Brochures

Book excerpt: Julius Myron Alexander was born in the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, California on October 14, 1857. He worked for the Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce and served as the editor of the Healdsburg Enterprise, where he wrote articles, mainly on the history of Healdsburg. Considered the town's historian, he started the city's first archival collection and written history in the 1920's. He also wrote poetry, short stories, and letters. He was affectionately known as "The Poet Laureate of Sonoma County." Once, when confined to a bed in the Healdsburg General Hospital, he jotted down some random thoughts about events that had an influence on his colorful life. He wrote: "Of the three outstanding events of a lifetime--birth, marriage and death--I have the license to write of only one of these.The first one I attended; the second one, for some unexplained reason, I skipped; the third one is still ahead of me, with a good start to catch up pretty soon." In Brochures, Alexander captures the essense of "this every day practical life of ours. They are just plain little word-talks with the intent of good for all."