John Christgau

A Passion For Journalism

Mshane — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 04:28:44 +0000

John Christgau loomed large in the lives of many of the students he taught at high schools on the Peninsula, including Crestmoor and Capuchino. KCBS Radio anchor Jeff Bell was one of his former students who credits “Mr. C.” with launching his passion for journalism.

John F. Christgau Memorial Fund

Mshane — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 04:24:45 +0000

John F. Christgau was an author, poet, journalist and educator who had nearly a dozen books published in his 84 years — all of which were written in his beloved Belmont home. He was passionate about his writing, his subjects and his community. As an educator he installed a lifelong passion for literature and storytelling in his students. He loved people and found great pleasure in finding out what made someone unique. He asked a lot of questions and listened skillfully. In doing so he made people feel like their value and purpose was tantamount.

In lieu of flowers or food, we have started this fund in his honor to be donated to the Belmont Library where we hope to create a memorial that will serve to inspire people everywhere to read, write, create and fulfill their potential, and serve as a reminder of his will, which was expansive and contagious.

Donate Here

Treatment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent, European Americans, and Jewish Refugees in WWII

Mshane — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 22:17:58 +0000

Treatment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent, European Americans, and Jewish Refugees During WWII – mars-2:hrs02JUD2237_090319 – Rayburn 2237 – Committee on the Judiciary – 2009-03-19 – Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. Witness List: Panel I: Daniel Masterson, Professor of Latin American History, U.S. Naval Academy; Grace Shimizu, Director, Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project (JPOHP); Libia Yamamoto, Former Japanese of Latin American Descent Internee. Panel II: John Christgau, Author of “Enemies: World War II Alien Internment”; Karen Ebel, President, German Anmerican Internee Coalition; Heidi Gurcke Donald, Board and Founding Member, German American Internee Coalition; John Fonte, Director, Center for American Common Culture and Senior Fellow, Hudson Instutute. Panel III: Valery Bazarov, Director of Location and Family History Service, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS); David A. Harris, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee (AJC); Leo Bretholz, Author of “Leap Into Darkness”; Michael Horowitz, Senior Fellow, Hudson Instutute. Video provided by U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressional Hearing Reviews the U.S. Wartime Treatment of German Americans and German Latin Americans

Mshane — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 22:15:32 +0000

On March 19, 2009, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, chaired by Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) joined by Ranking Member Steven King (IA-5), convened a hearing focused on the U.S. treatment of European Americans and Latin Americans, Japanese Latin Americans, and Jewish refugees during World War II. There were three panels, one for each subject.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

San Francisco State Athletics Mourns Passing of Hall of Famer John Christgau

Mshane — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 22:11:45 +0000

an Francisco State Athletics Hall of Famer John Christgau, 84, passed away on August 21, 2018 after suffering a heart attack.

Born in Crookston, Minnesota, Christau later moved to California, where he attended San Francisco State and was a member of the men’s basketball team from 1957 to 1960. He graduated in 1960 and was inducted into the SF State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

Christgau also earned a master’s degree in creative writing and met his wife at San Francisco State.

You can read the entire article over at sfstategators.com by clicking here.

Life of author, educator celebrated

Mshane — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 22:08:52 +0000

Friends and family described John Christgau as a brilliant writer with a tremendous sense of humor who established a sense of community wherever he went.

The prominent author, educator and Belmont resident died Tuesday, Aug. 21, at the age of 84 after suffering a heart attack.

“He was amazing and super inspiring,” daughter Jennifer Christgau said. “He had an incredible gift for figuring out what made someone special and he wouldn’t just say that, but made sure for the rest of your life you knew that and were going to fulfill your potential.”

Read the entire article over at the smdailyjournal.com by clicking here.

Mr. C. And Me — An Extraordinary Bay Area Teacher Had Lifelong Effect On Students

Mshane — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 05:36:39 +0000

“Story, story, story, Jeff!”

I can almost hear John Christgau whispering the words, as I sit down to write this piece.

“Get to the heart of the STORY,” he would tell me, as he’d coached me countless times before over the course of nearly 40 years. “What is the story behind the story? Find that. Share that.”

John Christgau was my high school journalism teacher, my greatest mentor, and one of my closest friends. He passed away suddenly last month, and this is my attempt to tell his story. I want to do so because I know the story behind John’s story is one from which we can all learn a few important things.

Ever the journalist, Mr. C., as I used to call him in high school, would want me to cover the traditional five Ws and one H — the who, what, when, where, why, and how that all good reporters target in their pieces, so I will start there.

John Christgau was born and raised in Minnesota and later moved to the Bay Area, where he attended San Francisco State and was a member of the men’s basketball team. He taught English and journalism at several Peninsula high schools, including Crestmoor and Capuchino, where he served as advisor to the school papers.

A prolific and award-winning writer, John published nearly a dozen fiction and non-fiction books, like “Enemies: World War II Alien Internment,” about the treatment of Japanese-, German- and Italian-Americans during World War II or another on the history of basketball’s jump shot. He also penned plays and poems, and even a podcast.

John and his wife, Peggy, lived in Belmont for some 50 years, raising three children. Several years ago, John lost a leg to an infection, and on August 21, he died of a heart attack at the age of 84.

So, there’s John’s story.

But the story behind John’s story is the truly meaningful one. It is a testament to. . .

This article is by Jeff Smith at Radio.com. Read the article in its entirety here.