in Larkspur. Ms. Dunstan felt that any downtown redevelopment should include a strong component of affordable housing, especially for seniors. "We wanted housing that people could buy as well as rent."

The broadside sale was planned at Oliver's bookstore in San Anselmo sometime next year. The Independent Journal was unable to confirm if the sale will go ahead, but Mary Murtagh, director of EAH, announced last week that 24 units of affordable housing, already approved for construction in Larkspur, will be dedicated to Ms. Dunstan in recognition for her work with the city council on that project.

San Rafael attorney Faye D'Opal, a longtime friend, called Ms. Dunstan a woman "of great integrity, tenacity and vision who also took action on the issues she cared most about, building community in ways that impacted many people."

"(Ms. Dunstan) didn't just think about it, she didn't just talk about it, she did it every day. She was a model for community activists in this county."

Ms. Dunstan was a former director of the National Women's Political Caucus, and provided key leadership in Larkspur for the "Safe Routes to School" project. She received the 1999 Woman of Vision award from the Marin Women's Commission, and the Ray Castleblanc Lifetime Achievement Award this year from the Marin Democratic Central Committee.

Born in Bethlehem, Penn. in 1925, Ms. Dunstan is survived by niece Debbie Dunstan of Chicago, nephew Frank Dunstan of New York and a host of friends including Frances and longtime educational colleague Dyan Pike who organized home care - meals, errands and companionship - during the seven weeks of her illness.

A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Jan. 12 at Giorgio's Ristorante Italiano at 300 Drake's Landing in Greenbrae. In lieu of flowers, Ms. Dunstan requested that donations be made to EAH, 2169 Francisco Blvd., San Rafael, 94901, or to Hospice of Marin, 150 Nellen Drive, Corte Madera 94925.