Maryanne Mock Dome – 4
My first memory (knowledge?) of the Domes was that day in early spring of ’72, Susan came home to our B St apartment, where we lived with Abbie and Greta, very excited as only Susan can be. She exclaimed, “Maryanne, I have a great idea! You won’t have to go home for the summer. We’ll have summer jobs in Davis, we’ll have a place to live next year, and…we’ll get to live in a dome!” I found myself in the almond orchard that weekend fashioning a dome out of PVC pipe and learning about the project from Ron Swenson, wearing his cowboy hat, of course.
Then we had a very long meeting at South Hall? (Never could keep track of those buildings) where we had to decide who got to participate in the project and of course, live there. There were a lot of students there and some had been involved for a while. We were newbies. I think being female helped as they decided to have half men and half women. But all my friends from Malcom Hall freshman year got in too, so we were all very happy and excited.
I had signed up for floor crew and I worked on the first (and only) wooden floor but had to do other things when that plan was scrapped. I worked on the core unit for a while and remember the nail pounding practice. Mostly I remember sanding, waxing, and polishing the mold between every spray for a new dome. Not the most fun activity but we knew it was important because we didn’t want it to stick or tear when they pulled it out.
My parents came to visit during one of the early dome transfers. Not sure if it was the disastrous first one or the 2nd one which I think was ours. We were so upset after the first one crumbled and we were sure the project was going to be cancelled. But then Rod came back from lunch with the napkin with his scribbled design for rotating the dome in the air and we were back in business. My father was an aeronautical engineer, and he was very proud of my involvement in this project. I appreciated how all the “professional” staff treated all of us as equals. I remember a conversation with Rod about something technical and he seemed to think I might have the answer. Of course, I didn’t, but maybe one of us did. I did gain more confidence and a sense that I could figure things out and accomplish what I want.
It was fun finishing the inside of the dome with Susan. She made a lovely kitchen cabinet the was hung on the wall until they later expanded the loft. I made green and yellow tie die curtains. Everything was bright and sunny. I loved our living room window facing west to catch all the lovely sunsets.
I got my dog, Franny, the summer we built the domes. The first day I ran back to Tercero with her, she didn’t know how to stop so she would somersault each time. She loved all the open space. Of course, her barking was not appreciated early in the morning.
I loved the community we built. I loved taking a break from studying and popping in on any of my neighbors for a chat. Or hanging out together in the evening
We had a vegetable garden that I think Barbara Berger had planted and I learned what fresh cabbage and tomatoes taste like. So good! We planted a peach tree, but the gophers ate the roots. I think I did get 1 or 2 peaches from it though.
Worse memory was getting up in the middle of the night that first Fall, having to trek outside in the rain, through the mud, jumping across the utility ditches to get to the bathroom across the street. One night on the way back I fell into one of the ditches! Freezing cold water! It was kind of funny too.
Such a fantastic group of people! Can’t believe it’s been 50 years! So glad we have these reunions, so we keep in touch. Thanks to all the organizers and hosts!
Life after Domes
In the Fall of ’74, after 2 years of living in Dome #4, I moved to San Francisco, where I had wanted to live since I was 12. I’d planned to get a teaching credential, but SF state sent my application to Sonoma, and I really wanted to live in the city. Fortunately for me, it was pre-Prop 13 and the HR department of the city had counselors who would review your resume and tell you what positions you should apply for. So here I am with a BA in psychology, and they tell me to apply for the Director of Activities Therapy and Volunteer Services. So, I did, and got #5 on a list of 5 where there were 5 openings! I worked at the Southeast Child/Family Therapy Center which was a fairly new program funded by a grant from NIMH. I had a great time, learned a lot until my position was inadvertently cut from the budget. I then got a position in the Sunset district but was told I needed to start a children’s day treatment center. No small task, but hey, I had built a dome, so why not! I collaborated with the Therapeutic Education Center, an SFUSD program, where we provided services during the day to their students and then used school space to provide an after-school program for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. I had hired a great staff and we did good work until they hired my boss, who I could not stand. This became the impetus to grad school. I got my Masters in Social Work from UC Berkeley in 1980, completing my 2nd year internship back at the Southeast Child/Family Therapy Center. I worked in Oakland for 7 years, first in residential treatment for children and then at an East Oakland outpatient clinic for children and families. I then got hired back at the first place I started (SECFTC) as the assistant director and training coordinator, eventually becoming the director of this program until I retired I 2015. I managed 3 clinics and every time we moved, I would draw up the design for the space. I would be asked if I had an architect background and I’d explain that I had built domes. They always used my designs.
I met John Mahoney in ’77, moved in with him after graduate school, got married in ’83, bought an apartment on Russian Hill in’92, had our miracle baby, Lia Jeanine in ’94, then moved to Alameda in 2000 so she could start first grade. We loved raising our daughter. I volunteered at least 4 hours each week at her school or with Girl Scouts. She went to Portland State to major in Advertising and graphic design. She and her fiancé bought a house near Gladstone last year and they got married last month! They have two dogs who were included in the wedding.
John had a career in IT but his first love has been music. He was laid off in 2005 and had to reinvent himself as a substitute teacher. He proposed the idea of a music and computers class to the right person and got hired to do just that at a continuation high school. His class was the incentive to get the kids to school. He retired in 2013 after being diagnosed with a chronic illness and given 3-5 years to live. In 2018 he had surgery that saved his life but causes other issues that periodically result in hospitalizations, which were quite a challenge during the pandemic! He has done well for over a year, made it to our daughter’s wedding and even gave a toast! He has been working on his website where he is posting his music, jom-songs.com.
I love being retired! I discovered the Frank Bette Center for the Arts where I take watercolor and drawing classes and where I volunteer. I am on their board as the Membership Director. A great group of people. I travel as much as I can, going to Croatia, France (3X), Cuba, Italy (2X), Costa Rica, Prague, Budapest and the Danube, Spain, Ireland and even a road trip with my daughter. Going to Ecuador and the Galapagos in January. Most of these trips are painting holidays. The memories are so much more vibrant when you have painted what you’ve seen.
Our house needed a lot of work when we bought it 22 years ago and it needs almost as much work all over again after this time. We hired people to do most of it, but John insists on doing things himself. I continually remind him that I built a dome, but he is still skeptical that I can do as good of a job. He is probably right. Also, it is so much more fun to paint pictures than do projects.
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